Texas Rangers Minor League Report: Stars were out for Frisco

Tuesday night wasn’t particularly memorable for the Texas Rangers big league club or its minor league affiliates from a win-loss perspective.

The major-league Rangers lost in walk-off fashion to the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park 6-3, while the “stacked” Double-A Frisco RoughRiders lost their game to the Corpus Christi Hooks 3-0.

However, there was more than what met the eye that night, as the Texas Rangers’ Nos. 1 and 3 prospects took the field together for the first time in 2021 with the RoughRiders.

Those prospects would only happen to be pitcher Cole Winn and third baseman Josh Jung, two players that should get Rangers fans giddy about the near future of the organization.

Jung’s 2021 minors debut in particular was anticipated, since Tuesday night was his first pro game in two years (with the MiLB season cancelled in 2020), and he didn’t disappoint, notching a hit in his first at-bat as the DH.

The stars were out for the Texas Rangers’ AA affiliate Frisco RoughRiders on Tuesday night.

The Rangers’ top prospect had been sidelined with a foot injury suffered in spring training, but looked great in four at-bats as he continues to make progress towards an MLB debut that will likely come in 2022.

Jung should eventually get time at third base as he settles into more consistent game action, but Tuesday night was nevertheless an encouraging step in his path back to recovery.

As for No. 3 prospect Cole Winn, well, you know the deal by this point: filth, dominance and efficiency once again.

Winn has a 2.41 ERA in 37.1 innings pitched along with 42 strikeouts on the season, against just 16 walks, good for a nearly 4:1 K:BB ratio.

That K:BB stat in particular evidences the 21-year-old’s pinpoint pitch control, as the MLB average strikeout-to-walk ratio stands at about 2.5-to-1.

The prospect righty has been building momentum all season and could find himself in the big leagues by September if all goes well. If not, 2022 is a more likely target.

Either way, Tuesday night was a rather impressive night for Frisco despite the loss, as Texas Rangers fans finally caught a glimpse of what the future may hold with Cole Winn on the mound and Josh Jung’s bat in the lineup.

Soon, the game destination will be Arlington instead of Corpus Christi.