Kumar Rocker pitched two inning in Arizona, allowing a run on two hits and a sac fly, walking none, and striking out one. Based on current usage, he could pitch twice in the complex league before presumably heading to a full-season squad.
Pitchers Winston Santos and Emiliano Teodo of Frisco and IF Sebastian Walcott of Hickory are on the temporary inactive list in anticipation of the Futures Game.
SP Peter Solomon: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 61 P / 37 S, 9.19 ERA RP Aidan Anderson: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 2.62 ERA RP Grant Wolfram: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3.44 ERA DH Ezequiel Duran: 2-5, 3B, .194/.237/.250 C Sam Huff: 2-5, 2B, .244/.323/.445 LF Dustin Harris: 1-3, 2B, BB, .277/.363/.387
The Express trailed 4-1 early but mounted a gradual comeback. Davis Wendzel doubled in the go-ahead run in the 10th. In the bottom half, Andres Chaparro led off with a single to left-center, and Reno curiously chose to send the gift-runner against Sandro Fabian, who has scant CF experience but plenty in right along with a healthy number of outfield assists. Fabian unleashed a 92 MPH throw to beat the runner by several feet.
Reno entered the series with an 11-1 record and was threatening to develop a commanding lead over the Express and everyone else, but the Express have fashioned a split of the first four games despite shaky starting pitching in the unfriendly confines of northern Nevada. Jack Leiter was listed as Friday’s starter yesterday morning but had been replaced by Solomon in the late-afternoon press notes.
Three of Round Rock’s five games with the most balls in play of at least 95 MPH have occurred in the past week: 30, 7/09 at Reno (14-10 Reno) 29, 7/12 at Reno (7-6 RR) 29, 5/03 at Albuquerque (13-1 RR) 26, 6/08 at OKC (10-9 OKC) 26, 7/06 at Sugar Land (9-7 RR)
SP Nick Krauth: 5 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 3 BB, 3 HBP, 4 SO, 87 P / 50 S, 5.33 ERA RP Andy Rodriguez: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 1.96 ERA RF Josh Hatcher: 4-4, 2B, 2 SB (2), .288/.327/.424 1B Abimelec Ortiz: 3-4, 2B, .203/.276/.325
Hatcher and Ortiz were the only Riders with multiple hits, but four joined with doubles: C Liam Hicks (1-4, BB), DH Cody Freeman (1-4, BB, SB), SS Keyber Rodriguez (1-4), and 2B Max Acosta (1-4).
SP Ryan Lobus: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 HBP, 7 SO, 69 P / 43 S, 4.10 ERA RP Adrian Rodriguez: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 3.82 ERA C Ian Moller: 2-5, .238/.362/.309 RF Anthony Gutierrez: 2-4, .251/.300/.326
Ryan Lobus had his best lengthy outing since the beginning of June, albeit one that doubled his HBP total for the season. Adrian Rodriguez was effective overall but has issued a walk in 14 consecutive appearances and sports a wild .123/.405/.281 opposing line with 25 walks, two hit batters, and just seven hits in that 17.1-inning span.
Dating back to May 5, Ian Moller has a line of .275/.400/.359.
Lo-A: Down East 0, Salem (BOS) 3 Down East: 2 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts Opponent: 3 hits, 7 walks, 12 strikeouts Record: 7-10, 6.5 GB, 42-40 overall
SP Jose Gonzalez: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 8 SO, 89 P / 54 S, 2.37 ERA RP Victor Simeon: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 2.95 ERA 3B Esteban Mejia: 1-2, BB, SB (2), .163/.281/.286
Rain shortened the scheduled doubleheader to one game. They’ll attempt two today. Jose Gonzalez walked four, equal to his total in the the previous eight outings.
Five Years Ago Yesterday High-A infielder Anderson Tejeda suffered a shoulder injury that would sideline him the rest of the season. His next game would be 13 months later as a Major Leaguer. 15 months after that, the Rangers released him, and five months after that, he would be released again and (apparently) out of affiliated baseball for good for a few weeks prior to his 24th birthday. One of the strangest careers I’ve covered. Tejeda signed with independent Charleston (WV) of the Atlantic League in February but hasn’t played. I don’t see a release or any other transaction involving him.
Sean Bass of KTCK and I talked the current state of the Rangers and farm this morning on Diamond Pod.
Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs.com delivered his review of the Texas farm system. It’s a longer read than most publications and well worth your time. Longenhagen always has a few rankings highly dissimilar from his peers that you might find interesting (or confounding). Like Baseball America, he’s ramped up Alejandro Rosario to the #4 spot.
Brock Porter’s third rookie-league appearance went poorly: three walks, a hit batter, and one strikeout. The season ends in 13 days, so barring a rapid recovery that allows a return to full-season ball, he’ll be pitching in side sessions and/or simulated and unofficial games in Arizona.
SP Adrian Sampson: 4.1 IP, 7 H (2 HR), 6 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 80 P / 51 S, 5.72 ERA DH Justin Foscue: 1-3, 2 BB, .288/.466/.485 3B Davis Wendzel: 2-4, SB (2), .282/.388/.494
In three games at Reno, Round Rock starters have allowed 20 runs in seven innings. That’s a hefty sum even allowing for the location. Against Adrian Sampson, Andres Chaparro hit a ball 492 feet, and Pavin Smith later launched one 470. I’ve only updated my database through last Sunday, but unless someone hit ball farther this week, Chaparrro’s homer is the longest in the Pacific Coast League this season.
SP Ben Anderson: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 89 P / 58 S, 4.35 ERA RP Robby Ahlstrom: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 1.83 ERA RP Tyler Owens: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.73 ERA SS Keyber Rodriguez: 1-5, HR (4), .259/.299/.402 3B Cody Freeman: 2-4, BB, .281/.332/.466
Cody Freeman has hits in 17 of his last 18 games and is hitting .329/.360/.586 in that span. When the catching experiment ended, I was honestly skeptical in my assessment, but he’s responded with his best offensive season to date as a 23-year-old in AA. Freeman already has a career high in doubles (20) and will likely exceed his previous high of 13 homers (currently ten). Not playing short hampers his outlook, but he’s at least continuing to appear on the radar.
SP Mitch Bratt: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 SO, 82 P / 61 S, 3.36 ERA 3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-4, HR (4), .180/.226/.440
Anthony Gutierrez (1-4) executed a straight steal of home to score the go-ahead run in the 9th. Like Jax Biggers at Round Rock earlier this month, Gutierrez got such a huge start that the opposing pitcher didn’t even bother to throw home.
Mitch Bratt tied a career-best nine strikeouts. He’s been as good as ever lately: 29.2 IP, 18 H, 3 R, 5 BB, and 33 SO in his last five starts. He’s pitched 31 games at Hickory across the past two seasons. I don’t expect that total to reach much higher.
Five Years Ago Yesterday The draft signing deadline passed with Texas 7th-round pitcher Brandon Sproat the highest unsigned choice. The Rangers couldn’t pry him from a Florida commitment, and Sproat would even stay a Gator for a fourth season after the Mets picked him in 2022’s third round. The persistent Mets redrafted him in last year’s second round. He’s pitching well for AA Binghamton.
SP Gerson Garabito: 2.2 IP, 7 H (2 HR), 4 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 69 P / 41 S, 3.56 ERA RP Grant Wolfram: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.53 ERA 2B Justin Foscue: 2-5, 2B, HR (3), .286/.458/.492 LF Ezequiel Duran: 2-4, 2B, SB (2), .194/.242/.258 C Sam Huff: 2-5, 2 2B, .244/.323/.445 CF Dustin Harris: 2-3, 2B, BB, .278/.362/.389
Justin Foscue hit three balls at least 100 MPH, one of which traveled 417 feet. Zeke Duran had his first noteworthy game since being optioned. Back in 2015, Rougned Odor was shipped to Round Rock after a .144/.252/.233 opening month, and after a month in AAA, he enjoyed his most fruitful period at the plate. Unfortunately, for a while that instilled the idea that any struggling batter could be not just fixed but improved in short order with the “Odor treatment.” Not to say I’m pessimistic about Duran, but the process is more complicated than batting coach Matt Lawson sprinkling magic dust on a batter, although I can’t say I’ve discussed it with him.
SP DJ McCarthy: 5.2 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 1 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 81 P / 54 S, 3.97 ERA 3B Gleider Figuereo: 1-2, HR (3), HBP, .152/.204/.370 CF Anthony Gutierrez: 1-2, BB, SB (24), .246/.297/.323 Hi-A: Hickory 2, @ Bowling Green (TAM) 7 (7) Hickory: 3 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts Opponent: 9 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts Record: 8-9, 3.5 GB, 36-47 overall
SP Kohl Drake: 4.1 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 5 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 75 P / 48 S, 3.52 ERA RP DJ Peters: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 7.43 ERA SS Sebastian Walcott: 1-3, 2B, .236/.335/.404
I had a sentence to the effect of “Sebastian Walcott is in a slight lull” ready because I hadn’t mentioned him lately, but he’s hitting .296/.387/.519 this month. The “lull” was a 1-13 stretch across three games plus the two-day break. Gleider Figuereo is in a lull more aptly described as getting acclimated to better pitching. Three homers in 13 games is swell, but he’s also striking out in 37% of his high-A plate appearances. Even though he’s new to the squad, only two hitters (Walcott, Gutierrez) are younger than his 20 years and 14 days.
Lo-A: Down East 3, Salem (BOS) 5 Down East: 8 hits, 4 walks, 16 strikeouts Opponent: 6 hits, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts Record: 7-9, , 42-39 overall
SP David Davallilo: 5 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 77 P / 49 S, 1.68 ERA SS Danyer Cueva: 2-5, 2B, .207/.242/.261 CF Marcos Torres: 1-3, BB, SB (11), .185/.290/.308
Low-A Modesto of the California League will play somewhere else next season. At issue was responsibility for $32 million in facility improvements needed to meet current requirements. The city (which owned the stadium) and Seattle Mariners (parent club and team owner) couldn’t reach an agreement on that or a lease extension, so in 2025 the club will play… well, they haven’t figured out that part yet. Bakersfield’s Sam Lynn? The former home of the High Desert Mavs in Adelanto? How about squeezing into Sacramento with the RiverCats and A’s? Modesto had hosted affiliated ball almost continuously since the 1940s.
Today’s Starters AAA: Sampson AA: B. Anderson Hi-A: Bratt Lo-A: rained out
Kelly and Robert The Rangers designated reliever Antoine Kelly for assignment eight months after his addition to the 40-man roster and being crowned the organization’s minor league pitcher of the year. The Rangers had acquired him in 2022 from the Brewers for Matt Bush. Expected to be added to the 40 that fall, Kelly unfortunately offered the Rangers an easy opposite decision with dreadful control down the stretch. Last year, Kelly improved dramatically, fanning a third of his opponents and reining in the wildness.
As for this year, well, which day are we talking about? Kelly hinted at an MLB debut from the jump but then missed nearly a month. In mid-May, Kelly exited after just two batters tapping his lower forearm. Fortunately, he missed only a week with a cramp instead of 14 months with a reconstructed elbow. He would never be the same, however.
First 5 appearances in AAA: 4.2 IP, 1 R, 3 BB/HBP, 8 SO, .125/.263/.125
Last 11 appearances in AAA: 10.0 IP, 14 R, 16 BB/HBP, 12 SO, .326/.500/.500
His slider remained exceptionally effective, although he continued to use it rather sparingly (28%). The fastball veered wildly in speed and direction, dropping down into the upper 80s on occasion. His strike rate with it fell from 65% to 51%, and the miss rate from 29% to 11%. Most tellingly, during his bad stretch, he concluded only two strikeouts with his fastball but 11 walks, and opponents batted a nightmarish .500/.658/.769 against it. Texas shipped him to Arizona and then AA Frisco, but after just one more appearance, they decided to move on. Kelly is only on his first option. Assuming a story no more complicated than “he’s terrible lately,” he should be claimed.
Meanwhile, Rule 5 loss Justin Slaten has a 3.38 ERA, nine walks and 45 strikeouts in 42.2 innings for the Red Sox. Not that Kelly over Slaten was a binary decision, but the two outcomes sure aren’t pretty. As I wrote in my 40-man preview, both Kelly and Marc Church seemed probable to join the roster, but I had Slaten farther down the list, mostly because the likelihood of adding a third reliever was low. In the previous ten seasons, the Rangers had protected a total of four relievers at the Rule 5 deadline.
Replacing Kelly on the 40 and joining the active roster is righty Daniel Robert. Primarily a 1B at Auburn, Robert was drafted as a pitcher by the Rangers in 2017’s 21st round. Upon discovery that he needed elbow surgery, Texas didn’t offer a contract by the deadline but eventually signed him as a free agent. By 2022, he’d worked his way to Round Rock as a legitimate relief prospect. Unfortunately, his control often abandoned him in AAA. In 2022, Robert had several lengthy stretches of consistency, but the occasional bad outings were sometimes catastrophic. In 2023, he never had a stretch of more than two appearances without a run or multiple walks. He would be omitted from the 40-man roster in two straight seasons. (Writing about Robert in the annual 40-man / Rule 5 previews, I’m embarrassed to say I used a variation of “Saying a reliever needs to be more consistent sounds like lazy analysis, but…” in 2022 and 2023. Lazy, indeed.)
In 2024, Robert started typically, walking at least one batter in four of his first five outings. He began to show better control in May, if not better overall results, but since the beginning of June he’s displayed the control and consistency that eluded him for two seasons: 14.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB/HBP, 15 SO.
Robert’s money pitch is a sweeper, which is responsible for concluding 33 of his 40 strikeouts. He threw a sweeper 58% of the time, averaging 84 MPH, topping out at 87, with an average of 14.5 inches of horizontal movement. If he maintains his style, you might be surprised as how often he works up with it. Robert’s four-seam fastball (30% usage) averaged 95.6 and peaked at 98.4. Despite a high spin rate, his induced vertical break is fairly ordinary, if I’m reading the data correctly. There’s nothing fancy about it. Statistically, its effectiveness comes from generating a high percentage of fouls (as opposed to balls in play), forcing hitters to contend with his sweeper in an unfavorable count. Robert will also mix in an occasional sinker to righties, and against lefties he’ll deal a handful of changes.
Robert’s control and strikeout prowess are legit, but that .132 opposing batting average has a large element of luck. Opponents are hitting only .069 on grounders, and only .091 on grounders hit at least 95 MPH. That can’t persist. On the other hand, it’s not as though opponents are continuously hitting the ball 105 MPH into gloves. The contact data doesn’t portend disaster. Top 30 Baseball America updated its team top-30 prospect lists including the Rangers. BA is a subscriber publication, so I’m not going to reproduce it, but will say that 1) it’s a fine publication, and you should subscribe if you can, and 2) Texas’s new #4 prospect has a video shot by yours truly.
Rangers Farm Report: Games of Tuesday 9 July Box Scores
SP Owen White: 4 IP, 11 H (1 HR), 10 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 79 P / 56 S, 5.48 ERA RP Brock Burke: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 2.84 ERA CF Dustin Harris: 5-5, 2 2B, .274/.358/.382 1B Justin Foscue: 5-5, 2B, .276/.462/.431 DH Blaine Crim: 3-4, 2B, BB, .234/.340/.371
Welcome to Reno. The teams combined for 30 balls in play of at least 95 MPH, tied for seventh most in the PCL this year. Taking one for the team and then some, Owen White allowed 11 of those hard hits and pitched two more innings after a six-run, eleven-batter 2nd. Aidan Anderson joined twin brother Grant in allowing homers to three consecutive batters. (Grant did so in the 9th inning of Jack Leiter’s professional debut.) I suppose the upside is Round Rock threw only 148 pitches, fewer than expected against such an onslaught. The Aces were swinging.
Both Justin Foscue and Dustin Harris were 5-5.
Texas signed righty Matt Festa, just released by the Mets. The 31-year-old had pitched very well for AAA Syracuse, and as well as could be expected at the video-game environment of El Paso before then.
SP Tyler Mahle: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 32 P / 23 S, 0.00 ERA RP Josh Stephen: 4.2 IP, 10 H (1 HR), 6 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 4.94 ERA RP Andy Rodriguez: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.06 ERA CF Alejandro Osuna: 1-3, HR (2), BB, .371/.389/.800 C Liam Hicks: 2-4, .264/.371/.356
Tyler Mahle again handled minor league hitters with ease. Incidentally, I saw a couple of comments online expressing concern at Mahle pitching in AA as if it were a demotion from the previous rehab outing at Round Rock. That idea hadn’t occurred to me, at least not with someone of Mahle’s stature. Don’t be concerned. Some rehabbing players gradually build up from the lower levels, but more often than not, assignment location is based on convenience. Round Rock was at home last week but in Reno now, so Mahle switched to Frisco where he can be more easily observed. The San Francisco Giants have sent six different rehabbing Major League pitchers to nearby low-A San Jose. Washington’s Joey Gallo played two games for low-A Fredericksburg (about 50 miles from DC) against Down East (and homered off Josh Trentadue).
Hi-A: wet
Two today.
Lo-A: Down East 8, Salem (BOS) 6 Down East: 8 hits, 2 walks, 15 strikeouts Opponent: 8 hits, 2 walks, 15 strikeouts Record: 7-8, 4.5 GB, 42-38 overall
SP Brayan Mendoza: 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 66 P / 44 S, 2.70 ERA RP Willian Bormie: 2 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.83 ERA SS Echedry Vargas: 1-3, BB, SB (13), .273/.335/.454 DH Arturo Disla: 3-4, HR (7), .278/.361/.411
Disla’s seven homers are tied for 14th in the league. Only five players have ten, while a whopping 78 have at least ten steals. In the Pacific Coast League, seven homers gets you a 15-way tie for 48th.
Echedry Vargas might finish with at least 20 steals and a slugging percentage of .450 or better. Post-2020, the only Rangers to do so at one of the A levels are Dustin Harris and Evan Carter. Further back, Scott Heineman accomplished the feat in 2016, albeit at High Desert, the hitter-friendliest location in affiliated ball at the time. Heineman slugged .464 in the minors and skipped low-A, so I’m inclined to give full credit.
Five Years Ago Yesterday Organization SO rate leaders: Joe Barlow, 47% Demarcus Evans, 45% Peter Fairbanks, 39% Scott Engler, 37% Locke St. John, 36%
I don’t know where he ranked, but Emmanuel Clase’s rate was a relatively modest 29%. His forte was a combining a good, if not elite, level of strikeouts with fewer walks. At that time, he had nine for the season compared to 21 for Barlow and 28 for Evans.
SP Tim Brennan: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 0 SO, 42 P / 21 S, 3.38 ERA C Sam Huff: 1-5, HR (9), .241/.324/.439 RF Sandro Fabian: 3-5, 2B, HR (11), .292/.362/.493 PH Matt Whatley: 1-1, HR (3), .192/.298/.342
Down 5-0 after five and 7-4 entering the 9th, Round Rock stormed back with three homers. Sandro Fabian took an 0-2 slider deep to lead off the 9th, and after a Trevor Hauver walk, pinch-hitter Matt Whatley tied the game with his second of the season. In the 10th, Sam Huff brought home gift-runner Blaine Crim with yet another blast.
Justin Foscue wasn’t in the lineup but replaced Whatley in the bottom of the 10th, as manager Doug Davis decided Whatley would not be making his professional debut at second base that evening. Back in 2019 or so, Whatley was my very dark dark-horse pick to reach the Majors, with better hitting being the necessity. Whatley hasn’t hit much, to be honest, but combined with his defensive and organizational appeal, he’s maintained a professional career for eight years including three in AAA.
SP Emiliano Teodo: 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 SO, 86 P / 56 S, 1.71 ERA RP Antone Kelly: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 9.00 ERA RF Alejandro Osuna: 3-4, 2B, 3B, .375/.375/.750 2B Keyber Rodriguez: 2-4, 2B, .261/.303/.394 3B Cody Freeman: 2-4, HR (10), .279/.331/.468 C Cooper Johnson: 2-3, 2B, HR (7), .235/.338/.462
I’m going to borrow from Grant Schiller again: Emiliano Teodo’s 12 swinging strikes consisted of eight sliders, three changes, and one fastball. Once again, Teodo didn’t allow an extra-base hit. One might be inclined to attribute his minuscule 0.47 ISO to luck. I’m sure it plays some part, and I’d expect that figure to rise rather than fall, but Teodo also has one of the best grounder rates in the system and league. He’s doing his part.
SP Aidan Curry: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 7 SO, 80 P / 54 S, 7.58 ERA 2B Cam Cauley: 1-2, HR (5), .243/.294/.399 C Ian Moller: 2-3, BB, .227/.350/.297 LF Yosy Galan: 0-2, 2 BB, 3 SB (21), .168/.284/.337
Against rehabbing White Sox starter, Texas Tech alum, and 27-year-old greybeard Davis Martin, Cam Cauley homered and Sebastian Walcott reached to pull a low slider down the line for a double. Both Cauley and CF Anthony Gutierrez were pulled mid-game for reasons unknown to me.
Lo-A: canceled
Lightning interrupted the contest in the bottom of the 1st. 21 of Down East’s first 81 scheduled games were against Carolina, but they don’t meet again, so the game will not be made up. Echedry Vargas had a single, stolen base and run that will not count. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
Today’s Starters Texas’s affiliates skipped last week’s off-day and will instead have both Sunday and Monday off.
Five Years Ago Yesterday (Actually the day before yesterday but I didn’t report until 7/7/2019) Spokane’s Ricky Vanasco carried a no-hitter into the 6th despite early wildness that included four full counts, two walks, and two wild pitches among the first five batters. He would fan ten in six innings. Down East improved to 59-28, equaling the previous year’s win total with 53 games remaining.
Kumar Rocker made his first appearance in a real game since five days shy of 14 months ago. In two innings, Rocker allowed a leadoff homer and a grounded single, walked none, and struck out three. Assuming good health, he could squeeze in roughly a dozen outings before season’s end. He could also appear in the Arizona Fall League, depending on what workload Texas foresees.
2023 6th-round righty Caden Scarborough made his pro debut, striking out three, walking two and permitting one hit in 1.2 scoreless innings. The Rangers won 14-1 over the White Sox.
At long last, here’s my video of Alejandro Rosario’s final low-A start in Fredericksburg, VA.
SP Jack Leiter: 4 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 3 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 6 SO, 86 P / 49 S, 3.88 ERA RP Chase Lee: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA RP Aiden Anderson: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 2.01 ERA
Initially, I wondered if Leiter would survive the 1st. Several of his early pitches were crazily outside the zone, mostly high, as if he were having trouble gripping the ball. Two walks preceded an annoying little dribbler that plated a run. Leiter eventually reigned in the wildness but still reached 76 pitches through the 3rd. Sugar Land’s Quincy Hamlton launched a high, two-strike slider to left-center at 94 MPH and 33 degrees, a combination that usually falls slightly short of the wall but not this time.
SP Winston Santos: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 80 P / 53 S, 5.87 ERA RP Ricky DeVito: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, SO, 2.79 ERA CF Alejandro Osuna: 2-5, 3B, HR (1), .321/.321/.643 3B Cody Freeman: 2-4, 2B, .275/.329/.457 1B Abi Ortiz: 2-2, 2 BB, .189/.267/.317
Santos recovered nicely from his rude, three-homer intro to AA. Per Grant Schiller, Santos’s fastball started the evening at 96-97 and lost a few tics toward the end.
Abimelec Ortiz isn’t on what I’d call a tear, but he’s quietly placing together more productive games lately. Alejandro Osuna is on a tear. He’s yet to draw a walk in eight AA games, but he’s also slugging.643, so we can worry about that later.
SP Ryan Lobus: 3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 71 P / 42 S, 4.38 ERA 2B Cam Cauley: 1-3, 2 SB (17), .241/.292/.384 SS Sebastian Walcott: 1-2, HR (7), BB, SB (10), .239/.342/.408
In the 1st, Cam Cauley scored from third on a convoluted double steal involving Sebastian Walcott. Cauley perfectly timed a bolt home on a pickoff move to first by Dash starter Tommy Vail and beat the throw back to the plate. He actually missed the plate but returned to tag it while the catcher readied a throw to catch Walcott, who raced for second when the 1B threw home. Cauley had reached on a sharp single and advanced to third on a steal and error. Exciting, heads-up play all around.
Walcott later homered to left beyond the grass berm and most of the outfield. I’d ballpark the distance at around 410′. Hi-A: Hickory 3, @ Winston-Salem (CHW) 4 (7) Hickory: 5 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts Opponent: 6 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts Record: 7-7, 2.5 GB, 35-45 overall
SP Alejandro Rosario: 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 10 SO, 79 P / 54 S, 5.00 ERA
Alejandro struck out 10 of 22 batters and registered misses on 40% of opponents’ swings, but a sequence of hits in the 4th led to three runs, and back-to-back doubles in the 6th plated one more.
Lo-A: Down East 7, @ Carolina (MIL) 1 Down East: 10 hits, 4 walks, 11 strikeouts Opponent: 4 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts Record: 6-8, 5 GB, 41-38 overall
SP Izack Tiger: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 72 P / 47 S, 4.15 ERA RP Ivan Oviedo: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 3.48 ERA 1B Erick Alvarez: 2-5, 2 2B, .242/.268/.330
Izack Tiger extended to five innings in his second full-season start. Grades on his control were iffy entering professional play, but he’s been fine so far. I didn’t catch any speeds during the inning I watched, but Tiger throws a mid-90s fastball (upper in shorter stints), slider and splitter.
Today’s Starters AAA: Brennan (MiLB.com lists Johnny Cueto, which if true would be a surprise to all parties.) AA: Teodo Hi-A: Curry Lo-A: TBA
Five Years Ago Yesterday Yesterday, Philadelphia purchased the contract of former Rangers righty Tyler Phillips. Texas’s 16th-rounder from 2015 was claimed off waivers in July 2021. Philly released him two months later but re-signed him to a minor deal in November, and he’s stayed there since. Phillips grew up a Phils fan across the border in New Jersey.
As for five years ago yesterday: “For 5.2 innings, Tyler Phillips looked as good as he ever has in AA, limiting Amarillo to a single and walk while striking out six. Then, three hits including a homer left Phillips with a much more ordinary line.” That was the standard copy about Phillips’ first AA season in 2019, although he would improve down the stretch.
Brock Porter threw three scoreless, hitless innings for the rookies yesterday. He walked two and struck out five. Porter also pitched last Friday, but I was in Mexico and didn’t notice. In that outing, he allowed two runs on three hits and a walk in two innings, and he fanned three. I’m mostly interested in his walk/HBP rate, the best way to measure his control from the stats available at that level. He’s walked three and hit none of 21 batters faced (15% rate), which isn’t good in and of itself but marginally better than last year and a vast improvement on the 38% rate that landed him in Arizona after three high-A starts. Assuming the Rangers intend to keep him in Surprise for the time being, Porter will have three more outings before the season ends, maybe four if they shorten his rest periods slightly.
SP Adrian Sampson: 2.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 58 P / 31 S, 5.36 ERA 2B Justin Foscue: 1-3, 2B, BB, .220/.426/.380
Forrest Whitley vultured the win for Sugar Land. Injuries have limited the 2016 1st-rounder to 330 professional innings, 51 of those coming in Fall Leagues that made up for time lost to injury during the 2018 and 2019 regular seasons. He appeared in multiple top-100 prospect lists for four or five years in a row. That made me think of Jorge Alfaro, similarly lauded during 2012-2017. Alfaro was released by the Cubs in late March and never signed elsewhere.
Atlanta selected the contract for former Ranger Eli White. On April 9th, AAA Gwinnett featured an outfield of White, JP Martinez, and Leury Garcia, plus catcher Sandy Leon.
SP Nick Krauth: 4.1 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 HBP, 3 SO, 76 P / 47 S, 5.07 ERA RP Skylar Hales: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA RF Josh Hatcher: 2-4, 3B, .286/.326/.427 2B Max Acosta: 1-4, 2B, SB (14), .253/.315/.359
In front of the second-largest crowd in Frisco history, the Riders scored six in the 1st but did not coast, needing to survive several nervy situations from the 5th onward. Skylar Hales entered in the 5th with one out, two on and a three-run lead. After multiple out-in-front fouls, Arkansas’s Kaden Polcovich lined to a perfectly positioned 2B Max Acosta, who was deep and closer to first than second. Acosta then threw to SS Keyber Rodriguez to double off the lead runner.
Hi-A: wet
Two today.
Lo-A: Down East 4, @ Carolina (MIL) 6 Down East: 8 hits, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts Opponent: 10 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts Record: 5-8, 5 GB, 40-38 overall
SP Paul Bonzagni: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 63 P / 36 S, 4.15 ERA RP Josh Trentadue: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 SO, 4.50 ERA 2B Echedry Vargas: 2-5, 2B, HR (9), .273/.330/.459 SS Danyer Cueva: 1-2, 2 BB, .203/.235/.253 C Julian Brock: 1-3, BB, SB (5), .218/.296/.323
Echedry Vargas has seven homers in his last 14 games.
Five Years Ago Yesterday Yerry Rodriguez allowed one run, walked none, and struck out seven in six innings for low-A Hickory. In his first appearance for AAA Buffalo since being traded to Toronto, Rodriguez recorded two outs and two walks.
SP Gerson Garabito: 5.2 IP, 6 H (2 HR), 4 R, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 2 SO, 94 P / 58 S, 2.98 ERA RP Josh Sborz: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 8.10 ERA RP Brock Burke: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 2.45 ERA LF Dustin Harris: 2-4, SB (21), .256/.344/.363
Dustin Harris is batting .232/.322/.288 since the start of the Sugar Land series on May 21. He’s not striking out that much, but the hits aren’t coming lately.
SP Ben Anderson: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 71 P / 47 S, 4.34 ERA RP Andy Rodriguez: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 2.19 ERA RP Seth Clark: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 2.42 ERA LF Alejandro Osuna: 3-5, 2B
Frisco ran off starter Logan Evans in the 1st but could plate only two and none thereafter. Arkansas scored the winner on a bounced slider from Steven Jennings with a runner on 3rd in the 10th.
SP Mitch Bratt: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 SO, 75 P / 58 S, 3.52 ERA RP Josh Mollerus: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA SS Cam Cauley: 3-4, 2B, 2 HR (4), SB (15), .243/.292/.390 3B Sebastian Walcott: 2-4, 2B, .237/.340/.398 CF Anthony Gutierrez: 2-4, 2B, .248/.298/.331
Mitch Bratt matched a season-high 15 swinging strikes despite an early pull. His 3.52 ERA honestly sells him a little short, as his first outing of the season was a seven-run wipeout. Since then: 2.66 ERA, 14 walks, 62 strikeouts in 61 innings, .202/.251/.339 opposing line.
Since May 29 (admittedly a cherry-picked starting point), Cam Cauley is batting .309/.358/.512 in 29 games. He also has a 28% K rate in that span, above the league average but below his usual rate.
Lo-A: Down East 3, Carolina (MIL) 4 (10) Down East: 9 hits, 1 walk, 14 strikeouts Opponent: 8 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts Record: 5-7, 4 GB, 40-37 overall
SP Jose Gonzalez: 6 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 2 R, 2 BB, 7 SO, 76 P / 51 S, 2.41 ERA RP Brayan Magdaleno: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 2.28 ERA 2B Danyer Cueva: 1-4, HR (1), .195/.213/.247 DH Arturo Disla: 3-4, 2B, HR (6), .272/.357/.401
The decisive run for Carolina was doubled in by David Garcia, the former Ranger. He’s spent the season in high-A after two seasons at AA Frisco.
Best spreads between strikeout and walk/hbp rates in the system, minimum 30 innings: 32%, Alejandro Rosario 31%, Kohl Drake 28%, Skylar Hales 28%, Jose Gonzalez 23%, Winston Santos
The best spread for those who’ve spent the year in AA and/or AAA belongs to Jack Leiter at 20%.
Five Years Ago Yesterday Baylor lefty Cody Bradford signed. The 6th-round pick received $700,000, equivalent to slot for a high 3rd-rounder. That investment has already paid off, I’d say.
SP Tyler Mahle: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 19 P / 12 S, 0.00 ERA RP Owen White: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 4.46 ERA RP Grant Wolfram: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 SO, 3.66 ERA 1B Justin Foscue: 1-2, BB, HBP, .233/.441/.395 DH Blaine Crim: 2-3, 2B, .224/.330/.364
In his 2024 debut, Tyler Mahle mowed down Sugar Land on an almost too-efficient 19 pitches across two innings. Pitch velocities appeared to be at or very close to norms, although pitch classification issues make the comparison difficult. Regardless, it’s a successful return, pending reports on health.
Owen White followed with one of his best “starts” of the season. He missed 11 bats, not a huge number for 99 pitches, but he induced a high number of grounders and soft contact. I wouldn’t say he’s more than an emergency call-up right now, but he has perhaps a dozen more chances in 2024 to build a case for a larger role.
Blaine Crim continues to perplex. Last year, he batted .370 and slugged .646 on contact. In 2024, those respective figures have diminished to .285 and .452, a shocking year-over-year change. A cursory review of the batted ball data offers little explanation. His rate of balls in play at 95 MPH or higher has dropped from 42% to 40%, not nothing but not enough to explain a nearly .200-point slugging decline. He’s not suddenly hitting everything on the ground or popping up constantly. Is it simply horrendous bad luck? I think luck plays a part but also a subtle but important shift in his velocity range. His top-end velocity remains very strong, but his median has dipped from 93 to 90. He’s hitting more balls in a slightly lower range where a difference of 2-3 MPH is critical. A ball that might sneak over the fence stays in, former doubles get caught, more grounders get snagged. I’m not certain of my analysis, but that’s what I see. In any case, I’d hold to my position that luck has despised him all season, and simply staying the course should produce better results.
SP Ryan Garcia: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 SO, 96 P / 61 S, 3.97 ERA RF Aaron Zavala: 2-4, .211/.326/.302
Ryan Garcia produced his best outing of the season.
Friend-of-the-Report Grant Schiller of Baseball Prospectus offered his eyewitness takes on Dane Acker and Aaron Zavala on Monday (subscription link). On Acker, Schiller saw swing/back-of-rotation potential if better control could be procured, while the Zavala assessment was understandably gloomier. Earlier in the year, I suggested Zavala was roughly halfway between his earlier success and 2023’s post-injury struggles. In mid-May, he was batting .266/.386/.381. Since then, however, he’s only .148/.259/.217 including a .243 average and .346 slugging percentage on contact.
SP Kohl Drake: 6 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 9 SO, 83 P / 58 S, 0.82 ERA RF Anthony Gutierrez: 1-3, BB, .242/.293/.320 C Ian Moller: 2-3, 3B, BB, .222/.342/.293 3B Gleider Figuereo: 1-4, HR (2), .182/.182/.394 LF Yosy Galan: 1-4, HR (7), .170/.280/.346
In his second high-A start, Kohl Drake manhandled the Dash for six innings, offering a fastball, curve slider, and change, all of which had their moments. The fastball speeds I heard were 91-92, though I’ve seen multiple reports of higher.
Gleider Figuereo leads the organization with 14 homers.
Lo-A: Down East 9, Carolina (MIL) 3 Down East: 11 hits, 7 walks, 12 strikeouts Opponent: 9 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts Record: 5-6, 3 GB, 40-36 overall
SP David Davallilo: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 77 P / 45 S, 1.37 ERA SS Echedry Vargas: 3-5, 2B, HR (8), .271/.332/.447 DH Jojo Blackmon: 2-4, 2 SB (6), .196/.273/.320 3B Esteban Mejia: 3-3, 3B, BB, .171/.310/.343
Davalillo has allowed zero runs in seven of 13 outings. Earlier this season, his strikeout rate was fairly mundane, but in his most recent six starts he’s fanned 31% of his opponents along with a 9% BB/HBP rate and 0.58 ERA.
Since missing most of the series at Fredericksburg (including, sadly, the game I saw in person), Echedry Vargas is hitting .394/.444/.788 with four homers in eight games.
Today’s Starters AAA: Garabito AA: B. Anderson Hi-A: Bratt Lo-A: TBA
Five Years Ago Yesterday Matt Bush suffered a torn elbow ligament and would undergo Tommy John surgery. He’d returned to action in Frisco only three weeks earlier after missing 12 months for a UCL tear that didn’t require Tommy John. A disheartening event, to be sure, but as we’d find out, July 2019 was close to the ideal time to suffer that sort of injury.
Addendum Nathaniel Lowe is the worst player in the history of organized sport, and I hate him and everything he stands for.*
* Explanation here. I promise I won’t actually do this every day.
SP Tim Brennan: 2 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 45 P / 29 S, 4.35 ERA RP Chase Lee: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 SO, 0.00 ERA RP Daniel Robert: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1.82 ERA 1B Justin Foscue: 2-5, HR (2), .220/.418/.390 DH Blaine Crim: 2-4, 2B, BB, .219/.327/.357 RF Trevor Hauver: 2-3, 2B, 2 BB, .207/.337/.323 2B Jax Biggers: 3-5, 2B, 3B, SB (6), .274/.407/.406 C Matt Whatley: 2-4, 2B, HR (2), .191/.304/.309
Jax Biggers executed a straight steal of home to put the Express up 10-9 in the 7th. Pitcher Nick Hernandez never even threw to the plate.
Tim Brennan is back following another injury absence. Two games into a return from Tommy John surgery, he missed nearly three more months. Brennan tops at around 91 and relies on control and a tremendous grounder rate, although last night’s balls in play were mostly airborne.
Catcher Andrew Knapp (.292/.374/.444) had an took an opt-out. He hit well in Round Rock, and the statcast data mostly approves. He had an above-average rate of 95+ MPH contact that tapered to below-average at the upper percentiles. Knapp has a .210/.310/.313 line in 325 MLB games.
Per a local report, Zeke Duran has been working on swing changes and is expected to play today. He’s been absent since being optioned to AAA.
Since my complaint (really just an observation) about Round Rock’s league-worst offense has resulted in a torrent of runs, I hereby register a formal complaint about the Texas Rangers’ offense.
SP Josh Stephan: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 SO, 86 P / 52 S, 4.36 ERA RP Robby Ahlstrom: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 1.97 ERA RP Skylar Hales: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 0.00 ERA RP Tyler Owens: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.45 ERA LF Kellen Strahm: 1-2, 2 BB, SB (15), .277/.362/.391 SS Max Acosta: 2-4, SB (13), .258/.322/.363
Four Riders combined for an extended five-hit shutout. Josh Stephan is on a four-game streak of no more than one walk and two runs. A slightly inflated homer rate has his opposing slugging percentage at .438 compared to the league average of .372, but his control has been solid.
SP DJ McCarty: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 6 SO, 89 P / 49 S, 4.24 ERA RP Adrian Rodriguez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 4.23 ERA RP DJ Peters: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 8.03 ERA 2B Cam Cauley: 2-5, 3B, .233/.284/.350 SS Sebastian Walcott: 2-3, BB, .235/.336/.395
Sebastian Walcott has been a little quiet lately, although nothing like first week of the season. Cam Cauley’s mini-run continues. He could use a good second half. A better first might have landed him in Frisco by now. Both his strikeout rate and especially his walk rate have trended backwards compared to 2023 at the same level, but June showed improvement.
Lo-A: Down East 3, Carolina (MIL) 2 (11) Down East: 5 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts Opponent: 5 hits, 7 walks, 12 strikeouts Record: 4-6, 3 GB, 39-36 overall
SP Brayan Mendoza: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 79 P / 48 S, 2.58 ERA RP Alberto Mota: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 5.63 ERA RP Victor Simeon: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 2.93 ERA LF Jojo Blackmon: 2-4, 2B, BB, .183/.264/.312 3B Esteban Mejia: 1-4, HR (1), .094/.237/.219
Credit Alberto Mota and Victor Simeon for holding Carolina scoreless across two extra frames. Mota has some appeal but was shipped back to Arizona after a couple of wild outings and needed a few weeks to get that out of his system. He’s fanned eight in four scoreless innings since returning.
Today’s Starters AAA: White AA: Garcia Hi-A: Drake Lo-A: TBA
Five Years Ago Yesterday International signings were at hand. Unfortunately, Texas’s marquee selection in 2019 was OF Bayron Lora, who would become a colossally expensive bust. For reasons I can’t recall and am not going to research today, his signing was delayed until August, which conveniently pushed his Rule 5 eligibility out a year. That would be of no consequence. Lora batted .218/.413/.401 in one DSL season, was suspended in 2022, and Texas released him in 2023. He hasn’t played since, at least not in a league that would appear on any sites I follow.
