Texas okay, Milwaukee love the color but looks like a corporate softball top, Pads meh (I loved the old day-glos), Royals boring, Reds meh, O’s cool even though cap B looks like two cinnamon rolls glued to a stick, Bucs font stolen from an Affliction tee, Atlanta cool.

Bring Your Roo night in Spartanburg

Rangers 3, Mariners 0. The Rangers improve to 7-5 after sweeping the ostensible division favorites, who fall to 4-9. Texas is an old squad, but sometimes those callow youngsters need to be put in their place. Right, Judge Smails?

Rangers 3, Mariners 2. The Rangers are 6-5. Latz unhittable, Higgy heroic, and consecutive saves (in one-run games) from Jakob Junis, his third and fourth in 255 career outings.

Rangers 2, Mariners 1. The Rangers are 5-5. 6 pitchers combined to hold Seattle to one hit after Raleigh's homer.

Rangers 1, Reds 2. The Rangers are 4-5, swept at home despite allowing just nine runs in three games. This "Tribute to 2025" promotional weekend sucked and they shouldn't do it again.

Emiliano Teodo had the spirit today. Did start everyone with a ball, but overall 1-2-3 with 3 K, 15 pitches, 11 strikes, 3 misses (all chases) on 6 swings. First two appearances were "maybe he should be at the complex" level.

Hub City's Max Martin singled in the 1st last night and doubled in the 3rd tonight. His teammates are 0-for-33 with 3 walks and 15 strikeouts.

2024 pick 2/52 AJ Russell made his pro debut. 2 perfect, 3 K, 31 pitches, 22 strikes, 7 misses.

Rangers 3, Reds 5. The Rangers are 4-3. I did not see the 9th because I (and my wife) had a very long day and then took the edge off with an early dinner consisting partly of oysters and a martini, as one does. Some curmudgeonly opinions about martinis in the next post.

Cody Bradford done after 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 27 pitches, 17 strikes, 5 misses. FB 90, SL & CH 82, CB 75. Towering if not exceptionally hard-hit homers from Aaron Schunk and Dashawn Keirsey. Lost 1.2 on the FB between innings but it's rehab.

omg 97.8 on first pitch from Cody Bradford! Another TJ miracle! Just kidding. He did average 90.5 with the heater, a little faster than his 2024 average, and peaked at 91.5. Two grounders and a Rowdy Tellez fly at 100 and 36 degrees that the wind kept in. 11 pitches, 8 strikes, 1 miss.

So when I put a cryptic message like this in the Round Rock game report, that’s your cue to go “interesting game? … … oh my god, Cody Bradford!”

Oh, yeah. Texas 3, Baltimore 8. The Rangers are 4-2. If you knew Eovaldi would allow 11 runs and 19 runners in two starts, would you guess a 4-2 opening road trip? You would not.

Casar will be surprised but doubtlessly pleased to learn he is a senator.

Okay, so that was a dumb post. Let's set the record straight. Fastest Texas AAA pitches, 2023-present (top per pitcher) 101.7 -- Alex Speas, 2023 101.2 -- Emiliano Teodo, 2025 100.5 -- Gavin Collyer, tonight 100.3 -- Jonathan Hernandez, 2023 100.1 -- Yerry Rodriguez, 2022 100.1 -- Jack Leiter, 2024

Emiliano Teodo, on the other hand. HBP, WP, WP, BB, K, BB.

Maybe the fastest by an Express pitcher in the statcast era (2023-now). Yerry Rodriguez hit 100 a few times. Probably Jonathan Hernandez. Nobody last year iirc. Unfortunately, resulted in a cheap flared oppo game-tying single with 2 out in 9th.

The Rangers have scored at least five runs in four straight games. They didn’t do that last year until the week before the All Star Break.

Soon(ish).

Assignments for ex-Rangers in Gore trade: IF Devin Fitz-Gerald bumped to high-A, Gavin Fien to low-A and listed as an IF/OF, OF Yeremi Cabrera stays in low-A. Abi Ortiz already playing in AAA.

I wrote some final thoughts from Surprise. And posted lots of videos for the less-interested-in-reading of ya.

Rangers 5, O's 2. The Rangers are 3-1. Jake Burger is hitting .471/.500/.882. Also a .750 BABIP with no walks and a 39% K rate, but results are results, and let's live in the moment.

Jakob Junis, gold-glove infielder. Radio man Eric Nadel mentioned that Junis was a high-school hoops star. It's not Eric's fault, but any mention of basketball reminds me of massive draft flop Kevin Matthews, a first-rounder who could dunk a basketball but couldn't retire hitters in low-A.

Rangers 8, Phillies 3. The Rangers are 2-1 after taking a series at a contender and averaging 5.3 runs per game. I expect this trend to continue unabated through October.

Outrighted Alexis Diaz had a nice first outing for Round Rock. Two Ks and a gentle fly, average FB velo 94.6 (was 92.9 in spring), 3 misses on 4 swings with that plus a whiff on a slider.

Rangers 5, Phils 4 (10). The Rangers are 1-1. If you only know the end and not the means, keep it that way.

Never in doubt

Hopefully doesn't matter, but not a wise time for a challenge, even if you're very sure of being right. 1-1 count, none on, 2 out in 4th.

In 2025, batters hit .880 and slugged 3.560 with 43 homers in 50 plate appearances.

"Jake Burger," the people are saying.

Pictured: me, after reading the post underneath.

Texas's minor league season is underway. Alejandro Osuna begins with a sharply flared oppo lineout. Subsequent singles by Jonah Bride and Justin Foscue are for naught. Trey Supak on the bump at Sugar Land (HOU). Lineup is Osuna Bride Wade Foscue Hauver Cauley Zavala Helman MacIver.

Ex-Ranger Kohl Drake started for Reno on Opening Day. 4 IP, 3 H (2 HR), 3 R, 1 BB, 6 SO. Pitching in Reno is no fun at all, but his velo is worth noting. FB velo 90.7 today, was 91.5 during spring and 93.0 last summer in Round Rock. He did miss end of '25 with a shoulder strain.

Reliever Ryan Brasier stays in Texas on a new minor deal.

Texas 3, Philly 5. The Rangers are 0-1. No runs & four hits through eight, but the opponent was one of baseball's best on his turf. And they brought the tying run to the plate in the 9th. Burger had a day. Eovaldi would like two pitches back but isn't a concern. To Saturday.

Go Rangers. Whatever happens, please let it not be like 2025.

All of Texas’s minor league teams have announced initial rosters. Check my bio for link to various org charts. Will have roster previews in the upcoming days.

Maybe more time needed to announce AAA because of the bodies. I count no fewer than 36 for 28 spots.

Low-A Hickory roster. AJ Russell among several pitching newcomers. Otherwise, a lot of repeaters, although some were late additions last year. Haven't seen Round Rock yet. And I'll have full roster reviews on the way.

AA Frisco roster. Several interesting pitchers. As for hitting... well, all offseason I looked at the roster and thought "unless they get aggressive on hi-A promotions they literally won't have the bodies." They didn't, and they didn't. So: 4 offseason free agents, 2 guys in 9th MiLB seasons, etc.

And by "this afternoon" I mean noon CDT. Here's the high-A Hub City roster. A lot of people staying put from end of last year, which was to be expected. Joey Danielson back down from AA (wasn't pitching much in March I don't think). Moore stays of course. Dreiling moves up.

Crim suffered an oblique injury early in camp. Terrible luck, as he was fighting for a roster spot and had never been IL'ed in seven previous seasons. But at least he'll get paid.

Round Rock getting a jump on the "break camp" roster announcements.

419 feet on the Pederson homer. He didn't hit a ball over 375' in Arizona.

Helman had a bad spring (& even if he didn't, if he's one of the 5 best OFs, well...), Osuna had a solid spring albeit weirdly grounder-heavy. Curvelo has misfortune of being one of the only quasi-experienced relievers with options, as mentioned last week. But also, the R5 Baumler earned a shot.

Raising Arizona, Volume 1 — @tepidp.bsky.social’s dispatches from Surprise www.lonestarball.com/texas_ranger...

Nefertari says hi.

Good evening. I have a report on the bullpen situation, various hitters and more scottlucas.com/2026/03/18/3.... Also a reminder I have a host of statcast-oriented stats on Texas hitters and pitchers here under the 26hitters and 26pitchers tabs rangers.scottlucas.com/tr/org.htm