Texas Rangers in Double-A: Who’s Hot, Who’s Not For Frisco?

Apr 6, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Texas Rangers hat and glove lay in the dugout against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Texas Rangers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

There are a few players that would be worthy of taking home the offensive honors, with Jorge Alfaro, Nick Williams and Nomar Mazara being in the mix, but this month, the award goes to Drew Robinson.

Call to the Pen

Robinson was drafted in the fourth round of the 2010 June Amateur Draft out of Silverado High School and has been making the slow climb to the big leagues since. The 23-year old has seen most of his time this season at second base, with one game at DH, but last season he manned both corner outfield positions as well as some third, first and second in Frisco. At the end of the year he was called up to Round Rock where he played in eight games and hit .304 with a .467 OBP.

In the first month of the season, Robinson has taken the team lead in home runs (7), rbi (12), walks (19, next best is 7), stolen bases (6) and OBP (.385). The one caveat for Drew Robinson is that his batting average is at .222, which is likely part of the reason he started back in Double-A this season after batting .190 in Frisco last year.

Aside from being the team leader in multiple categories, Robinson also was the hottest hitter of the aforementioned foursome during the team’s latest run, going 5-for-24 (.208) but adding two home runs, five rbi, three steals and seven runs. Until last night, he had drawn a walk in six straight games.

Best Game: April 13th Robinson went 3-for-4 with two home runs, three rbi and a stolen base in the RoughRiders 7-4 win against Northwest Arkansas (Royals). 

Notable mention: Alfaro is batting .306 on the young season and has two homers and seven rbi. He is striking out at a high rate (31.9%) however, so look for the 21-year old catcher to make some adjustments in the coming month.

Next: Least Valuable Offensive Player

Mar 25, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; A genial view if a glove, bat and baseballs on the field prior to the game between the New York Yankees and New York Mets at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The player that has struggled the most through one month with Frisco has been 22-year old center fielder Christopher Garia. He is batting .179 thus far, and has struck out a total of fourteen times while walking just once. While this is a similar showing to Drew Robinson, Garia doesn’t have the power numbers (no home runs, one rbi) or OBP (.203) that set Robinson apart. His main attribute, his speed, has been neutralized.

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Last season with Myrtle Beach (High-A), Garia hit .284 with 45 stolen bases. With Frisco he is four for six in stolen base attempts. While this may be one issue for Garia, the other could be how he is making his outs. In his professional career, he has averaged a 1.53 ground out to fly out ratio, meaning that he records most of his outs on the ground, which is good with his plus speed.

This season however, he is at a 1.16 ratio, which means that he’s flying out a lot more and unable to utilize his main asset.

Next: Least Valuable Pitcher

Mar 25, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; A general view of a New York Mets glove, baseballs and bag laying on the field prior to the game at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Jose Leclerc, statistically, is struggling this season. The 21-year old righty has made five appearances, including two starts with Frisco, totaling 11 2/3 innings. His ERA is by far the highest of any starting pitcher at 8.49, while his WHIP is a subpar 1.97. Of the pitchers that have made starts this season, only Victor Payano‘s 1.98 is worse. The young righty has walked 14 in limited innings, with his walk total being lower than his innings total in just one appearance this season. This has likely lead to his inflated ERA, and has certainly contributed to his high WHIP.

That’s the bad, but there is plenty to be optimistic about with Leclerc. Batters are hitting just .209 against him this season, and he has struck out 18 for a 13.9 K/9 ratio. In his last outing, he went four innings, his highest total of the season, of no-hit ball while issuing five walks and allowing one run to score.

FanGraphs said of Leclerc last season, “…is a live-bodied, athletic righty with a clean arm that sits 91-95 and has hit 97 mph with an above average slider and usable curveball and changeup. The command is still below average, but the strikeout and groundball rates are both strong and he’ll be 21 next year when he heads to AA.”

Leclerc’s minor league totals suggest that he is a ground ball pitcher, with a cumulative ground ball to fly ball ratio of 1.18, while his 2015 Frisco total sits currently at 0.45. This is pure speculation, but if his command improves mightily, he could be a bullpen fixture in the coming years. Those strikeout rates are hard to ignore.

Next: Pitcher of the Month

Mar 5, 2015; Jupiter, FL, USA; A general view of baseballs on the field at Roger Dean Stadium prior to a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

This was a tough one to call honestly. Starters Jake Thompson (2-2, 3.76) and Alec Asher (1-2, 3.65) have both been solid in the rotation, while 27-year old reliever Francisco Mendoza has yet to allow a run in twelve innings. That all said, I’m giving the award to Thompson on the heels of his 12 strikeout performance from last night.

While Thompson and Asher have very comparable stats, it was the 21-year old righties’ lower walk total (6 to 12) that sealed the deal. The Rockwall native has become a severe ground ball pitcher this season, with a 1.78 GO/FO ratio compared to his career ratio of 1.08.

Thompson was acquired with Corey Knebel in the Joakim Soria trade with the Tigers at the deadline last season. Knebel was then shipped to Milwaukee in the Yovani Gallardo deal in January. In the top 200 prospect rankings from February, FanGraphs listed Thompson as their #29 prospect, behind other Texas Rangers’ prospects Joey Gallo and Alex Gonzalez. There they mention that Thompson could become a bullpen option later this season with his delivery requiring “some effort” while he tends to hit a little higher on the radar gun in short stints.

No matter where he ends up this season, he’s our Pitcher of the Month from Frisco!

Next: How to Fix the Texas Rangers