Category: Daily Report

A few minutes after I sent yesterday’s post, Texas listed Cole Ragans as Thursday starting pitcher. Obviously, I want him to pitch well tonight, but there’s joy simply in his arrival. Texas’s first pick in 2016 missed three entire seasons because of two Tommy John surgeries and covid. He made his full-season debut just 15 months ago. Tonight, he becomes a Major Leaguer. And, as I cautiously predicted a while back on the presumption of continued success in AAA, he’s arriving earlier than late September, so thanks to Cole for making me look like I know what I’m talking about.

Ragans is not a flamethrower; his average fastball velocity in AAA was 92.4, topping at 95.3. The placement tends to the low side with good run. He’ll also work high, but he’s not consistently attempting to ride the pitch over the top of opposing bats. His swinging strike rate on the pitch is 8%, a little below average. Ragans’ primary breaker is alternatively described as a cutter or slider. I lean toward “cutter” because most aren’t dialed down much from the fastball, nor do they have much cut, but some are slow enough that they might be two distinct pitches. Regardless; I don’t know that it’s a great pitch in and of itself, but it’s hard to pick up and pairs well with the fastball. Ragans can steal first-pitch strikes with the curve or bring it later as a potential bat-misser.

In AAA, Ragans has thrown more changeups than curves and cutters combined. His swinging strike rate is 22%, highest among Round Rock starters. Viewed from behind the plate, Ragans’ locations create an inverted “L,” running along the bottom of the strike zone and then all the way up the right edge. His command of the pitch is uncommon. He doesn’t apply it as frequently against same-handed batters as Cole Winn (few do), but he won’t ignore it either.

Ragans’ exit velocity data is odd. He’s excelled at avoiding too much hard contact, but the that contact is hard indeed, mostly over 100 MPH instead of the 95-99 range. That said, he’s not been homer-prone, surrendering four in 43.1 AAA innings, and opponents are slugging only .335, an outstanding figure in the Pacific Coast League.

Stamina was a problem last year. He’s already tossed 14 innings over his 2021 total and has faced more batters than anyone in the system, but I’m not seeing a definitive loss in velocity. Two starts ago, I mentioned a consistent dip of about one MPH from his norm, but toward the end of his most recent start, his average velocity was slightly higher than usual. Unsurprisingly, he threw hardest in the first of his eight AAA starts, and we can expect a little extra juice tonight. Weariness can also manifest with loss of command and control, and he did tie a season-high three walks last week, but I don’t think that’s enough to reach any conclusion. To be sure, he pitched well enough toearn a trip to Arlington.

As of 1pm Central, Texas hasn’t officially added him to the 40-man and active rosters or announced any corresponding moves as best as I can tell. That’s coming about five minutes after I send this.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 10, at Sugar Land (HOU) 2
Round Rock: 8 hits, 8 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 4 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 55-46, 6 GB

SP Tyson Miller: 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 2 SO, 75 P / 41 S, 4.85 ERA
RP John King: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 7.84 ERA
CF Bubba Thompson: 2-5, 3B, SB (49), .303/.355/.474
LF Steele Walker: 2-4, BB, SB (6), .277/.353/.435

Round Rock drew seven walks against the Sugar Land pen, and every single one would score.

Bubba Thompson has 17 more steals than anyone else in AAA.

IF Davis Wendzel was reactivated in Round rock but didn’t play last night.

AA: Frisco 12, Amarillo (ARI) 5
Frisco: 15 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
Record: 17-12, 2 GB, 53-45 overall

SP Zak Kent: 5 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 86 P / 58 S, 5.10 ERA
3B Jonathan Ornelas: 1-5, HR (6), .317/.364/.400
RF Aaron Zavala: 3-5, 2 2B, HR (1)
1B Blaine Crim: 4-5, 2 HR (15), .277/.344/.461

Earlier this season, I suggested that Aaron Zavala wasn’t at the wrong level in high-A, but we wouldn’t be able to start judging his contact until he reached AA. Well, in the early going, Zavala is still walking as much as ever, and five of his six hits are for extra-bases.

More than just about anybody, Blaine Crim’s future is linked with how often he appears in these reports, so keep mashing, Blaine.

High-A: Hickory 7, Asheville (HOU) 8 (10)
Hickory: 9 hits, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 14 hits, 9 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 14-18, 7 GB, 52-46 overall

SP Larson Kindreich: 2 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 5 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 58 P / 30 S, 5.32 ERA
RP Yohanse Morel: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 7.78 ERA
CF Jayce Easley: 1-3, 2 BB, .238/.368/.361
DH Evan Carter: 2-4, 2B, BB, .272/.368/.471

Larson Kindreich has been a mess in three starts since the no-hitter: 13 walks to 45 batters, a .387/.578/.742 opposing line. To be clear, he wasn’t abused in the in that no-hit start, as he threw a reasonable 84 pitches across six innings. Kindreich’s 60 innings are his most in one unbroken season. He threw 66 in 2020 split between a covid-shortened college season and a summer-league gig.

Low-A: Down East 5, Frederick (WAS) 6
Down East: 8 hits, 3 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 14-16, 9 GB, 47-49 overall

SP Winston Santos: 4.2 IP, 7 H (1 HR), 4 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 90 P / 60 S, 3.38 ERA
RP Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 3.73 ERA
SS Maximo Acosta: 2-5, 2B, 2 SB (31), .277/.356/.387
2B Cam Cauley: 2-3, HBP, SB (26), .202/.299/.281
1B Miguel Villarroel: 2-3, HR (1), BB, .316/.366/.421

Down East has allowed 5.7 runs per game while losing nine of ten.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Not Cole Ragans
AA: Brennan
Hi-A: Englert
Lo-A: Teodo

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Willie Calhoun swatted his first homer with the organization. He’s hitting well for AAA Sacramento (.299/.396/.483), but I’ve not seen anything to suggest he’s headed back to the Majors.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 3, at Sugar Land (HOU) 4
Round Rock: 6 hits, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 12 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 54-46, 6 GB

SP Dallas Keuchel: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 SO, 82 P / 47 S, 2.08 ERA
RP AJ Alexy: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 0 SO, 6.32 ERA
CF JP Martinez: 2-4, BB, SB (5), .357/.486/.821

Topping out at 89.4 MPH, Dallas Keuchel got the job done around some walks. I didn’t see any of his performance and don’t plan to, no offense. We all know who he is. With Jon Gray to miss at least half of what remains of the season, a spot is available for Keuchel.

It’s also available for Cole Ragans, I would think.

Both Yerry Rodriguez and Hever Bueno walked three consecutive batters in brief appearances. Rodriguez, while not possessed of great control, had never walked three as a reliever. Bueno has always been prone to wild swings in effectiveness, and he’s on the negative end of one right now.

Rehabbing Josh Jung was 1-3 with the rookies.

AA: Frisco 6, Amarillo (ARI) 2
Frisco: 8 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 16-12, 3 GB, 52-45 overall

SP Seth Nordlin: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 62 P / 43 S, 2.68 ERA
RP Grant Wolfram: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 5.27 ERA
1B Blaine Crim: 2-4, .269/.338/.437
SS Luisangel Acuna: 1-3, BB

Luisangel Acuna flared a single to right in his first AA plate appearance and later walked. How Texas handles the infield assignments with his arrival will be interesting. Acuna has never played third. Jonathan Ornelas has ample experience there but has been the primary shortstop since late May and in fact hasn’t played anywhere else since then. Justin Foscue is exclusively a 2B. Perhaps Ornelas will focus on third and spot at the other two positions. He was off last night in favor of rehabbing Brad Miller. Certainly, Acuna’s arrival shouldn’t result in more than a minimal loss of playing time for Ornelas. I wasn’t thinking of him as a serious contender for a 40 spot during last offseason, but I am now.

Sandro Fabian’s three-run homer in the 2nd put Frisco up for good.

Texas released infielder Trey Hair. Signed out of indy ball last year and re-signed over the winter, Hair was actually leading the organization in homers with 17 (tied with Dustin Harris) and had a fine July, but he’s 27 and in AA. At present, Frisco has an infield of Blaine Crim (spotted by Harris), Justin Foscue, Luisangel Acuna, and Jonathan Ornelas, plus Jax Biggers, who was as busy as anyone last month. 

Joining Acuna in Frisco is catcher Scott Kapers.

High-A: Hickory 5, Asheville (HOU) 6 (10)
Hickory: 6 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 14-17, 6 GB, 52-45 overall

SP Nick Krauth: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 SO, 77 P / 51 S, 5.80 ERA
C Cody Freeman: 1-3, BB, SB (7), .236/.324/.396

Evan Carter (1-4) hit his tenth triple. As noted by Mark Parker, Carter needs one more homer to become only the second Crawdad after Nick Williams to reach the triple-double of extra-base hits (ten doubles, triples and homers). Those who’ve accomplished the feat with the Rangers in the past decade are Drew Robinson and Anderson Tejeda in 2017, Williams in 2013, and Engel Beltre in 2012.

Low-A: Down East 3, Frederick (WAS) 4 (10)
Down East: 8 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 14-15, 8 GB, 47-48 overall

SP Mitch Bratt: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 68 P / 43 S, 2.04 ERA
RP Florencio Serrano: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 3.24 ERA
SS Maximo Acosta: 1-4, BB, 2 SB (27), .275/.355/.383
RF Marcus Smith: 2-4, BB, .275/.355/.383
LF Yosy Galan: 2-4, 2B, BB, .230/.323/.426

Yosy Galan’s double tied the game in the 9th, but Down East subsequently loaded the bases with none out and couldn’t bring the winner home. Another zero-out, three-on opportunity in the 10th produced only one run after the Nationals scored twice in the top half. Frederick leads the division by an increasingly wide margin, so the Woodies badly need some victories this week.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Miller
AA: TBD
Hi-A: Kindreich
Lo-A: Santos (Down East has a listed starter for the first time I can recall)

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Jeffrey Springs fanned four in two scoreless innings for Down East. Despite leading the organization in strikeouts and a full repertoire, he’d been switched to relief to minimize control/command issues. The move quickly proved worthwhile, as Springs would make his MLB debut the following July. In 2022, Tampa Bay rebuilt him up to starting again in May, and he’s been solid (3.14 ERA) despite a high homer rate.

As you’ve likely seen, Texas traded reliever Matt Bush to Milwaukee for RHP Antoine Kelly and IF Mark Mathias.

Kelly is ranked between seventh and 16th in Milwaukee’s below-average system depending who you read. Picked in 2019’s second round, 65th overall and two choices ahead of Josh Smith, Kelly had a strong rookie debut with 41 strikeouts against just five walks in 28.2 innings. His 2020 included surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, after which his control cratered and is slowly returning to form. As a starter in high-A, he’s posted a 3.86 ERA with 119 strikeouts and 63 combined BB/HBP in 91 innings. At the beginning of July, Kelley walked seven and hit four more in just 4.1 innings. No Rangers minor league starter has walked more than six this season. He also struck out 13 of 22 batters faced in May. Among pitchers with at least 50 innings, his 31% strikeout rate ranks first in the Milwaukee system, and his 13.7% swinging strike rate is third. The latter figure would be good for only 12th in the Texas system. Kelly retired two batters in this year’s Futures Game.

From what I’ve read, he owns a nice two-pitch repertoire (mid-90s fastball topping at 98, sweeping slider) with a changeup in progress. If you’re response to that is “so, a reliever?” you could be right, but we’ll see. Kelly has faced more batters than any prospect with the Rangers, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see his workload tapered. He’ll be assigned to AA Frisco. He’ll be eligible for the Rule 5 draft if unprotected this fall.

Matthias turns 28 today. His present: a hastily arranged trip to Sugar Land to join the Express. Mathias has a .231/.226/.346 line in 53 plate appearances across two seasons. In AAA this season he’s been much better: .318/.421/.518 with eight homers in 50 games at pitcher-friendly Nashville. Drafted in 2015’s third round, Mathias made the 40-man roster at the end of 2019 and his MLB debut during 2020, but a shoulder injury cost him the entirety of 2021 and his roster spot. He rejoined the 40 this season. If designated for assignment again and unclaimed on waivers, he can opt for free agency by virtue of having gone through the process before. Mathias has played some outfield in the Majors but is primarily a 2B/3B. He doesn’t play short.

Bush had been with the Rangers since 2015, longer than all but 11 players in the system. Hopefully, he enjoys some October innings that wouldn’t have occurred as a Ranger in 2022. Future reliever or not, Kelly is a legitimate prospect and a solid return for Bush.

Joey Gallo is headed to the Dodgers. Not exactly a low-key, low-expectations market, but hopefully where he can right the ship.

Rookie Recap: Games of 25-31 July
Scores: 0-4 (LAD), 1-3 (SEA), 2-10 (SEA), 2-0 (CHW), 4-0 (KAN)
Record: 28-10, 8.5 G up

RHP D.J. McCarty (19): 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, HBP, 6 SO, 5.79 ERA
RHP Ivan Oviedo (19): 4.0 IP, 2 H, BB, 6 SO, 3.64 ERA
LHP Luis Paulino (24): 3.1 IP, 2 R, 4 H, BB, 3 SO, 5.52 ERA
LHP Brayan Mendoza (18): 4.0 IP, 1 R, 3 H (HR), BB, 3 SO, 2.00 ERA
RHP Alberto Mota (19): 3.0 IP, 3 H, BB, 5 SO, 0.48 ERA

OF JoJo Blackmon (19): 2-12, HR (6), BB, SB (12), .257/.386/.524
IF Gleider Figuereo (18): 3-12, 2B, HR (7), .297/.400/.692
OF Anthony Gutierrez (17): 3-11, HBP, 2 SB (4), .325/.349/.500
OF Robert Gonzalez (21): 2-6, HR (2), BB, HBP, .275/.415/.450
C Beycker Barroso (19): 4-8, 2B, SB (3), .345/.406/.517

The Rangers’ win streak concluded at 16 last week, and their league-best offense scored only nine runs all week.

Gleider Figuereo’s .692 slugging percentage is more than 70 points ahead of the nearest competitor. Down East will have a fun lineup in 2023.

Anthony Gutierrez is looking for his first stateside walk after drawing eight in 150 Dominican plate appearances. The league rate is just over 10%, honestly lower than I would have expected, but with no advanced short-season league, the complex circuits probably have more older, control-oriented pitchers than in years past.

Undrafted DJ McCarty leads the team with 39 strikeouts in 32.2 innings. Also 26 combined BB/HBP and ten wild pitches.  Adrian Rodriguez, who struck out two in an inning last week, has the team’s best K rate at 41%.

Assuming the three-division format is in effect, the Rangers have a magic number of 10 with 15 games to play.

The Rangers ultimately signed 13 of 18 draft picks. Missing are RHP Caden Marcum (13th), MIF Jack Goodman (15th), LHP Carson Dorsey (17th), RHP Grayson Saunier, (19th), and RHP Matt Scott (20th). On the whole, these were younger players with firm college commitments and appeared to be fallbacks in case Brock Porter hadn’t signed. None of Texas’s 2022 draftees has been assigned yet. A fair number may not see real-game action, instead working out and practicing in Arizona ahead of fall instructionals.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 9, Sacramento (SFO) 4
Round Rock: 11 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 5 walks, 17 strikeouts
Record: 54-45, tied for first

SP Cole Winn: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 9 SO, 80 P / 46 S, 5.72 ERA
RP Daniel Robert: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 5.48 ERA
DH JP Martinez: 2-5, HR (4), .333/.467/.875
C Sam Huff: 2-4, HR (15), .273/.349/.578
RF Steele Walker: 2-4, 2B, .277/.350/.440

A better outing from Cole Winn, if not absent of his ongoing control issues. Through four innings, Winn had seven strikeouts, just one walk, and three-ball counts to just two others, but his strike rate was still a sub-par 57%. In the 5th, he he opened with two straight walks, missing mostly high, even with his curve and slider. Winn then rebounded with three outs on seven consecutive strikes including two swinging strike threes. Winn had 12 swinging strikes total, five each with the change and curve, two with the fastball. Winn throws as many righty-righty changeups as you’ll ever see, but last night he almost entirely ignored that pitch to righties in favor of the slider. Per usual, balls in play were favorable, with only two balls hit hard, both caught.

Sam Huff is hitting .281/.324/.469 in eight games since returning to AAA. Whether at Round Rock or in Arlington, Huff’s upcoming month-plus is his chance to claim a Major League catching position next year. Ideally, he does.

Some weary relief arms in the system? Since the All-Star break, Texas’s full-season minor-league bullpen has allowed 130 runs in 173.3 innings (6.75 per nine including unearned). Frisco’s 6.09 R/9 is the best of the four teams. I haven’t performed the calculations, but I don’t sense the opponents are faring any better, as Texas’s system has a 20-16 record and +8 run differential in that span. 

AA: Frisco 14, at Springfield (STL) 12
Frisco: 15 hits, 8 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 15 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 15-12, 4 GB, 51-45 overall

SP Cody Bradford: 2 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 41 P / 27 S, 6.26 ERA
RP Fernery Ozuna: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.85 ERA
SS Jonathan Ornelas: 2-5, HBP, .319/.366/.456
RF Aaron Zavala: 2-3, 2 2B, 3 BB, SB (1)
DH Dustin Harris: 2-6, 2 2B, .261/.351/.481
2B Justin Foscue: 3-6, HR (6), .279/.364/.446

“AA is easy! I should’ve been here in April like Jack,” Aaron Zavala could be thinking to himself. Hopefully not. Even as the 38th-overall pick of the 2021 draft, reaching AA in his second pro season as a young 22-year-old is impressive. Justin Foscue has two homers in five games since my podcast partners and I wondered how he could have only four through last July.

High-A: Hickory 11, Rome (ATL) 10
Hickory: 19 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 10 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 14-16, 5 GB, 52-44 overall

SP Robby Ahlstrom: 4 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 1 R, 4 BB, 4 SO, 77 P / 45 S, 6.44 ERA
CF Evan Carter: 2-5, SB (17), .270/.367/.464
SS Luisangel Acuna: 2-5, SB (28), .317/.417/.483
3B Thomas Saggese: 2-3, BB, .317/.364/.505
1B Cristian Inoa: 3-4, 2B, BB, .304/.369/.476
LF Alejandro Osuna: 2-4

Hickory took four of six against the second-half division leader. The Crawdads are five back with 36 to play, no small task but better than the seven-game deficit than began the series. Hickory also hosts Rome for a closing six-game series after Labor Day.

Texas bumped OF Alejandro Osuna to high-A to replace Zavala. Two months shy of 20, Osuna is now the team’s youngest hitter.

That Hickory line for Luisangel Acuna is permanent, barring some misfortune. The 20-year-old is headed to AA, per local reports. 

Low-A: Down East 2, at Charleston (TAM) 5
Down East: 5 hits, 8 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts
Record: 14-14, 7 GB, 47-47 overall

SP Ryan Garcia: 4 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 4 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 63 P / 40 S, 2.33 ERA
RP Josh Gessner: 3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 5.56 ERA
C Ian Moller: 1-2, 2 BB, SB (13), .164/.344/.233
LF Zion Bannister: 2-2, BB, .188/.316/.188

Down East lost five of six at Charleston, disappointing but in line with the opponent’s 36-11 home record entering the series.

Ian Moller has been leading off occasionally despite a batting average well under .200 because he’s walked in 21% of his plate appearance. Moller is amongthe most fly-prone of Texas’s young hitters, but the damage hasn’t arrived yet. He’s hitting .247 with a .350 slugging percentage when he makes contact.

Today’s Starters
Off day

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Texas traded RHP Yu Darvish for 2B/OF Willie Calhoun, RHP AJ Alexy, and IF Brendon Davis. “Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen rates Calhoun the second-best prospect traded in July, behind only OF Eloy Jimenez.”

Ten Years Ago Yesterday
“As I filled my tank in a gas station in Katy, I learned that Texas had traded 3B Kyle Hendricks and RHP Kyle Hendricks for Ryan Dempster. At the time, Hendricks had improved his status but was still generally seen as a control freak with middling stuff and a 5/LR future. Baseball America didn’t bother placing him in Chicago’s top 30 entering 2013. Villanueva was the bigger get, a strong defender who stood a decent chance of becoming an average MLB third baseman. His hitting development stalled, and then he was beset by injuries, missing all of 2016. He’s now a Padre, batting .299/.371/.546, albeit in the El Paso bandbox.”

Fifteen Years Ago Yesterday
“From texasrangers.com, July 31, 2007: ‘Acquired C/1B Jarrod Saltalamacchia, nonroster SS Elvis Andrus, nonroster LHP Matt Harrison, nonroster LHP Beau Jones and nonroster RHP Neftali Feliz from the Braves in exchange for 1B Mark Teixeira and LHP Ron Mahay; Acquired LHP Kason Gabbard, OF David Murphy and nonroster OF Engle Beltre from the Red Sox for RHP Eric Gagne and cash.’ “

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 10, Sacramento (SFO) 7
Round Rock: 10 hits, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 8 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 53-45, 5 GB

SP Kolby Allard: 4.2 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 2 R, 5 BB, 4 SO, 87 P / 50 S, 3.99 ERA
RF Bubba Thompson: 3-5, HR (13), .301/.353/.470
LF JP Martinez: 1-2, HR (3), 2 BB, .316/.480/.842
3B Andy Ibanez: 3-5, 2B, .261/.313/.420
C Matt Whatley: 2-4, HR (1), .278/.409/.500

Bubba Thompson will finish July with the most doubles (4, to date), homers (5), and walks (11) of any month. As to whether that translate to a promotion… I don’t know. I feel room on the active roster is available, and a 40 spot could be cleared with a trade. Thompson’s having a fine year, albeit with some concerns that I’ll discuss later.

JP Martinez seems to have acclimated to Round Rock successfully.

AA: Frisco 4, at Springfield (STL) 1
Frisco: 7 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 14-12, 4 GB, 50-44 overall

SP Jack Leiter: 5.2 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 80 P / 50 S, 5.80 ERA
SS Jonathan Ornelas: 2-4, HR (11), BB, .318/.364/.457
2B Justin Foscue: 2-5, 2B, .274/.361/.433

Jack Leiter was better, and for three innings he was ideal statistically, needing just 28 pitches to retire nine straight, two on strikeouts. The 4th presented the first troubles, as Leiter worked around two walks. Julio Rodriguez (not that one) hit a solo homer in the 5th, and another walk and the only other hit ended his night in the 6th.

Texas’s top two 2021 picks are teammates, as the Rangers promoted OF Aaron Zavala to Frisco. In his first AA action, Zavala predictably walked twice in four trips to the plate. At Hickory, he batted .278/.424/.441 with a league-leading 68 walks.

High-A: Hickory 4, Rome (ATL) 5 (11)
Hickory: 7 hits, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 3 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 13-16, 6 GB, 50-44 overall

SP Ricky Vanasco: 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 SO, 76 P / 45 S, 5.16 ERA
RP John Matthews: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 4.58 ERA
RF Evan Carter: 2-5, 3B, .268/.366/.465
CF Jayce Easley: 2-4, 2B, BB, SB (12), .241/.364/.371

Rome inched to victory with single runs in the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th. Ricky Vanasco missed plenty of bats but had four three-ball counts in addition to the two walks.

Evan Carter’s nine triples lead the organization and rank fourth across the full-season minors.

Low-A: Down East 7, at Charleston (TAM) 8 (10)
Down East: 11 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 14-14, 6.5 GB, 47-46 overall

SP Josh Stephan: 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 87 P / 59 S, 3.47 ERA
2B Maximo Acosta: 3-5, 2 2B, 2 SB (27), .276/.354/.385
RF Daniel Mateo: 2-5, 3 SB (35), .279/.322/.417
SS Cam Cauley: 1-4, BB, 2 SB (24), .195/.286/.272
C Liam Hicks: 1-5, HR (1), .257/.413/.400

Attempting to close the 9th with a 7-3 lead, the usually reliable Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa allowed four runs on five hits, three for extra bases. Another double in the 10th ended the game.

Down East stole eight bases.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Winn
AA: Weems
Hi-A: Ahlstrom
Lo-A: TBD

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 4, Sacramento (SFO) 3
Round Rock: 6 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 52-45, 6 GB

SP Cole Ragans: 6 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 3 BB, 6 SO, 88 P / 50 S, 3.32 ERA
CF JP Martinez: 1-3, HR (2), BB, SB (4), .294/.429/.706
3B Andy Ibanez: 1-3, 2B, BB, .248/.303/.406

Runs allowed in Ragans’ AAA starts: 0, 0, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 7. Not in that order.

Yerry Rodriguez was pulled after just three batters (including two outs) and 17 pitches in the 7th. That worried me, but then I noticed he’d thrown 36 pitches two days ago. That intrigued me. He’s thrown on one day of rest three previous times, never dealing more than 28 in the opening game of each group and never more than 41 combined. As I tweeted last night, this isn’t akin to back-to-back outings (sometimes a tell that promotion is imminent), and it could well be nothing, but… it caught my eye. Rodriguez is on the 40-man roster and yearns for his MLB debut. My thought is the Rangers would want some clarity on his outlook heading into 2023, as 40-man spots are so precious, and the club has many tough decisions in the offing.

AA: Frisco 6, at Springfield (STL) 12
Frisco: 5 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 19 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 13-12, 5 GB, 49-45 overall

SP Tim Brennan: 3.1 IP, 8 H (2 HR), 4 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 74 P / 49 S, 3.77 ERA
RP Josh Smith: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 345.00 ERA
SS Jonathan Ornelas: 2-4, HR (10), .316/.361/.448
DH Trey Hair: 2-4, 2 HR (17), .238/.294/.524

Justin Slaten allowed two homers and five runs in 1.2 innings. Since a three-week IL stint, he’s surrendered 13 runs in five innings and has more walks than strikeouts. The 2019 3rd-rounder is among a host of potential 40 candidates come November.

Trey Hair homered twice and pitched the 9th. Who needs Ohtani?

High-A: Hickory 3, Rome (ATL) 5
Hickory: 6 hits, 4 walks, 14 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 13-15, 5 GB, 51-43 overall

SP TK Roby: 5 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 2 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 80 P / 59 S, 5.17 ERA
RP Theo McDowell: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 0.00 ERA
DH Luisangel Acuna: 1-3, BB, SB (27), .321/.419/.495
2B Keyber Rodriguez: 2-4, 2B, .267/.320/.353

TK Roby was fine, As was Theo McDowell, but Destin Dotson (1.2 IP) allowed three runs for the first time in 22 appearances as a Crawdad. Thomas Saggese and Aaron Zavala couldn’t extended hit streak of nine and eight games, respectively.

Low-A: Down East 2, at Charleston (TAM) 8
Down East: 4 hits, 0 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 14-13, 5.5 GB, 47-46 overall

SP Gavin Collyer: 2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 54 P / 35 S, 4.34 ERA
RP Juan Mejia: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 8.56 ERA
LF Daniel Mateo: 2-4, 3B, .277/.320/.418

Daniel Mateo tripled last night and has 32 steals, but he’s also sitting there with more homers (9) than doubles (7) like he’s Rob Deer or something.

Regularly a starter in the DSL, Juan Mejia threw four innings for the first time in 52 US appearances.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Allard
AA: Leiter
Hi-A: Vanasco
Lo-A: TBD

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Cole Ragans suffered his worst pro outing to date, allowing six runs in 3.1 innings. Ten years ago yesterday, a healthy Kyle Hendricks was skipped in the Myrtle Beach rotation.

Josh Jung was 1-3 in his 2022 debut with the rookies. Fellow rehabber Davis Wendzel drew a walk in three plate appearances.

If you’ve got an Athletic subscription, please check out Jamey Newberg’s piece on how a Texas acquisition of Juan Soto might be negotiated, and Lindsey Adler’s perceptive story on Joey Gallo’s struggles in New York. Texas has officially signed its top 12 picks plus 14th-round RHP Andrew Owen and 18th-round lefty Justin Sanchez.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 7, Sacramento (SFO) 6
Round Rock: 10 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts
Record: 51-45, 6 GB

SP Kohei Arihara: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 78 P / 53 S, 5.31 ERA
LF Bubba Thompson: 2-4, 2B, HBP, SB (47), .297/.351/.462
CF JP Martinez: 2-4, BB, 2 SB (3), .286/.412/.571
C Sam Huff: 2-3, HR (14), HBP, .274/.354/.575
1B Josh Sale: 1-1, HR (8), .273/.371/.512

Down 6-4 in the 8th, Josh Sale clubbed a pinch-hit two-run homer. Steele Walker singled in Bubba Thompson in the 9th.

Sale has a homer per 17.5 plate appearances, approximate to Anthony Rendon, Cal Raleigh, Jose Altuve, Corey Seager. He’s had a good year and was a clever signing. Good enough for MLB? Tough to say. Sale has a 28% strikeout rate, not awful by modern standards but certainly elevated and indicative of what to expect at a higher level. Sale is selective at the plate, but his 35% miss rate when he swings is the highest on the team.

AA: Frisco 4, at Springfield (STL) 9
Frisco: 10 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 13-11, 5 GB, 49-44 overall

SP Zak Kent: 5 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 1 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 86 P / 48 S, 4.92 ERA
1B Dustin Harris: 2-4, 2 HR (17), .266/.357/.490
2B Jax Biggers: 2-4, 2 2B, .287/.353/.369

With a wild weekend, Dustin Harris could become a 20/20 hitter by the end of the month. Notably, he’s started five of his last eight games in the field at 1B. Prior to that, he’d made just one appearance there.

Springfield SS Masyn Winn, who could be a National if the Cards land Soto, had a homer and double.

High-A: Hickory 6, Rome (ATL) 1
Hickory: 10 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 12-15, 4 GB, 50-43 overall

SP Mason Englert: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 SO, 95 P / 61 S, 4.12 ERA
RP Michael Brewer: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.55 ERA
SS Luisangel Acuna: 3-4, 2B, BB, SB (26), .321/.418/.497
1B Cristian Inoa: 2-3, HR (8), .298/.360/.463

Mason Englert held the opponent scoreless for the second time this season. He’d pitched only one inning last time out, presumably a workload decision.

Luisangel Acuna missed a few games over the past week-plus, but he has a hit in all of his 13 July games and 19 total for a .388/.464/.490 line.

Low-A: Down East 1, at Charleston (TAM) 3
Down East: 2 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts
Record: 14-12, 4.5 GB, 47-45 overall

SP Emiliano Teodo: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 55 P / 37 S, 3.39 ERA
RP Jose Corniell: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 6.12 ERA

Jose Corniell extended his season-long trend of being either really good or really something else. Corniell has nine scoreless outings, five with at least four runs allowed, and just two in between.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Ragans
AA: Brennan
Hi-A: Roby
Lo-A: TBD

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Uh oh. “The [rookie league] Rangers played their first extra-inning game, meaning the first time to test MLB’s awful new rule in which a runner is placed at second base before the inning begins. The Rangers barely avoided trouble in the top half, letting the runner reach third on a pickoff error during the leadoff plate appearance. But Israel Cruz struck out the next two followed by an inning-ending grounder. In the bottom half, Kevin Mendoza singled home gift-runner Ryan Dorow with one out.”

Once I saw the rule in person, I had a change of heart. In the minors, the outcomes aren’t as important, the emotional investment isn’t as strong, and many extra-inning minor league games were already “faux baseball” because managers were increasingly inclined to employ position players on the mound rather than potentially wear out relievers or disturb the upcoming rotation.

That’s the minors. In the Majors, the rule is grotesque. I’d genuinely rather have games end in a tie after 11-12 innings.

Sean Bass of The Ticket, Michael Tepid of Lone Star Ball and I have a new edition of Diamond Pod. Link in signature.

I omitted a critical piece of news yesterday. RHP Owen White has been IL’ed with right forearm fatigue. The stated expectation is 7-10 days of rest, as was the case with Jack Leiter earlier this month, but you’re forgiven for feeling nervous.

Texas released righty Jason Bahr from Round Rock. Acquired along with OF Austin Jackson and RHP Cory Gearrin in 2018 for cash, Bahr was the unlikely centerpiece despite being listed third. The Rangers essentially accepted about two thirds of Jackson’s two-year, $6 million contract for Bahr and a decent reliever. Bahr didn’t develop as hoped. Pre-covid, he was a back-of-the-rotation candidate, but during 2021-2022 he missed several chunks of time in Round Rock, and opponents were reaching against him at over a .400 rate. As you might recall, Texas DFA’ed and then released Jackson immediately, and incidentally, Jackson’s departure from the Giants freed more playing time for one Steven Dugger, now with the Rangers in AAA.

Texas announced the signing of 4th-round righty Brock Porter.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 8, Sacramento (SFO) 10
Round Rock: 10 hits, 12 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 7 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 50-45, 7 GB

SP Tyson Miller: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 78 P / 54 S, 4.79 ERA
RF Josh Sale: 2-4, .267/.367/.483
2B Dio Arias: 2-4, BB, .313/.385/.466
SS Ryan Dorow: 1-4, HR (3), BB, .232/.321/.338
C Matt Whatley: 1-2, 2B, 3 BB, .214/.389/.286

Round Rock lost an early 8-0 lead. Following Tyson Miller’s strong start, Sacramento chipped away at the lead with increasing ferocity. Spencer Patton (1 IP, 1 R), Hever Bueno (0.2 IP, 3 R), John King (0.2 IP, 5 R), and Yerry Rodriguez (1.2 IP, 1 R) were the victims. Bueno looks like a Major Leaguer sometimes, but his down periods flout the norms of polite society. In June and July, Bueno has a .339/.460/.814 oppo line and 13.81 ERA.

Dorow can man short and hit well enough last year to reach the Majors briefly as a covid replacement. He hasn’t been able to build on that success, but his current line sells him short. He’s hitting only .264 when he doesn’t strike out, and I think some of that is bad luck.

AA: Frisco 5, at Springfield (STL) 2
Frisco: 5 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 13-10, 4 GB, 49-43 overall

SP Seth Nordlin: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 46 P / 35 S, 2.89 ERA
RP Grant Anderson: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.33 ERA
RP Grant Wolfram: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 5.63 ERA
2B Justin Foscue: 1-4, HR (5), .274/.360/.426
CF Josh Stowers: 2-3, 2B, HR (6), .226/.268/.322

On the podcast, we talked about Justin Foscue having four homers in nearly four months of play. Now, he’s at five. Unlike say Josh Smith and Ezequiel Duran, Foscue isn’t going to play the left side of the infield or bolster his WAR with defensive highlights. Texas doesn’t have to worry about 40-man eligibility until November 2023, but it would be nice to see some progress down the stretch.

High-A: Hickory 14, Rome (ATL) 6
Hickory: 15 hits, 5 walks, 2 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 8 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 11-15, 5 GB, 49-43 overall

SP Larson Kindreich: 2 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 3 R, 5 BB, 3 SO, 67 P / 30 S, 3.60 ERA
RP Leury Tejada: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 4.75 ERA
SS Luisangel Acuna: 2-5, BB, SB (25), .312/.409/.487
3B Thomas Saggese: 3-5, 2B, .320/.368/.516
LF Trevor Hauver: 1-3, HR (12), BB, .227/.382/.424
1B Cristian Inoa: 4-5, .293/.354/.448

Hickory has taken the first two of six against the division leader. Larson Kindreich has been a mess since the no-hitter, to be frank, retiring only 14 of 31 hitters and allowing three homers in his last two starts. It’s a long season.

I said I wanted Trevor Hauver to “turn on the jets” in these final weeks, and he immediately rewarded me with a grand slam.

Thomas Saggese is batting .526/.550/1.026 with ten extra-base hits and two strikeouts in his last nine games. If you ever run into him, you’ll have the reaction people did to Dalton in Road House — “I thought you’d be bigger” — but don’t say that out loud, it’s rude. He’s Joe Average physically, 5’10” and 175, more or less, but he’s not an average hitter.

Low-A: Down East 10, at Charleston (TAM) 3
Down East: 11 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 14-11, 3.5 GB, 47-44 overall

SP Winston Santos: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 71 P / 48 S, 3.87 ERA
RP Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 2.79 ERA
2B Maximo Acosta: 3-5, 2B, .274/.355/.380
CF Daniel Mateo: 2-4, 2 SB (32), .274/.318/.409
DH Alejandro Osuna: 1-4, BB, SB (32), .311/.396/.456
3B Miguel Villarroel: 3-4, SB (1), .421/.476/.474

Down East reversed the previous night’s drubbing. Maximo Acosta is hitting .300/.373/.410 since a chilly April.

Another five steals brought the team total to 217, 27 more than any other low-A squad. Down East’s success rate is 75%, slightly below the league rate of 79%.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Arihara
AA: Kent
Hi-A: Englert
Lo-A: TBD

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Down East defeated Houston-affiliated Buies Creek 5-2 in the first of a three-game set to improve to 40-63 overall and 15-18 in the second half, eight games behind the 23-11 Astros. That seemingly nondescript win commenced an extremely unlikely romp to the Carolina League title. Down East would win 23 of 37 down the stretch including eight of ten against the Astros to eke out a second-half division title. An impending hurricane shortened the four-team playoff to two best-of-three sets to determine co-champions. Down East swept Myrtle Beach to claim the title.

Texas’s .179 winning percentage in one-run games is the worst in MLB since 1886 and worst in the divisional era by a wide margin.

Almost always, a bad one-run record simply punctuates a bad team. Arizona last year. Recent Baltimore entries. Several Kansas City squads during their long fallow period before the mid-2010s resurgence. Texas is an almost unprecedented anomaly. The Rangers are 38-30 with a +23 run differential in games decided by two or more runs. In the divisional era, I found only two teams with sub-.333 one-run records that had winning records in other games: the 2008 Braves (11-30 in one-run games, 61-60 in others) and 1973 Twins (12-27 in one-run games, 69-54 in others). The best one-run record? The 2016 Texas Rangers at 36-11, and 95-67 overall despite outscoring their opponents by only eight runs.

The good news is there’s no reason for this to continue. The expectation should be that the Rangers’ one-run record will roughly coincide with their overall performance. At their current pace, the Rangers will have 19 more one-run games this season. If so, 8-9 wins is more likely than 3-4. Not guaranteed, but more likely.

Whatever you think of Chris Woodward in general, this particular predicament isn’t his fault. Entering 2022, the Woodward-helmed Rangers were 50-48 in one-run games, amazing given their overall performance. The Banister-led Rangers, so adept at winning one-run games in 2016, fell to 13-24 the following season. Crazy how Banister lost his aptitude at managing close games so suddenly.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 1, Sacramento (SFO) 5
Round Rock: 6 hits, 0 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 5 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 50-44, 6 GB

SP Cole Winn: 2.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 3 SO, 72 P / 39 S, 6.11 ERA
DH Josh Sale: 2-4, 2B, .259/.358/.474

Appearing for the first time in 16 days, Cole Winn didn’t improve much from what I called a “low point.” The defense cost him a run and an extra nine pitches in the 1st, but on the whole, his control and command were lacking, again.

As I’ve mentioned, velocity is not the issue, and I double-checked that last night. During his strong April, his heater averaged 93.2 MPH with a 2,220 spin rate. Since then, those figures are 93.3 and 2,260, both very slightly faster. His horizontal break has declined from 6.6 to 6.4 inches, which I wouldn’t think is enough to cause trouble. Speed and movement aren’t the issue. Location is. His fastball strike rate has fallen from 65% in April to 54% since, with a larger proportional decline in swinging strike rate.

AJ Alexy (2.2 IP, 2 HR, 1 BB, 3 SO) had his moments but surrendered two homers. I will say the stark difference between him and Winn right now is that Alexy is attacking hitters, even if the results are mixed. With Winn, the batter is almost superfluous to the proceedings. Winn’s battle is with the strike zone.

Winn’s silver lining through all this is only five homers all season, and only three batted balls of the velocity and angle that are nearly certain to leave the yard. His opposing slugging percentage since the beginning of May is .405, very good relative to the league.

IF Davis Wendzel is on rehab assignment in Arizona.

AA: Frisco 10, at Springfield (STL) 6
Frisco: 15 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 7 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 12-10, 4 GB, 48-43 overall

SP Cody Bradford: 4.1 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 5 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 83 P / 49 S, 6.19 ERA
1B Dustin Harris: 4-5, HR (15), SB (18), .266/.355/.475
DH Blaine Crim: 2-3, 2 BB, .272/.339/.450
RF Kellen Strahm: 2-5, 2 2B, .283/.414/.407
CF Josh Stowers: 3-5, 2B, HR (5), .220/.318/.341

Frisco hadn’t visited Springfield since August 2019. I saw a game in that series while conducting business in the the northeast corner of Oklahoma. Feels longer than three years, what with the events of the world.

Dustin Harris is five homers and two steals from joining Jared Hoying in the back-to-back 20/20 club.

Only one of Cody Bradford’s three walks scored, but those plate appearances chewed up 20 of his allotted pitches.

High-A: Hickory 7, Rome (ATL) 3
Hickory: 11 hits, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 11-14, 6 GB, 49-42 overall

SP Nick Krauth: 5 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 3 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 76 P / 49 S, 5.97 ERA
RP Destin Dotson: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 2.73 ERA
RP Kelvin Gonzalez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.25 ERA
DH Thomas Saggese: 2-4, HR (11), .315/.364/.511
LF Trevor Hauver: 2-4, HR (11), .226/.382/.413
1B Cristian Inoa: 2-4, 2B, HR (7), .282/.346/.440
SS Chris Seise: 2-3, BB, SB (2), .251/.309/.391

11 homers for Thomas Saggese and Trevor Hauver. The former is having a monster July (.383/.422/.733). I would love to see the latter turn on the jets during these last seven weeks. Because of the 2020, we still need to be graceful in judging hitters to be “old” for their level, but the fact is Hauver is among Hickory’s oldest hitters and a very bat-oriented prospect.

Texas released righty Tyree Thompson, picked in 2016’s 26th round. He had a 6.88 ERA in 17.2 innings at Hickory. Prior years were better and occasionally promising, but control and/or long balls were persistent issues. Thompson would have become a free agent after the season.

Low-A: Down East 2, at Charleston (TAM) 10
Down East: 5 hits, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 13-11, 5 GB, 46-44 overall

SP Mitch Bratt: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 3 SO, 55 P / 30 S, 2.24 ERA

I think we’re good on this one.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Miller
AA: TBD
Hi-A: Kindreich
Lo-A: TBD

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Hmm. I don’t have a report for 7/27/17. The day before, I listed Baseball America’s updated top-ten list: Taveras, Guzman, Bubba Thompson, Mendez, Ragans, Jurado, Miguel Aparicio, Crouse, Josh Morgan, Palumbo. Out of the preseason top ten were Ibanez, Alex Speas, and Brett Martin.

Per the Rangers themselves, top pick Kumar Rocker has signed.

As you’ve probably heard, Texas signed lefty Dallas Keuchel to a minor league deal and assigned him to Round Rock. On the whole, Keuchel has been formidably dire for the White Sox and Snakes, but there’s a handful of respectable outings mixed in with the five disaster starts (more runs than innings). To the extent he might provide replacement-level output down the stretch and alleviate the constant scrounging for starter innings, he’s worth a shot, I suppose, especially if Martin Perez is traded.

Toronto released lefty Derek Holland from AAA Buffalo. He’d posted a 5.53 ERA in 27.2 innings. Sad to say, Holland hasn’t pitched well since 2018 with the Giants, inclusive of various minor league stints, and this could be the end. If so, he finishes with a 4.35 ERA in 1,466 MLB innings and the best World Series start in Texas’s history. The gap between my first mention of him (simply listed on short-A Spokane’s roster as a draft-and-follow sign) and his MLB debut was only 22 months. Not bad for the 748th pick of the 2006 draft. Seeing him and Neftali Feliz pitch on consecutive days for Frisco in 2008 was a career highlight. (For me, not them.)

Texas released 1B/OF Jake Guenther, part of the Nate Lowe trade. The 25-year-old TCU alum batted .181/.279/.333 in 36 games for high-A Hickory.

Rookie Recap: Games of 19-23 July
Scores: 5-3 (SDG), 10-6 (LAD), 6-5 (KAN)
Record: 26-7, 9 G up

RHP Ivan Oviedo (19): 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 SO, 4.21 ERA
RHP Eury Rosado (21): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 4 SO, 6.16 ERA
RHP Aidan Curry (20): 3.0 IP, 2 H,1 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 3.33 ERA
LHP Brayan Mendoza (18): 2.0 IP 1 H, 4 SO, 1.80 ERA
RHP Dane Acker (23): 1.2 IP, 3 H (HR), 3 R, 3 SO, 2.45 ERA

OF Anthony Gutierrez (17): 6-13, 3B, SB (2), .345/.355/.586
IF Gleider Figuereo (18): 4-9, 3B, HR (6), 2 BB, .304/.418/.709
IF Andres Mesa (19): 5-12, 2B, BB, SB (9), .287/.339/.417
IF Danyer Cueva (18): 6-11, 2B, BB, HBP, .369/.425/.505
OF JoJo Blackmon (19): 2-9, 2B, 3B, SB (11), .269/.404/.538

The Rangers extended their winning streak to 16 on Saturday, definitely the longest in team history and quite possibly the longest by any Texas-affiliated squad. (I haven’t checked, but it stands to reason.) That streak ended with a 4-0 loss to the Dodgers last night, but the figures above are for last week’s games.

On the hitting side, all the youngsters I’ve mentioned previously were vital to the team’s continued amazing success. In Baseball America’s updated rankings, Gutierrez is listed 14th followed by Figuereo at 16 and Cueva 18th.

The staff is larded with rehabbers at present. Dane Dunning whiffed nine and allowed a run in five innings Saturday. Following him was Kyle Cody, who allowed a run in an inning. Cody was drafted back in 2016, so I believe he can walk at season’s end unless protected on the 40 or signed to a new minor deal. Next, James Jones fanned the side. Earlier in the week, Dane Acker had some trouble with the baby Dodgers, but I wouldn’t worry about anything statistically in a rehab outing other than perhaps control, which in this case was fine. My semi-educated guess is the Rangers have never had two Danes on the same roster. 

18-year-old Brayan Mendoza, successful if walk-prone in the DSL, followed the three more experienced pitchers with a two-inning save.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Winn
Everyone else TBD