Texas Rangers May Minor League Update

Low-A Down East

10. Brock Porter

The other half of the experiment in last year's draft was Porter. The Rangers chose Rocker so that they could end up picking Porter in the fourth round and give him a higher signing bonus and have him forego college. It worked. Porter was not taken and the Rangers ended up picking him with their first pick in the fourth round. Porter thus far has been as advertised. He had a bad first start where he could not get out of the first inning. He walked four in that inning alone. Since then he is throwing on average between three to four innings per start. In his last start he went four hitless innings and struck out seven and walked two. He was dominating with his fastball and slider primarily in that game, but also showed off a changeup that was unhittable as well. His potential to be a future ace is clearly there. He has the size at 6'4 and the overpowering stuff to lead the Rangers rotation one day.

11. Anthony Gutierrez

Gutierrez by most analysts is ranked right outside the top 10 of Rangers prospects. Those same services also say that in a year or two Gutierrez might be the Rangers best prospect. At just 18 years of age the Rangers are introducing him to full season ball. He spent 2022 split between the Dominican Summer League and Arizona Complex League. This season the Rangers are pushing him ahead to Low-A Down East. He is one of the youngest players on the team and in the league at 18. To give you an idea of how young he really is, when the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series he was still a month away from being born. Right now he is holding his own at Down East. He is hitting in the middle of the order for the Wood Ducks. He has a .278 batting average, with one home run, 10 RBI's, and six stolen bases. He is showing flashes so far this season. The potential is huge for Gutierrez as long as he can continue to develop and tap into some of that power.

12. Tucker Mitchell

Mitchell may be the last name on this list, but it does not mean he is the worst. In fact he might be the best catching prospect in the minor league system currently. Mitchell was a 14th-round pick in the 2021 MLB draft. He dealt with multiple injuries throughout the 2022 season robbing him of a chance to really show off who he is. He is healthy now in 2023 and the bat is showing up in a big way. In 14 games played, he has a .378 batting average, with a 1.002 OPS, and one home run. He also has no errors in six games played at catcher. If he can stick at catcher the bat will play. He is someone to follow this season and see his progression. The Rangers have catchers at every level ahead of him. Sam Huff at Triple-A, David Garcia at Double-A, Cody Freeman a High-A, and Mitchell and Moller at Low-A. Of that group Mitchell is hitting the best. If he can continue to hit, that will carry him through the minor league system.