Changing things up a bit with the Minor League updates. With all the Rangers affiliates having good seasons, I figured it was time to give status on how each team faired over the week.
I will also update who stood out for each team. I will also give news about each team along with breaking news. This change comes because of so many injuries to the DSN Top 20 list and others who are stepping up.
With all of that. Let’s do this…
HICKORY CRAWDADS (Low A) South Atlantic League
The Crawdads are in second place in the SAL Northern Division with a 21-10 record. They are 6-4 over their last 10 games.
Jonathan Ornelas is leading the team with .344 batting average. He was a SS out of high school but is playing some OF in Hickory.
Hans Crouse is still the top pitcher for Hickory. He had his worst outing of the year his last start. He went 4.1 giving up 4 ER and striking out 4. He still has a 3.14 ERA in 28.1 innings with 31 K’s
NEWS: Evan Grant tweeted that it looks like 2018 first round pick Cole Winn has been promoted to Hickory. This is a jump above Spokane where he was expected to start out. Minor League Baseball HR leader Sam Huff was promoted from Hickory along with receiver Wes Robertson. Robertson has a 1.36 ERA in 13 innings.
DOWN EAST WOOD DUCKS (Advanced A) Carolina League
The Ducks are 24-10 and lead the Carolina Northern Division by 4.5 games. They are 8-2 over their last 10 games.
Leody Taveras and Diosbel Arias continue to lead the Ducks. Taveras is hitting .331 and Arias is hitting .320. But watch out for Ryan Dorow. He has raised his average to .290 and grades out high as defender. Some say he is the best infielder defensively in the organization.
When it comes to pitching there is nobody close to Tyler Phillips for the Wood Ducks. He has a 1.19 ERA over 37.2 innings. He is averaging 1 walk per start. That means he throws strikes. Reid Anderson is also having a nice year.
NEWS: Tyler Phillips is not listed on Down East active roster as of last night. His status is officially “Assigned to new team/level”. Watch out, Roughriders. It looks like Phillips is on his way. But nothing official has been announced. With Sam Huff’s promotion, Melvin Novoa has been demoted to Hickory to make room.
FRISCO ROUGHRIDERS (AA) Texas League
The Riders are 19-14 and lead the Texas League South Division. There are 5-5 over the last 10 games.
Charles Leblanc is still the best offensive player for Frisco. He leads Frisco with a .347 average. The only issue with Leblanc is the lack of power. He doesn’t have a dinger this year. There is not much power at all on the team. Preston Beck leads the team with 6.
Frisco has one of the best pitching staffs in the Rangers organization. Between Frisco and Down East there are some great arms performing well. Joe Palumbo leads the rotation with a 3.33 ERA. The bullpen has been stellar. Lead by Walt Weickel, Blake Bass, Lock St John and recently promoted Jake Lemoine, they all have ERA below 2.00. St John and Lemoine are below 1.00. Emmanuel Clase has one of the most electric arms I have ever seen.
NEWS: Nothing has been confirmed yet, but it looks like Tyler Phillips is heading to Frisco. Jake Lemoine was promoted to Nashville.
NASHVILLE SOUNDS (AAA) Pacific Coast League
The Sounds are 12-22 and last in the PCL American North Division. They are 4-6 over the last 10 games.
Zack Granite leads the Sounds with .302 average. He is also someone to watch because he plays center field and is on the 40 man roster. Willie Calhoun is also doing well with 7 HRs and a .284 average.
Tim Dillard has been impressive filling in as a starter for the depleted Nashville pitching staff. He has eaten some innings when needed. Brady Feigle leads the bullpen and might be a name to watch. He might be needed in Arlington soon.
NEWS: Besides the Lemoine promotion from Frisco, word got out that Scott Heineman is coming back. This is another name to watch for the major league center field possibilities. Delino Deshields is also coming to Nashville to work out his major league struggles.
Up down the system, things are starting to move. With the promotion of Winn to Hickory, it signals how special Texas thinks he is. The headline of the de-load program, he was the only one not to have Tommy John surgery. Heineman is another bonus to the system. Some thought he would make the team out of spring training. Had he been healthy, we may not have Forsythe or Santana. Deshields would have definitely had some competition.
Things are moving and shaking. I will be talking with Greg Scallion of Criswell Clubhouse Chatter this weekend for the podcast. He has been covering Nashville this weekend in Oklahoma. He can tell us about his interviews with Tim Dillard, Brady Feigle and others.
Featured Image: Texas Rangers (Cole Winn/Kip Fagg pictured)
