Texas’s top 17 picks have signed. Unsigned are #18 RHP Kadyn Leon, #19 Iowa LHP Cade Obermuller, and #20 C Mac Rose. The Rangers went well over slot to signed 5th-rounder Devin Fitz-Gerald and also spent $350,000 on 11th-round LHP Dalton Pence. As best as I can tell, they have very little extra money to entice Obermuller, who was ranked much higher on prospect boards than where he was eventually picked.
I had an idea that Kumar Rocker might reach AA this season after working his way through Down East and then Hickory, where he was stationed before the injury. Texas’s idea is to put him in AA now. Interesting timing. He’s scheduled to pitch Friday, joined by rehabbing 3B Josh Jung. Probably as good a day as any to go see a game if you’re in the neighborhood.
I also had an idea that Dane Dunning wouldn’t need more than one rehab appearance after I saw him on Saturday. He’s been activated, and Gerson Garabito was optioned.
SP Tim Brennan: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 55 P / 34 S, 3.48 ERA 3B Ezequiel Duran: 2-4, HR (2), BB, SB (5), .209/.243/.373 CF Dustin Harris: 2-4, BB, .277/.363/.385 C Sam Huff: 3-5, 2B, .250/.324/.439 1B Davis Wendzel: 2-4, BB, .295/.391/.500 DH Blaine Crim: 2-5, 2B, .252/.359/.396
I mentioned yesterday that Ezequiel Duran’s exit velocities were slightly down in AAA. Last night’s 111.5 MPH, 441′ homer will help.
Six liners, five flies, just one one grounder, and one strikeout in Albuquerque from Tim Brennan. A recipe for disaster? Actually no, as the hardest-hit ball was the grounder, and the rest was a mix of singles and outs. The Express have closed the division gap from six games to two in four days.
SP Dane Acker: 5 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 79 P / 44 S, 3.72 ERA RP Robby Ahlstrom: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.01 ERA 3B Cody Freeman: 1-3, HR (11), BB, .273/.328/.455 RF Abimelec Ortiz: 2-4, HR (6), .211/.282/.341 C Scott Kapers: 1-4, HR (2), .121/.167/.333
Abimelec Ortiz snapped a 23-game homerless streak. Obviously, power largely defines his prospect status, but he did bat a reasonable .269/.348/.333 in that dry spell.
Hi-A: suspended
They’ll finish today. Greenville leads 5-4 in the 8th. Sebastian Walcott is 3-4 with his ninth homer and 13th steal.
Lo-A: Down East 3, Fayetteville (HOU) 6 Down East: 7 hits, 5 walks, 18 strikeouts Opponent: 11 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts Record: 10-15, 6.5 GB, 45-45 overall
SP Izack Tiger: 4 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 1 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 69 P / 43 S, 2.41 ERA RP Alberto Mota: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.21 ERA C Julian Brock: 1-4, 2B, BB, .214/.299/.317 1B Arturo Disla: 2-2, HR (10), BB, .279/.358/.429
Adonis Villavicencio entered the 9th with a one-run lead, but his first four opponents reached safely, and all would score. Arturo Disla is the fifth Ranger to reach ten homers, following Gleider Figuereo (18), Sandro Fabian (12), Alejandro Osuna (12), and Cody Freeman (11).
Today’s Starters AAA: White AA: Garcia Hi-A: Bratt Lo-A: TBA
Five Years Ago Yesterday “FanGraphs and Baseball America re-ranked teamfarm systems. FanGraphs placed the Rangers an optimistic 12th, while the venerable BA has them all the way down at 28th. That’s a two with an eight after it.”
Texas’s A-Level Affiliates Switch Again Me, May 2023: “Unlike so many moves of yore (‘South Atlantic’ teams in New Jersey, western Kentucky, northern Ohio), relocation to Spartanburg doesn’t create a scheduling headache. Spartanburg could conceivably rejoin high-A, creating a rival just down the road in Greenville, and Hickory would fit comfortably in the low-A Carolina League if desired.”
I can’t remember if someone else floated the idea or it just popped into my head, but in any case, the new Texas affiliate in Spartanburg (Hub City) will indeed become a member of the high-A South Atlantic League in 2025, while the Crawdads drop to low-A, where they played from 1993 through 2019. While Spartanburg proper actually has a smaller population than Hickory, the general area has more people (although not by a huge margin). The distance between Texas’s A-level affiliates will decrease from 260 to 90. Hickory will lose nearby rivals Asheville, Winston-Salem, and Greensboro but gain Kannapolis. Hub City has a natural rival in Greenville; per the linked story, they’ll meet 24 times next season.
As for Kinston, once again losing MLB-affiliated baseball, I wrote about that situation last May. To my eyes (which don’t have a law degree but frequently peruse contracts), the Rangers lease with Kinston appeared very easy to break. Kinston was also likely facing a massive capital outlay to bring the stadium up to required standards, and I wondered whether that would be a worthwhile use of public funds. Asheville recently approved $38.5 million in renovations to McCormick Field. Modesto, a much larger city, will be losing its low-A club because of a purported $32 million in needed park improvements.
SP Adrian Sampson: 3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 71 P / 38 S, 5.83 ERA RP Chase Lee: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 1.86 ERA 3B Ezequiel Duran: 1-5, HR (1), .190/.215/.317 RF Sandro Fabian: 1-5, HR (12), .285/.353/.480 1B Blaine Crim: 3-4, HR (8), .249/.358/.393 LF Trevor Hauver: 1-3, HR (4), BB, .194/.325/.208
I’m glad I’m not reporting this from Albuquerque/Colorado’s perspective, mainly for how this specific game transpired, but also, imagine covering the Rockies. Down two in the 9th, Jax Biggers singled. With one out, Ezequiel Duran barely beat out a potential double-play grounder, and CF Greg Jones couldn’t execute a sliding catch of Andrew Knapp’s two-out shallow fly. Up stepped Sandro Fabian, who smacked a very mid-mid fastball 441 feet for a go-ahead two-run homer.
Trevor Hauver hit an inside-the-park homer. Hauver is, shall we say, not famous for his speed, but his liner to center eluded a diving CF Greg Jones and dribbled to the 428′-deep triangular cut-out.
Ezequiel Duran isn’t forcing a return to Arlington yet. Compared to his MLB figures, his exit velocity is down and his grounder rate is up. That’s probably just sample size. Some actual issues are swinging and missing first pitches at more than double the league rate (17% vs. 8%), and, not coincidentally, a 3% walk rate.
The Isotopes are 36-61. Until I read this article ($ link), I didn’t realize Albuquerque hadn’t posted a winning season since 2013. All but one of those seasons were as a Colorado affiliate. That’s hard to do. (Spanning over five decades, no Texas full-season affiliate has more than six consecutive losing seasons.) Some organizations value winning in the minors more than others, but you’d think a minor league team would occasionally finish above .500 simply by accident. Losing that consistently takes diligence. While it’s understandable that the Rockies would have trouble recruiting AAA pitching depth, they’re not alone in this regard, and fellow thin-air squads at El Paso, Reno, and Las Vegas have been competitive (Salt Lake is on a five-year losing streak).
SP Cody Bradford: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 22 P / 17 S, 0.00 ERA RP Ben Anderson: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 SO, 4.09 ERA RP Andy Rodriguez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 1.79 ERA RP Skylar Hales: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.49 ERA 2B Max Acosta: 1-3, HR (4), .262/.324/.367 1B Josh Hatcher: 2-4, HR (8), .288/.330/.431 C Cooper Johnson: 1-2, HR (8), BB, .241/.342/.466
Cody Bradford’s second mound appearance since early April went swimmingly. Bradford tossed an inning in Arizona last Friday. He and his three new besties combined to shut out the team scoring a league-high 5.4 runs per game.
SP Aidan Curry: 6 IP, 3 H (2 HR), 2 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 81 P / 56 S, 6.95 ERA SS Sebastian Walcott: 1-5, HR (8), .242/.336/.415 C Ian Moller: 1-3, BB, 2 SB (11), .232/.362/.304
Sebastian Walcott untied the game in the 7th with a three-run homer.
Ian Moller has reached safely in 14 consecutive games (.349/.500/.442).
Aidan Curry allowed two homers but on the whole has slowly rounded into better form lately, particularly tamping down on excess walks. He could very well be someone whose end-of-season stats inspire groans but is actually on the upswing.
Lo-A: Down East 2, Fayetteville (HOU) 1 (10) Down East: 7 hits, 3 walks, 17 strikeouts Opponent: 3 hits, 3 walks, 16 strikeouts Record: 10-14, 6.5 GB, 45-44 overall
SP Paul Bonzagni: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 SO, 51 P / 38 S, 3.90 ERA RP Luke Savage: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 4.94 ERA RP Bryan Magdaleno: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 2.00 ERA 2B Echedry Vargas: 3-5, 3B, 2 SB (18), .268/.322/.432 3B Esteban Mejia: 1-4, HR (2), .219/.313/.384
A 2nd-inning single quickly erased any hope of Down East’s second no-hitter in two weeks, but Paul Bonzagni exceeded his previous high in strikeouts by three despite facing only 16 batters. Singles by Echedry Vargas and Danyer Cueva in the 10th plated the winner.
Five Years Ago Yesterday A slow day. Ten years ago, Texas traded reliever Joaquim Soria for pitching prospects Jake Thompson and Corey Knebel. Neither would pitch in Arlington but would be included in packages for Yovani Gallardo and Cole Hamels, respectively, both crucial to Texas’s mid-2010s success. Knebel is currently with AAA Charlotte, while Thomson has spent the past four seasons in Mexico.
SP Jack Leiter: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 SO, 81 P / 48 S, 3.59 ERA RP Steven Jennings: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 6.00 ERA RP Matt Festa: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 4.26 ERA RP Aidan Anderson: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.50 ERA SS Davis Wendzel: 2-4, 2B, SB (3), .286/.379/.505 DH Sam Huff: 1-3, BB, .248/.325/.441 1B Blaine Crim: 1-3, BB, SB (5), .243/.354/.379 RF Kellen Strahm: 1-2, BB
Jack Leiter had a pretty good day in his first appearance since July 5th. The fastball constituted an unusually high 64% of his pitches, and he missed ten bats with it. Control was an occasional issue; he tended to miss glove-side, a persistent problem in 2022-2023. He also offered more curves (11) than any other secondary and tallied three more swinging strikes. Only one of ten balls in play was hit hard, a high fly for an easy out. The hits, all singles, came on a bloop, a medium-hard grounder, and an slow grounder.
Since rejoining the Express in mid-May, Leiter has a 4.10 ERA (park-adjusted league average is 5.32), an opposing line of .248/.359/.362, a 15% walk/HBP rate and 30% SO rate. Contra yesterday, his fastball hasn’t been an especially virulent bat-misser during this time, with a dead-average 25% whiff rate on swings and 12% overall. Opponents aren’t hitting it nearly as hard, however, slugging .436 on contact compared to a league average of .636.
Kellen Strahm saw his first action in AAA after being promoted two days earlier. Texas’s 2019 5th-rounder had spent the past two-plus seasons and 284 games in Frisco, batting .265/.371/.373 and spending a plurality of his time in center.
SP Winston Santos: 4 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 HBP, 2 SO, 70 P / 42 S, 5.40 ERA RP Tyler Owens: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.43 ERA CF Alejandro Osuna: 1-4, HR (3), .313/.380/.609 C Liam Hicks: 1-3, BB, .264/.369/.361
Winston Santos’ first six batters included three HBPs and a four-pitch walk. Seeing an 0.2 in the innings column wouldn’t have surprised, but he survived that inning and faced the minimum over the next three.
SP Ryan Lobus: 6 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 7 SO, 63 P / 45 S, 3.78 ERA C Tucker Mitchell: 2-3, 2 BB, .225/.321/.394 SS Sebastian Walcott: 3-4, BB, SB (12), .243/.338/.408 CF Anthony Gutierrez: 2-4, .258/.308/.335 LF Yosy Galan: 1-4, HR (8), .184/.287/.349
A master of efficiency, Ryan Lobus worked through the order the first time on just 25 pitches and a second with a total of 58.
In additional to his plate heroics, Sebastian Walcott made a snazzy relay throw to nab Mitch Jebb at third. The speedy Jebb had grounded sharply down the right field line to Quincy Scott. Walcott is hitting .318/.388/.500 in July.
C/1B Tucker Mitchell is back in Hickory after a seven-week injury absence and two-plus weeks of obliterating youngsters in Arizona (.390/.468/.732).
Lo-A: Down East 0, @ Delmarva (BAL) 2 Down East: 3 hits, 3 walks, 13 strikeouts Opponent: 4 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts Record: 9-14, 6.5 GB, 44-44 overall
SP Jose Gonzalez: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 51 P / 38 S, 2.23 ERA RP Victor Simeon: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.79 ERA RP Willian Bormie: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.46 ERA 2B Chandler Pollard: 1-3, BB, SB (28), .232/.312/.284
Game time: one hour, 59 minutes. Several Wood Ducks pitched well, but the offense hit five balls out of the infield.
Five Years Ago Yesterday Short-season Spokane clinched the first-half division title with a 5-4 win over Everett. Daniel Robert pitched the last two innings. The baby Rangers also clinched with a 19-9 record. “Demarcus Evans’ last two years: 99.2 innings, 45 hits, 70 walks, 178 strikeouts.”
SP Tyler Mahle: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 46 P / 28 S, 0.00 ERA RP Dane Dunning: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 0.00 ERA RP Grant Wolfram: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 3.26 ERA RP Grant Anderson: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 2.12 ERA 3B Davis Wendzel: 1-3, BB, .277/.375/.495 1B Blaine Crim: 1-3, 2B, BB, .242/.353/.379 C Matt Whatley: 1-4, HR (4), .198/.293/.370
OKC scored the game’s first run in the 10th. With the gift-runner aboard, Matt Whatley hit a pitch 108.7 MPH, harder than any of his previous 279 contacts in Round Rock. It carried the wall at an 18-degree angle, tied with six others for the lowest-angled homer by an Express hitter during the past three seasons.
As for the rehabbers, Tyler Mahle had a shaky 2nd, unable to control much and reaching at least three balls to four of five hitters. The other innings were fine. Dane Dunning’s velocity was down perhaps half a tick, but otherwise from my viewpoint he could have pitched in Arlington.
Facing the Express was recently optioned Bobby Miller, who after a sparkling rookie season has had trouble throwing strikes but landing mid-mid when he does. Round Rock was patient but couldn’t take genuine advantage of his in-zone offerings outside of Blaine Crim’s double.
SP Emiliano Teodo: 3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 74 P / 40 S, 1.77 ERA RP Reid Birlingmair: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.95 ERA RP Andy Rodriguez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 1.87 ERA RF Alejandro Osuna: 1-3, 2B, BB, .317/.388/.583 DH Liam Hicks: 1-3, 2B, BB, .264/.367/.361
Emiliano Teodo is known for the occasional control lapse, but not since last June had his total of walks and hit batters exceeded his strikeouts by three.
SP Josh Stephan has been shut down for a few weeks with elbow inflammation per local reports.
SP Kohl Drake: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 SO, 74 P / 46 S, 3.10 ERA RP Jackson Kelley: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.74 ERA DH Cam Cauley: 2-4, BB, .242/.293/.403 RF Yeison Morrobel: 2-5, 2B, .220/.294/.315 CF Anthony Gutierrez: 2-4, 2 2B, SB (27), .253/.304/.332
Kohl Drake has been terrific in three of four starts.
Cam Cauley missed a week (although he wasn’t IL’ed) and has only DH’ed since. Anthony Gutierrez has matched last year’s doubles total of 11 in 24 fewer games. He’s still seeking his first homer.
Lo-A: Down East 5, @ Delmarva (BAL) 3 Down East: 11 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts Opponent: 9 hits, 6 walks, 9 strikeouts Record: 9-13, 6.5 GB, 44-43 overall
SP David Davallilo: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 71 P / 44 S, 1.82 ERA RP Izack Tiger: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.45 ERA RP Alberto Mota: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 3.75 ERA C Julian Brock: 1-4, 2B, BB, .216/.297/.318 DH Arturo Disla: 4-5, HR (9), .278/.353/.421 LF Jojo Blackmon: 1-2, 3 BB, .169/.257/.285
Izack Tiger had been starting after missing two months with elbow inflammation, but he made his first relief outing last night and retired the side on eight pitches.
Speedy Chandler Pollard has dabbled in center this season. I couldn’t speak to his level of comfort out there, but in the 9th, he and SS Echedry Vargas had a scary collision on a shallow fly in which communication was apparently either missing or unacknowledged. Both stayed in the game.
Five Years Ago Yesterday Nick Solak, Scott Heineman, and Patrick Wisdom homered for Nashville. “I expect Scott Heineman to make his MLB debut in September, perhaps even earlier. He’s 27 in a few months and enjoying the best stretch of his professional life. It’s getting time to find out what he has to offer.” Heineman would in fact reach the Majors 13 days later and single twice in a 5-4 win.
Ten years ago, I watched Aaron Poreda reach 100-101 MPH a few times in Round Rock (the stadium gun once read 103, but I couldn’t find a scout gun that high.) I’d seen him in the 90-96 range earlier that season, and his MLB fastball average was 95.4. Nine days later, he would throw his final pitch in the United States. He spent 2015-2016 in Japan, never returning stateside.
Draft I summarized (with video for many players) Texas’s picks in rounds 3-20 in a separate post.
Rehab In Arizona, Cody Bradford threw a spotless inning with one strikeout. Kumar Rocker followed with two innings, two hits, a run, a walk, and three strikeouts. Unfortunately, Rocker followed that with an additional inning of five runs and five hits. I wouldn’t worry. One, it’s just AZ, and he’s just getting in the work. Two, four of the hits were grounders, and his control was fine. Some folks in attendance say he touched 100. Two days ago, Brock Porter lasted 2.2 innings while allowing a hit, walking three, and hitting two more. He’s walked or hit 30% of opposing batters in four outings. That’s a much greater concern than Rocker giving up a string of singles. Tyler Mahle and Dane Dunning are expected to pitch in Round Rock tonight.
SP Owen White: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 7 SO, 83 P / 55 S, 5.52 ERA CF Dustin Harris: 2-5, SB (23), .281/.364/.393 C Sam Huff: 2-4, .247/.323/.442 3B Davis Wendzel: 1-4, HR (5), .276/.371/.500 1B Blaine Crim: 2-2, 2 BB, .241/.351/.376
While not victorious, several Express hitters got their licks in against rehabbing Clayton Kershaw. Among six balls hit at least 97 MPH were Davis Wendzel’s homer, both of Blaine Crim’s singles, and one of Huff’s. Kershaw didn’t exceed 91.7, but that’s nothing new.
Owen White threw his hardest four-seamer (96.7) and hardest sinker (97.0) of the year, and his seven strikeouts were a season-high. Run prevention remained close to typical, although he received help from neither his defense nor bullpen.
SP Ryan Garcia: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 SO, 77 P / 47 S, 4.11 ERA RP Skylar Hales: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.70 ERA RP Robby Ahlstrom: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 2.15 ERA C Liam Hicks: 1-4, 2B, BB, .263/.366/.358 DH Cody Freeman: 1-2, 2 BB, .276/.332/.457 RF Josh Hatcher: 2-5, HR (7), .289/.331/.430 1B Abi Ortiz: 2-5, 2B, .213/.288/.339 3B Keyber Rodriguez: 1-2, 3 BB, .250/.306/.388
After four days off, Frisco headed all the way to Kansas for just three games. (Did you know Wichita is closer to Frisco than Corpus Christi?) Seven Riders reached safely at least twice. Abimelec Ortiz extended his hit streak to five and has 11 hits and three walks in that span. He hasn’t homered in over a month, but at least he’s getting on base. Ortiz retained his spot on the updated Baseball America top-30 rankings, if barely. Josh Hatcher also hadn’t homered in a month until last night. Between the two dingers, he’d batted .239/.287/.296. Hatcher doesn’t walk much, so his success at any given moment is tied pretty tightly to batting average.
SP DJ McCarty: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 6 SO, 76 P / 51 S, 3.69 ERA RP Mitch Bratt: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.27 ERA
Sebastian Walcott reached down to lace a curve for a double, and Ian Moller doubled as well. Walcott has a 28% strikeout rate (understandable for his age and level), but I’ve seen several examples of impressive plate coverage. DJ McCarty has allowed a lone run in three straight starts. I don’t think I see the 2020 free agent as a 40-man addition this fall, but he’s once again put forward a nice season and will progress to the next level at some point.
Lo-A: Down East 3, @ Delmarva (BAL) 5 Down East: 8 hits, 8 walks, 7 strikeouts Opponent: 8 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts Record: 8-13, 7.5 GB, 43-43 overall
SP Brayan Mendoza: 5 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 2 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 72 P / 49 S, 2.73 ERA RP Paul Bonzagni: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 4.27 ERA SS Echedry Vargas: 2-5, .263/.320/.428 1B Arturo Disla: 1-5, HR (8), .269/.347/.405 LF Wady Mendez: 2-2, 2 BB, .227/.337/.288
Josh Trentadue, who typically pitches several innings in a tandem role, lasted a season-low 0.2 innings and allowed three runs. Arturo Disla knocked his eighth homer but also grounded into three double plays.
Five Years Ago Yesterday Frisco’s Brock Burke, James Jones, Jake Lemoine, and Emmanuel Clase nearly combined for a no-hitter. Arkansas batter Jordan Cowan singled down the line and was thrown out stretching for second by LF Brendon Davis. Burke was perfect through five. A few days earlier, Josh Jung headed to low-A Hickory, while 3B Sherten Apostel made room for him by jumping to high-A Down East. Reliever Joe Barlow was promoted to AAA. “Barlow will definitely be added to the 40-man roster this winter, but only if he doesn’t make his MLB debut first,” I wrote at the time. He would definitely not, and didn’t.
3/103. OF Casey Cook, North Carolina, 6′ 0″, 195, age 21 Rankings: Baseball America #164, MLB.com #171, Fangraphs not ranked but mentioned
A contact-oriented hitter with a polished approach. Not especially known for power but did homer twice off #2-overall pick Chase Burns. Also not especially known for his defense but made this circus catch.
4/133. RHP David Hagaman, West Virginia, 6′ 4″, 215, age 21 Rankings: Baseball America #183, Fangraphs #44, outside MLB.com’s top 250
Rankings vary widely on the redshirt sophomore. The fastball has touched 98, the slider runs around 86, and he owns a changeup that could prove useful if the Rangers want to test him as a starter as opposed to his relief role for the Mountaineers. Hagaman had brace surgery on his elbow in May. Recovery time is typically shorter than for Tommy John, so the impact on his 2025 could be minimal.
5/165. SS Devin Fitz-Gerald, Stoneman Douglas HS (FL), 5′ 10″, 185, age 18 Rankings: Baseball America #470, MLB.com #218, Fangraphs (outside top 100 but mentioned)
One of only three high-schoolers selected, Fitz-Gerald doesn’t appear to be toolsy in the traditional sense but is a baseball lifer who has the instincts and skills to succeed. The switch-hitter is committed to NC State.
6/195. LHP Garrett Horn, Liberty University, 6′ 2″, 190, age 21 Rankings: Baseball America #304
Horn underwent Tommy John surgery after only four starts for the Flames, so we’re probably waiting until next June to see his name in a box. Horn’s control backslid in 2023 both at Liberty and the Cape after an impressive freshman debut, but he seemed to have at least partly righted the ship before his injury and had struck out a third of his opponents. He sports a low-90s fastball, slider, curve, and change. Here’s a quick slo-mo video from Friend of the Report Chris Wimmer.
7/225. 3B Rafe Perich, Lehigh (PA), 6′ 3″, 225, age 22 Rankings: Baseball America #293
Perich is Texas’s largest position pick by height and weight but is another contact-first bat. He struck out only 23 times versus 34 walks in the Patriot League and batted .382. He also slugged .572 but with only six homers; he certainly seems like he could grow into more power (for example, this), but we’ll see.
8/255. RHP Anthony Susac, Arizona, 6′ 3″, 216, age 21
Nickname: “Tonko.” In some respects, Susac had a trying season, as he dipped from weekend starter to midweek starter to relief. He improved greatly in a one-and-done role, walking four and fanning 23 in 14.2 innings. As a starter, he used a low-90s fastball, slider and change. Video.
9/285. OF Keith Jones II, New Mexico State, 6′ 2″, 220, age 22
Jones returned to Las Cruces after not being selected last year and led the Aggies in pretty much every offensive stat including 17 homers. Based on use in college, he’ll man a corner, mostly likely left. 10/315. RHP Jake Jekielek, Northwood University (MI), 6′ 0″, 195, age 21
The side-armer struck out 56 against just five walks in 42 innings as Northwood’s closer. Per Carlos Collazo of Baseball America, Jekielek has already signed for $20,000, far below slot. Jekielek is still just 21 but a senior, and they take what they can. Clubs often use some of rounds 6-10 on inexpensive players to spend the savings elsewhere. The Angels have signed their picks in rounds 8-10 for $1,000 each.
11/345. LHP Dalton Pence, North Carolina, 6′ 2″, 215, age 21 Rankings: Baseball America #340
Casey Cook’s teammate, UNC’s relief ace. Pence leans heavily on a low-90s high-movement fastball assisted by a slider and change.
12/375. C Josh Springer, Corona Senior HS (CA), 6′ 3″, 205, age 18 Rankings: Baseball America #416
He’s an Oregon commit, a young 18, and the third-best prep catcher in California according to Perfect Game. Here’s video of his wiggly setup.
13/405. LHP Aidan Deakins, Wabash Valley College (IL), 6′ 3″, 185, age 20
If Deakins doesn’t sign, he’ll head to Troy. He offers a 90-92 fastball, upper 70 slider and a change.
14/435. C Ben Hartl, Kansas, 5′ 11″, 210, age 21
Hartl joined the Jayhawks after two seasons at Heartland Community College (IL). Here’s video of him homering in the 9th against my alma mater. (My alma mater would prevail.)
A weekend starter. Fowler has a 90-93 fastball and 80-82 slider; here’s video.
16/495. RHP Eric Loomis, Missouri State, 6′ 0″, 195, age 22
Per MSU’s director of analytics, Loomis offers an average of 94 on the fastball (with ample horizontal break), 80 slider, and 84 change. Loomis pitched mostly in relief. Control is an issue, as he walked or hit 29 in 26.2 innings.
17/525. RHP Joey Danielson, North Dakota St, 6′ 3″, 235, age 23
The Bison’s closer. 7% walk rate, 20% K rate. Video. 18/555. RHP Kadyn Leon, Lake Travis HS (TX), 6′ 0″, 175, age 18
Also the football team’s QB, but his future is baseball. He’s committed to McLennan Community College. Fastball 89-92, curve 76-80, slider 86. Video.
19/585. LHP Cade Obermueller, Iowa , 5′ 11″, 160, age 20 Rankings: Baseball America #176, MLB Pipeline #214
Iowa’s Friday starter delivers a low-slot low-90s fastball, sweeper, and occasional change. He’s ranked well ahead of where picked and is a draft-eligible sophomore, so if Texas has any savings from earlier rounds, some of that might be employed here. Video. 20/615. C Mac Rose, McLennan CC (TX), 6′ 0″, 200, age 20
He batted .354/.420/.540 in 55 games for McLennan. Rose also pitched in high school and made one appearance in the Cal Collegiate League on the mound.
Day One Draft Results 1/30. C Malcolm Moore, Stanford, Age 21 (sophomore), 6’2″, 216, bats left, throws right Ranked #31 draft prospect by Baseball America, #26 by MLB.com, #18 by Fangraphs
Most prognosticators had Moore as a Ranger in their final or near-final mocks, the other common choice being catcher Walker Janek, nabbed by the Astros two picks earlier. (I suppose we can follow both to see which organization “wins.”) He batted .311/.386/.564 in his freshman year and .255/.414/.553 as a sophomore. Moore improved his walk rate by 120% as a sophomore, and his contact also improved. Though his slugging percentage dropped, his isolated power actually improved. As I mentioned yesterday, Moore’s BABIP was a paltry .233, down from .339 the year before, but I haven’t come across anything to suggest he actually regressed at the plate. That seems to be mostly bad luck. Indeed, the bat drives much of his value, and he projects as someone with the skills to take advantage of his solid power. Moore employs a very wide-open stance with multiple rapid-fire foot taps as his loads. We’ll see how that evolves as a professional. Traditionally, the Rangers have left draftees to their own devices in their rookie seasons unless they requested assistance.
Defense is why he fell to the Rangers. Reviews are lukewarm, generally noting the potential of being an adequate backstop but suggesting uncertainty of outcome. Hopefully, a year of professional instruction during what would ordinarily be his college junior season aids that task. If catching ultimately doesn’t pan out, the question becomes whether the bat will play at the bottom of the defensive spectrum.
2/73. OF Dylan Dreiling, Tennessee, Age 21 (sophomore), 5,11″, 197, bats and throws left Ranked #73 draft prospect by Baseball America, #72 by MLB.com, #83 by Fangraphs
After a promising freshman campaign, Dreiling truly blossomed as a sophomore, hitting .342/.459/.715 with 23 homers and 53 walks in 71 games. Notably, he played in a platoon role in 2023 (only 16 at-bats against lefties, no hits) but batted far better this season. Performing in critical moments on big stages won’t be an issue. He was named the College World Series MVP and homered in all three games of the finals (video of 1, 2, and 3). He has decent speed but didn’t take advantage of it on the bases. Texas didn’t draft him for his glove or arm. 69 of his 71 appearances this season were in left field, and reviews are subpar. He projects as an all-around average LF if he reaches his potential.
Here’s the placements of everyone I mentioned yesterday: 18. Tampa Bay — SS Theodore Gillen 23. LA Dodgers — SS Kellon Lindsay 28. Houston — C Walker Janek 30. Texas — C Malcolm Moore 39. Washington — C Caleb Lomavita 40. Oakland — 3B Tommy White 51. Cincinnati — SS Tyson Lewis 56. Miami — SS Carter Johnson Unpicked — RHP Dax Whitney Unpicked — RHP William Schmidt (pulled name from draft to commit to LSU)
Buy or Sell? Strange for an under-.500 club to be playing in what felt like a playoff atmosphere this weekend. For a while, Texas has been in a position of needing to win at least 60% of their games, probably more, in order to have a shot at the postseason. A 4-2 record on the road last week was pretty much a requirement, and the Rangers succeeded. Following yesterday’s win, I mentioned on social media that a .600 winning percentage would result in 86 wins, and .667 would mean 90. A win total in that range guarantees nothing but puts Texas in the conversation. Many responded positively, while others felt the hill too steep, and the Rangers would be better served by jettisoning tradable players.
On the one hand, 2023 is irrelevant in this context. The Rangers aren’t going to win any extra games by wearing gold-trimmed unis or flashing their rings at the opposition. On the other, this club was built to contend this season. Langford (and Carter) aside, it’s a mature, expensive squad. I think they deserve a chance, with the caveat that the chance involves a deluge of “now or never” games. That means something like a 5-2 record in the upcoming homestand against Baltimore and the White Sox. A negative record in that span probably signals the end, and Texas would have six days to engineer any deals.
Reno says “postponed,” Round Rock says “canceled.” The teams don’t meet again, so I’m going with the latter. Owen White was spared the horror of starting twice in Reno.
SP Dane Dunning: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 18 P / 13 S, 0.00 ERA RP Tyler Owens: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.59 ERA DH Liam Hicks: 2-5, .263/.365/.356 SS Max Acosta: 2-4, BB, 2 SB (16), .262/.325/.373 1B Josh Hatcher: 1-3, 2 BB, .287/.330/.419 C Cooper Johnson: 2-4, 2 2B, BB, .246/.349/.477
With one out in a tied bottom of the 9th, Max Acosta singled and stole second. NWA chose to walk Josh Hatcher despite an 0-1 count to set up a force and/or double play against Cooper Johnson. Johnson has the better OBP and slugging percentage, but the tactic is defensible under the circumstances. Johnson smacked a high fly that 2022 9th-overall selection Gavin Cross might have reached had he not misjudged its carry. The ball eluded Cross and bounced off the track for a game-winning double.
SP Aidan Curry: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 74 P / 49 S, 7.34 ERA RP Jackson Kelley: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 2.81 ERA RP Gavin Collyer: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.09 ERA DH Cam Cauley: 1-5, HR (6), .242/.292/.408 3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-5, HR (5), .200/.235/.446
Ouch. In the 11th, Gleider Figuereo hit a two-run homer, but Bowling Green responded with a one-out run-scoring single and a game-ending grand slam from Brock Jones off Michael Brewer.
Lo-A: Down East 1, Salem (BOS) 2 Down East: 6 hits, 0 walks, 10 strikeouts Opponent: 5 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts Record: 8-12, 7.5 GB, 43-42 overall
SP Kolton Curtis: 4 IP, 3 H (2 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 58 P / 40 S, 3.10 ERA RP Willian Bormie: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 3.53 ERA SS Chandler Pollard: 2-3, 3B, .234/.313/.287
A couple of early solo homers would suffice for Salem. Down East had two runners after the 4th, both of whom were caught stealing.
Today’s Starters No games until Friday.
Five Years Ago Yesterday The Pacific Coast League exceeded the previous year’s homer total with roughly 48 games remaining on each team’s schedule. AAA was using the MLB ball for the first time instead of one specially manufactured for the minors. Folks had always speculated the MLB ball was livelier, and folks were right.
Draft Preview After six seasons with a first pick in the 2-15 range, the Rangers will watch 29 other clubs make a selection before them. Such is the cost of a World Series championship. As such, I’ll confess that my draft preview is minimally informed by personal observations, but I greatly enjoy reviewing potential picks for future reference, so I’ve prepared summaries of anyone who has appeared as a Texas pick in mock drafts from Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, the Athletic, ESPN, or Fangraphs.
C Malcolm Moore, Stanford Athletic mock 3.0 (Keith Law) (italics = most recent) ESPN mock 3.0 (Kiley McDaniel) Baseball America mock 5.0, 4.0 MLB.com mock 16 May (Jim Callis)
Almost everyone had Texas picking this draft-eligible sophomore a week ago; Baseball American and both MLB Pipeline writers have since decided on a different catcher. Moore batted .255/.414/.553 in 2024 including 16 homers and more walks than strikeouts but also a .233 average on balls in play (excluding homers). The experts believe back luck played a major role in that disturbingly low figure, as the underlying metrics were sound.
Reports on his defense are mixed, none especially favorable. My strong preference (and it’s truly just a preference, not backed by analysis) is for near-certainty that a drafted catcher can stick behind the plate; otherwise, I’m thinking mostly on the bat.
C Walker Janek, San Houston Baseball America mock 7.0, 6.0 (Carlos Collazo) MLB.com mock 14 July, 4 July (Jonathan Mayo),14 July, 11 July, 20 June (Callis)
Here’s your defensive catcher, if you like, although even his more positive reviews note improvement needed on the receiving side to match the terrific arm. Still, he would appear to be a lock at the position. Hitting reviews are slightly muted compared to Moore; there is hope of average contact and power in the Majors. He seems someone with a strong likelihood of panning out as at least a backup.
C Caleb Lomavita, California Baseball America mock 3.0
Most publications have Lomavita selected before Texas’s #30 pick. He’s gotten away with swing-happiness in college because of his contact skill and growing power, but the worry is pro pitchers will take advantage of his approach. Defensive reviews indicate he’s still growing into the position but should be no worse that average.
SS Kellon Lindsay, Hardee HS, Wauchula, FL Athletic mock 2.0 Baseball America mock 1.0 MLB.com mock 27 June (Callis)
Early mock drafts linked the Rangers to several high school shortstops, later shifting en masse to college backstops. The Rangers haven’t led off with a youngster since 2018, but they also haven’t picked in this range since 2017. Defensive reviews vary, with some suggesting above-average potential, some projecting a move to center to take advantage of his superior speed. He lacks pop but in an ideal world would develop into a leadoff hitter.
SS Carter Johnson, Oxford HS, Oxford, AL ESPN mock 1.0
SS Theodore Gillen, Westlake HS, West Lake Hills, TX Baseball America mock 2.0
SS Tyson Lewis, Millard West HS, Omaha, NE Athletic mock 1.0
Three more young shortstops. Johnson’s reviews indicate a bat-first prospect who will likely move to second or third down the line. Gillen’s bat draws raves, but fallout from a 2022 shoulder surgery makes shortstop problematic, although his other skills point to a future at second. Still, Fangraphs rates him the draft’s top high school talent. Lewis has good speed on a quality frame. Hitting reviews aren’t as glowing as Gillen but still solid, and like the others, sticking at short isn’t a great bet.
3B Tommy White, LSU ESPN mock 2.0
Batted .355/.419/.704 with 75 homers across three seasons. He has terrific power, obviously, but isn’t an all-or-nothing hitter. White will have to tone down his tendency to chase as a pro. He could end up at first, but if he reaches his batting potential that won’t be an issue.
RHP William Schmidt Catholic HS, Baton Rouge, LA MLB.com mock 30 May, 3 May (Mayo)
We conclude with two high school pitchers. Texas’s fortune with young high-pick arms is limited, shall we say, but again, this is both a lower pick than in recent years and also a weaker-than-usual draft per the experts. Schmidt is a skinny 6’4” with a mid-90s fastball and massive curve. As is often the case, the change lags because he hasn’t needed it. As for Whitney, my first reaction was “Idaho? Really?”, but reviews are promising. Along with a low-90s fastball, Whitney possesses two worthy breakers and more feel for a change than typical at his age. Longenhagen of Fangraphs should have another mock today.
Futures Game Three Rangers made meaningful appearances in the 2024 Futures Game. Emiliano Teodo drew the start and tossed two perfect innings on just 14 pitches. He missed five bats (four sliders, one change*). His sinking fastball ranged from 95 to 99 with 17-18 inches of horizontal break, which is heroic. The slider topped at 89.
Winston Santos needed 24 pitches for his one inning, allowing an unearned run on a single and error plus a walk. He concluded his effort with a miss on a 97 MPH fastball. The heater ranged 97-98 with four misses, the slider 84-87 with one swinging strike, and he added one change* at 90.
Sebastian Walcott was 0-2 but provided the second-hardest ball in play of the game, a 106 MPH grounder that shortstop Aidan Miller couldn’t handle.
* Statcast often has trouble with “new” pitchers and lists Teodo’s and Santos’s lone pitches at 90 MPH as sinkers. They’re changes ,best as I can tell.
SP Tom Brennan: 4 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 2 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 51 P / 33 S, 3.63 ERA
Leave it to the man more dependent on weak contact than anyone on the squad to handle Reno in the mountains for a while. Tim Brennan had missed one bat in each of his previous two starts. He totaled five yesterday. Chase Lee, rehabbing Austin Pruitt, and Grant Anderson spread around eight runners in five innings of scoreless relief, but the offense couldn’t break through. Lee has walked seven in seven innings since rejoining the Express, unusual for him.
SP Dane Acker: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 2 SO, 81 P / 44 S, 3.88 ERA CF Alejandro Osuna: 2-5, BB, .354/.415/.667 1B Abi Ortiz: 2-3, 2B, 2 BB, .209/.286/.333 LF Aaron Zavala: 3-4, BB, .216/.326/.303 2B Max Acosta: 4-5, 2B, 3B, .258/.320/.371
A seemingly bland, decisive defeat turned wild late. Frisco trailed 7-1 entering the bottom of the 8th but had the tying run on 1st when the game ended despite allowing another three runs. Unfortunately some messy defense in the top of the 9th added three insurance runs that the Naturals would end up needing.
Abimelec Ortiz has back-to-back multi-hit nights. To give an idea of how his season has gone, he had one multi-hit game the entire month of June, and one in May. July is off to a fine start, however. Maybe no one in the system wants the upcoming four days off less than him.
Alejandro Rosario’s strikeout rate is higher in three high-A starts than his time in Down East (43% vs. 37%), although his walk rate at the higher level has declined from elite to average. Rosario had only thrown 11 pitches in the 5th and 80 for the night when removed, seemingly indicating a fairly firm limit on his workload. He hasn’t thrown more than 84 all season.
Lo-A: Down East 4, Salem (BOS) 5 (8) Down East: 6 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts Opponent: 8 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts Record: 7-11, , 42-41 overall
SP Paul Bonzagni: 4 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 3 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 58 P / 34 S, 4.35 ERA RP Josh Trentadue: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 4.14 ERA CF Jojo Blackmon: 1-4, HR (4), .169/.245/.290 C Jesus Lopez: 1-3, BB, .254/.312/.373
Salem outscored Down East in extras (doubleheaders are scheduled for seven innings), propelled by an error and fielder’s choice that produced no out. Lo-A: Down East 4, Salem (BOS) 0 (7) (NO-HITTER) Down East: 6 hits, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts Opponent: 0 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts Record: 8-11, 7.5 GB, 43-41 overall
SP Izack Tiger: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 SO, 63 P / 43 S, 2.63 ERA RP Adonis Villavicencio: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 1.29 ERA C Julian Brock: 2-3, .218/.296/.319
Izack Tiger and Adonis Villavicencio combined on a seven-inning no-hitter. They were making only their third and fourth career appearances in full-season ball, respectively. Both pitchers walked the first batter faced and then picked him off. Down East doesn’t broadcast on MiLB.tv, but the Rangers provided some video.
Today’s Starters AAA: White AA: TBA Hi-A: Curry Lo-A: TBA
Five Years Ago Yesterday Texas traded reliever Peter Fairbanks to Tampa Bay for IF/OF Nick Solak. Coming off elbow surgery, Fairbanks gained instant attention in Spring Training with a 100 MPH fastball, and he advanced from high-A to the Majors in a scant two months. At the time of the trade, he sported a 37% strikeout rate but a 5.45 ERA across all levels, as the contact batters managed to make tended to be noisy. Solak would make his MLB debut a month later after a .348/.386/.653 showing for AAA Nashville.
Kumar Rocker pitched two inning in Arizona, allowing a run on two hits and a sac fly, walking none, and striking out one. Based on current usage, he could pitch twice in the complex league before presumably heading to a full-season squad.
Pitchers Winston Santos and Emiliano Teodo of Frisco and IF Sebastian Walcott of Hickory are on the temporary inactive list in anticipation of the Futures Game.
SP Peter Solomon: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 61 P / 37 S, 9.19 ERA RP Aidan Anderson: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 2.62 ERA RP Grant Wolfram: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3.44 ERA DH Ezequiel Duran: 2-5, 3B, .194/.237/.250 C Sam Huff: 2-5, 2B, .244/.323/.445 LF Dustin Harris: 1-3, 2B, BB, .277/.363/.387
The Express trailed 4-1 early but mounted a gradual comeback. Davis Wendzel doubled in the go-ahead run in the 10th. In the bottom half, Andres Chaparro led off with a single to left-center, and Reno curiously chose to send the gift-runner against Sandro Fabian, who has scant CF experience but plenty in right along with a healthy number of outfield assists. Fabian unleashed a 92 MPH throw to beat the runner by several feet.
Reno entered the series with an 11-1 record and was threatening to develop a commanding lead over the Express and everyone else, but the Express have fashioned a split of the first four games despite shaky starting pitching in the unfriendly confines of northern Nevada. Jack Leiter was listed as Friday’s starter yesterday morning but had been replaced by Solomon in the late-afternoon press notes.
Three of Round Rock’s five games with the most balls in play of at least 95 MPH have occurred in the past week: 30, 7/09 at Reno (14-10 Reno) 29, 7/12 at Reno (7-6 RR) 29, 5/03 at Albuquerque (13-1 RR) 26, 6/08 at OKC (10-9 OKC) 26, 7/06 at Sugar Land (9-7 RR)
SP Nick Krauth: 5 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 3 BB, 3 HBP, 4 SO, 87 P / 50 S, 5.33 ERA RP Andy Rodriguez: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 1.96 ERA RF Josh Hatcher: 4-4, 2B, 2 SB (2), .288/.327/.424 1B Abimelec Ortiz: 3-4, 2B, .203/.276/.325
Hatcher and Ortiz were the only Riders with multiple hits, but four joined with doubles: C Liam Hicks (1-4, BB), DH Cody Freeman (1-4, BB, SB), SS Keyber Rodriguez (1-4), and 2B Max Acosta (1-4).
SP Ryan Lobus: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 HBP, 7 SO, 69 P / 43 S, 4.10 ERA RP Adrian Rodriguez: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 3.82 ERA C Ian Moller: 2-5, .238/.362/.309 RF Anthony Gutierrez: 2-4, .251/.300/.326
Ryan Lobus had his best lengthy outing since the beginning of June, albeit one that doubled his HBP total for the season. Adrian Rodriguez was effective overall but has issued a walk in 14 consecutive appearances and sports a wild .123/.405/.281 opposing line with 25 walks, two hit batters, and just seven hits in that 17.1-inning span.
Dating back to May 5, Ian Moller has a line of .275/.400/.359.
Lo-A: Down East 0, Salem (BOS) 3 Down East: 2 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts Opponent: 3 hits, 7 walks, 12 strikeouts Record: 7-10, 6.5 GB, 42-40 overall
SP Jose Gonzalez: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 8 SO, 89 P / 54 S, 2.37 ERA RP Victor Simeon: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 2.95 ERA 3B Esteban Mejia: 1-2, BB, SB (2), .163/.281/.286
Rain shortened the scheduled doubleheader to one game. They’ll attempt two today. Jose Gonzalez walked four, equal to his total in the the previous eight outings.
Five Years Ago Yesterday High-A infielder Anderson Tejeda suffered a shoulder injury that would sideline him the rest of the season. His next game would be 13 months later as a Major Leaguer. 15 months after that, the Rangers released him, and five months after that, he would be released again and (apparently) out of affiliated baseball for good for a few weeks prior to his 24th birthday. One of the strangest careers I’ve covered. Tejeda signed with independent Charleston (WV) of the Atlantic League in February but hasn’t played. I don’t see a release or any other transaction involving him.
Sean Bass of KTCK and I talked the current state of the Rangers and farm this morning on Diamond Pod.
Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs.com delivered his review of the Texas farm system. It’s a longer read than most publications and well worth your time. Longenhagen always has a few rankings highly dissimilar from his peers that you might find interesting (or confounding). Like Baseball America, he’s ramped up Alejandro Rosario to the #4 spot.
Brock Porter’s third rookie-league appearance went poorly: three walks, a hit batter, and one strikeout. The season ends in 13 days, so barring a rapid recovery that allows a return to full-season ball, he’ll be pitching in side sessions and/or simulated and unofficial games in Arizona.
SP Adrian Sampson: 4.1 IP, 7 H (2 HR), 6 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 80 P / 51 S, 5.72 ERA DH Justin Foscue: 1-3, 2 BB, .288/.466/.485 3B Davis Wendzel: 2-4, SB (2), .282/.388/.494
In three games at Reno, Round Rock starters have allowed 20 runs in seven innings. That’s a hefty sum even allowing for the location. Against Adrian Sampson, Andres Chaparro hit a ball 492 feet, and Pavin Smith later launched one 470. I’ve only updated my database through last Sunday, but unless someone hit ball farther this week, Chaparrro’s homer is the longest in the Pacific Coast League this season.
SP Ben Anderson: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 89 P / 58 S, 4.35 ERA RP Robby Ahlstrom: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 1.83 ERA RP Tyler Owens: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.73 ERA SS Keyber Rodriguez: 1-5, HR (4), .259/.299/.402 3B Cody Freeman: 2-4, BB, .281/.332/.466
Cody Freeman has hits in 17 of his last 18 games and is hitting .329/.360/.586 in that span. When the catching experiment ended, I was honestly skeptical in my assessment, but he’s responded with his best offensive season to date as a 23-year-old in AA. Freeman already has a career high in doubles (20) and will likely exceed his previous high of 13 homers (currently ten). Not playing short hampers his outlook, but he’s at least continuing to appear on the radar.
SP Mitch Bratt: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 SO, 82 P / 61 S, 3.36 ERA 3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-4, HR (4), .180/.226/.440
Anthony Gutierrez (1-4) executed a straight steal of home to score the go-ahead run in the 9th. Like Jax Biggers at Round Rock earlier this month, Gutierrez got such a huge start that the opposing pitcher didn’t even bother to throw home.
Mitch Bratt tied a career-best nine strikeouts. He’s been as good as ever lately: 29.2 IP, 18 H, 3 R, 5 BB, and 33 SO in his last five starts. He’s pitched 31 games at Hickory across the past two seasons. I don’t expect that total to reach much higher.
Five Years Ago Yesterday The draft signing deadline passed with Texas 7th-round pitcher Brandon Sproat the highest unsigned choice. The Rangers couldn’t pry him from a Florida commitment, and Sproat would even stay a Gator for a fourth season after the Mets picked him in 2022’s third round. The persistent Mets redrafted him in last year’s second round. He’s pitching well for AA Binghamton.
