SP Ryan Garcia: 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 SO, 80 P / 53 S, 3.43 ERA RP Marc Church: 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 2.11 ERA RP Nick Krauth: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.86 ERA CF Dustin Harris: 3-6, 2B, SB (34), .275/.360/.395 1B Blaine Crim: 3-6, HR (20), .278/.372/.471 DH Trevor Hauver: 3-5, 2B, HR (11), BB, .245/.358/.424 C Sam Huff: 2-5, 2 HR (13), BB, .247/.312/.417 SS Jax Biggers: 4-5, .279/.394/.387
To be honest, at the end of 2023, I wondered if Ryan Garcia would continue to have a job in the organization. He’d posted a 6.66 ERA and .263/.367/.482 in 98.2 AA innings as a 25-year-old (admittedly a fairly inexperienced 25-year-old because of covid and elbow surgery, but still). When he allowed 12 runs in his first 12.1 AA innings this season, I wondered again. After that, he was a different pitcher, still a little more walk-prone than preferable but far less susceptible to hard contact. Upon promotion to AAA, he pitched better still, continuing to squash extra-base-type contact and widening the gap between walks and strikeouts. Although last night was far more fastball-oriented, he’s tended to lean on an upper-80s cutter in his six-pitch mix. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see him in person and don’t have as strong a read on him as I should, but the difference between now and a year ago is palpable.
Blaine Crim has hit at least 20 homers in all four of his full seasons with the Rangers.
The win means that for a 26th consecutive season, Texas’s AAA club will not finish ten or more games below .500. That’s admittedly a weird stat, but I’ve always found it interesting. You’d think for any number of reasons — the needs of the parent club, prospects stalling out, injuries, mostly pure randomness — every minor league team would be a clunker every so often. Not so with the Rangers in AAA. How unusual is this? For the other teams in the Pacific Coast League, here’s the most recent season in this category:
Colorado: 2024 LA Angels: 2024 (probably) Houston: 2023 San Diego: 2023 San Francisco: 2023 LA Dodgers: 2019 Seattle: 2019 Oakland: 2015 Arizona: 2013 Texas: 1997
During these 26 seasons, Texas’s AAA squad has 15 winning records, nine postseason appearances, four finals appearances, and…. zero championships. The last winner was 1996.
Reno has clinched the second-half title and will play Sugar Land in the PCL finals.
Elsewhere Frisco hosts Midland tonight in Game 2 of the Texas league semifinals. The Riders must win tonight and tomorrow to advance.
Tampa-affiliated Bowling Green won the high-A South Atlantic League title over Hudson Valley (NYY). The Hot Rods have won three championships in four seasons since the 2021 Great Reorganization. In the low-A Carolina League, Fredericksburg (WAS) defeated Kannapolis (CHW) two games to one in the finals.
The Rangers announced their minor league award winners: Player: OF Alejandro Osuna Pitcher: Alejandro Rosario Reliever: Bryan Magdaleno Defender: IF Cody Freeman True Ranger: IF Jax Biggers
SP Winston Santos: 6 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 2 R, 2 BB, 12 SO, 90 P / 59 S, RP Ryan Lobus: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO RP Josh Sborz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO SS Max Acosta: 2-4, 3B 1B Abi Ortiz: 0-3, BB DH Sebastian Walcott: 0-2, BB
Winston Santos was sublime, generating a career-high 23 swinging strikes and tying a previous best of 12 strikeouts set in April against high-A Greensboro. Leaning heavily on a mid-90s fastball that reached 98, Santos fanned seven the first time through the order and missed 10 bats out of 16 swings. Santos won’t pitch again unless the Riders reach the finals, and playoff stats aren’t added to season totals, but as it stands, he’s struck out 150 in 116.1 innings. After a month to acclimate to AA, his last seven starts are 37.2 IP, 24 H, 14 R, 11 BB, 53 SO, 35% strikeout rate.
That said, he’d love do-overs on a couple of batters. 1B Will Simpson, fresher to the level than Santos, drilled the first pitch he saw over the alley for a solo homer in the 2nd. In the 6th, two gentle grounders resulted in an error and single. Santos then walked Jack Winkler on four pitches to load the bases. Winkler had a decent overall season but compressed most of his production into the first half and had batted a paltry .182/.259/.265 since August 1st. With the bases now loaded, Jordan Groshans propelled the next pitch to center for a sac fly.
As for the other part of the winning-at-baseball equation, themes mentioned in the preview included Midland’s ability to turn opposing contact into dust, the Frisco offense’s particular struggles against the Hounds, and Midland closer Seth Elledge’s annoying knack for mowing down hitters without missing bats. All were on display Tuesday. Frisco batters not named Max Acosta were zero-for-26 with two walks, and the team was 2-for-21 on balls in play. In the 9th, Elledge retired the side in order without a swinging strike.
The Riders essentially had two chances to do some damage. In the 6th, Acosta tripled over the head of RF Henry Bolte with two out, but Josh Hatcher struck out. The next inning, Cody Freeman reached on an error and Abi Ortiz walked (and tripped over himself on the way to first). Sebastian Walcott had the right idea on a high curve but swung a little underneath it for the first out. Cooper Johnson struck out, and Keyber Rodriguez lined gently to center to end the threat. Walcott was Frisco’s first baserunner, ignoring an outside breaker for a full-count walk in the 2nd.
Springfield (STL) defeated Arkansas (SEA) 4-1 in the other Texas League opener.
SP Adrian Sampson: 4.2 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 3 SO, 80 P / 49 S, 5.71 ERA RP Daniel Robert: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 2.83 ERA 1B Blaine Crim: 1-4, 2B, 2 BB, .275/.371/.465 RF Kellen Strahm: 2-6, 2B, HR (), .246/.365/.352 SS Jax Biggers: 3-5, 2B, .271/.389/.381 3B Frainyer Chavez: 3-5, 2B, .233/.292/.301
Round Rock led 8-3, trailed 11-8, led 12-11. In the bottom of the 10th, rehabbing Avery Weems entered and threw three sliders resulting in a single, flyout, and game-ending three-run homer by Jake Slaughter.
Jonathan Hernandez threw a scoreless inning despite three runners. LF Nick Solak was 3-5 with a double.
Texas League Division Series (best-of-three) Frisco RoughRiders (84-54) vs. Athletics-affiliated Midland RockHounds (84-54) Season Run Differential: Frisco +121, Midland +180 Last 24 Games: Frisco 16-8, Midland 18-6 Season Series: Midland 12-6, +23 run differential
How They Got Here Frisco and Midland both set franchise records for winning percentage and were by far the best teams and only serious competitors for the split-season division titles. Frisco clinched the first half with an unassailable eight-game lead heading into a concluding series at Midland. Good thing, as the Riders would lose five of six. Needing not worry about Frisco in the second half but never letting up, Midland secured the second playoff spot 12 days ago.
History Frisco won the 2022 series in dominating fashion over San Antonio (semis) and Wichita (finals), breaking an 18-year drought that included two losses in the finals and four first-round exits. Championship participants whoâve since reached the Majors are Luisangel Acuna, Evan Carter, Justin Foscue, Jonathan Ornelas, Thomas Saggese, Cody Bradford, Mason Englert, Jack Leiter, Ricky Vanasco, and Owen White.
Midland has seven league titles including four straight from 2014 through 2017, but the Hounds are in the postseason for the first time since 2019. A long-time Oakland affiliate, Midland is semi-notorious for fielding, shall we say, some veteran pitching staffs. This year, three of the last four seasons, and six of the last 13, the Rockhounds have had the Texas Leagueâs oldest average age among pitchers. Frisco has six active pitchers younger than anyone who has pitched for Midland all season.
The squads last met in the playoffs in 2014, when Midland knocked off a Frisco team that included Joey Gallo, Nomar Mazara, Jorge Alfaro, Hanser Alberto, Odubel Herrera, Keone Kela, Jered Eickhoff, Chi Chi Gonzalez, Alec Asher, and Jake Thompson.
Top 30 Prospects per MLB.com Frisco: 1. IF Sebastian Walcott 3. RHP Alejandro Rosario (inactive) 6. RHP Emiliano Teodo 8. RHP Winston Santos 16. OF Alejandro Osuna 18. LHP Mitch Bratt 21. LHP Kohl Drake 27. RHP Dane Acker 28. RHP Skylar Hales
Rosario was scratched from his AA debut 11 days ago with fatigue (general, not arm-specific) and has not appeared in a Frisco uniform.
Midland: 2. IF Nick Kurtz (injured) 5. OF Henry Bolte 6. RHP Mason Barnett 10 OF Denzel Clarke 11. C Daniel Susac 18. RHP Jack Perkins 24. IF Brennan Milone 26. OF Brayan Buelvas (injured) 29. IF Will Simpson
2024 fourth-overall selection Nick Kurtz suffered a hamstring strain in his fifth AA game and hasnât played in three weeks.
Frisco: C Cooper Johnson / Tucker Mitchell 1B Abimelec Ortiz 2B Max Acosta (also SS) 3B Cody Freeman (also 2B) SS Sebastian Walcott (also 3B) LF Aaron Zavala CF Alejandro Osuna RF Luis Mieses Also OF Josh Hatcher, IF Keyber Rodriguez, OF Daniel Mateo
Frisco lacks a Gallo-esque power source or Carter-esque OBP machine, but the offense is well-rounded and absent glaring weaknesses. All the projected starters have an OPS in excess of 100 except Aaron Zavala, and even he reaches base at an acceptable clip. They donât walk much as a group but excel at contact.
Leadoff hitter Alejandro Osuna (.306/.379/.523) led the team in every slash stat. He, Max Acosta, Cody Freeman, Josh Hatcher, and Cooper Johnson had career seasons at the plate. Abimelec Ortiz suffered most of the season but smacked ten of his 18 homers and slugged .720 in the seasonâs final month, so maybe he is our new Joey Gallo. Acosta and Hatcher are the likeliest running threats. 18-year-old Sebastian Walcott hit four singles, three doubles, and a homer in his first five AA games.
I have Hatcher in the âalsoâ pile but expect him to play regularly. He leads the teams in RF appearances but has bounced around left, first, and DH of late. Daniel Mateo hasnât hit well in AA but could be employed as a pinch-runner and/or defensive replacement.
Frisco hit terribly against Midland during the regular season (.219/.291/.305, 2.4 runs per game), but a healthy portion of those plate appearances came from folks now off the roster or not expected to play much, if at all.
Midland: C Daniel Susac / Shane McGuire 1B Will Simpson 2B Euribiel Angeles 3B Jordan Groshans SS Jeremy Eierman LF Junior Perez CF Denzel Clarke RF Henry Bolte Also 2/3/DH Brennan Milone, 2/3/S Jack Winkler, LF Caeden Trenkle, RF Jeisson Rosario
Like Frisco, Midland has an above-average if not quite thrilling offense. They donât walk much, either, strike out more, and hit for a little more power (after adjusting for park). Midland has several hitters (Susac, Groshans, Winkler, Perez) with sub-par OBPs. Milone led the team with just 15 homers, but the Hounds are likely to have up to five guys in the lineup who slugged .400 or better. Outfielders Bolte, Clarke, and Perez steal more frequently than anyone on the RoughRiders.
Pitching Frisco: 14% better than avg. runs allowed, .231/.324/.353, 93 OPS+, 12% BB/HBP, 25% SO Midland: 24% better than avg. run allowed, .219/.301/.335, 78 OPS+, 11% BB/HBP, 25% SO
Santosâs early days in AA contained some memorably rocky outings, including three with multiple homers and a renewed tendency to plunk batters. He improved substantially down the stretch. While I wouldnât put much stock in a lone head-to-head, he did shut out the Hounds for five innings in mid-August.
Drakeâs Frisco stats donât include his one-off appearance in mid-April, when he very uncharacteristically walked six in 1.1 IP. Drake began the season in the low-A rotation. Five months later, he had his schedule adjusted to insure a playoff start in AA. Not bad. Notably, Midland might offer an entirely right-handed lineup against Drake, who was relatively ordinary against them (.262/.326/.365) compared to lefties (.206/.271/.316).
Frisco hasnât announced a third starter, and the fluidity of the rotation down the stretch doesnât point to an obvious choice. Mitch Bratt would be the most rested. He posted a 5.73 ERA, but his peripherals are better.
In relief, Frisco has a wealth of options. Frisco didnât have a firm closer, but Skylar Hales (2.10 ERA, .241/.303/.352) might fit the role. Newcomers Ryan Lobus and lefty Bryan Magdaleno pitched well enough that I expect them to be trusted in a meaningful situation. Dane Acker has been strong in shorter spells (1.35 ERA, .240/.269/.260). Jackson Kelley (3.38 ERA, .194/.267/.239)doesnât throw as hard but has been no less effective.
Whither Emiliano Teodo? Short-leash Game 3 starter? 2-3 innings behind Santos or Drake? The 9th inning? Teodo hasnât pitched on fewer than five days rest all season, so expecting more than one appearance may bit too much to ask, but I suppose itâs possible.
Frisco had a great pitching staff. Midland had the leagueâs best (plus stellar defense), allowing 98 fewer runs than the park-adjusted league average.
Barnett has spent most of 2024 with AA Northwest Arkansas and was acquired with others for RHP Lucas Erceg at the deadline. The stats above constitute only his seven Midland starts, which are the most recent and better than his time as a Royal. Perkins is a 2022 fifth-rounder out of Indiana. Both have mid-90s fastballs, a change they will actually use, and a couple of breakers.
Midland had the leagueâs best bullpen, although their walk and strikeout rates werenât anything fancy. Closer Seth Elledge (2.22 ERA, .175/.228/.292) is 28 and spent parts of 2020-2021 with the MLB Cardinals. (Did I mention the Aâs have a thing for older men?) Elledge deals what looks to me like a pro forma low-90s fastball and low-80s slider, and his swinging strike rate is a shockingly low 7.5%, but he doesnât walk anybody and has been very hard to hit.
As a group, Frisco tended not to hit lefties especially well, and Midland southpaw relievers David Leal and Domingo Robles were quite effective against same-side hitters. Busy right-handed relievers were Tyler Baum (4.01 ERA, .233/.332/.367, 31% K rate but not as dominant as some), Shohei Tomioka (4.14 ERA, .208/.310/.284), Colin Peluse (2.05 ERA, .213/.274/.301), and Ryan Cusick (1.73 ERA, .213/.318/.245 in relief).
Defense Both defenses are strong. Frisco ranked at or near the top in preventing steals, errors, potential double plays turned, and balls in play turned into outs. Midland was average-or-better in most defensive aspects but outrageously good at limiting hits on balls in play.
Park Factors Frisco â 1.03 for runs, 1.03 for homers Midland â 1.04 for runs, 0.94 for homers
Both parks are mildly hitter-friendly, if in different fashion. Frisco depresses doubles ever so slightly but favors singles and homers. Midland actually diminishes homers more than anywhere save San Antonio and Arkansas but promotes everything else (making Midlandâs low defensive BABIP all the more impressive).
On the whole, the offenses were equal, but I favor the current roster of Frisco over Midland.
Midland allowed 58 fewer runs during the season. Friscoâs offense relies on contact, while Midlandâs pitching and defense turn contact into outs far better than any other team in the league. Are the Hounds a little lucky? Maybe, but I wouldnât count on that suddenly disappearing after 138 games. The series could be decided by whether Frisco can generate an extra it or two at the right time.
These are two of the three best teams in AA, and one side is going to be unhappy. If forced to bet, I too would be unhappy because the series is a tossup, but I suppose I would pick the Rockhounds on the basis of their slightly better regular season performance.
Elsewhere Round Rock catcher Matt Whatley crumpled rounding third Saturday night and remained prone on the grass until tagged out. He was IL’ed today. 2024 14th-rounder Ben Hartl was promoted from low-A Down East. Adrian Sampson is scheduled to start the first game of Round Rock’s season-ending series at Tacoma.
I’m happy to say that Kinston has already secured professional baseball for 2025. The Down East Bird Dawgs are the newest members of the Frontier League. The new logo has an amazing callback to the old tenant:
SP Dane Dunning: 2.1 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 56 P / 34 S, 5.28 ERA RP Tim Brennan: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 6.47 ERA RP Josh Sborz: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 7.46 ERA RP Jacob Latz: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 2.45 ERA CF Dustin Harris: 2-5, 2B, .272/.357/.393 LF Trevor Hauver: 1-3, BB, .238/.353/.408 DH Kellen Strahm: 1-2, 2 BB, 2 SB (12), .241/.366/.319
Last Wednesday, I mentioned the difficulty of Dane Dunning returning to MLB this reason regardless of how he pitches. Yesterday won’t help.
Josh Sborz received a visit from the trainer and was pulled after three batters and 16 pitches, only seven if which registered strikes. Yesterday was his first attempt at pitching on one day of rest while on assignment, which (as it stands) expires in about a week.
Eli Ben-Porat led off his “10 Statcast Standouts” ($ link) at Baseball America with none other than Blaine Crim and began that entry with my photos him receiving his team MVP award. “A remarkably consistent batter year-to-year, with a robust sample pointing to excellent discipline, average contact skills and 60-grade raw power with the ability to get to optimized launch angles,” says Ben-Porat.
Round Rock concluded the home portion of the schedule with a 35-39 record.
SP Ben Anderson: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 SO, 91 P / 53 S, 3.48 ERA RP Ricky DeVito: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 4.00 ERA RP Jackson Kelley: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.38 ERA RP Seth Clark: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 4.22 ERA RF Alejandro Osuna: 1-4, HR (9), .306/.379/.523 2B Keyber Rodriguez: 1-3, BB, SB (7), .234/.285/.369
Frisco set a franchise record with a .609 winning percentage. The 2007 edition holds the record for wins with 85. Frisco tied rival Midland for the second-best mark in AA, trailing only Cubs-affiliated Tennessee (87-50).
The Riders scored on a sac fly and Alejandro Osuna’s 18th homer of the season. Ben Anderson had been skipped last time through the rotation but finished strong. Sebastian Walcott had the day off.
Frisco will head to Midland for Tuesday’s opener of the Texas League semifinals. Arkansas (80-57) and Springfield (79-59) will meet in the other bracket. Winston Santos is the listed starter for Game 1, followed by Kohl Drake, whose short outing on short rest did indeed set him up for a playoff start. Game 3 is TBA.
SP Steven Jennings: 2.2 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 43 P / 32 S, 5.33 ERA RP Robby Ahlstrom: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 3.50 ERA RP Marc Church: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 2.33 ERA 1B Blaine Crim: 1-3, 2B, BB, .277/.372/.468 LF Trevor Hauver: 3-4, 2 2B, HR (10), .237/.352/.408 3B Frainyer Chavez: 2-4, 2B, .213/.279/.277
The Express named Blaine Crim the team MVP in a ceremony before the game. Prizes included a commemorative plaque, a pair of boots, and a hug from dad.
I’ve been grumpily frustrated about Marc Church for over a year. Back in March, he drew some attention and had a chance at the Opening Day active roster, but most of his AAA outings just haven’t quite looked the part. Last night, he was in fine form, striking out three in two scoreless innings and generating seven misses on nine swings at the slider. Just promoted San Francisco prospect Bryce Eldridge waved through two of them. The slider has nearly always been an absolute beast, but the fastball has been erratic, both in terms of basic control and what happens on contact. Church’s strikeout rate in AAA since returning from injury is 22%, ordinary for a reliever nowadays, but his control has improved dramatically, and he’s largely avoided noisy contact. On the season, Church has a 41% whiff rate with the slider (league rate 28%) and 15% on the fastball (league rate 25%). Nothing he throws moves much horizontally. He relies on impressive vertical break for the fastball, and the slider acts like a fastball until the batter commits. Most of his 2024 has been spent on the shelf, but he still has a shot at being a worthy MLB reliever.
Trevor Hauver has reached safely in 22 consecutive games and is batting .380/.500/.722 with 12 doubles and five homers. Up until that stretch, he carried a line of .193/.303/.311 in 77 games.
Reno won as well, so Round Rock is eliminated from postseason contention.
SP Bryan Chi: 3 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 51 P / 34 S, 4.66 ERA RP Ryan Lobus: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.00 ERA RP Bryan Magdaleno: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA RP Emiliano Teodo: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 1.98 ERA RP Skylar Hales: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.10 ERA RP Dane Acker: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.05 ERA RF Alejandro Osuna: 4-6, 2B, HR (8), .307/.378/.515 LF Josh Hatcher: 3-4, 2B, HR (12), .300/.350/.448 1B Abi Ortiz: 5-6, 2 HR (18), .243/.326/.433 SS Sebastian Walcott: 2-6, HR (1), .348/.375/.609 DH Aaron Zavala: 2-4, HR (5), .223/.333/.306
Once again, Frisco took full advantage of the friendly hitting conditions and a pitching staff that is poor even accounting for those conditions. The Riders connected on seven homers including the first from Sebastian Walcott at this level. Walcott’s dinger left the bat at 107 MPH. Abi Ortiz had a five-hit night with two homers. In his last two months, Ortiz is hitting .293/.385/.581 with 13 homers in 43 games. This is the Ortiz of 2023 and gives the front office something to think about on 40-man deadline day.
Frisco employed a covey of relievers to place them in line for Tuesday’s playoff opener at Midland. Emiliano Teodo hadn’t pitched in three weeks and has thrown no more than 68 pitches since July, so I’m assuming he’s a reliever (or starter on a short leash) in the playoffs.
Greetings from the Dell Diamond. I awakened to no internet and still had none when I left for tonight’s game, so today’s belated report comes to you courtesy of whoever provides internet service to the Round Rock Express. Today’s report is also in haste, so if I missed anything critical, hopefully I’ll recap it tomorrow.
SP Peter Solomon: 5 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 2 R, 4 BB, 5 SO, 90 P / 53 S, 6.27 ERA RP Josh Sborz: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 0 SO, 7.71 ERA RP Daniel Robert: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 2.97 ERA DH Trevor Hauver: 1-2, HR (9), 2 BB
Round Rock made the most of a handful of hits. Trevor Hauver has hit well of late (he also homered about 15 minutes prior to this sentence).
Any Reno win or Round Rock loss the rest of the way will eliminate the Express. I had the elimination number at three yesterday, but it should have been two. I wasn’t considering the tiebreaker which favors Reno on account of a 3-2 advantage in head-to-head games in the second half.
SP Kohl Drake: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 34 P / 20 S, 3.10 ERA RP Jackson Kelley: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.57 ERA 2B Max Acosta: 5-6, 2 2B 1B Abimelec Ortiz: 2-4, 2 HR (16), 2 BB, SB (2) DH Sebastian Walcott: 2-5, BB, SB (1) C Cooper Johnson: 2-4, HR (14), 2 BB SS Keyber Rodriguez: 2-5, 3B, HR (2) RF Luis Mieses: 3-5, 2B, 2 HR (5)
As expected, Kohl Drake had a short outing. Still, it’s noteworthy that he came back to pitch on four days rest. I don’t think it’s the equivalent of a reliever dealing in consecutive games, but a general indication of confidence? Very much so.
Frisco opened multiple cans of whoop on Amarillo’s pitchers.
Today’s Starters AAA: Jennings AA: Chi
Five Years Ago Yesterday Down two games to one in the South Atlantic League finals, Hickory lost 3-1 on a walk-off homer in the 13th by Reed Rohlman off Tyree Thompson. Thompson had pitched 3.2 scoreless with only one hit allowed until the end.
RF Pedro Gonzalez was one of the team’s heroes, breaking up Lexington’s no-hitter with a game-tying solo homer in the 7th, then slamming into the wall to catch what would have been a walk-off extra-base hit in the 12th. Another was reliever Jesus Linarez, called upon with no notice when putative starter Abdiel Mendoza suffered an injury during warmups. Linarez threw 4.2 scoreless innings with two runners allowed. Ace reliever Kelvin Gonzalez threw innings seven through nine without a run allowed. The Crawdads mustered only eight runners in the game and batted .155/.247/.246 in the four-game series.
The next official game wouldn’t be for another 599 days.
We knew Kumar Rocker couldn’t maintain his 74% whiff rate on curves against MLB hitters, but would you settle for 62%? Mariners missed completely on 12 of 19 swings. As pointed out by Michael Bowman yesterday, the best individual pitch in the Majors in this regard is Mark Leiter’s splitter, which has generated a 59% miss rate. We’ll need more MLB outings from Rocker to confirm, but the curve has the makings of a singularly effective pitch. I don’t blame folks for calling it a slider even with the contradictory assertion from the man himself. It doesn’t into an easy category. It moves horizontally more like a cutter or maybe a gyro slider, but the drop is between a typical slider and curve.
Seattle’s stadium is among baseball’s friendliest to pitchers, but that Collin Snider homer leaves only eight of 30 parks.
One potential concern is how Rocker’s addition affects the 40-man roster. He’ll occupy a spot over the winter, of course, leaving one less space for offseason maneuvering. Sometimes that could cause trouble, but in this case I don’t see it. Texas has 45 players on the 40-man roster including those on the 60-day IL, but no fewer than nine will become free agents at season’s end. The Rangers will be able to reinstate the injured without breaking a sweat. Also, the number of 40 additions this fall could be as few as two. The Rangers have only one Rule 5-eligible pick from the truncated 2020 draft (pitcher Dylan MacLean, who’s hurt) and four from 2021, none of whom I expect to be protected. The “roster crunch” has the texture of oatmeal. Even with free agent additions, Texas should be able to find room without too much difficulty.
SP Ryan Garcia: 5.1 IP, 7 H (1 HR), 3 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 92 P / 56 S, 3.08 ERA RP Avery Weems: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA RP Jacob Latz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.86 ERA DH Sam Huff: 1-3, BB, .247/.310/.406
Ryan Garcia had to fend off a little more trouble than usual. The opposition was 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position but managed to plate three on a solo homer, wild pitch, and sac bunt.
Round Rock needs three wins in the final nine games to avoid becoming the first Texas AAA team to finish at least ten games below .500 since 1997.
SP Mitch Bratt: 6 IP, 8 H (2 HR), 5 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 83 P / 54 S, 5.45 ERA DH Josh Hatcher: 1-5, HR (11), .295/.344/.436 1B Abi Ortiz: 2-4, 2B, BB, .232/.315/.397 3B Sebastian Walcott: 3-5, 2 2B 2B Keyber Rodriguez: 2-4, 2 2B, .230/.280/.356
Sebastian Walcott had a busy evening. With two out in the 1st, he grounded up the middle to plate the game’s first two runs. He then hit among the least likely doubles you’ll ever see, a chopper along the line that bounded off 3B Jesus Valdez 60 feet to the home dugout. Walcott never stopped running, and the scorekeeper never ruled an error, so a double it was. Walcott followed with a lasered double to the wall that was common in Hickory. He also bounced a throw from third well in front of first base for his first AA error.
Mitch Bratt pitched in Amarillo for the first time. Mitch Bratt allowed two homers for the first time. He’ll finish 2024 with a slightly unfair 5.73 ERA given the .260/.327/.420 line.
Today’s listed starter is Kohl Drake, who is on four days rest for the first time. I expect a brief outing.
Today’s Starters AAA: Solomon AA: Drake
Five Years Ago Yesterday Hickory extended its season with a 5-1 victory at Lexington. Ricky Vanasco shut down the Legends for 3.2 innings and fanned six but finished with three consecutive walks. Tai Tiedemann was able to squash that threat. Tyreque Reed plated three on a two-out single, solo homer, and sac fly.
SP Adrian Sampson: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 5 BB, 2 SO, 91 P / 50 S, 5.57 ERA RP Robby Ahlstrom: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3.78 ERA RP Marc Church: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 2.60 ERA C Sam Huff: 3-4, 2 2B, .246/.308/.407 LF Trevor Hauver: 1-3, HR (8), BB, .229/.345/.381 CF Kellen Strahm: 1-3, BB, SB (10), .250/.362/.333
Sam Huff had a fine evening, smacking three hard liners for two doubles and a 7th-inning RBI single that broke a 5-5 tie. Unfortnately, Huff has truly struggled since around the beginning of June, hitting .231/.270/.357 with a very respectable 20 doubles but only four homers in 64 games. His walk rate is down from 14% in 2023 to 8% this year, while the strikeout rate has increased from 24% to 32%. As to his future, I think the likelihood of him being on the 40 next April is very low. If he is, he’d be the #2 catcher (or #3, if Texas went that route) on the active roster because he’s out of options. But if the Rangers considered him a viable #2, I think he’d have more than his four 2024 MLB plate appearances. If he’s in the organization next season, I’d say the most likely way is by sliding through waivers.
SP Winston Santos: 5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 67 P / 45 S, 4.89 ERA RP Bryan Magdaleno: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA RP Skylar Hales: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 2.17 ERA RP Dane Acker: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.08 ERA SS Max Acosta: 3-4, HR (8), .280/.344/.417
Winston Santos finished the regular season with consecutive solid outings. For the season, he posted a 3.67 ERA with 34 walks and 138 strikeouts in 110.1 innings split between Hickory and Frisco. Last year, he fanned only 88 against nearly the same number of batters faced. Despite some homer-proneness upon promotion to Frisco, on the whole he was much less likely to surrender the long ball. All told, a fine and encouraging season. He’ll be added to the 40 in a couple of months.
Max Acosta had missed a few days and watched Sebastian Walcott’s debut Tuesday from the dugout. Last night, he offered evidence that he deserves to play as well. A while back, I mentioned him as someone who’s produced decent if modest numbers that don’t assure a promotion each year, but he gets promoted and hits just as well. His current line of .280/.345/.417 would be his best if it holds. And he’ll probably join Round Rock next March.
Best as I can tell, at 18 years and 180 days as of yesterday, Sebastian Walcott is Texas’s youngest AA position player ever. He was 11 days younger than Roy Howell, who made his AA and professional debut for the Pittsfield Rangers on June 26, 1972. Howell had been drafted out of high school fourth-overall 20 days prior.
Youngest AA Position Player Debuts in Rangers History: Sebastian Walcott, 2024, 18 years / 180 days Roy Howell, 1972, 18 / 191 Jurickson Profar, 2012, 19 / 45 Nomar Mazara, 2014, 19 / 101 Ivan Rodriguez, 1991, 19 /128* Juan Gonzalez, 1989, 19 / 168* Rougned Odor, 2013, 19 / 179 Ruben Sierra, 1985, 19 / 180* Elvis Andrus, 2008**, 19 / 221 Donnie Scott, 1981, 19 / 229*
* Estimated based on assumption of a first game in early April. I don’t have schedules prior to 2005. To whatever extent I’m off, I shouldn’t be off on the low side by more than a few days. I found Roy Howell’s exact debut date in a story about a fog-shortened no-hitter.
** When I published a Frisco-only version of this list, I had Andrus’s debut year as 2009 instead of 2008, but his age was correct.
Elsewhere, the Cardinals promoted IF Thomas Saggese, who started at short and went 0-4 in his MLB debut. He’d taken some time acclimating to AAA but had batted .291/.351/.524 with 12 homers in 55 games since July 1st. The Ranger traded Saggese and pitcher TK Roby to St. Louis for Jordan Montgomery last summer.
SP Dane Dunning: 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 69 P / 48 S, 1.38 ERA RP Josh Sborz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 6.23 ERA RP Jacob Latz: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 6.75 ERA RP Daniel Robert: 1.2 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 3 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 3.13 ERA 1B Blaine Crim: 2-5, 2B, BB, .282/.376/.475
Two rehabbing and two optioned pitchers accounted for most of the innings. Dunning pitched well overall and the runs were unearned, although he was not blameless in Sacramento’s two-run first. Given the upcoming activation of Jake deGrom and Kumar Rocker’s MLB debut, plus the presumed return of Josh Sborz, if not Jacob Latz, Dunning may not see Arlington again in 2024 no matter how he performs.
The sides traded threes in the 10th, but Round Rock could not answer Sacramento’s five runs off Aidan Anderson in the 11th.
The Express are in last among eight teams contending for the second-half title, but I think they can still succeed with as few as eight wins in the last 11 games. For example (ignoring first-half winner Sugar Land and bottom-dwelling El Paso): Round Rock: 37-37 ABQ, OKC, Sacto, Salt Lake, Tacoma: 37-38 Las Vegas, Reno: 36-38
SP Nick Krauth: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 58 P / 37 S, 5.78 ERA SS Sebastian Walcott: 1-4, 2B C Cooper Johnson: 3-4, 2B, HR (13), .233/.351/.471
Walcott’s mound opponent was Stephen Giesting, who brought a 5.25 ERA into the game but generates more misses than you’d expect from someone with a fastball in the 88-91 range. Giesting would in fact tie a career-high 19 swinging strikes and deliver seven innings of one-run ball with seven Ks. Walcott swung through a fastball in his first plate appearance but stung another heater down the left field line for a double. He would strike out against Giesting again, then ground out to second to end the game. In the field, he handled five plays without incident.
Today’s Starters AAA: Sampson AA: Santos
Five Years Ago The Day Before Yesterday Low-A Hickory lost the first game of the South Atlantic League finals 6-4 to the KC-affiliated Lexington Legends. Starter Ronny Henriquez pitched well, but a couple of mid-game defensive miscues, reliever Kelvin Gonzalez’s worst outing all season, and lack of timely hitting doomed the Crawdads.
Five Years Ago Yesterday Hickory lost again, 7-0. Early success by Cole Winn ended for naught with a three-run 5th that put the Crawdads down 4-0. A later three-run homer off Daniel Robert sealed the defeat. Hickory batters not named Kole Enright or Pedro Gonzalez were 5-for-52 with a double and three walks so far in the series. Hickory would head to Lexington needing three straight wins for a title.
Per local reports, infielder Sebastian Walcott will head to AA Frisco to finish the year. Even in an organization with a history of hyper-aggressive assignments (less so lately), Walcott stands out. I don’t know if he’ll play Tuesday, but let’s assume he does for the following:
Youngest AA Debuts by a Texas hitter, 2003-present: Sebastian Walcott, 2024, 18 years / 180 days Jurickson Profar, 2012, 19 / 45 Nomar Mazara, 2014, 19 / 101 Rougned Odor, 2013, 19 / 179 Elvis Andrus, 2009, 19 / 221 Evan Carter, 2022, 20 / 15
Engel Beltre debuted at 19 years and 304 days at the end of 2009 but would spend the first half of the following season in high-A before returning. I’m also ignoring any brief, just-in-case assignments like 19-year-old Esteban Mejia last month.
How young is Walcott? Even if the Rangers delayed his arrival until next April, he’d still be the youngest Texas hitter in AA in at least 21 years.
SP Robby Ahlstrom: 1.2 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 2 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 42 P / 22 S, 4.30 ERA RP Marc Church: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 2.76 ERA RP Grant Wolfram: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.42 ERA CF Dustin Harris: 2-5, BB, .278/.365/.403 SS Jax Biggers: 3-5, 2B, BB, .273/.395/.385 1B Blaine Crim: 2-6, 2B, .280/.375/.474 LF Trevor Hauver: 3-5, 2B, BB, .226/.337/.371 C Matt Whatley: 2-5, BB, .208/.295/.338
Round Rock finally opened up a can on Las Vegas after scoring 12 runs in the previous five games. The Express didn’t go deep but collected at least 18 hits for the fourth time this season.
On a bullpen day, Robbie Ahlstrom drew the short straw and had to start in one of baseball’s least forgiving climates. Out of 12 pitchers on the two sides, only Marc Church and Grant Wolfram avoided allowing an inherited runner or one of their own to score.
The Express will head home to face Sacramento, followed by a season-ending to Tacoma.
SP Kohl Drake: 5 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 1 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 81 P / 50 S, 3.63 ERA RP Skylar Hales: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 2.33 ERA RP Dane Acker: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.12 ERA CF Alejandro Osuna: 2-5, 2B, .302/.377/.509
Kohl Drake leads the organization with 146 strikeouts and will likely finish best even if he doesn’t throw again.
Frisco’s home schedule is done until the playoffs. The Riders head to Amarillo this week. Midland has tied Frisco for the league’s best overall record, but Frisco will have home field advantage for their upcoming semifinal tilt regardless.
SP David Davalillo: 6 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 5 BB, 3 SO, 79 P / 49 S, 2.10 ERA RP DJ Peters: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 5.52 ERA 2B Cam Cauley: 1-3, 2B, BB, .235/.297/.411 SS Sebastian Walcott: 1-4, 3B, .261/.342/.443 RF Yeison Morrobel: 2-4, 2B, .211/.287/.323
David Davalillo walked a career-high five and allowed 15 runners in six innings. Somehow, only one scored, and he averaged a tight 13.2 pitches per inning.
Walcott led the South Atlantic League and leads the Texas organization with 40 combined doubles and triples. Among league qualifiers, he was tenth in average (.261) and slugging (.443).
Top picks Malcolm Moore and Dylan Dreiling were both 0-4. Moore finished with a tepid line of .209/.298/.374 in 25 games but was solid after a chilly pro introduction. He swatted three homers and six doubles. Dreiling was .198/.340/.279 with a homer, four doubles, and 19 walks in 24 games.
Cam Cauley hit eight of his 12 homers during a 16-game stretch in July and early August. The rest of the season, he batted .225 and slugged .349.
Hickory was 50-46 after a 12-24 start during which the offense scored one or zero runs 16 times. Next year, the Crawdads will drop to low-A, their home from 1993 through 2020.
Lo-A: Down East 1, Augusta (ATL) 4 Down East: 5 hits, 3 walks, 16 strikeouts Opponent: 8 hits, 6 walks, 15 strikeouts First-Half Record: 35-30, 3rd place, 6 GB Second-Half Record: 30-33, 4th place, 8 GB Overall Record: 65-63 Offense: 4.0 R/G, 8% worse than average, .227/.306/.337, 98 OPS+ Pitching: 3.6 R/G, 16% better than average, .212/.307/.305, 89 OPS+
SP Wilian Bormie: 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 81 P / 49 S, 3.47 ERA RP Josh Trentadue: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 4.46 ERA RP Adonis Villavicencio: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 4.56 ERA 3B Beycker Barroso: 1-3, BB, .229/.342/.374
Yesterday afternoon in front of an announced crowd of 1,878, 2B Antonis Macias grounded out to conclude the existence of the Down East Wood Ducks as an affiliated club of Minor League Baseball. Down East was 476-448 in seven seasons with the Rangers, winning a co-championship in their inaugural season, posting one of the best records in Texas’s minor league history two years later (as chronicled in this year’s Five Years Ago segments), and reaching the postseason twice more after dropping to low-A.
The marriage between Texas and Kinston was admittedly of convenience. The Rangers were desperate to escape the California League’s High Desert Mavericks (who would mercifully fold after 2016). Kinston was desperate to replace a 34-year affiliation with Cleveland lost after 2011 and had an older if suitable facility. I never expected the Rangers to stay any longer than necessary, and I was surprised the Rangers signed a twelve-year lease until discovering how easily they could terminate it with, at best, a nominal penalty. I feel bad for the people of Kinston losing their team, but even ignoring MiLB clubs descending to vassal status in the new agreement with MLB, the expensive facility upgrades required of most parks, and Diamond Baseball Holdings acquiring the Wood Ducks and 34 (!) other teams, I anticipated a new park in a new city by the time the lease expired. As I’ve mentioned, Kinston is about the size of Corsicana and isn’t growing. Expecting the city to renovate Grainger Stadium to modern standards was absurd. Had not the Rangers owned the team at the time, Down East almost certainly would have been one of the casualties of the 2021 reorganization.
All that said, it wasn’t a loveless marriage. Kinston offered a far better situation than Adelanto, CA, or Bakersfeld in the previous decade. It was never a place to dread or mock, and the Rangers never had to fret about sending their prospects there like those other two cities. Players and personnel could shift between the low-A and high-A locations in around four hours. Rain is a problem, but on the whole the climate is generous to baseball.
As for the game, 21-year-old Wilian Bormie reeled off a fifth consecutive start with two or fewer runs allowed. 2024 8th-rounder Anthony Susac recorded Down East’s final out on defense and can say he made eight appearances covering 9.1 innings without allowing a run and stranding six runners bequeathed. IF Echedry Vargas had the day off but among qualifiers finished sixth in average at .276 and second in slugging at .454. He also ranked second in hits (118), eighth in doubles (24), fifth in homers (14), and 19th in steals (29).
Five Years Ago Yesterday Down East lost the deciding Game 5 of the Carolina League semifinals 6-3 to Fayetteville. Seven straight Woodpeckers reached in the 7th, and four would score. The 2017 edition of the Wood Ducks won a co-championship with a phenomenal bullpen featuring Jeffrey Springs, CD Pelham, Scott Williams, and Adam Choplick. The 2019 version wasn’t so formidable, allowing 37 runners in 17 innings. The Woodies were 87-52 during the regular season, the fourth-best record of any Texas affiliate in franchise history.