SP Kolby Allard: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 73 P / 45 S, 4.01 ERA RF Bubba Thompson: 1-3, BB, SB (46), .299/.350/.466
Something I’ve never seen before in the minors, although I’m sure it’s happened previously: With one out, runners on second and third, and the game tied in the bottom of the 9th, Las Vegas employed five infielders and two outfielders against Sam Huff. This makes sense, in a way. Huff’s grounder rate is actually slightly above average relative to other PCL hitters, and his flies tend to be deep enough to score a runner from third. If the goal is to maximize the chance of winning (often not the case in the minors, even in AAA), I’d be inclined to just walk Huff to set up a force and take my chances with JP Martinez and Dio Arias, but perhaps Oakland wants its minor leaguers to practice this situation. Regardless, Huff one-hopped the CF wall with a smoked liner to end the game.
Ryder Ryan, Nick Snyder, Spencer Patton, John King, and Josh Sborz threw scoreless innings.
SP Jack Leiter: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 65 P / 39 S, 6.24 ERA RP Avery Weems: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 5.32 ERA C David Garcia: 2-3, .245/.291/.410
Both runs against Leiter scored after he’d departed in the 4th. I watched the first three innings, through which Leiter had a reasonable 51 pitches and one walk, but that paints a prettier picture than what was on display, Per usual, often amazing stuff, highly inconsistent command.
Looking at the most recent nine of Avery Weems’ 18 appearances, he’s cut his recent homer rate nearly in half (although it’s still pretty high), nearly eradicated other extra-base hits, and struck out 30% of his opponents. Texas acquired Weems along with Dane Dunning for Lance Lynn. Now 25, Weems will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft if unprotected.
SP Mason Englert: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 11 P / 9 S, 4.44 ERA RP Michael Brewer: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.86 ERA RF Aaron Zavala: 1-4, HR (11), BB, .276/.423/.448 CF Evan Carter: 3-4, SB (16), .277/.375/.479 2B Thomas Saggese: 2-6, 2B, .313/.362/.500
The teams averaged 8.7 runs per game during Greensboro’s Tribute To High Desert weekend. Thomas Saggese collected seven hits, four for extra bases, in the three-game set. In roughly the same number of plate appearances as last year’s total, Saggese has 23 more hits but 21 fewer walks. He’s also cut his strikeout rate from 30% to 23%.
Low-A: Down East 3, at Carolina (MIL) 7 Down East: 8 hits, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts Opponent: 7 hits, 0 walks, 10 strikeouts Record: 13-10, 4.5 GB, 46-43 overall
SP Ryan Garcia: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 58 P / 41 S, 1.57 ERA SS Cam Cauley: 2-4, 2B, .204/.299/.289 RF Jose Rodriguez: 2-3, 3B, HBP, .219/.298/.312 1B Abi Ortiz: 2-4, HR (6), .208/.291/.322
Josh Gessner’s relief outing (0.2 IP, 6 R) was peak wildness for a walk-free outing. Gessner hit two batters (one on a 3-0 pitch), had runs score on a balk and wild pitch, and had a batter reach first on a strikeout / wild pitch. After him, Jackson Leath (1.1 IP), Juan Mejia (1 IP), and Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa (1 IP) were scoreless with a strikeout apiece.
Cam Cauley is hitting .273/.347/.500 in his last 11 games.
Today’s Starters off
Five Years Ago Yesterday I mentioned Jurickson Profar’s .282/.462/.410 line in Round Rock since being optioned in early July in the context of trade value. At the time, Texas had 23-year-old Rougned Odor at second, 28-year-old Elvis Andrus at short, and 23-year old Joey Gallo spotting for Adrian Beltre at third among other duties.
SP Cole Ragans: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 SO, 93 P / 60 S, 3.62 ERA RP Chase Lee: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 12.00 ERA RP Yerry Rodriguez: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 4.38 ERA 3B Andy Ibanez: 2-4, 2B, HR (4), .265/.311/.442 DH Sam Huff: 2-4, .277/.361/.592 2B Dio Arias: 2-3, 2B, .320/.387/.425
Familiarity breeds contempt. In this case, Cole Ragans’ contempt for Las Vegas hitters. Facing the Aviators for the third time in his last five starts, Ragans allowed only two hits and two balls in play over 90 MPH.
One item to watch: Ragans’ fastball velocity averaged a tic lower than usual, although he did maintain that velocity throughout the night. Four of his five hardest pitches occurred in the 6th. Given his injury history, his understandably flagging stamina during 2021, and his closeness to the Majors, he’s within a period of critical outings.
Bubba Thompson (1-4) stole his 45th base, most by any AAA member of the Round Rock Express including their years as a Houston affiliate.
JP Martinez reach on a walk and stole a base in his AAA debut. Even with 2022’s improvement, I think he’s on the outside in terms of 40-man protection — simply too many others ahead of him — but he’s a brighter blip on the radar than last year.
San Francisco released lefty Joe Palumbo earlier this month. He’d failed to retire any of five batters in his final appearance, and his fastball hovered mostly below 90 MPH. He made only three appearances all season, so I assume injuries were a persistent issue. SF’s AAA affiliate, which includes one Willie Shawn Lamont Calhoun, visits the Express on Tuesday.
SP Tim Brennan: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 67 P / 45 S, 3.43 ERA RP Grant Wolfram: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 5.89 ERA RP Marc Church: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA SS Jonathan Ornelas: 2-5, 2B, SB (6), .322/.368/.453
Grant Wolfram, Marc Church and Josh Smith (1 IP) combined to shut down the Travelers after five strong from Tim Brennan. The jump to AA hasn’t fazed Church at all; opponents are hitting .125/.222/.125 with a 39% strikeout rate.
Justin Foscue (1-4) hit his 21st double, most in the organization aside from Ezequiel Duran.
SP Ricky Vanasco: 3.1 IP, 5 H (2 HR), 4 R, 3 BB, 7 SO, 74 P / 44 S, 5.53 ERA RP John Matthews: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 4.96 ERA 1B Cristian Inoa: 1-4, HR (6), .279/.343/.425 SS Keyber Rodriguez: 2-4, .268/.321/.352 C Randy Florentino: 1-4, HR (2), .269/.361/.355
Per witness Ben Spanier of Baseball Prospectus, Ricky Vanasco was dealing heat in the 94-97 range. Results were mixed. After fanning the side in order in the 1st, Vanasco allowed a homer and two walks in the 2nd (in that order, fortunately). In the 4th, two singles and a homer (also in that order) ended his night early.
I hadn’t noticed because he’s playing roughly every third game, but catcher Randy Florentino is enjoying his best offensive stretch since his DSL season of 2018. He’s 268/.368/.429 in June and July. Florentino arrived as a bat-oriented catcher. He’s defended well enough to remain behind the plate, but hitting in the US has been a challenge.
Low-A: Down East 1, at Carolina (MIL) 3 Down East: 9 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts Opponent: 5 hits, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts Record: 13-9, 3.5 GB, 46-42 overall
SP Josh Stephan: 5 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 2 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 66 P / 39 S, 3.73 ERA RP Kai Wynyard: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 1.93 ERA DH Marcus Smith: 2-3, HR (5), BB, SB (37), .168/.342/.274 C Liam Hicks: 2-3, BB, .240/.412/.320
A weird day for Josh Stephan: three extra-base hits and two runs in the 1st, three walks in the next four innings but only 66 pitches total in five innings. Kai Wynyard gave up a couple of doubles but frustrated hitters with what appears to be a hard curve.
Five Years Ago Yesterday Tanner Scheppers was touched for six runs in 1.1 innings at Fresno. He’d be fine after that (3 R, 21 SO in 16 IP), but his scoreless inning at Cleveland in late June would turn out to be his last in the Majors, and in six weeks he’d be done with affiliated ball. Scheppers spent 2018 in Japan and 2019 with indy Long Island.
Texas’s MiLB OPS+ leaders entering last night’s action (min. 2 PA per team game): 153 — Osuna, A (Lo-A): .316/.403/.458 139 — Acuna, L (Hi-A): .310/.407/.489 137 — Duran, E (AA/AAA): .310/.354/.579 129 — Zavala, A (Hi-A): .272/.423/.430 125 — Galan, Y (Lo-A): .233/.325/.442 123 — Hernandez, E (AAA): .295/.364/.546 123 — Carter, E (Hi-A): .267/.366/.474 121 — Mateo, D (Lo-A): .282/.330/.424 119 — Saggese, T (Hi-A): .302/.353/.473 117 — Martinez, J (AA): .268/.382/.449 116 — Ornelas, J (AA): .323/.370/.459 115 — Strahm, K (AA): .286/.411/.406 115 — Hair, T (AA): .245/.306/.529 112 — Harris, D (AA): .261/.349/.468 111 — Acosta, M (Lo-A): .264/.352/.362 110 — Hauver, T (Hi-A): .220/.379/.404 108 — Crim, B (AA): .274/.340/.462 106 — Foscue, J (AA): .273/.360/.427 102 — Inoa, C (Hi-A): .281/.343/.416 OPS+ is adjusted for league and park. For example, Down East plays in a much milder offensive climate than Hickory, which is why Alejandro Osuna has a higher OPS+ than Luisangel Acuna despite a 31-point deficiency in slugging.
Draft I haven’t seen an official announcement on picks, but per Jim Callis of MLB.com, 11th-round lefty Kohl Drake of Walters State is signing with Texas for $175,000, $50,000 of which will count toward the cap. Brett Martin and Chad Bell also attended Walters. Some of Texas’s late picks, particularly 19th-round righty Grayson Saunier, a Mississippi commit, appear to be fallbacks in case Texas doesn’t land Brock Porter.
SP Zak Kent: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 71 P / 46 S, 5.20 ERA RP Tyler Thomas: 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 5.79 ERA RP Fernery Ozuna: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 2.87 ERA LF Dustin Harris: 1-3, 2B, 3 BB, .261/.355/.470 3B Jax Biggers: 3-5, .301/.363/.378
Dustin Harris walked and scored the tying run in the 8th and doubled in an insurance run in the 11th.
Zak Kent appears to be slowly rebuilding his pitch count after late-June IL stint. Frisco has 33 starts of five or more innings, fewest among Texas’s four full-season squads.
TK Roby appears to be a man of habit, as the extra days off resulted in his shortest professional outing. Unfortunately, the bullpen’s recent habit of being run-prone has persisted. Leury Tejada, Spencer Mraz, Kelvin Gonzalez and Destin Dotson were all scored upon.
The listed hitters were the top three in the order. Zavala and Saggese joined Trevor Hauver and Cody Freeman with double-digit homers.
Low-A: Down East 12, at Carolina (MIL) 10 Down East: 12 hits, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts Opponent: 15 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts Record: 13-8, 2.5 GB, 46-41 overall
SP Gavin Collyer: 4.1 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 73 P / 48 S, 3.95 ERA SS Maximo Acosta: 2-5, HR (3), .266/.353/.375 RF Marcus Smith: 2-3, 2B, BB, HBP, 2 SB (36), .161/.336/.254 LF Alejandro Osuna: 1-5, HR (8), SB (31), .314/.400/.465 C Ian Moller: 2-3, 2 BB, SB (11), .162/.333/.238
Down East has 209 stolen bases and is on pace to set the modern (1990-present) low-A record, currently owned by the 1991 Beloit Brewers with 313. Last year, the Woodies set a record for most steals per game (2.41) and were third all-time (290) despite playing only 120 games instead of the traditional 140. The low-A circuits are limited to 132 games now.
According to my stats, the Woodies have a 97 OPS+ and are 5% below average in run scoring. Yesterday, they were unstoppable in the first seven innings, putting 21 runners aboard.
Emiliano Teodo pitched a scoreless inning. He’s typically the series’ Day 2 starter.
Gavin Collyer gave up five doubles including three to CF Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee’s top prospect and one of baseball’s best.
Draft Management has been in place too long for the selection of Kumar Rocker to be regime-defining, but it could define this era. Before now, I think the most shocked I’d been at the top Texas pick during this gig was 2007, and that shock was Houston foregoing 1B Justin Smoak to take C Jason Castro in 2007. (A pick that paid off for Houston, incidentally.) This is orders of magnitude beyond that.
Purely in terms of talent and performance, Rocker is as good as anyone in the draft and justifies the pick. At his best last spring, he was appointment viewing, even more so than Jack Leiter. The questions are whether that talent and his health will persist after a shoulder issue that resulted in surgery last September. Texas went all-in on a positive outlook. It’s a daring, thrilling pick.
Everyone else available had their own risks. Elijah Green could be hitting .220/.260/.420 with a 35% strikeout rate in AA in 2027. Kevin Parada could have the bat of a 4th OF and no defensive value. Brooks Lee could end up being just okay, a little bland, and has his own dicey injury history. If that sounds harsh, peruse any previous draft list. It’s carnage. The consensus top arm in 2015 was our dear friend Dillon Tate. The next three pitchers off the board: Tyler Jay (pitching in indy ball), Carson Fullmer (closer… for the OKC Dodgers), and Kolby Allard. Calling the draft a crap shoot is unfair, but variances in outcomes are extreme.
After the 2021 debacle, Rocker had shoulder surgery (described in multiple outlets as “minor,” but still, shoulder surgery), worked out, and eventually joined indy Tri-City of the Frontier League. In five starts, Rocker posted a 1.35 ERA with two homers, four walks, and 32 strikeouts in 20 innings. The quality of the league is perhaps a high-variance version of low-A. That’s just a guess. The average age of a hitter is 25.8. Just picking players at random, I see a fair number of late-round college guys who perhaps had some success in short-A, some who reached the upper minors, others who never played affiliated ball. More to the point, reviews of his performance were strong. He sat mid-90s, touched 99. His wipeout slider is intact. His delivery is tighter, at a lower slot.
My expectation is management selected who they wanted most, irrespective of the parent club’s situation, but that said, Rocker could progress quickly and obviously would fill a present need. Rocker isn’t a pick to be traded or tested in the outfield because of Corey Seager. I’d read suggestions that had he fallen to a contending team, he could have been prepped for a 2022 MLB debut in relief. That situation doesn’t apply here. His pro debut could be in Arizona, but as for later, we’ll see. Frisco seems certain at some point.
Rocker reportedly has agreed to terms with Texas for $5.2 million, $2.4 million below slot and equivalent to slot money for the ninth-overall pick. Nothing is official.
The draft resumes at 1pm CDT today with the third round. Texas commences with the third pick of the fourth round.
AAA: Round Rock 7, at El Paso (SDG) 4 Round Rock: 8 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts Opponent: 6 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts Record: 47-43, 5 GB
SP Kolby Allard: 4 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 2 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 65 P / 39 S, 4.25 ERA RP Ryder Ryan: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.32 ERA CF Bubba Thompson: 2-5, 2 SB (43), .299/.348/.461 RF Steve Duggar: 1-4, HR (2), BB, SB (3), .250/.333/.625 SS Ezequiel Duran: 2-3, 2 HR (6), .295/.329/.590
Ezequiel Duran homered twice. He has 32 doubles, three triples, 15 homers in 79 games across three levels. Duran has surpassed last levels 47 extra-base hits in 26 fewer games.
Cody Bradford pitched on four days rest, unusual for AA in 2022, but was limited to 41 pitches on a quasi-bullpen day. Said pen allowed 33 runs in the series including eight today. Midland plated seven off Grant Wolfram (0.1 IP, 4 R) and Triston Polley (0.2 IP, 3 R).
Kellen Strahm was the series hero, batting .476/.577/.857 with two doubles and two homers.
Justin Foscue is homerless in his last 26 games, stuck at four. Recall that in 2021 Foscue homered in eight consecutive games en route to 17 in just 62 games. Most of that output occurred at Hickory. He homered twice in 26 AA games last year, and his 2022 rate is similar. He’s 90th of 99 Texas League batters in ratio of homers to fly balls (minimum 170 PA, about two per game). Foscue does rank second on the organization with 20 doubles.
The Crawdads allowed 44 runs (7.3 per game) in the series and spent three games on the verge of pulling people from the stands to pitch, but they walked away with a split. Mason Englert retired 12 straight, allowed a solo homer, sent three more down, and then a perfectly timed storm commenced the All-Star break.
Hickory managed a split because of 15 homers by the offense. Evan Carter clubbed four in the last three days and slugged 1.046 for the week. Cody Freeman hit three, Thomas Saggese and Trevor Hauver two.
Low-A: Down East 4, Columbia (KAN) 7 Down East: 4 hits, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts Opponent: 8 hits, 6 walks, 9 strikeouts Record: 12-8, 2.5 GB, 45-41 overall
SP Winston Santos: 5 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 5 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 81 P / 53 S, 4.14 ERA RP Damian Mendoza: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 1.18 ERA RF Yosy Galan: 1-3, HR (12), BB, .233/.325/.442
Winston Santos endured his worst start in over a month. Santos only walked two, but they led off innings and would both score.
Maximo Acosta and Cam Cauley have shared the middle infield roughly equally when they’ve been on the roster at the same time: Cauley: 24 starts at short, 13 at second. Acosta: 23 at short, 15 at second.
Today’s Starters Off until Friday
Five Years Ago Yesterday Top 2017 pick Bubba Thompson doubled and walked for the rookies. 2016 pick Cole Ragans tossed six scoreless innings and struck out eight in Spokane.
Final Mock Draft Predictions C Kevin Parada — Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, Carlos Collazo of Baseball America, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN
OF Elijah Green — Jim Callis of MLB.com, Keith Law of The Athletic
IF Jackson Holliday — Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs.com
Futures Game Jack Leiter retired C Diego Cartaya (high-A), Pete Crow-Armstrong (high-A), and Joey Wiemer (AA) on nine pitches using a 96-98 fastball and 83 slider. Wiemer hit a farly deep fly, while the other grounded out.
1B Dustin Harris drove in the game’s first run with a softly lined single off Bobby Miller (AA). Harris was hitless against Miller in a May meeting between Frisco and Tulsa. Harris also walked and hit another soft singleoff Andrew Abbott (AA).
AAA: Round Rock 1, at El Paso (SDG) 7 Round Rock: 7 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts Opponent: 9 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts Record: 46-43, 6 GB
SP Tyson Miller: 2.2 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 67 P / 44 S, 5.36 ERA RP Nick Snyder: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 5.89 ERA RP Daniel Robert: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 6.00 ERA RP Yerry Rodriguez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 4.50 ERA 1B Andy Ibanez: 2-4, 2 2B, .270/.321/.430
Texas designated OF Zach Reks for assignment to make room for reliever Jonathan Hernandez. Other than perhaps Demarcus Evans, Reks was who I had in mind since last winter as first in line whenever the Rangers had to create roster space. Nothing against him. He just wasn’t getting much attention and didn’t seem part of even the short-term plan. He proved me wrong and collected his first MLB hit and eight more, but ultimately he had the same problem as last year with the Dodgers, a complete cratering of his his BB/SO ratio. Reks has zero walks and 17 strikeouts in 44 trips to the plate.
Texas also optioned catcher Sam Huff and recalled OF Nick Solak.
SP Larson Kindreich: 3 IP, 7 H (2 HR), 4 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 78 P / 48 S, 2.50 ERA RP Leury Tejeda: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 4.01 ERA RP Juan Mejia: 2 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 5.12 ERA RP Tyree Thompson: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 6.00 ERA DH Evan Carter: 1-3, HR (8), .266/.366/.464 LF Trevor Hauver: 2-3, HR (10), .222/.380/.407 3B Keyber Rodriguez: 2-3, 2B, BB, .263/.318/.350
Like yesterday, Hickory badly needed innings from its starter and didn’t get them. Larson Kindreich is a good prospect but not without occasional control issues. Three walks, two wild pitches, and other issues resulted in his shortest outing as a Crawdad. Kindreich had allowed a total of four hits in his first three high-A starts.
Management absolutely must spring for guac on Leury Tejeda’s next Chipotle burrito for saving the day with three solid innings. Juan Mejia, promoted from Down East specifically because of this situation as best as I can tell, added two innings.
Both Carter and Hauver homered for the second day in a row.
Low-A: Down East 5, Columbia (KAN) 2 Down East: 10 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts Opponent: 6 hits, 0 walks, 10 strikeouts Record: 12-7, 1.5 GB, 45-40 overall
SP Mitch Bratt: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 HBP, 7 SO, 82 P / 55 S, 1.81 ERA RP Kai Wynward: 3.1 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 1.23 ERA SS Cam Cauley: 2-4, HR (2), SB (21), .200/.301/.281 CF Yosy Galan: 2-4, HR (11), SB (13), .232/.322/.429
Mitch Bratt wasn’t bad in his first four outings this season, just a little walk-prone. Since then: 38.2 IP, 6 BB, 49 SO, 1.16 ERA, .181/.237/.268 opposing line. He turned 19 two weeks ago and is in his first full professional season, so I’m not feeling any urgency toward a promotion, but I suppose some late action in Hickory is a possible, if not likely. Bratt has 7-8 potential starts remaining, assuming he’s not shut down early, another possibility.
Much as I enjoy watching him, Yosy Galan does have contact issues. His K rate over his last 20 games is 44%.
Rookie: I’ll save the weekly recap for another day, but I wanted to note that pitchers Dane Acker and Kyle Cody took the mound yesterday. Acker was part of the Elvis Andrus trade. After just two appearances for Down East last May, he succumbed to elbow surgery. Kyle Cody underwent shoulder surgery last September. Acker retired six straight with three strikeouts, and Cody whiffed one in a 1-2-3 3rd.
Through the 3rd, Cole Ragans didn’t allow a baserunner or a ball out of the infield. In the 4th, five of the first six batters reached, and three would score. Then, Ragans retired seven of eight (the other reaching on an error), again with nothing hit to the outfield.
SP Tim Brennan: 5 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 4 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 80 P / 52 S, 3.65 ERA RP Fernery Ozuna: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 3.03 ERA SS Jonathan Ornelas: 2-4, HR (9), 2 BB, .325/.373/.461 1B Blaine Crim: 2-5, HR (13), SB (3), .271/.339/.461 RF Kellen Strahm: 2-3, 2B, 2 BB, .273/.405/.364 3B Trey Hair: 1-4, HR (14), .244/.307/.517
The Riders trailed 10-4 in the 8th and stormed back. Mere hours after I mentioned Blaine Crim’s dry spell, he knocked his 13th homer. Annoyed at being tied, Trey Hair hit his 14th.
In the 11th, a Strahm-to-Biggers-to-Procyshen relay tagged out the go-ahead runner at the plate. That runner appeared to be very safe, but oh well.
In the bottom of the 11th, Justin Foscue struck out in a ten-pitch duel, but the final pitch short-hopped the catcher, who then threw too close to Foscue for the first baseman to handle cleanly. The ball skipped away, allowing gift-runner Blaine Crim to score all the way from second to end the game.
Youngest Texas League hitters: IF Jordan Walker (STL), 5/22/02 IF Masyn Winn (STL), 3/21/02 IF Malcolm Nunez (STL), 3/09/01 OF Jose Barrosa (ARI), 2/17/01 OF Andy Page (LAD), 12/08/00 IF Daniel Ozoria (MIN), 8/24/00 IF Jordan Diaz (OAK), 8/13/00 OF Tirso Ornelas (SDG), 3/11/00 IF Jonathan Ornelas (TEX), 5/26/00 C David Garcia (TEX), 2/06/00
SP Nick Krauth: 3 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 5 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 79 P / 50 S, 6.17 ERA RP Theo McDowell: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA RP Frainyer Chavez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0.00 ERA RF Aaron Zavala: 2-5, 2B, HR (9), BB, .268/.421/.428 C Cody Freeman: 3-5, 2 HR (11), .244/.331/.411 CF Evan Carter: 4-5, 2B, 2 HR (7), .265/.365/.455 DH Thomas Saggese: 2-4, 2B, BB, .299/.351/.462 LF Trevor Hauver: 1-4, HR (9), BB, .216/.378/.390
A catastrophic night for the pitching staff. After a couple of high-scoring games including rain delay that truncated Ricky Vanasco’ start, Hickory really needed some innings from Nick Krauth and didn’t get them. He’s a sturdy lad, but a 36-pitch 3rd than ran his count to 79 spelled the end. John Matthews followed with his worst pro outing (0.1 IP, 7 R). Destin Dotson retired five of 12 batters and walked five. Spencer Mraz retired three of ten batters and walked five. Finally, Theo McDowell produced an ordinary two innings, and infielder Frainyer Chavez needed just eight pitches to complete the 9th.
All told, even with Chavez’s efficiency, Hickory threw 251 pitches including 123 out of the strike zone.
Credit the offense for remaining engaged. Down 18-1 in the 7th, the Crawdads clubbed five homers across the 7th and 8th. Two came off ex-Ranger Eris Filpo, a 2019 minor league Rule 5 pick released in May. Evan Carter had his first multi-homer game.
Low-A: Down East 6, Columbia (KAN) 3 Down East: 9 hits, 9 walks, 7 strikeouts Opponent: 8 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts Record: 11-7, 2.5 GB, 44-40 overall
SP Josh Stephan: 5 IP, 6 H (2 HR), 2 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 88 P / 50 S, 3.74 ERA RP Florencio Serrano: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 3.00 ERA SS Maximo Acosta: 2-5, 2 2B, .268/.355/.370 1B Liam Hicks: 1-3, 2B, BB, .167/.385/.222 3B Miguel Villarroel: 2-3, BB LF Zion Bannister: 1-2, 2 BB
22-year-old Florencio Serrano made his first full-season appearance in 11 months. He had an internal brace procedure on his elbow last August and began pitching with the rookies three weeks ago. Serrano is best known for having his original contract with the Cubs voided for signing bonus complications, and he later signed with Texas. Serrano struck out 29 against eight walks in 28.1 innings with a 1.27 ERA for the same team last year.
Oops Dustin Harris also had a 20/20 season last year, but he did so across two levels, andadding numbers just wasn’t a task I was prepared to carry out yesterday. The Draft Texas picks third on Sunday and then has to wait until #109 to call another name. I haven’t paid as much attention to draft prospects this year, partly because of work, partly because the novelty of picking so high has slightly worn off, but mostly because of who’s likely to be chosen. College arms are the easiest to watch; for example, you knew when Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker were pitching and could set your schedule accordingly. In 2022, hitters dominate the board, mostly of the high school variety. The Rangers have gone the college route the last three drafts, but the talent distribution this year might — might — impel the selection of a youngster. A hitter is a virtual certainty.
Here’s a quick rundown of potential picks:
CF Druw Jones (18 years old, 6’4″, 185, Georgia) — Andruw’s son. Jones has the speed and aptitude for center, the arm for right, terrific speed, good contact ability, and solid power with more to come as his lanky frame fills out. The likelihood of him being available at #3 seems remote.
SS Jackson Holliday (18, 6’1″, 180, Oklahoma) — Matt’s son. Purportedly the best high school hitter among those will actually remain at shortstop. Several others on this list have a single tool superior to Holliday, but he could have the best all-around set. Age notwithstanding, his hitting style fits the type the Rangers have sought in recent years.
CF Elijah Green (18, 6’1″, 185, Florida) — NFL tight end Eric Green’s son. Last year at this time, the mordant joke was that Texas should tank 2022 to secure Green, who’d stood out as a junior against older competition. He’s the draft’s biggest power prospect and a superior runner. The questions are about the miss in his swing and whether he’ll stick in center.
2B Terrmar Johnson (18, 5’8″, 175, Georgia) — The best pure high school bat, with reviews and projections ranging from glowing to blinding. The downside is position. Over the years, I’ve become increasingly dubious of reports suggesting a player “might” stick at short or center; those guys typically end up moving. In this case, there’s no question that Johnson will play second.
SS Brooks Lee (21, 6’2″, 205, Cal Poly) — Arguably the best college bat. Another “might stick at short” defender, but unlike Johnson, third is a possibility. Like Holliday, the bat is slightly more oriented to contact than power, but power certainly isn’t lacking.
C Kevin Parada (20, 6’1″, 195, Georgia Tech) — Parada has a mature approach at the plate and offers a solid bat with less development risk than a younger hitter. Defensive reviews are mixed at best, supportive of his work ethic but skeptical of his ultimate position. Fangraphs.com flat-out lists him as a left fielder, but again, but the bat will play at any position if he reaches his potential.
3B Cam Collier (17, 6’1″, 215, Chipola JC) — Son of Lou, and yes, a 17-year-old JuCo hitter. Collier is not only young for his class but departed high school early to qualify for the 2022 draft. Already a man-sized 215 pounds, his future position is an open question, possibly first, possibly an outfield corner. A strong all-around hitter.
Recent mocks from Baseball America, MLB.com, and ESPN have Jones and Holliday leaving first, but the Texas pick is wide open. The picks are Parada, Lee, and Parada, respectively, and an earlier BA mock linked Texas to Green. Another, differently styled BA mock has Texas selecting Collier. Conversely, an MLB poll of scouts and executives placed Lee mostly to go 1-1. Baltimore, picking first, has a quirky draft history and might try to save money on its initial pick to spread on later rounds. That would make one of Jones or Holliday available.
The Rangers will pick who they think is best. Don’t be shocked if they pick a shortstop eight months after signing Corey Seager. (Also, I wouldn’t place an even-money bet on Seager being Texas’s stating shortstop in 2027.)
AAA: Round Rock 6, at El Paso (SDG) 7 Round Rock: 13 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts Opponent: 12 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts Record: 46-41, 5 GB
SP Seth Nordlin: 3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 53 P / 37 S, 6.00 ERA RF Steele Walker: 3-4, 2B, .268/.356/.423 CF Ezequiel Duran: 1-5, HR (4), .258/.306/.500 LF Nick Solak: 3-4, HR (5), .276/.367/.455
For those seeking respite from yesterday’s loss by Texas, I regret to report that the theme of yesterday’s minor league games was struggling relievers. The combined tally: 22.1 IP, 31 H (4 HR), 23 R, 12 BB, 24 SO. Round Rock led 4-0 before El Paso batted and 6-2 in the 4th.
Ezequiel Duran and Nick Solak hit two-run homers in the 1st. Duran also had a 112.5 MPH lineout. Duran has a 26% strikeout rate in AAA, more in line with prior years than the 18% rate at Frisco.
The Elier Hernandez call-up was certainly interesting, what with outfielders Solak, Steele Walker, and Zach Reks already on the 40-man roster, and former first-rounder Bubba Thompson having a strong season, albeit not strong enough to force Texas’s hand.
Daniel Robert (1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 SO) continues to baffle. His walk rate of 17% is triple that of 2019-2021.
Seth Nordlin made his AAA debut. He throws a little bit of everything, emphasizing an upper-70s curve. The sinking fastball tops at 91.
SP Robby Ahlstrom: 3 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 4 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 64 P / 39 S, 6.85 ERA SS Luisangel Acuna: 2-4, BB, SB (24), .309/.405/.492 2B Thomas Saggese: 3-4, 2B, HR (8), .296/.347/.457 DH Chris Seise: 1-4, HR (7), .251/.309/.395
Hickory led 3-0 after the 1st, then fell behind but retied the game in the 3rd. And the 4th. And the 5th. And… no more after that.
Reliever Jesus Linarez surrendered six runs in two innings. Twice a minor league free agent who has re-signed with the Rangers, Linarez could probably give the Crawdads a decent inning every day if permitted, and he hadn’t allowed more than two runs all season.
Low-A: Down East 5, Columbia (KAN) 4 (10) Down East: 6 hits, 4 walks, 14 strikeouts Opponent: 5 hits, 4 walks, 14 strikeouts Record: 10-7, 3 GB, 43-40 overall
SP Ryan Garcia: 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 63 P / 41 S, 1.42 ERA CF Alejandro Osuna: 2-5, SB (30), .316/.404/.460 DH Liam Hicks: 1-2, BB, SB (1), .133/.364/.133
Down East lost a 3-0 lead in the 9th. Happily, the Woodrows persevered.
Josh Gessner, more tandem starter than reliever, allowed four straight to reach with one out in the 9th. A two-run single off Jackson Leath tied the game, and a passed ball placed Down East behind for the first time. In the bottom half, Daniel Mateo (pinch-running for catcher Efrenyer Narvaez, who’d walked) stole second, trotted to third on a balk and scored on a sac fly. Alejandro Osuna singled home Abi Ortiz in the 10th.
Cautious use of oft-injured 2019 2nd-rounder Ryan Garcia persists. He was pulled with two outs in the 4th after 63 pitches, two below his 2022 peak.
Columbia was 18-48 in late June, scoring two or fewer runs in 29 of 66 games despite playing in a hitter-friendly park. The Fireflies are much better of late, winning 12 of 18 and exceeding two runs all but once.
Per local and national reports, the Rangers are calling up 27-year-old OF/1B Elier Hernandez from Round Rock for his MLB debut. A former KC prospect, Hernandez received the third largest bonus in the 2011 international class behind Nomar Mazara and Ronald Guzman. Hernandez’s development was fitful, marked by occasional bursts of contact but lacking substantial power or patience. His career line full-season line entering 2022 was .258/.305/.375. Hernandez became a minor league free agent following 2019 and signed with Texas after the covid-cancelled 2020. He hit .231/.291/.394 in 108 games between Frisco and Round Rock, once again became a free agent and re-signed with Texas.
Hernandez is having a terrific 2022, batting .295/.364/.546 with 11 homers and nine steals in 62 games. I’d considered writing a bit more about him but didn’t consider it a pressing matter, to be honest, and his promotion certainly caught me by surprise despite his stats and supporting Statcast info. He’s been hammering the ball lately.
His arrival won’t require a 40 move. Yesterday, I’d said one would be needed if Texas activated Jonathan Hernandez, but I’d read some transactions in reverse order and mistakenly thought the roster was full.
AAA: Round Rock 6, at El Paso (SDG) 5 Round Rock: 11 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts Opponent: 11 hits, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts Record: 46-40, 5 GB
SP Kohei Arihara: 5 IP, 6 H (2 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 77 P / 45 S, 5.47 ERA RF Bubba Thompson: 2-5, HR (11), SB (41), .300/.350/.466 CF Ezequiel Duran: 2-4, BB, .262/.313/.475
Bubba Thompson is slightly under a 20-homer pace but has a decent chance of becoming the system’s sixth 20HR / 20 SB hitter in the 2000s. Can you guess the others? Answer at bottom.
In early June, Thompson finally discovered that four pitches out of the zone allows him to claim first base without needing to hit the ball. He’s drawn 16 walks in his last 30 games, a sturdy 11% rate. He’s not just sullenly parking the bat on his shoulder and hoping for the best. His pitch selection is genuinely improved. His strikeout rate has fallen from 28% during the first two months to 22% during this 30-game stretch.
So, the MLB relief maneuvers didn’t match my expectations. Ah, well. Sborz’s nominal unavailability was what prompted me to write yesterday’s list in the first place, but I wasn’t considering injury replacement (for Joe Barlow), which allowed Sborz to be recalled after all. In AJ Alexy’s case, I simply didn’t expect a recall this soon, although he’s truly pitching better in long relief (six walk-free innings, no runs, five strikeouts). Jonathan Hernandez’s rehab was transferred to Frisco. He’s been inconsistent, a little walk-prone, but when has that not been the case?
SP Owen White: 5 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 84 P / 59 S, 2.49 ERA RP Marc Church: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA RP Jonathan Hernandez: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA SS Jonathan Ornelas: 2-4, BB, .325/.371/.452 1B Dustin Harris: 2-4, 2B, BB, .260/.350/.466 2B Justin Foscue: 2-4, 2B, BB, .286/.374/.453
I’ll take White’s line despite the three runs. No homers, just one walk, ample strikeouts. Three doubles (two on the ground) and a single in the 3rd plated all the runs. Marc Church is back from a two-week absence. He wasn’t IL’ed. He’s already surpassed last year’s innings, which were curtailed by an elbow injury that did not require surgery (rest really does the trick, sometimes).
SP Ricky Vanasco: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 33 P / 23 S, 5.20 ERA RP Leury Tejada: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 4.57 ERA RP Kelvin Gonzalez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0.00 ERA RP Spencer Mraz: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 4.08 ERA SS Luisangel Acuna: 1-3, HR (8), BB, .305/.400/.492 1B Frainyer Chavez: 2-3, BB, .286/.369/.357
Untimely rain shortened the outings of Ricky Vanasco and Wilmington starter Mitchell Parker.
Hickory walked to victory, drawing three that would score as part of a five-run 7th.
Reliever Kelvin Gonzalez joined Hickory and pitched a scoreless inning in his high-A debut. He is technically on a rehab assignment from AA Frisco, where he has never pitched. Don’t ask.
Low-A: Down East 5, Columbia (KAN) 8 Down East: 11 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts Opponent: 10 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts Record: 9-7, 4 GB, 42-40 overall
SP Emiliano Teodo: 5 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 67 P / 45 S, 3.27 ERA 2B Maximo Acosta: 3-3, 2 2B, HBP, .269/.357/.367 CF Daniel Mateo: 2-4, 2B, .280/.329/.425 RF Alejandro Osuna: 2-4, 2B, .314/.404/.461
Jose Corniell can’t have an ordinary day. Last night’s six runs in 2.1 innings mark the fourth occasion of many more runs than innings. Conversely, he also has seven outings in the 2-5 inning range with zero runs.
Maximo Acosta leads the team and is third in the organization with 16 doubles.
AAA: Round Rock 4, at El Paso (SDG) 9 Round Rock: 12 hits, 0 walks, 10 strikeouts Opponent: 12 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts Record: 45-40, 4.5 GB
SP Tyson Miller: 1 IP, 2 H (2 HR), 5 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 35 P / 21 S, 5.10 ERA RP Chase Lee: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 16.50 ERA LF Bubba Thompson: 2-4, HBP,.298/.350/.456 CF Ezequiel Duran: 2-5, 2B, HR (3), .246/.290/.474 3B Andy Ibanez: 5-5, .280/.344/.439
In case the Rangers want to make a move, here’s the 40-man options with days of rest in parentheses:
Jonathan Hernandez (2) — at the end of his extended rehab (barring another extension), seems the likely choice but would require a 40 move.
Nick Snyder (2) — has been fine in three outings since that scary game in Tacoma a month ago.
Taylor Hearn (4) — threw 76 pitches last Friday.
Yerry Rodriguez (3) — much better in the past month-plus, but most recent outing was ugly.
AJ Alexy (2) — has looked better in a relief role but hard to envision right now.
Josh Sborz (2) — rested but optioned just eight days ago, minimum for recall is 15.
John King (0) — pitched last night, also optioned seven days ago.
Tyson Miller and manager Matt Hagen were tossed in the 2nd for arguing a home run call. Miller had already given up a grand slam in the 1st.
Texas promoted catcher Matt Whatley to Round Rock. Whatley didn’t hit much at Frisco but is highly regarded for his rapport with pitchers. Usually, Texas’s minor league teams have “too many” catchers, but that wasn’t the case after last weekend. Both Sam Huff and Meibrys Viloria are in Arlington, and Yohel Pozo is on the inactive list, leaving Jack Kruger (experienced, capable) and Konnor Piotto (57 pro plate appearances) as the only backstops.
SP Cody Bradford: 3.2 IP, 7 H (2 HR), 6 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 78 P / 50 S, 6.19 ERA SS Jonathan Ornelas: 2-4, 2B, HR (8), .323/.367/.452 2B Justin Foscue: 2-4, .281/.370/.447 C David Garcia: 2-4, 2B, .256/.295/.440
Cody Bradford’s strikeout rate is 22%. That’s not bad, roughly average for a Texas League starter, but well below last year’s 28% in AA and 33% in high-A. Those extra balls in play plus a few more walks are causing problems; his opposing OBP is 50 points higher than 2021. The heat might be as well. Scoring in the league is up a half-run over last year.
Jonathan Ornelas has tied last year’s eight homers in 21 fewer games. His isolated power isn’t any better because of fewer doubles and triples, but he’s hitting enough singles to raise his average 60 points.
SP TK Roby: 7 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 87 P / 55 S, 4.79 ERA RP Destin Dotson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.08 ERA 2B Luisangel Acuna: 1-3, BB, SB (23), .305/.398/.477
Wilmington took advantage of John Matthews late (1 IP, 5 R, worst outing of the year by far). Seven innings is a career-high for TK Roby. Luisangel Acuna has no homers and four doubles in the last month, but he’s hitting .311 with a .392 OBP.
Low-A: Down East 6, Columbia (KAN) 4 Down East: 10 hits, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts Opponent: 9 hits, 2 walks, 13 strikeouts Record: 9-6, 3.5 GB, 42-39 overall
SP Gavin Collyer: 6 IP, 7 H (1 HR), 3 R, 0 BB, 7 SO, 90 P / 66 S, 3.42 ERA RP Nick Lockhart: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 4.76 ERA 2B Maximo Acosta: 2-4, HR (2), SB (25), .260/.348/.361 SS Cam Cauley: 2-3, BB, .195/.306/.252 C Efrenyer Narvaez: 2-3, HBP, .219/.275/.315
Down East scored the go-ahead and insurance runs in the 8th on a passed ball, fielder’s choice with no out recorded, and a bases-loaded walk.
Texas promoted OF Zion Bannister and IF Miguel Villarroel to Down East. Exclusively a left fielder so far in 2022, Bannister had batted .281/.465/.375 in ten games for the rookies. Villaroel, primarily a 1B with one or two games at the other infield spots, hit .351/.433/.509 in 15 games. Both turn 21 later this year. Four Wood Duck hitters are younger: Acosta, Cauley (youngest), Abi Ortiz, and Alejandro Osuna.
Today’s Starters AAA: TBD AA: White Hi-A: Vanasco Lo-A: Teodo
OF Dustin Harris has been added to the Futures Game roster, joining Jack Leiter. The game is scheduled to begin Saturday at 6pm CDT (coinciding with the final innings of six MLB games and the beginning of Red Sox – Yankees and Brewers – Giants). The game is on Peacock Premium (11 million subscribers). The game will last seven innings (19 pitchers are on the combined rosters).
FanGraphs has updated its farm rankings and placed the Rangers sixth behind Baltimore (which still includes Adley Rutschman), Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Arizona. Seattle is 15th, Oakland 21st, Houston 27th, and Los Angeles 28th. Preseason rankings of the Rangers by other major publications were between eighth and tenth.
Baseball America updated its top-100 prospect list: 37. RHP Jack Leiter (preseason #25) 39. 3B Josh Jung (26 pre-injury) 43. OF Evan Carter (unranked) 52. IF/OF Ezequiel Duran (unranked) 86. RHP Owen White (unranked)
RHP Cole Winn, ranked 52nd before the season, is no longer listed. The folks at BA had Carter eighth on the Rangers before the season, so they’ve had an epiphany.
Rookie Recap: Games of 4-10 July Scores: 9-1 (Giants), 7-3 (Dodgers), 13-12 (Dodgers), 10-6 (M’s), 23-6 (Royals) Record: 19-7, 5.5 G up
RHP Aidan Curry (age 20): 6.0 IP, 1 R, 3 H (HR), BB, 12 SO, 3.18 ERA RHP Eury Rosado (21): 5.0 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 4 BB, 6 SO, 7.63 ERA RHP Adrian Rodriguez (21): 2.0 IP, BB, 4 SO, 5.00 ERA RHP Ivan Oviedo (19): 3.0 IP, 3 H, 4 SO, 3.57 ERA RHP Alberto Mota (19): 2.2 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 2 SO, 0.77 ERA
IF Miguel Villarroel (20): 6-19, 3 2B, HR (1), 3 BB, HBP, .351/.433/.509 OF JoJo Blackmon (19): 6-21, 3B, 2 HR (5), 4 BB, SB (7), .292/.427/.569 IF Gleider Figuereo (18): 3-8, 2 3B, HR (4), BB, HBP, .259/.400/.667 IF Frandy Almonte (18): 4-8, 2B, 3 BB, HBP, 3 SB (5), .321/.500/.357 C Jesus Moreno (21): 12-23, 2 2B, 2 BB, 2 HBP, .352/.429/.463
The Rangers have won nine straight and scored 62 runs in last week’s five games.
JoJo Blackmon’s five homers lead the team. Gleider Figuereo and Frandy Almonte were part of Texas’s ’20-’21 signing group. Figuereo I’ve mentioned before, because he’s hitting the snot out of the ball every week. Almonte is listed at 5’8″ and 150 pounds. He’s played a little more sparingly and roamed between third, short, second, left, and center. As with last year’s Dominican Summer League campaign, he’s walking (11) more than striking out (6).
Undrafted Aidan Curry is as close as Texas has to a workhorse in the complex league, leading with 21.1 innings in six starts. Last Monday, he struck out 12 in six innings; his total of 34 leads the team.
Yesterday, 17-year-old CF Anthony Gutierrez went 0-3 in his stateside debut. The Venezuelan was Texas’s premier signing from the 2021-2022 international class, ranked the #6 international prospect in that class and Texas’s current #15 prospect. Gutierrez batted .352/.410/.511 with two homers in 22 Dominican Summer League games. He is now the youngest on the squad (beating out Danyer Cueva and Gleider Figueroa, both recently 18) and first Ranger to play in the US who wasn’t alive when I got married. Lord.
Comparisons are tricky because some teams (like the Rangers) usually play nine-inning games while others play only seven, but statistically, I’d venture that Texas has the best offense in the league and a middle-of-the-pack pitching staff.
