SP Cole Winn: 5.1 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 5 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 94 P / 57 S, 5.68 ERA RP Nick Snyder: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 4.76 ERA 3B Josh Jung: 1-5, HR (6), .340/.400/.800 LF Nick Solak: 2-3, BB, .272/.366/.455
Jung’s homer traveled a fair distance through the thin Albuquerque air. Jung also hit a 109 MPH groundout. In the 9th, he bookended Round Rock’s comeback six-run inning with swinging strikeouts. Can’t win ’em all.
Winn threw 23 of 36 fastballs for strikes, a much better proportion than usual during his extended control hiatus. He also delivered 32 sliders, six of which missed bats. He walked or hit three of 23 batters and had to fight through a messy 5th, but relative to some of his recent outings, this one was okay given the unfriendly location.
SP Jack Leiter: 5.1 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 2 R, 3 BB, 8 SO, 93 P / 60 S, 5.35 ERA RF Aaron Zavala: 2-4, .378/.500/.676
Leiter concluded his night in the 6th with a double-wallk-single-walk sequence because he doesn’t want us to enjoy our lives. Between that stretch and a solo homer with one out in the 1st, Leiter retired 13 of 17, eight via strikeout. The slider has been a weapon lately, and the curve is regaining some of that Vandy form. Another solid night, on the whole.
SP Robby Ahlstrom: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 85 P / 57 S, 5.21 ERA RP Larson Kindreich: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 5.09 ERA
Lason Kindreich is off the IL, and Thomas Saggese is on it, but I wouldn’t be overly concerned. Evan Carter is in Frisco, but per local scribe Jeff Wilson he was getting a leg injury attended and is expected back with Hickory.
Low-A: Down East 1, at Fredericksburg (WAS) 7 Down East: 8 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts Opponent: 13 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts Record: 26-24, 5.5 GB, 59-57 overall
SP Winston Santos: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 76 P / 50 S, 3.75 ERA RP Florencio Serrano: 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.31 ERA C Ian Moller: 1-4, HR (5), .225/.385/.356
Down East faced flamethrower extraordinaire Jarlin Susana, part of the Juan Soto. Susana reminds me a little of Neftali Feliz with the seemingly effortless delivery of ridiculous velo. Susana’s fastball ranged from 97 to 103 mixed with 89-95 sliders. He was far from untouchable, allowing six hits to 16 batters, but the Woodies scored only on Ian Moller’s solo tag of an elevated 97 MPH fastball.
Five Years Ago Yesterday Hickory regained possession of first behind six scoreless from AJ Alexy. Cole Ragans’s 84 strikeouts for Spokane were the most in Texas’s 15 years as their parent club.
SP Antoine Kelly: 3 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 51 P / 28 S, 5.19 ERA RP Marc Church: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 4.50 ERA DH Kellen Strahm: 1-4, HR (8), BB, .270/.390/.402 1B Blaine Crim: 2-3, 2B, BB, HBP, .276/.344/.446
Aaron Zavala singled home David Garcia with two out in the 9th to tie it, and after a scoreless top of the 10th, Blaine Crim quickly ended the contest with an RBI double.
Kelly’s outings with the Rangers were and probably will be brief. Although coming off thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, he faced more batters than any Texas prospect before he joined the Rangers. I’m not saying Milwaukee handled him wrong; I’m not qualified to judge usage patterns. But I can safely say he would not have faced that many batters had he been a Ranger entering the season.
SP Josh Stephan: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 73 P / 48 S, 3.18 ERA RP Nick Krauth: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 5.20 ERA RP Michael Brewer: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.48 ERA CF Alejandro Osuna: 2-4, .297/.342/.375 SS Frainyer Chavez: 1-3, BB, 2 SB (13), .286/.373/.362 RF Angel Aponte: 1-3, BB, SB (11), .261/.345/.392
Back-to-back singles by Angel Aponte and Chris Seise (1-4) plated the tying and go-ahead runs in the 6th.
Low-A: Down East 2, at Fredericksburg (WAS) 3 Down East: 6 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts Opponent: 5 hits, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts Record: 26-23, 4.5 GB, 59-56 overall
SP Mitch Bratt: 6 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 2 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 81 P / 54 S, 2.40 ERA RP Alberto Mota: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 3.18 ERA LF Yosy Galan: 1-3, HR (17), .211/.299/.429 1B Abi Ortiz: 1-2, HR (10), BB, .222/.304/.375
Dang. Down East led part of the game and never trailed until the final batter. Kai Wynyard walked his first two batters in the 9th, and one would trot home victorious on a sac fly. Mitch Bratt was solid, mostly 94-95 and reaching 98 with a heavily emphasized fastball.
Rookie: Rangers 1, Royals 5 Record: 32-22, 3 G up, regular season overThe baby Rangers staved off a no-hitter with Keithron Moss’s two-out single in the 7th and final inning. After a 16-game winning streak, probably the longest for any team I’ve covered, the Rangers lost 12 of 18 but still won the division handily. Tomorrow, they’ll face the Giants (league-best 37-17) in a one-off for the right to reach the best-of-three finals.
Some noteworthy performers (signing year in parentheses): 3B Gleider Figuereo (2021) — team-best OPS, .280/.363/.616, second in the league in slugging and homers OF Yeison Morrobel (2021) — .329/.405/.487, team-best 13 doubles, SS Danyer Cueva (2021) — .330/.376/.483, 10 doubles, 5 homers, team-best in hits, runs, RBI OF Anthony Gutierrez (2022) — .259/.299/.407RHP Ivan Oviedo (2021) — 3.02 ERA, 44.2 IP, 12 BB, 50 SO RHP Aidan Curry (2021) — 4.63 ERA, 35 IP, 17 BB, 50 SO RHP Joseph Montalvo (2021, 10th round) — 2.31 ERA, 23.1 IP, 3 BB, 36 SO
DSL: Texas Blue 7, Cleveland Red 3 Record: 40-19, division co-winner, regular season over
DSL: Texas Red 1, Phillies White 8 Record: 21-39, 19.5 GB, season over
The Dominican Summer League regular season also concluded yesterday. The Blue will proceed to the eight-team playoff. Texas Blue and Phillies White are tied atop the San Pedro division. I don’t know who holds the tiebreaker, but both have qualified, the seeding is purely by winning percentage, and these teams are ranked fourth and fifth, so I believe they’ll face each other. The Blue were third in the league in run prevention (3.9 per game) and held the opposition to a miserly .197/.327/.277 line.
Some noteworthy performers (signing year in parentheses): RF Edgar Basabe (2021) — younger brother of former Ranger Osleivis (traded to Tampa Bay for Nate Lowe), .306/.438/.455 line, best OPS. OF Wady Mendez (2022) — .302/.380/.509 with a team-best seven triples. SS Echedry Vargas (2022) — .301/.368/.510, team-best 19 doubles. CF Jose DeJesus (2022) — .281/.368/.382, highest bonus after OF Anthony Gutierrez RHP Rayner Urbaez (2022) — 1.89 ERA, 38 IP, 10 BB, 54 SO RHP Biembenido Brito (2021) — 3.63 ERA, 34.2 IP, 21 BB, 55 SO RHP Leandro Calderon (2021) — 1.97 ERA, 32 IP, 16 BB, 59 SO RHP German Nunez (2022) — 4.55 ERA, 27.2 IP, 7 BB, 37 SO
Five Years Ago Yesterday Down East won 2-0 behind Jonathan Hernandez’s 7.1 innings and Adam Choplick’s eighth save in 16 appearances since taking a late-inning role.
SP Kyle Cody: 2 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 24 P / 17 S, 4.91 ERA RP Ryder Ryan: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 3.23 ERA
Josh Jung grounded a single to left and struck out swinging three times.
Kyle Cody improved his fastball velocity to 93-95 and mixed in more changes than sliders. One slider became Eguy Rosario’s 20th homer. Cody can become a free agent after the season if not added to the 40.
AA: wet, soggy, humid, mosquitoes the size of pelicans
SP Dane Acker: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 66 P / 38 S, 12.27 ERA LF Jayce Easley: 1-4, BB, HBP, .228/.366/.352 DH Thomas Saggese: 2-4, 2B, .306/.354/.481 SS Chris Seise: 3-4, BB, .253/.322/.403 2B Keyber Rodriguez: 2-4, 3B, BB, .254/.317/.331
Dane Acker’s return to full-season ball was more memorable for happening than what happened.
Hickory took five of six and outscored the Dash 50-19. Chris Seise had ten hits and three walks in the series. After a season mostly in the doldrums, he’s suddenly sporting a decent .253/.322/.403 line.
This week, the Crawdads will visit the “Hudson Valley Renegades” at “Dutchess Stadium” in “Wappingers Falls, New York.” That all sounds completely made up, to be honest, but we’ll see.
Low-A: Down East 1, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 7 (8) Down East: 6 hits, 5 walks, 6 strikeouts Opponent: 10 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts Record: 26-22, 3.5 GB, 59-55 overall
SP Ryan Garcia: 4.2 IP, 7 H (1 HR), 4 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 78 P / 54 S, 2.59 ERA RP Nick Lockhart: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 4.95 ERA 2B Junior Paniagua: 1-3, HR (2), .203/.259/.307 LF Zion Bannister: 2-2, 2B, BB, SB (2), .188/.286/.208
Junior Paniagua clubbed his second homer. The 20-year-old hits flies at a greater rate than anyone in the system, but he also hits the highest percentage of flies that don’t leave the infield.
Down East won four of six games in the series and regained two games in the standings ahead of the trip to division-leading Fredericksburg.
Today’s Starters The full-season teams are off. Both the rookies and two Dominican Summer League teams conclude their regular seasons tomorrow. Texas’s Arizona squad and one of the two in the DSL have clinched playoff spots.
Five Years Ago Yesterday Rookie Bubba Thompson was 3-4, and Sam Huff was 2-3 with two walks.
SP Ricky Vanasco: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 4 SO, 77 P / 50 S, 4.72 ERA RP Brandon Webb: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 6.30 ERA CF Evan Carter: 1-3, 2 BB, .288/.388/.485 RF Angel Aponte: 1-2, 2 BB, .266/.345/.402 1B Cristian Inoa: 2-3, 2B, BB, HBP, .300/.369/.455 C Cody Freeman: 2-4, BB, .233/.322/.385
Ricky Vanasco walked three of his last five batters, shortening and tarring an otherwise fine outing. Through four, he’d allowed only two airborne balls, with everything else on the ground or a strikeout.
Low-A: Down East 6, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 5 Down East: 5 hits, 6 walks, 12 strikeouts Opponent: 8 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts Record: 26-21, 2.5 GB, 59-54 overall
SP Josh Gessner: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 66 P / 43 S, 4.36 ERA RP Florencio Serrano: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.77 ERA RP Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.08 ERA SS Maximo Acosta: 1-4, BB, SB (39), .275/.355/.384 C Ian Moller: 1-1, 3 BB, SB (17), .222/.389/.340
The Woodies were nine games out of first 17 days ago. Is a repeat of 2017’s amazing comeback possible? They’ll be 1.5 to 3.5 games back when they head to division-leading Fredericksburg on Tuesday.
In his last 18 games, Ian Moller is hitting .526 when he makes contact. In the previous 32, that figure was .212. He’s not going to maintain that .526 rate for long, nice though that would be, but he appears to have taken a significant step forward during the second half of the season.
Rookie: Rangers 4, Royals 1 (7) Record: 32-20, 3 G up
The rookies clinched the division title. Undrafted Dylan McCarthy fanned eight in six innings while allowing one run.
Five Years Ago Yesterday Behind Kyle Cody’s seven scoreless innings, Down East swept Buies Creek to pull within 4.5 games of first with 13 to play, including four more against the division leader.
SP Dallas Keuchel: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 89 P / 61 S, 2.31 ERA RP Tyler Duffey: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA C Matt Whatley: 1-3, HR (2), .214/.286/.381
Josh Jung doubled in four trips to the plate as the DH.
Texas signed Tyler Duffey after the Twins released him. Duffey’s 92 fastball, curve and changeup had been effective for three seasons, but in 2022 he backslid a little too much for a contending team. Not a bad reclamation project on Texas’s part, although he’s reached enough service time to become a free agent regardless of what happens down the stretch.
Texas chose Kohei Arihara over Dallas Keuchel to fortify the rotation, but Keuchel made his best case yet last night, stifling the Chihuahuas without the walks that cluttered his earlier outings.
AA: Frisco 2, at Corpus Christi (HOU) 4 Frisco: 6 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts Opponent: 8 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts Record: 23-20, 3 GB, 59-53 overall
SP Zak Kent: 5.1 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 2 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 90 P / 56 S, 5.00 ERA RP Josh Smith: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 2.78 ERA CF Kellen Strahm: 1-4, HR (7), .276/.395/.401
Corpus scored everything in the 6th on two-run homers, one off Zak Kent, the other Matt Wivinis. Kellen Strahm’s two-run knock would complete Frisco’s offensive output in the 4th.
SP TK Roby: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 SO, 71 P / 57 S, 4.80 ERA RP Michael Brewer: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 3.66 ERA 2B Thomas Saggese: 2-4, 2B, .306/.355/.483 RF Angel Aponte: 2-4, 2 HR (5), .263/.337/.401 SS Chris Seise: 2-3, BB, 2 SB (10), .247/.315/.399
A leadoff single quashed any hope of another no-hit bid, but Hickory kept the Dash off the board until the 8th. TK Roby’s final inning was immaculate, with five swings, two calls, and two fouls.
Low-A: Down East 14, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 2 Down East: 15 hits, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts Opponent: 2 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts Record: 25-21, 3.5 GB, 58-54 overall
SP Gavin Collyer: 5.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 7 SO, 97 P / 59 S, 4.30 ERA DH Daniel Mateo: 4-5, 2 SB (41), .278/.323/.418 C Ian Moller: 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, SB (16), .217/.376/.336 RF JoJo Blackmon: 2-4, BB 1B Abi Ortiz: 4-5, 3B, HR (9), .219/.297/.363
14 runs are a season high. The Woodies scored at will off Cubby Koen Moreno, a 2020 5th-rounder who didn’t pitch professionally until this June because of persistent elbow troubles.
Down East pulled to within 3.5 games of leading Fredericksburg, where the Ducks head next week.
Rookie: Rangers 3, Brewers 4 Record: 31-20, 3 G up Ahead 3-1 with two outs and none on in the 9th, the Rangers surrendered two walks and three singles, the last of which ended the game. A win would have clinched the division title. As it stands, any Rangers win or Padres loss over the next three days will be enough. Assuming head-to-head record is the first tiebreaker, the Padres won the series 4-3. 10th-round 1B Josh Hatcher was 3-4 with a steal, and SS Danyer Cueva doubled and singled.
Five Years Ago Yesterday I mentioned that Pedro Payano’s 125 innings were fourth in the system behind Ariel Jurado, Collin Wiles, and Yohander Mendez. Mason Englert is leading the organization in 2022 with 98.2 innings.
Jon Daniels’ dismissal wasn’t unfair. The club is headed for a sixth consecutive losing season. Even with their checkered past, the Rangers had never suffered more than four in a row until 2021. The worst stretches of 486 games (3 full seasons), 648 (4), and 810 (5) in franchise history are all inclusive of 2022 and prior years. Thank goodness for my dark sense of humor. And gin.
For all the highly regarded prospects I’ve covered over the years, the number of homegrown prospects who have performed well in a Texas uniform is distressingly low. Maybe Josh Jung, Justin Foscue, and the Vandy guys will change that. To some extent, where the wins comes from doesn’t matter, as long as you’re winning, but the Rangers’ development of and success with players originally signed by the club is an ongoing struggle, and more victories on that front might have extended Daniels’ stay. For the most part, the players that made Texas competitive over the years have come from trades and free-agent signings.
I don’t want to be internally inconsistent. If the higher-ups didn’t think Woodward was the guy, best to make the change now. The same applies to Daniels. But the timing is baffling. I thought Daniels deserved the chance to see through the rebuild, but I would have understood if Daniels had been let go after any of the previous four seasons, and a backwards step in 2023 would almost certainly have meant the end. Particularly after the Woodward firing, I thought going forward that responsibility had nowhere else to be assigned but the very top.
But firing him in mid-August? After the draft, after the trade deadline, more than two-thirds into a transitional season, disappointing but certainly improved? When the team is headed for a record close to expectations (mine, anyway) and that record is badly skewed by slew of one-run losses? And with everyone seemingly caught off guard, including successor Chris Young? I remain dumbfounded.
The new stadium looms over the proceedings. Daniels might have begun the rebuild in earnest earlier if not for the need to fill seats in Globe Life. Texas attempted to thread the needle in 2020, trying to compete in the midst of a quasi-rebuild. As ludicrous as it sounds in retrospect, I gave the Rangers about a one-in-three chance of making MLB’s expanded postseason in 2020. They weren’t good, but with a short schedule and a little luck they could contend and perhaps make a helpful trade or two to secure an eight seed. They in fact started that season 10-9 before collapsing into the worst stretch since the early 1980s and the worst single season since 1973.
So: defeat. But not failure. No, Texas didn’t win a championship during his tenure, but he assembled a championship-level club. The late evening events of October 27, 2011 were beyond his control. He had a all his chips in the pot with four of a kind, and the opponent drew the one card to make a straight flush on the river. Even after that heartache, the Rangers were the best team in baseball for most of 2012. Then, well, things got weird.
I mentioned the franchise-worst strings of games earlier. Let’s turn that around. In late 1978 and into 1979, Texas had a stretch of 21 wins in 23 games. In every longer stretch, from 24 to 1,000 (as high as I’ve calculated), the most wins occurred during Daniels’ reign. In the 162 games ending June 30, 2012, the Rangers were a franchise-best 105-57. Five of the team’s eight 90-win seasons, four of the seven division titles, all but one of the postseason victories, and both World Series appearances occurred while he was in change. He didn’t do it alone, of course, but the team’s success was because of him, not in spite of him.
I’m grateful for his time with the Rangers and wish him the best in what comes next.
SP Cole Winn: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 7 BB, 2 SO, 101 P / 49 S, 5.62 ERA RP Fernery Ozuna: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 5.40 ERA 3B Josh Jung: 2-4, 2B, .424/.486/.999
San Diego knuckler specialist Michael Waldron’s two best AAA starts out of nine have come against the Express. In five innings, he faced only two batters with a runner in scoring position and allowed one hit, to Josh Jung, who singled.
San Diego closer Jose Castillo doesn’t haven’t exceptional velocity (92ish) but sells the heck out of a low-80s slider. He fanned six of seven batters and allowed one hit, to Josh Jung, who doubled.
Cole Winn became the first Texas minor leaguer to reach 100 pitches this season and the first to walk seven, exceeding the six thrown by Zak Kent once and Winn himself twice.
AA: Frisco 1, at Corpus Christi (HOU) 3 Frisco: 3 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts Opponent: 5 hits, 1 walk, 13 strikeouts Record: 23-19, 2 GB, 59-52 overall
SP Cody Bradford: 5.2 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 88 P / 61 S, 5.38 ERA RP Joe Corbett: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.38 ERA LF Trevor Hauver: 2-4, HR (1)
I forgot to mention Texas had promoted Trevor Hauver to Frisco. Last August, he, Josh Smith, and Ezequiel Duran were teammates in Hickory following the Joey Gallo trade. Hauver is in the middle of the three in age but has the least pro experience, drafted during the covid-wrecked 2020.
SP Mason Englert: 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 3 SO, 84 P / 51 S, 3.38 ERA RP John Matthews: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 4.36 ERA CF Evan Carter: 1-2, 2 BB, .288/.385/.486 DH Chris Seise: 2-4, 2 2B, SB (8), .242/.310/.396
A one-out single in the 9th foiled Hickory’s third no-hitter of the year and second in a span of seven games. Mason Englert was superb once again, running his hitless streak to 14.1 innings. He’s in a six-outing stretch reminiscent of Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland a dozen years ago, but with even fewer hits: 31.2 innings, 6 hits, 6 walks, 36 strikeouts, an opposing line of .059/.129/.109.
Low-A: Down East 12, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 4 Down East: 12 hits, 4 walks, 11 strikeouts Opponent: 4 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts Record: 24-21, 4.5 GB, 57-54 overall
SP Emiliano Teodo: 4 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 2 R, 3 BB, 6 SO, 63 P / 39 S, 3.13 ERA RP Jose Corniell: 5 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 5.34 ERA CF Daniel Mateo: 2-5, 2B, .271/.316/.412 2B Cam Cauley: 2-4, 2 2B, BB, SB (31), .209/.313/.291 LF Yosy Galan: 1-4, 2B, HBP, SB (15), .212/.301/.424 1B Abi Ortiz: 2-3, BB, .207/.288/.335
Per Baseball America’s Josh Norris, an eyewitness: “Emiliano Teodo is breaking out the silly stuff tonight. Up to 101 in the third inning with ~3,000 rpm, low 90s hammer breakers.”
Yosy Galan has four homers, four doubles, and four walks this month. And a single. He’s hitting .158/.234/.439.
Rookie: cancelled
Lightning cancelled the Rangers’ game against the one team that can catch them in the standings, reducing the magic number by one. The Rangers lead by four with four to play.
Today’s Starters AAA: Keuchel AA: Kent Hi-A: TBD Lo-A: TBD
Five Years Ago Yesterday Tied at three in the 8th against division-leading Buies Creek, Down East’s Ti’Quan Forbes and Preston Scott homered back-to-back. The Woodies still trailed by 6.5 with 15 to play.
I’ll have thoughts on the dismissal of Jon Daniels tomorrow. Too much going on today. Sean Bass of the Ticket, Michael Tepid of Lone Star Ball and I discussed the Daniels and Woodward at length in a Diamond Pod recorded yesterday. Links are here. Baseball America ranks Texas’s farm system sixth in its updated rankings.
Rangers Farm Report: Games of Wednesday 17 August Box Scores
Kyle Cody (shoulder) made his first appearance outside the complex league since April 2021. Cody’s fastball topped at 93.9. Statcast, which has trouble categorizing some minor league pitchers, described it as a sinker, and based on the spin and movement I’m inclined to agree. That’s several ticks below his peak, but I’m holding off my disappointment in the memory of Brock Burke, who also had a shoulder issue and was thoroughly underwhelming during most of 2021 before graduating to a prominent bullpen role.
Reliever Dellin Betances retired. He was lights-out with the Yankees for several season until injuries derailed his career. He’d been on a minor league deal with the Dodgers. Betances was never a Ranger. I mention him because the last batter he faced in his career was Josh Jung, who homered.
AA: Frisco 4, at Corpus Christi (HOU) 5 Frisco: 9 hits, 0 walks, 5 strikeouts Opponent: 9 hits, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts Record: 23-18, 2 GB, 59-51 overall
SP Jack Leiter: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 92 P / 55 S, 5.50 ERA 1B Blaine Crim: 1-3, HR (16), .271/.339/.447 SS Luisangel Acuna: 2-4, .255/.345/.471 CF Josh Stowers: 3-4, HR (7), SB (19), .216/.324/.355
Jack Leiter matched the stats, I’d say. The curve had more hunt than some previous outings, and the slider is coming along, but on the whole, control and command wavered. Leiter was removed after the first two batters reached in the 5th. Both would score, along with three more.
SP Robby Ahlstrom: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 SO, 89 P / 55 S, 5.23 ERA CF Evan Carter: 2-5, SB (23), .287/.382/.486 DH Thomas Saggese: 1-3, 2B, BB, .305/.355/.483 SS Chris Seise: 2-4, HR (10), SB (7), .239/.307/.388 RF Jayce Easley: 1-4, 2B, SB (18), .222/.361/.346
Carter is batting .385/.468/.615 in August. He’s had an occasional dry spell but no month worse than May’s .261/.313/.424, which isn’t bad at all.
Low-A: Down East 7, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 1 Down East: 10 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts Opponent: 4 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts Record: 23-21, 5.5 GB, 56-54 overall
SP Winston Santos: 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 6 SO, 84 P / 55 S, 3.66 ERA RP Alberto Mota: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 4.50 ERA LF Daniel Mateo: 3-4, 3B, BB, SB (39), .269/.315/.409 CF Yosy Galan: 1-5, HR (16), .211/.300/.423 3B Miguel Villarroel: 4-4, .347/.417/.427 1B Abi Ortiz: 1-3, HR (8), BB, .202/.282/.331
Starts of at least five innings by level: AAA: 44 AA: 36 Hi-A: 42 Lo-A: 51
Offhand, I’d expect the fewest “long” starts in low-A because the pitchers are younger and likely on a stricter workload, but here we are. I haven’t counted, but Frisco seems to have employed the most bullpen starts, and Round Rock has probably been hampered by roster churn and players like Winn and Alexy struggling to go deeper.
Texas promoted OF JoJo Blackmon to Down East. Blackmon batted .265/.382/.538 with eight homers, 16 steals, and 22 walks in 38 games with the rookies. He also struck out in 38% of his plate appearances, making that production all the more impressive in its way. He hit .486 and slugged .986 when he didn’t strike out. Blackmon is last year’s 11th-rounder.
The Rangers sent 20-year-old 1B/OF Jose Rodriguez from Down East to Arizona. Texas’s marquee signing from the 2018-2019 class and nominally a catcher at the time, Rodriguez batted .201/.282/.284 in 80 low-A games. The also Rangers released C/OF Antonio Cabello, part of the Rougned Odor trade along with OF Josh Stowers. The 21-year-old had played sparingly for the rookies after spending most of 2021 at low-A Down East.
Five Years Ago Yesterday Hickory tossed a two-hit, seven-walk shutout to extend the division lead to three games. Starter Mike Matuella walked five in five innings, contra his sub-5% rate entering the contest.
SP AJ Alexy: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 40 P / 24 S, 6.27 ERA RP Ryder Ryan: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 0 SO, 3.38 ERA RP Nick Snyder: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 5.26 ERA LF Nick Solak: 3-4, HR (8), BB, .280/.373/.484 3B Josh Jung: 3-5, 2 HR (4), .400/.464/1.000 2B Dio Arias: 3-3, 2B, HR (4), BB, .302/.384/.453
Josh Jung belted homers of 421 and 435 feet. The latter blast came off rehabbing Drew Pomeranz. Jung has an average exit velocity of 95 MPH and median of 99. Admittedly a sample of 20 balls in play, but that is elite. As the 2021 version of Willie Calhoun will tell you, hard contact doesn’t guarantee results, but Jung is slugging an even 1.000, so he’s not just hitting hard grounders.
I’ve been asked about his service time and whether Texas should avoid starting his clock “early.” If Jung arrives no later than within a few days of Opening Day 2023 and is never optioned, he’ll become a free agent after 2028. If he arrives roughly two weeks into 2023, Texas would retain his rights (albeit with an extra arbitration year) through 2029. And keeping him in AAA well into next May would eliminate that extra arbitration year.
As what should or will happen, I doubt the Rangers try to game his service time. First, they haven’t operated this way historically. I can’t recall any Texas equivalent to Kris Bryant. The closest analogue is Jurickson Profar, who was pointedly stationed in AAA during September 2017 instead of being recalled, leaving him days shy of a full year of service. But Profar previously burned through two years of service time on the 60-day IL, so his situation isn’t the same. Typically, Texas has called up players they’ve deemed ready and have preferred having them in the lineup from the get-go. Elvis Andrus, for example, and Nomar Mazara, called up from Round Rock soon enough after Opening Day 2016 to receive a complete year of service.
Second, we could argue on the margins about whether Jung needs a few more days or weeks in AAA because of his lengthy injury, but in essence he’s ready for MLB now. I thought so toward the end of 2021, and certainly nothing about his recent play has dissuaded me. The Rangers have an imperative to put their best players on the field, maybe not in the dwindling days of 2022, but certainly from the jump next year.
Third, Jung is already 24. Texas already has the the rights to what will likely be his best seasons. He’s not going to become a free agent at 28.
Fourth, the latest CBA has a new feature wherein the Rangers would receive an extra draft pick at the end of the first round if Jung is on the Opening Day roster (or up within a few days), still rookie-eligible, appears on two preseason top-100 prospect lists, and is named Rookie of the Year. MLB is going to make me care about an award, which I deeply resent. I also resent MLB delegating partial responsibility over draft picks and service time to baseball writers, but I digress.
Texas designated OF Elier Hernandez for assignment. The Rangers activated RHP Kyle Cody in Round Rock and released reliever Spencer Patton. Texas also signed RHP Tyler Duffy (ex-Twin) and catcher Wilson Ramos (unemployed for a year, rehabbing a knee injury) to minor deals. Duffy was assigned to Round Rock, and Ramos will be soon.
Yesterday, I’d written about Elvis Andrus’s $15 million player option vesting on the extremely unlikely chance Oakland allowed him to reach 550 plate appearances. The A’s released him this morning.
AA: Frisco 5, at Corpus Christi (HOU) 3 Frisco: 7 hits, 7 walks, 6 strikeouts Opponent: 7 hits, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts Record: 23-17, 2 GB, 59-50 overall
SP Tim Brennan: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 69 P / 42 S, 2.93 ERA RP Grant Anderson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3.00 ERA 3B Jonathan Ornelas: 0-2, 3 BB, SB (9), .306/.360/.445 RF Jax Biggers: 3-5, 2B, 3B, .295/.350/.405 2B Justin Foscue: 2-4, .294/.376/.488 SS Luisangel Acuna: 1-3, HR (2), BB, .234/.333/.468
Luisangel Acuna hit in tenth homer for the season, two under last year’s total with almost five weeks remaining.
Jonathan Ornelas isn’t especially inclined to take free bases, but Corpus is eager to give them, so Ornelas drew three without swinging a bat.
Texas released LHP Tyler Thomas, originally drafted by the Cubs in 2017’s seventh round and traded to the Rangers for the immortal Jesse Chavez the following year.
SP Nick Krauth: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 76 P / 47 S, 5.40 ERA RP Theo McDowell: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.20 ERA CF Evan Carter: 2-3, HR (11), 2 BB, .285/.382/.487 1B Cristian Inoa: 2-3, 2B, 2 BB, .294/.361/.446 SS Frainyer Chavez: 1-2, 3 BB, SB (11), .285/.372/.367 3B Cody Freeman: 2-4, HR (13), BB, .235/.323/.392 C Randy Florentino: 1-5, HR (3), .275/.362/.383
Evan Carter homered just once yesterday and will have to settle for only being Texas’s third-best prospect and 59th overall in the updated MLB Pipeline rankings. Hopefully he’s okay.
Low-A: Down East 2, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 4 Down East: 6 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts Opponent: 5 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts Record: 22-21, tied for first, 55-54 overall
SP Mitch Bratt: 4 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 7 SO, 71 P / 47 S, 2.34 ERA RP Jackson Leath: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 6.51 ERA SS Maximo Acosta: 2-4, SB (36), .282/.358/.396
Rain ended Mitch Bratt’s night with two on and none out in the 5th. Both would score immediately after the delay on a homer off Dylan MacLean. Bratt retired 12 of his first 14 batters, seven with strikeouts.
More info on RHP Dane Acker, who I mentioned had been activated in low-A. Previously, he was on Down East’s injured list and pitching with the rookies on rehab assignment. He was indeed activated during the off day, but yesterday another transaction indicated he’d transferred to the rookie league. So it appears he is not with Down East at present. Apologies for the miscommunication and this procedural blather.
Five Years Ago Yesterday Round Rock lost at New Orleans following a stretch of five rainouts in eight days. Obviously not an issue for games played in Texas in 2022. Jurickson Profar was 2-5 with a double.
Woody I typically don’t have strong opinions about managerial firings because what matters most is hidden from us. We’re not in the room, we can’t gauge the day-to-day interactions between players, manager and upper management, and even the most intrepid reporting will reveal only a partial picture. On Diamond Pod, I’ve been the default Woody supporter, although that’s just my neutral view versus the less enthusiastic opinions of my podmates. Mainly, I felt we couldn’t judge Woodward on the team’s record because he’s not responsible for personnel, and I haven’t looked at the personnel and thought “why aren’t they winning more?”
Certainly, as I’ve mentioned, the one-run record fiasco shouldn’t be his fault. In his first three years at the helm, Texas was 50-48 in one-run games, vastly better than the overall record. If we wanted to create a managerial narrative around that, we’d say Woody had a knack for winning close ones despite managing a bad team. In truth, the Rangers were a little lucky to have a winning one-run record during that span, and now horribly unlucky in having a historically bad record in 2022.
I’d casually predicted around 76 wins for this team. That record pro-rated to 114 games is 53-61, only two more wins than Texas’s actual record when Woody was relieved. Reverse a little bad luck and the Rangers are at least meeting my expectations on the nose.
All that said, I don’t necessarily feel Woodward was wronged. Reasons given for a manager’s dismissal are always guarded and allusive, but clearly the front office believed he wasn’t the right guy for the next, presumably competitive iteration of the Rangers. If a move needed making, better to do it now rather than 40 games into 2023. Woodward didn’t work out. His successor has to.
Arihara Per the Rangers, Kohei Arihara will start tonight. His arrival will require a 40-man move. That’s doable. Arihara has a 4.88 ERA in 72 innings. In his most recent five starts, he holds a 3.46 ERA and just five walks but only a 19% strikeout rate. He can be very efficient if the balls in play land in gloves. They didn’t in 2021, leading to his designation for assignment less than halfway into a two-year deal.
Elsewhere RHP Dane Acker was assigned to low-A Down East. He’ll soon make his first full-season appearance since last May, after which he underwent Tommy John surgery. Acker was a well-regarded part of the Elvis Andrus trade. Incidentally, Andrus is on pace for 533 plate appearances, 17 short of what’s needed to vest his 2023 $15 million option. He’s still enough of a defender to provide value (1.2 WAR so far this season) despite an increasingly tepid bat, but I can’t imagine the A’s of all teams would play him enough to lock in that money.
The only listed starter on the farm as of 145pm is AJ Alexy in Round Rock.
Rookie Recap: Games of 8-13 August Scores: 2-5 (Dodgers), 4-5 (M’s), 7-1 (M’s), 3-4 (White Sox), 6-3 (Royals) Record: 31-18, +5 G, magic number 2
RHP Aidan Curry (20): 4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 SO, 4.76 ERA RHP Ismael Agreda (18): 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, HBP, 5 SO, 4.15 ERA LHP Bryan Magdaleno (21): 3.0 IP, 2 H, BB, SO, 3.24 ERA RHP Ivan Oviedo (19): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 BB, HBP, 3 SO, 3.40 ERA RHP Dane Acker (23): 4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 2.08 ERA
To date, 2022 9th-rounder Griffith Cheney has played four games at third, and one at second and short. 10th-round selection Josh Hatcher has manned left field once and first four times. Joining them for the first time last night was 6th-round OF Tommy Specht, the youngest of the trio by far at 18. Unfortunately, Specht donned a golden sombrero in his pro debut.
Generally, the guys I’ve been mentioning continue to hit well, and I suppose one or more might see a little action at Down East once the rookies conclude, although finding spots for anyone will be tricky. Anthony Gutierrez (.269/.296/.418) isn’t striking out much but has quieted since a hot start: .209/.244/.302 in his last 12 games. He doesn’t turn 18 until November.
The Rangers are 5-11 since that 16-game winning streak. The division is still nearly assured. Three division winners and a wild card will play a one-game semifinal, and the winners will advance to a best-of-three final. As it stands, the competitors will be the Giants, Reds, Rangers, and Rockies.
Five Years Ago Yesterday In a 1-0 victory, Wes Benjamin threw 7.2 scoreless innings for high-A Down East, followed by 1.1 clean from Scott Williams, who ran his scoreless streak to 21 innings.
AAA: Round Rock 3, at Oklahoma City (LAD) 20 Round Rock: 7 hits, 1 walk, 12 strikeouts Opponent: 15 hits, 11 walks, 14 strikeouts Record: 59-52, 5 GB
SP Tyson Miller: 4 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 3 R, 4 BB, 7 SO, 84 P / 50 S, 5.05 ERA 3B Josh Jung: 1-3, 2B, .350/.435/.800
Lawdy. OKC had rehabbing Dustin May starting and Brusdar Graterol in waiting, and the offense piled up 30 baserunners. Spencer Patton allowed five runs in an inning, Fernery Ozuna surrendered two runs on six runners in his two-inning AAA debut, and James Jones hit three of six batters in the 9th, leaving infielder Nick Tanielu to mop up.
SP Antoine Kelly: 2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 3 SO, 58 P / 32 S, 7.90 ERA SS Jonathan Ornelas: 2-5, HR (13), .307/.357/.448 CF Kellen Strahm: 1-3, 2 BB, SB (5), .285/.407/.404
In six of his 21 outings, Kelly’s combined walks and HBPs have exceeded his innings. He recorded a balk and wild pitch in addition to the four walks.
Joe Barlow allowed a walk and no hits while striking out two in two scoreless innings.
Kellen Strahm swung a noodle bat for nearly two months but drew enough walks to compensate. Since early June, he’s hitting .333 with a .494 slugging percentage, and his overall .407 OBP is second-best in the system along players with at least 200 trips to the plate.
SP Josh Stephan: 0.2 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 0 SO, 30 P / 13 S, 13.50 ERA 1B Frainyer Chavez: 1-4, 2B, BB, .283/.363/.366 SS Chris Seise: 2-4, 2B, .235/.303/.377
Stephan had a stretch of 13 consecutive starts of at least four innings, and 12 of those reached five or more. No longer, as 17 balls on 30 pitches resulted in the shortest full-season outing of his career.
Chris Seise is playing shortstop more frequently with Luisangel Acuna’s departure but has yet to play on consecutive days. At this point, I’d guess that’s a function of personnel as much as his history. Keyber Rodriguez, Thomas Saggese, and Frainyer Chavez are also in the shortstop mix. Seise’s bat has produced at the same level as previous seasons: flashes of power, many strikeouts.
Low-A: Down East 6, at Fayetteville (HOU) 4 Down East: 6 hits, 8 walks, 9 strikeouts Opponent: 6 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts Record: 22-20, 4.5 GB, 55-53 overall
SP Ryan Garcia: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 75 P / 47 S, 2.19 ERA RP Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 3.16 ERA DH Yosy Galan: 1-4, HR (15), BB, .215/.305/.422 3B Miguel Villarroel: 2-4, SB (2), .309/.382/.397 RF Jose Rodriguez: 1-2, 2B, BB, HBP, .203/.284/.287
Down East warded off eight “one pitch away” strikes in the 9th, culminating with Miguel Villarroel’s game-tying two-run single. Abi Ortiz tripled home two in the 10th and scored on a wild pitch.
Yosy Galan hit three homers in the series.
Today’s Starters off
Five Years Ago Yesterday Kyle Cody fanned a career-high seven and allowed a run in 6.2 innings for high-A Down East. Opposing Carolina had three hits and 18 strikeouts but won 3-2 in extras.
