Category: Daily Report

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 13, @ Albuquerque (COL) 1
Round Rock: 13 hits, 8 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 15-15, 5.5 GB

SP Adrian Sampson: 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 99 P / 60 S, 4.83 ERA
RP Antoine Kelly: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.45 ERA
RP Jesus Tinoco: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 4.30 ERA
CF Jose Barrero: 2-5, 2B, HBP
DH Andrew Knapp: 1-3, 3 BB, .324/.418/.527
C Sam Huff: 3-5, 2 HR (6), .276/.364/.563
1B Blaine Crim: 3-6, 2 2B, .216/.336/.433
RF Trevor Hauver: 2-3, 2B, HR (3), BB, .243/.356/.419

The Express scored early and often. Trevor Hauver’s 1st-inning grand slam was only the 29th hardest-hit ball of the night (a still-solid 95.4), but he angled it perfectly into a strong tailwind.

Antoine Kelly is back and no worse for wear. His eighth and final pitch of the night was 99.3 MPH, his fastest ever in AAA, and he averaged 98.5 during an all-fastball 7th.

Jose Barrero manned center after two nights at shortstop. He’s usually shredded AAA pitching, so a gaudy slash line might not be indicative of much. (The gap between his MLB and AAA performance is gargantuan.) Maybe the underlying data will have some insight.

AA: Frisco 0, @ Corpus Christi (HOU) 7
Frisco: 2 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 7 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 15-10, tied for first

SP Dane Acker: 4.2 IP, 6 H (2 HR), 6 R, 4 BB, 1 HBP, 8 SO, 88 P / 49 S, 3.52 ERA

Not Dane Acker’s night. Consensus top Houston prospect Jacob Melton was 3-5 with his fourth homer.

Hi-A: Hickory 9, @ Rome (ATL) 8 (12)
Hickory: 9 hits, 7 walks, 18 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 8 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 10-14, 2.5 GB

SP Joseph Montalvo: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 83 P / 52 S, 4.80 ERA
RP Adrian Rodriguez: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 2.61 ERA
CF Jayce Easley: 1-2, 3 BB, .122/.294/.122
SS Sebastian Walcott: 1-4, 2B, 2 BB, .188/.301/.325
DH Quincy Scott: 3-5, 2B, BB, .178/.247/.260

Not to say the teams weren’t trying, but I think everyone was happy just to get this finished. An opening rain delay, ongoing drizzle, and three extra innings extended the proceedings to well past 11pm. Rome had a position player on the mound in the 12th, and Hickory might have joined the fun in the 13th. In extras, the teams combined for nine runs and stranded seven runners.

Lo-A: Down East 2, @ Fredericksburg (WAS) 7
Down East: 6 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 8 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 11-13, 6.5 GB

SP Jose Gonzalez: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 66 P / 37 S, 1.93 ERA
RP Luke Savage: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3.60 ERA
DH Arturo Disla: 1-3, 2B, BB, .265/.405/.353

The Nats scored five off Kyle Larsen, who caught my eye in Surprise but has been wild out east, walking or hitting 14 batters in 11 innings.

Arizona Complex League
New names began to appear late Friday night in advance of today’s opener. Among them:
— 38-year-old Johnny Cueto.
— Converted OFs DJ Peters and Michael “Buddy” Reed. Peters switched last year. I didn’t see Reed in Surprise, but he was listed as a pitcher in an intersquad.
— RHP Brock Porter.
— RHP Izack Tiger, a hard-throwing 2023 pick delayed by injury this spring.
— Other 2023 selections RHP Caden Scarborough (6th round) OF Maxton Martin (11th), LHP Michael Trausch (15th), RHP Kamdyn Perry (17th), and RHP Brendan Morse (18th)
— Rehabbing IF Cam Cauley
— 2023 International signings OF Braylin Morel, OF Pablo Guerrero and C Juan Sulbaran. Morel received some favorable attention along with a portion of the international budget Texas didn’t spend on Sebastian Walcott. Pablo is Vlad’s son.

I’m never going to pretend my list is definitive, but I count the maximum-allowed 165 domestic minor leaguers in the organization, and the rookie squad still lacks a complete set of infielders. Another 15, all pitchers, are on either the 60-day or full-season injured list.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Garabito
AA: Teodo
Hi-A: Santos
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Lefty Joe Palumbo fanned ten of 18 batters for Frisco, but Emmanuel Clase was stung for five runs and took the loss in a 7-4 defeat to Arkansas. Nashville’s 8-20 start was the worst by a Texas AAA team since at least 2005, the earliest year for which records are readily available. The Sounds would rebound to finish a mundane 66-72

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 9, @ Albuquerque (COL) 10
Round Rock: 11 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 15 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 14-15, 5.5 GB

SP Jack Leiter: 5 IP, 3 H (2 HR), 2 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 78 P / 46 S, 2.84 ERA
SS Jose Barrero: 2-5, 3B, HR (1)
RF Trevor Hauver: 1-5, HR (2), .225/.337/.352

In what could be a prelude to his next MLB start, Jack Leiter handled the conditions of Albuquerque well, allowing five runners in five innings despite (for him) relatively few strikeouts. Leiter missed 14 bats, 10 with the fastball. He surrendered two solo homers that would have left any park: 106.5 and 110 MPH off the bat at 24 degrees. But we’ve established that Leiter will give up his share of hard flies, so the operative word is “solo.” Leiter’s cutter, change, and curve weren’t of much consequence. He threw a combined 20, 17 of which were ignored for balls, mostly inside to lefties. Another was foul, and two were hit into play for outs.

Otherwise, Albuquerque (the city) finally played to expectations after two low-scoring contests. The Express plated five in the 9th to tie the game at nine, but the ‘Topes scored the winner on a double off Grant Wolfram, who’d also surrendered four runs in the 8th. Like last year, the gap in Wolfram’s effectiveness at Frisco vs. Round Rock has been extreme.

Texas moved reliever Marc Church (shoulder) to the 60-day IL.

Texas released reliever Chasen Shreve, who I assume had an out. Shreve hadn’t thrown a pitch harder thn 91.3 MPH but had a 2.61 ERA and nine strikeouts in 10 innings, aided by a flaky-low .130 opposing average on contact.

AA: Frisco 5, @ Corpus Christi (HOU) 1
Frisco: 5 hits, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 15-9, 1 G up

SP Nick Krauth: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 6 SO, 89 P / 55 S, 6.53 ERA
RP Seth Clark: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 2.25 ERA
RP Andy Rodriguez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.57 ERA
2B Max Acosta: 2-4, BB, SB (6), .247/.323/.318
SS Keyber Rodriguez: 1-3, HR (1), BB

Frisco took advantage of a wild Carlos Betancourt with three runs on only two singles in the 8th. Keyber Rodriguez drove in the go-ahead run on a walk, adding to his 2nd-inning homer.

Liam Hicks (0-4, BB) dropped to .230/.330/.318. Per usual, he’s not striking out much, and he’s elevating, but all those flies and landing in gloves. He’s hitting only .276 on contact compared to the league rate of .335.

Frisco walked five last night but has shown much better control over the past week, recently ceding the league “lead” in combined walks and HBPs to rival Corpus Christi. Astros affiliates have trended “stuff now, control later” for several years, so I’m sure the Hooks don’t mind.

Hi-A: Hickory 4, @ Rome (ATL) 8
Hickory: 10 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 9 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 9-14, 3.5 GB

SP Leandro Lopez: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 1 SO, 32 P / 13 S, 6.75 ERA
CF Alejandro Osuna: 2-4, BB, SB (1)

The reverse of Frisco, as Rome scored four on two singles in the 5th against Hickory. Two scored on Luis Ramirez on those hits and two walks, and Josh Gessner brought in two more on a wild pitch and balk. Earlier, Leandro Lopez couldn’t escape the 1st, issuing a bases-loaded walk to his final batter.

Lo-A: Down East 5, @ Fredericksburg (WAS) 8
Down East: 14 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 1 walk, 11 strikeouts
Record: 11-12, 6.5 GB

SP Kohl Drake: 1.2 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 6 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 44 P / 30 S, 6.30 ERA
RP Kai Wynyard: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 3.00 ERA
RP Paul Bonzagni: 4 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 2.45 ERA
SS Echedry Vargas: 3-5, .214/.258/.393
3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-4, 2B, BB, .215/.354/.443
CF Marcos Torres: 2-4, 2B, BB, .133/.232/.200

Kohl Drake didn’t have any control issues but ran into to many forceful bats. He’d only allowed two runs in two previous low-A starts while striking out 13.

Arizona Complex League
The season commences tomorrow, well over a month earlier than ever before. Today’s MiLB transaction wire is clogged with players officially transitioning from Dominican Summer League rosters (which don’t count against the 165-man limit) to the complex rosters (which do). As of lunchtime Friday, the Rangers haven’t joined the fun.

Mexico
Some former Rangers in the Mexican League, which seems to be a much more popular destination these days:
Neftali Feliz, Keone Kela, Roman Mendez, Spencer Patton, CD Pelham, Jake Thompson,
Engel Beltre, Jose Cardona, Andretty Cordero, Leonys Martin, Nomar Mazara, Luis Sardinas, Christian Villanueva

Today’s Starters
AAA: Sampson
AA: Acker
Hi-A: Montalvo
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
OF Craig Gentry retired. 1B Curtis Terry hit his 13th double, best in the minors.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 3, @ Albuquerque (COL) 2
Round Rock: 9 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts
Record: 14-14, 4.5 GB

SP Owen White: 6 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 74 P / 52 S, 5.70 ERA
RP Aidan Anderson: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
LF Trevor Hauver: 2-3, BB, .227/.346/.318
3B Dustin Harris: 1-2, 2 BB, .269/.358/.419
2B Jonathan Ornelas: 2-3, HR (2), BB, .284/.330/.420

In the 8th with two on and two out, experienced MLB reliever John Curtiss hung a full-count slider that Jonathan Ornelas took for a ride.

In one of America’s most pitcher-hostile locations, Owen White missed eight bats with his cutter out of 13 swings and mostly avoided hard contact. An elevated two-strike change was sent 403′ the other direction by Sam Hilliard, who became the Isotopes’s all-time homer leader with 67.

Texas released OF Elier Hernandez. He was hitting .290/.386/.474, so certainly performance wasn’t an issue. Usually, this means an opportunity elsewhere, probably overseas, but I don’t know anything yet. Hernandez reached the Majors with Texas in 2022, hitting .182/.200/.242 in 14 games. He’d been one of Round Rock’s best hitters over the past two-plus seasons but wasn’t in a position to return to Arlington absent one or more injuries.

AA: Frisco 3, @ Corpus Christi (HOU) 1
Frisco: 4 hits, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 0 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 14-9, tied for first

SP Ben Anderson: 6 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 73 P / 51 S, 2.18 ERA
RP Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Reid Birlingmair: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 4.26 ERA
RF Josh Hatcher: 1-3, 3B, BB, .371/.409/.597

Frisco didn’t hit much but made them count. Aaron Zavala and Abi Ortiz would score after tripling, and Catcher Cooper Johnson hit a solo shot. Ben Anderson is 6’4″ but keeps his long limbs coordinated and throws plenty of strikes with a clean, compact delivery.

Hi-A: Hickory 4, @ Rome (ATL) 1
Hickory: 5 hits, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts
Record: 9-13, 3.5 GB

SP Mitch Bratt: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 6 SO, 80 P / 54 S, 5.40 ERA
RP Jacob Maton: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.45 ERA
RP Jackson Kelley: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 2.08 ERA
C Konnor Piotto: 2-4, HR (1), SB (2), .269/.412/.500
DH Yeison Morrobel: 2-4, 2B, .197/.305/.338

After watching his offensive teammates scores two 1st-inning runs, matching their total in 36 previous innings against Rome, Mitch Bratt made sure two would be plenty. Bratt was pasted in his first start but has surrendered just four runs in three subsequent outings.

Hickory did enjoy some good fortune. In the 8th, Rome had a runner on third with one out when the plate ump ruled a Nick Clarno chopper foul even though it clearly bounced off the left field line. The runner or 3B marco Soto might have obstructed his view. Clarno would later fly out. Instead of a 3-2 score and a runner on second with one out, Rome still trailed by two with two out. Jacob Maton would strand the runner on third.

Lo-A: Down East 6, @ Fredericksburg (WAS) 3
Down East: 11 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 11-11, 5.5 GB

SP Ryan Lobus: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 69 P / 45 S, 1.32 ERA
RP Brayan Mendoza: 5 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 2.79 ERA
C Jesus Lopez: 4-5, .328/.387/.463
2B Chander Pollard: 3-4, 2 SB (10), .200/.250/.218
LF Jojo Blackmon: 2-4, HR (1), .170/.184/.277

Ryan Lobus faced one over the minimum in four innings, aided by picking off Everett Cooper III, who began the 1st with an infield single. Lobus deals from a very low slot, and in the part of the game I saw, he offered an upper-80s fastball (per the Fredericksburg gun) and breakers ranging from 70 to 84.

IF Echedry Vargas is back after missing some time following a hit-by-pitch. He was 0-for-4 with a walk and steal, plus his fifth error in six games.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Leiter
AA: Krauth
Hi-A: Lopez
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Owen White underwent Tommy John surgery, a month after teammate and fellow 2018 draftee Mason Englert. As I wrote at the time: “Neither will pitch in a real game until well into his third professional season.” Please revisit this space next summer when I recap their exciting 2020 pro debuts. 

AAA: Round Rock 6, @ Albuquerque (COL) 3
Round Rock: 9 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 13-14, 5.5 GB

SP Shaun Anderson: 5 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 60 P / 41 S, 2.70 ERA
CF Derek Hill: 2-5, 2 HR, (5), .358/.402/.667
C Sam Huff: 1-4, HR (4), BB, .269/.360/.513

Albuquerque had allowed 11.1 runs per game at home entering the night. Yes, park factors, but that’s just awful. It’s Albuquerque, not the moon. The Express won despite plating “only” six, five on homers by Hill, Hill again, and Huff. Gerson Garabito, newcomer Kolton Ingram, and Yerry Rodriguez posted scoreless innings.

Huff slugged .548 last year but was weirdly grounder-prone. In 2024, he’s slugging a lesser .513 despite elevating more, but if one sharp fly three weeks ago had five more feet of carry, he’d be slugging .564. Huff’s 90th-percentile exit velocity exceeds every Ranger save Adolis Garcia.

IF/OF Jose Barrero, claimed off waivers from Cincy and then successfully outrighted near the end of Spring Training, is now active for Round Rock.

AA: Frisco 4, @ Corpus Christi (HOU) 0
Frisco: 9 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 13-9, 2 GB

SP Ryan Garcia: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 89 P / 58 S, 6.00 ERA
RP Steven Jennings: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 4.35 ERA
CF Kellen Strahm: 1-2, BB, .265/.354/.325
1B Abimelec Ortiz: 2-4, HR (2), .260/.333/.455
DH Josh Hatcher: 3-4, SB (3), .373/.403/.576
SS Max Acosta: 2-3, 2B, BB, .247/.322/.325

Abi Ortiz smacked a three-run homer to the opposite alley in the 1st. Ortiz’s homer rate is down 70% from last year, but of course we’re not even a month into a the season. While Ortiz’s AA assignment was a given, immediate success was not. Among the top 100 in the league in plate appearances, Ortiz is tenth youngest. Also, lower production compared to last year is not due to swinging strikes. His K rate so far is only 15%.

Hi-A: Hickory 1, @ Rome (ATL) 3
Hickory: 3 hits, 0 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 8-13, 4.5 GB

SP DJ McCarty: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 53 P / 27 S, 2.89 ERA
RP Bryan Chi: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0.00 ERA
SS Sebastian Walcott: 1-4, HR (2), .191/.295/.338

Sebastian Walcott drove a full-count breaker into the opposing bullpen in left-center for his second homer. Unfortunately, that would conclude Hickory’s scoring, extending the team’s troubles against Rome, which outscored the Crawdads 11-1 in the season-opening three-game series. On the flip side, Walcott committed two throwing errors on routine plays (one more a fielding miscue that devolved into a wild throw) that contributed heavily to Rome’s second and third runs. His arm strength for the left side of the infield is inarguable, but the execution is a work in progress.

OF Alejandro Osuna was activated in Hickory, and OF Daniel Mateo was bumped to Frisco.

Lo-A: Down East 7, @ Fredericksburg (WAS) 8
Down East: 10 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 7 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 10-11, 5.5 GB

SP David Davallilo: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 2 SO, 70 P / 37 S, 2.75 ERA
3B Gleider Figuereo: 1-4, 2B, BB, .200/.349/.443
DH Jesus Lopez: 2-4, .290/.357/.435
CF Marcus Smith: 3-4, 2B, HR (2), BB, .254/.392/.475
1B Arturo Disla: 2-4, 2B, BB, .274/.408/.355

14 of Down East’s 21 games have been decided by one or two runs, with the Woodies losing nine of them. OF Marcus Smith is off to a nice start. Smith was half of the return for Mike Minor from the A’s back in 2020, and notably the half listed ahead of Dustin Harris, who has since advanced to AAA. Smith, however, was injured most of 2021, and the next year he struck out in 42% of his plate appearances, the highest in the organization since at least 2007 (my first year on the beat) and possibly ever. Injuries once again swamped his 2023. Now in 2024, while still in low-A as a 23-year-old, Smith is fanning at a 28% rate, above the league average but far below his previous seasons.

Today’s Starters
AAA: White
AA:B. Anderson
Hi-A: Bratt
Lo-A: TBD

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Hickory’s Sam Huff hit his minors-leading 12th homer.

Yesterday, I piggybacked off a tweet from Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News about Wyatt Langford’s magical “ability” to get robbed by umpires. Entering Sunday, Langford led the Majors with 21 incorrectly called strikes, nearly all of them outside and middle or low. Langford had 98 called strikes in 2024, so roughly one of every five called strikes were wrong.

Is that a high percentage? Seemed so, but I had no concrete comparison at the time. On further review: yes, yes it is. Of 165 batters with at least five incorrectly called strikes in 2024, Langford’s 21% rate is seventh-highest. Last year, among the top 300 batters in called strikes taken, only two had a higher percentage of wrong calls (Luis Garcia Jr. and Bryan Reynolds), and the average for all players is about 12%. Given Langford’s 77 correctly called strikes, a league-average number of misses would be 11 rather than 21.

Box Scores

AAA: canceled

A morning storm extended well into the afternoon, thwarting Round Rock’s outstanding drainage system. Sad for the folks who showed up for nothing, but for me, this day always has other plans (see below).

Because of those plans, I’d taken only a perfunctory look at Saturday’s box, but later I saw that starter Collin Wiles exited with some sort of arm injury in the 4th. His fastball is upper 80s nowadays but had dipped to around 85 in his final inning, and the video is heart-wrenching. Wiles already missed most of 2018 and part of 2019 after Tommy John surgery, and a shoulder issue eliminated his 2023. He’d been out of contract until signing with Texas just 11 days ago, and Saturday was his second appearance. I’m not optimistic, but hopefully the news isn’t too bad. I remember watching a similar outing by Nick Snyder in June 2022 and thinking he was done for at least the rest of the season, but he returned in just three weeks.

AA: Frisco 5, Amarillo (ARI) 6 (10)
Frisco: 7 hits, 0 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 14 hits, 2 walks, 15 strikeouts
Record: 12-9, 1 GB

SP Josh Stephan: 4 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 52 P / 34 S, 8.44 ERA
RP Ricky DeVito: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 9.00 ERA
RP Seth Clark: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.00 ERA
RP Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
C Liam Hicks: 1-3, HR (1), HBP, .253/.322/.342
DH Cody Freeman: 2-4, HR (3), .286/.351/.471

Coming back from a recurring back issue, Josh Stephan is on a very restricted diet: 42 pitches in his first start, 52 yesterday. Frisco still owns the worst walk rate in AA at 13% but issued no more than three in any of the last five games.

Hi-A: Hickory 6, Asheville (HOU) 11
Hickory: 8 hits, 9 walks, 14 strikeouts
Opponent: 14 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 8-12, 3.5 GB

SP Florencio Serrano: 4 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 2 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 47 P / 33 S, 3.00 ERA
RP Adrian Rodriguez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 3.38 ERA
DH Tucker Mitchell: 3-4, 2B, HR (3), .222/.300/.413
SS Sebastian Walcott: 1-2, 3 BB, SB (1), .188/.297/.297

Speaking of 13% walk rates, that is what Sebastian Walcott has after yesterday, an amazingly quick progression from someone who was taking an absurdly high percentage of called strikes in the early going. He’s hitting .278/.422/.417 in his last ten games.

Lo-A: Down East 8, @ Fayetteville (HOU) 5
Down East: 13 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 10-10, 4.5 GB

SP Josh Trentadue: 3 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 68 P / 39 S, 5.17 ERA
RP Luke Savage: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 4.91 ERA
RP Kolton Curtis: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 1.59 ERA
C Jesus Lopez: 2-4, BB, .276/.354/.431
2B Erick Alvarez: 4-4, 2B, 3B, .423/.448/.577

19-year-old Kolton Curtis has held the opposition scoreless in three of four outings, all of which have been at least four innings.

Also 19, Erick Alvarez has bounced around places and positions in his two seasons stateside, hitting .189/.296/.243 in 12 low-A games last year between two complex league stints while manning the four corners and second base.

Yesterday (well, not quite, but it’s a better picture)


Five Years Ago Yesterday


Ten Years Ago Yesterday

RHP Brock Porter has been transferred to the complex league. Porter has a sub-50% strike rate in all three starts and has walked or hit 17 batters. Recall that Jack Leiter received the same treatment last summer, and while he didn’t return to AA a transformed man, he was certainly better and on the right track. The rookies start their season this Saturday, about six weeks earlier than usual, so we might see some action from Porter in Arizona before he heads back east.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 5, Salt Lake (LAA) 6
Round Rock: 7 hits, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 5 walks, 16 strikeouts
Record: 12-14, 5 GB

SP Collin Wiles: 3.1 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 57 P / 30 S, 8.10 ERA
RP Danny Duffy: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 3.60 ERA
RP Chasen Shreve: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 2.61 ERA
RP Grant Anderson: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 1.59 ERA
CF Derek Hill: 3-6, 2B, HR (3), SB (5), .343/.395/.557

With the exception of 30 games in Toledo in 2022, Derek Hill has always hit very well in AAA, and the offseason pickup has continued to produce in Round Rock. Danny Duffy had one of his better outings. As it stands, I doubt he’d be an option for Arlington. Despite the 3.60 ERA, he’s walked 13 in 15 innings, and the fastball has averaged 90.3 MPH, about 3 MPH below his typical level in MLB.

AA: Frisco 4, Amarillo (ARI) 3
Frisco: 6 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 12-8, 2 GB

SP Emiliano Teodo: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 8 SO, 77 P / 52 S, 3.78 ERA
RP Andy Rodriguez: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 4.09 ERA
LF Aaron Zavala: 2-4, 2B, .263/.434/.368
1B Josh Hatcher: 2-4, HR (3), .362/.400/.553

Bottom of the 9th, two out, two strikes, two-on, two-run deficit. Josh Hatcher drilled an opposite-field fly off the home run terrace roof. I’d guess an unobstructed distance around 390 feet, quite impressive for an oppo shot. Aaron Zavala and Liam Hicks had singled in front of him.

Emiliano Teodo fanned a season-high eight. He’s allowed only two extra-base hits this season, both doubles, none since his first start three weeks ago.

Hi-A: Hickory 3, Ashville (HOU) 2
Hickory: 3 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 9 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 8-11, 3.5 GB

SP Winston Santos: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 SO, 86 P / 58 S, 0.44 ERA
RP Jackson Kelley: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 2.45 ERA
RP Jacob Maton: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.00 ERA
C Tucker Mitchell: 2-4, 2B, .164/.258/.291

In his first four outings, Winston Santos has averaged an additional four strikeouts per start versus his 2023 output. He’s second in the system with 31 strikeouts, trailing only Jack Leiter’s 33. Another welcomed trend is the absence of hit batters. He plunked 16 last year, most in the organization and South Atlantic League.

Hickory scored everything on a 3rd-inning double by Tucker Mitchell following walks from Quincy Scott, Ben Blackwell, and Yeison Morrobel.

Lo-A: Down East 1, @ Fayetteville (HOU) 3
Down East: 3 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 9-10, 4.5 GB

SP Alejandro Rosario: 3.2 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 57 P / 37 S, 1.17 ERA
RP Wilian Bormie: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 1.98 ERA
DH Wady Mendez: 2-4, HR (1), SB (4), .167/.310/.208
CF Marcos Torres: 1-3, BB, .091/.200/.114

The second pitch of the game was caught by a fan in the first row of the right field seats, courtesy of Wady Mendez, but that would be all for the Woodies. Down East is hitting .197/.295/.289, not quite as bad as it appears because of league and park effects, but it ain’t great.

Wilian Bormie is off to a nice start, fanning a third of his opponents and holding them to a line of .163/.260/.233.

Today’s Starters
AAA: S. Anderson
AA: Stephan
Hi-A: Curry
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Joe Barlow struck out the side in the 9th to set up Ryan Dorow’s walk-off homer for Down East.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 9, Salt Lake (LAA) 4
Round Rock: 12 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 12-13, 5 GB

SP Adrian Sampson: 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 6 SO, 91 P / 56 S, 5.61 ERA
RP Yerry Rodriguez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 6.00 ERA
CF Derek Hill: 3-5, 2B, SB (4), .343/.395/.557
3B Dustin Harris: 2-4, BB, .274/.337/.429
1B Blaine Crim: 3-5, 2B, 2 HR (5), .231/.358/.474

RBI Alert! Blaine Crim drove in seven yesterday. About a week ago, I mentioned Crim had a weak line despite hitting really hard. Since then: .379/.526/.793 with three homers and three doubles. He’s seventh on the team in OPS among regulars but has the best combination of contact rate (78%) and 90th-percentile exit velo (106.6). As to what this portends for his immediate future, probably nothing. Crim was available in the last two Rule 5 drafts but had no suitors. I thought perhaps Milwaukee might take a chance because first base was a black hole for them last year, but on the other hand, teams contending for the postseason aren’t typically looking to the Rule 5 draft for everyday hitters. The Brewers gave $36 million to Rhys Hopkins instead.

Amazingly, Crim can’t become a minor league free agent until after 2025. He was a $5,000 senior signing in 2019. It’s absurd that clubs retain the rights of players like this for seven years, but the rules treat 16-year-olds and 22-year-olds equally in that regard.

AA: Frisco 3, Amarillo (ARI) 2
Frisco: 9 hits, 4 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 2 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 11-8, 2 GB

SP Dane Acker: 5 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 8 SO, 87 P / 61 S, 1.47 ERA
RP Robby Ahlstrom: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 2.00 ERA
RP Steven Jennings: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 5.40 ERA
C Liam Hicks: 2-4, .250/.317/.306
1B Abi Ortiz: 2-4, .266/.351/.438
RF Josh Hatcher: 2-4, HR (2), .362/.400/.553

Liam Hicks had batted .079/.122/.105 in the nine games between two-hit games, albeit with only four strikeouts.

Like Blaine Crim, Josh Hatcher was a cheap senior sign, a 5th-year senior, in fact, whether due to injury or covid I’m not sure. Although drafted in 2022, he’s been in AA since last summer. Hatcher doesn’t walk much but has periods of terrific production, and the start of 2024 is one of those.

Hi-A: Hickory 4, Ashville (HOU) 5
Hickory: 7 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 6 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 7-11, 3 GB

SP Joseph Montalvo: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 69 P / 43 S, 5.23 ERA
RP Skylar Hales: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 7.45 ERA
LF Yeison Morrobel: 1-3, 2B, BB, .182/.308/.255
SS Sebastian Walcott: 1-4, HR (1), .186/.262/.305
RF Anthony Gutierrez: 3-4, SB (9), .276/.300/.362

Sebastian Walcott hit his first high-A homer.

Skylar Hales has a 9% walk rate and 36% strikeout rate but a 7.45 ERA because all the baserunners have come in bunches.

Yeison Morrobel has a 27% K rate, not good but what passes for league-average nowadays. He hits the ball in the air reasonably well. He’s got some muscle. And somehow he’s got an isolated power of .073, actually up from last year’s .040. There has to be more in there.

Lo-A: Down East 1, @ Fayetteville (HOU) 3
Down East: 5 hits, 0 walks, 15 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 9 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 9-9, 4.5 GB

SP Kyle Larsen: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 4 SO, 58 P / 30 S, 4.66 ERA
RF Wady Mendez: 2-4, 2B, .167/.310/.208
C Jesus Lopez: 2-4, .259/.333/.426

It’s the 1960 World Series writ small: Down East has outscored Fayetteville 20-18 but lost three of four. (The Yankees outscored Pittsburgh 55-27 but lost four games by a total of seven runs).

Today’s Starters
AAA: Wiles
AA: Teodo
Hi-A: Santos
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Hickory’s Sam Huff hit his 10th homer, tying him with Round Rock’s Yordan Alvarez for the minor league lead. Unfortunately, Round Rock was not a Texas affiliate at the time. In 16 games against Texas-affiliated Nashville, Alvarez batted .349/.447/.698, reaching base 34 times and hitting six homers. And then he joined the Astros.

Spartanburg will announce its team name on May 11th. Down East is expected to relocate to South Carolina in 2025.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 1, Salt Lake (LAA) 0
Round Rock: 5 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 1 hit, 4 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 11-13, 5 GB

SP Jack Leiter: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 SO, 86 P / 53 S, 2.66 ERA
RP Aidan Anderson: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0.00 ERA
RF Sandro Fabian: 2-4, 2 2B, .397/.429/.616
SS Jonathan Ornelas: 2-2, BB, .308/.352/.431

In his first start since his MLB debut, Jack Leiter manhandled the Bees, notching 19 swinging strikes out of 40 swings, including nine with the fastball and eight via slider. His changeup, which took an unexpectedly strong supporting role last week, was once again relegated to cameos. While his overall strike rate was fine, he did suffer some occasional control lapses. Still, this was essentially a Vandy-era performance: “Sure, I walked a few, but how are you going to get them home?” Not to diminish his outing, but Salt Lake already had the worst strikeout rate in AAA. Leiter capitalized on the opponent’s tendencies. I couldn’t be there in person, as on Thursdays I rage against the dying of the light by playing softball, but the Express have video.

In the 9th, Sam Huff walked and scored from first on Sandro Fabian’s gapped double.

AA: Frisco 13, Amarillo (ARI) 5
Frisco: 15 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts
Record: 10-8, 2 GB

SP Nick Krauth: 5 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 4 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 82 P / 52 S, 8.04 ERA
RP Bryan Chi: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 4.50 ERA
1B Abi Ortiz: 3-5, 2B, 3B, .250/.343/.433
RF Josh Hatcher: 1-5, HR (1), .349/.391/.488
3B Cody Freeman: 5-5, 2B, 2 HR (2), SB (1), .305/.379/.475

Cody Freeman had himself a day. Freeman is no longer catching and is in fact playing exclusively at third, whereas in 2023 he mostly caught and dabbled at second in addition to 3B duties.

Abimelec Ortiz broke out of a week-long chill (2-for-27, but only 6 Ks). Overall, he’s performed pretty well, if not yet generating the heat of 2023. At 22, Ortiz is the team’s second-youngest hitter, and at this time last year he was repeating low-A.

Hi-A: Hickory 7, Asheville (HOU) 2
Hickory: 8 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 7-10, 3.5 GB

SP Luis Ramirez: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 SO, 63 P / 37 S, 4.05 ERA
RP Jacob Maton: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 3.38 ERA
1B Konnor Piotto: 2-4, 2B, 3B, .235/.364/.412
2B Devin Hurdle: 3-4, .316/.435/.368
C Ian Moller: 1-3, BB, SB (2), .156/.270/.219

On Education Day, Hickory’s schoolkids learned not to ignore undrafted bottom-third hitters, as #7 Konnor Piotto and #8 Devin Hurdle provided five of the team’s eight hits.

Lo-A: Down East 2, @ Fayetteville (HOU) 3 (10)
Down East: 5 hits, 6 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 9-8, 4.5 GB

SP Paul Bonzagni: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 0 SO, 54 P / 35 S, 1.69 ERA
RP Kohl Drake: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 1.08 ERA
RP Case Matter: 1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 2.45 ERA
3B Gleider Figuereo: 1-5, HR (4), .245/.412/.547

Another walk-off loss. With the gift-runner on second, 3B Gleider Figuereo threw wide to first on a grounder, and 1B Arturo Disla’s throw to the plate short-hopped and evaded catcher Julian Brock.

Paul Bonzagni’s strikeout rate drifted to below 10%, but he’s not issuing walks and surrendering almost nothing but singles.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Sampson
AA: Acker
Hi-A: Montalvo
Lo-A: TBA (Rosario / Bormie maybe)

Five Years Ago Yesterday
“The fear is that he’ll let an inning get away from him, forcing an early exit and further stressing the bullpen” is what I wrote preceding Taylor Hearn’s debut, and that fear unfortunately manifested. Worse still, Hearn suffered an injury and wouldn’t pitch in another real game for 16 months. Emmanuel Clase tossed 1.1 scoreless in his AA debut.

My video of Max Scherzer from last night.

Waiver-claimed lefty reliever Kolton Ingram. Ingram was a $1,500 senior sign out of Columbus State in 2019’s 37th round and summarily released along with hundreds of other unneeded minor leaguers during the covid summer of 2020, so from a cosmic standpoint he’s already playing with house money. He signed with the Angels and made his MLB debut last year, allowing five earned runs in 5.2 innings. He’s since bounced to the Tigers, Mets, and Rangers, all via waivers. Ingram has an unusually broad mix for a reliever, offering a 93ish fastball, cutter, slider, sweeper, and change.

Jared Walsh declined his AAA assignment and took free agency. What a strange arc. A job-winning.250/.368/.458 spring, a nine-start on-base streak with a .314/.385/.457 to begin the season, then a 1-for-21 with 10 strikeouts that cost his employment in the organization.

Johnny Cueto will presumably join what was already the second-oldest pitching staff in AAA and become the ninth member of its over-30 club. The “back end of rotation for good team” phase of his career might have ended in 2021 with the Giants, but we’ll see. In the meantime, he’ll provide some stability to a squad that has already used 27 pitchers including 12 starters in 23 games.

Houston fell to 7-18. I can’t find any record of a team starting 7-18 and finishing with a winning record. The Juan Gonzalez-led Detroit Tigers of 2000 lead the pack at 79-83.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 5, Salt Lake (LAA) 12
Round Rock: 12 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 14 hits, 4 walks, 15 strikeouts
Record: 10-13, 5 GB

SP Max Scherzer: 2.1 IP, 5 H (2 HR), 3 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 52 P / 32 S
LF Dustin Harris: 1-3, HR (4), 2 BB, .260/.322/.429
1B Blaine Crim: 3-4, 2B, BB, .217/.360/.391

The results don’t matter. The story is Max Scherzer pitched in a real game in April, on pace for a mid or late-May return to Arlington, at least a month earlier than the most optimistic forecast from last December. Scherzer allowed two homers, one on a centered change to Jason Martin (who homered off Owen White the night before) and a top-of-zone fastball to Cole Tucker. He also missed bats on 11 of 22 swings, in particular frustrating righties with the slider. His velocity topped at 93.8. There was some concern in-game about his velo being well below normal, but the readings on the new scoreboard at the Dell Diamond aren’t linked to Statcast and are at present wildly inaccurate.

Ex-Ranger Hans Crouse threw 0.2 innings for Salt Lake and allowed an inherited run to score. Jimmy Herget closed the 9th.

AA: Frisco 2, Amarillo (ARI) 4
Frisco: 8 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 9-8, 2 GB

SP Ben Anderson: 6 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 3 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 77 P / 56 S, 2.45 ERA
RP Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Andy Rodriguez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 3.60 ERA
LF Aaron Zavala: 2-3, HBP, .260/.433/.380

Ben Anderson produced a quality start on just 77 pitches. Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa was finally semi-mortal, surrendering his first run (albeit unearned) and walking two.

Hi-A: Hickory 4, Ashville (HOU) 1
Hickory: 9 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 6-10, 4.5 GB

SP Mitch Bratt: 6 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 8 SO, 88 P / 62 S, 6.75 ERA
RP Jackson Kelley: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.89 ERA
SS Sebastian Walcott: 2-4, .182/.262/.255
CF Anthony Gutierrez: 2-3, 2B, BB, 3 SB (8), .241/.268/.333
LF Yosy Galan: 1-4, HR (4), .229/.282/.629
RF Daniel Mateo: 3-4, 2 2B, SB (3), .300/.389/.367

Per Mark Parker, Mitch Bratt looked as good as he’s ever seen, relying more heavily on the fastball to thwart the Tourists.

Sebastian Walcott is hitting .296/.406/.370  in his last seven games, a vast improvement over the opening week-plus when taking pitches was only a 50-50 proposition for a ball and swinging was 50-50 for contact. Like almost everyone on the roster, Anthony Gutierrez’s line is still in recovery mode, but he’s produced three straight two-hit games. While he’s still looking for his first homer, he hit his fifth doubles, and surpassing last year’s 11 in 78 games seems assured.

Lo-A: Down East 10, @ Fayetteville (HOU) 4
Down East: 13 hits, 8 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 9-7, 4.5 GB

SP Brayan Mendoza: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 70 P / 37 S, 3.14 ERA
RF Tommy Specht: 1-4, BB, HBP, .237/.333/.263
C Jesus Lopez: 3-6, 2B, .261/.346/.457
1B Arturo Disla: 2-5, BB, .280/.419/.360
2B Erick Alvarez: 2-4, 2B, BB, 2 SB (2)

Six Woodies reached safely three times, those listed plus LF Marcus Smith (1-3, 2 BB) and newcomer 3B Esteban Mejia (02-, 3 BB).

Today’s Starters
AAA: Leiter
AA: Krauth
Hi-A: Ramirez
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
The Rangers announced Taylor Hearn would make his MLB debut. My summary: “I wouldn’t say he’s ready. At times, he’s struggled to throw any of his pitches for strikes, and he’s walked or hit 13 out of 84 batters faced (15%). He’s been tough to hit (.200 opposing average), but many of the hits have been hard (.414 slugging percentage). The fear is that he’ll let an inning get away from him, forcing an early exit and further stressing the bullpen. On the other hand, Hearn has struck out 26 in just 20 innings (31% rate). Despite the control lapses, he has the stuff to defeat MLB hitters and is capable of producing a line that will have you calling for his permanent addition to the rotation. I’m hopeful that he can keep Texas in the game into the middle innings and give you an idea of what’s to come.”

Hans Crouse allowed a run in six innings for low-A Hickory.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 8, Salt Lake (LAA) 5
Round Rock: 12 hits, 5 walks, 4 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 10-12, 5 GB

SP Owen White: 5.1 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 3 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 85 P / 55 S, 6.62 ERA
RP Yerry Rodriguez: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 7.20 ERA
DH Elier Hernandez: 3-5, HR (2), .313/.418/.522
SS Jonathan Ornelas: 2-4, 2B, .300/.328/.433

Owen White was okay, not allowing any walks until his final batter. Of note was his changeup, usually not more than a tacked-on part of his repertoire but definitely featured last night. He threw 12 and generated five misses on seven swings. To provide some context, in 52 AAA innings in 2023, White issued a total of five swinging strikes on changeups. In the 4th, he struck out Willie Calhoun and Chad Wallach with them. It has some horizontal movement but is aimed toward the center of the plate laterally, making it a string-pull that catches the bottom of the zone or lands just below. It was a pretty darn good pitch. White’s fastball has improved slightly on the whole in 2024 but still isn’t its old self and topped at 94.0 last night. If the fastball is what it is going forward, he really needs another pitch to step up, and last night, the change fulfilled that duty.

Salt Lake’s 2-3-4 hitters were ex-Rangers RF Jason Martin, 1B Charles Leblanc, and DH Calhoun. Martin took an early White mid-mid fastball deep. Also on Salt Lake is former Ranger Tyler Thomas, acquired in 2018 from the Cubs for reliever Jesse Chavez, as you doubtlessly recall. Thomas now features a side-armed slo-mo slider that is tough to time but looks hittable, and eventually it was.

Max Scherzer will make his first rehab start in Round Rock tonight. Texas signed 38-year-old RHP Johnny Cueto to a minor league deal.

AA: Frisco 7, Amarillo (ARI) 12
Frisco: 11 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 14 hits, 7 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 9-7, 1 GB

SP Ryan Garcia: 4.1 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 6 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 85 P / 57 S, 8.76 ERA
CF Kellen Strahm: 2-5, HR (1), .277/.351/.354
SS Max Acosta: 2-4, .286/.349/.357
3B Cody Freeman: 3-4, 2B, .255/.333/.314

Rehabbing Josh Sborz fanned two around a lined single. Podcast partner Michael Tepid captioned the first strikeout perfectly.

Hi-A: Hickory 3, Ashville (HOU) 4
Hickory: 7 hits, 4 walks, 14 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 7 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 5-10, 4.5 GB

SP Brock Porter: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 6 BB, 3 SO, 68 P / 31 S, 6.48 ERA
RP Skylar Hales: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 9.39 ERA
RP DJ McCarty: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 2.84 ERA
1B Tucker Mitchell: 2-3, BB, SB (1), .191/.296/.340
SS Sebastian Walcott: 1-3, BB, .157/.246/.235
CF Anthony Gutierrez: 2-4, SB (5), .216/.231/.294
2B Ben Blackwell: 2-4, 2B, 2 SB (5), .154/.327/.231

Brock Porter. Let’s start with the good. Like last year, he has been very hard to hit. Opponents are batting .143 with a .250 slugging percentage. (Last year’s corresponding numbers were .161 and .202.) Only 63% of opposing swings result in contact.

Now the bad, which can be summed in two words: Why swing? Porter’s 46% strike rate is the worst of 143 South Atlantic League pitchers with at least 100 pitches thrown. 77% of pitches taken have been balls, well above average. He’s walked 13 and hit four more in 8.1 innings, resulting in otherworldly walk/HBP rate of 37% and opposing OBP of .467. Yes, he’s missing plenty of bats when opponents swing, but they’re only swinging at three of every ten pitches. In 2023, Brock Porter had four starts with more balls than strikes. In 2024, he already has three.

The silver lining is this is essentially an exaggerated version of 2023. In last year’s first three starts, He had a 52% strike rate, walked or hit nine in eight innings, produced an opposing line of .185/.389/.222. The rest of the season, he remained hard to hit while pulling his walk/HBP rate down to 16%, still elevated but at least at a level that would allow him to operate normally.

Lo-A: Down East 7, @ Fayetteville (HOU) 8
Down East: 10 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 8 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 8-7, 4.5 GB

SP David Davallilo: 4.2 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 8 SO, 77 P / 54 S, 2.19 ERA
3B Gleider Figuereo: 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, .250/.429/.521
1B Arturo Disla: 2-5, 2B, .267/.411/.356
DH Jesus Lopez: 1-3, HR (2), BB, .225/.326/.425

So you like shrimp, eh? Well, have all the shrimp in the world! Alberto Mota walked the bases loaded and then walked in the winning run for Fayetteville in the 9th. Mota walked tn in 25 innings last last and struck out 41, so who knows what this is about. Gleider Figuereo continues to be one of the system’s best hitters in the early going.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Scherzer
AA: B. Anderson
Hi-A: Bratt
Lo-A: B. Mendoza

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Texas promoted reliever Emmanuel Clase to Frisco after six high-A appearances. A scouting report from Brandon McCarthy:

Back in the day, I used to alternate between Sly and the Family Stone’s There’s a Riot Going On (shown above) and Neil Young’s On The Beach as twitter avatars, because all hip young social media influencers like make heavy use of cultural references from the early 1970s. (Now it’s a Goya painting.)