The farm system has a different look after Thursday’s trade deadline, but some of the same faces, including Cody Freeman, were kicking butt in July.
SEATTLE — Texas Rangers executives and coaches understand that MLB farm systems have two purposes: to supplement the big-league club with performance and to use for trades.
That didn’t make things easier Thursday at the trade deadline, when the Rangers shed six prospects over three deals that produced Merrill Kelly, Danny Coulombe and Phil Maton. Chief among them was Mitch Bratt.
Fellow left-hander Kohl Drake was the higher-ranked prospect, but Bratt had more tenure. He was also a three-time guest on the DLLS Weekly Podcast and just a great kid who will pitch in the majors.
Unfortunately, it appears as if it will be for the Diamondbacks.
Also traded Thursday were right-handers Skylar Hales and David Hageman and lefties Garrett Horn and Mason Molina. The six departures create some voids in the Rangers’ farm system, and the hope is that the 2025 draft class fills in capably.
One member of the 2019 draft class continues to push for his return to the majors.
Cody Freeman delivered one of the best performances in July in the Rangers’ farm system. He tops the following list:
Cody Freeman, inf
Affiliate: Triple A Round Rock
Key stats: .358 average, 1.111 OPS, 6 homers
Comment: Freeman did all of that production in only 53 at-bats, as his Triple A season was interrupted by that pesky major-league debut. Included was a three-homer game last weekend. After handling himself well in the big leagues, don’t be surprised if Freeman is back this season.
Dustin Harris, of
Affiliate: Triple A Round Rock*
Key stats: .308 average, .402 on-base, .889 OPS
Comment: The asterisk is for his current status, designated for assignment after the bevy of moves at the trade deadline. Harris is a lefty-hitting outfielder with power and speed, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he is claimed by one of the deadline sellers. After a slow start to the season, Harris is trending the right way.
Abi Ortiz, 1b
Affiliate: Double A Frisco
Key stats: .341/.400/.682 slash, 7 homers, 17 RBIs
Comment: Ortiz broke through as a prospect in 2023 with the kind of month he just posted. He saved his 2024 campaign with a late-season surge. He’s not a candidate for the big-league club just yet and probably not until late next season. He needs to continue improving defensively and finding more consistency at the plate.
Cam Cauley, 2b
Affiliate: Double A Frisco
Key stats: .314 average, .836 OPS, 6 steals
Comment: The Rangers are pleased with how Cauley has handled an aggressive promotion to Double A to start the season. He’s showing power and improved bat-to-ball skills, and his speed is a weapon on the bases. Cauley, a native Texan, is also doing well in center field and adding versatility to his resume.
David Davalillo, rhp
Affiliate: Double A Frisco
Key stats: 2.08 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 19 strikeouts in 17 1/3 IP
Comment: Davalillo handled his first full month at Double A with aplomb, doing the things that earned him the June promotion from Hub City. He throws strikes, misses the fat part of the bat and doesn’t get himself into trouble. The departures at the trade deadline thrust Davalillo into the next wave of pitching prospects.
Leandro Lopez, rhp
Affiliate: High A Hub City/Double A Frisco
Key stats: 2.12 ERA, .167 opponents average, 23 strikeouts in 17 innings
Comment: Lopez earned a mid-month promotion and has shown no problems with the bump, posting a 0.90 ERA in his first two Frisco starts. He’s in the same boat as Davalillo, with his status buoyed by the deadline subtractions. Lopez has leaned on his slider more this season to complement a fastball that tops out at 97 mph and a very good curveball.
Josh Trentadue, lhp
Affiliate: High A Hub City/Double A Frisco
Key stats: 2.04 ERA, .133 opponents average
Comment: The South Atlantic League was no longer a challenge for Trentadue, who allowed three runs in four innings Wednesday in his Double A debut. He left Hub City with a 1.15 ERA and 78 in 54 2/3 innings. He was the Rangers’ 14th-round pick in 2023 from the College of Southern Idaho. If you’re good, a scout will find you.
Anthony Gutierrez, of
Affiliate: High A Hub City
Key stats: .303 average, .376 OBP, 20 steals
Comment: The Rangers continue to be flummoxed by Gutierrez’s lack of power (.342 July OBP), but he is hitting well. Maybe he is crawling before learning to walk after consecutive seasons interrupted by injuries. He hasn’t outgrown center field, as some thought he would do. In fact, he thrives there.
Arturo Disla, 1b
Affiliate: High A Hub City
Key stats: .286/.355/.482 slash, 12 RBIs
Comment: Disla is from the Dominican Republic but played two seasons at Wayland Baptist in Plainview before signing with the Rangers in July of 2023. He is Abi Ortiz 2.0, showing less power but more hittability. Disla can move, too. He went 5 for 5 in stolen bases last month.
Caden Scarborough, rhp
Affiliate: Low A Hickory
Key stats: 1.40 ERA, .194 opponents average, 23 strikeouts, 4 walks
Comment: The Rangers’ sixth-round pick in 2023 lived up to the preseason hype in July over 19 1/3 dominant innings. The 20-year-old pumps his fastball to 96 mph and has a high-spin breaking pitch. After logging only 10 1/3 innings last season, Scarborough might see his innings limited the rest of the way as the Rangers try to protect him.
Hector Osorio, of
Affiliate: Low A Hickory
Key stats: .328 average, .438 OBP
Comment: Osorio backed up his breakthrough June with arguably a better month. He hit only one homer, compared to the three June blasts, but he hit 34 points higher and got on base at a higher clip. Osorio has always had a good knowledge of the strike zone, but he struggled mightily in April and May. He’s been a key to Hickory’s surge.
Deward Tovar, of
Affiliate: Arizona Complex League
Key stats: .333/.450/.652 slash, 4 thomers in 66 at-bats
Comment: Much like Osorio, Tovar busted out in June and improved in July. The 19-year-old Venezuelan, part of the 2023 signing class that was headlined by Sebastian Walcott, is a left-handed hitter in the same mold as other Latin prospects (Yeison Morrobel, Yeremy Cabera) at 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds but with big power for a teenager.
Elorky Rodriguez, ss
Affiliate: Dominican Summer League (red team)
Key stats: .410/.556/.623, 4 homers
Comment: The Rangers gave Rodriguez the biggest bonus in this year’s international class at $1,097,500, and he’s looking like a bargain. He is doing it all at age 17 with a short, quick swing that packs a punch. He also has walked more than he has struck out this season, completing his coveted hitting package.
Jeff Wilson, jwilson@alldlls.com
