The Rangers' system lacks many impact prospects past their big four of Josh Jung and Sam Huff on the offensive side and Hans Crouse and Cole Winn on the pitching side, but there is some depth here and a lot of potential hidden gems. On the offensive side, most of the system's depth comes at the corner infield spots, interestingly enough, as Jung, Davis Wendzel, Sherten Apostel, Jonathan Ornelas, and Curtis Terry all look like they could be future major league starters, though the system is thin elsewhere among position players after guys like Anderson Tejeda, Chris Seise, and Bubba Thompson had lost seasons due to injuries, poor performance, or both. On the mound, despite lacking a true standout (Crouse and Winn would like to claim that title but have serious question marks), there are actually a ton of guys that you could almost call sleepers. Joe Palumbo and Brock Burke have been prospects for long enough that they're pretty well known, and Tyler Phillips has started to creep onto prospect lists, but guys like Jason Bahr, Noah Bremer, Ronny Henriquez, Jake Latz, Ricky Vanasco, and others have been really flying under the radar. Unfortunately, as with the position players, injuries have been troublesome, as A.J. Alexy, Cole Ragans, and Owen White combined for just 19.1 innings this year, all thrown by Alexy.
Affiliates: AAA Nashville Sounds, AA Frisco RoughRiders, High A Down East Wood Ducks, Class A Hickory Crawdads, short season Spokane Indians, complex level AZL and DSL Rangers
Catcher
- Sam Huff (2020 Age: 22): Perhaps the best thing to happen to the Rangers system in 2019, Huff was a seventh round pick out of a Phoenix high school in 2016 then spent two unremarkable years playing complex ball in his home city before slashing a decent .241/.292/.439 with 18 home runs at Class A Hickory in 2018. Returning to the level as a 21 year old in 2019, he lasted just 30 games after slashing .333/.368/.796 with 15 home runs and a 37/6 strikeout to walk ratio, earning a promotion up to High A Down East and slashing .262/.326/.425 with 13 home runs and a 117/27 strikeout to walk ratio over 97 games there. Huff has huge raw power, perhaps up there with Joey Bart and Adley Rutschman as the most for any catcher in any system. His feel for the barrel improved remarkably in 2019, and he was able to get to it consistently enough to hit 28 home runs in pitcher-friendly leagues, but he remains far from a finished product. Huff is an extremely aggressive hitter who still has clear holes in his swing, and those were exploited a bit at times in High A this year. He's also improving with the glove and should be able to stick back there, but again, there's still work to do there. He's a classic Rangers prospect in that he has a high ceiling, one of a Gary Sanchez-type catcher, but also a lot of risk.
- Heriberto Hernandez (2020 Age: 20): It's unlikely that Hernandez sticks behind the plate, as Yohel Pozo and Randy Florentino are much better back there and much more likely to end up as backups to Sam Huff, but there's little question that Hernandez can hit. He generates a ton of torque from the right side of the plate and gets the barrel to the ball extremely quickly, and that's helped him put up monster numbers so far in his career. Combined in his two years of complex ball, he's slashed .320/.450/.635 with 23 home runs and a 101/82 strikeout to walk ratio in 113 games (.292/.464/.635 in DSL in 2018, .344/.463/.646 in AZL in 2019). Complex-level statistics can be funky because most of these guys are teenagers fresh off the island or fresh out of high school, but that kind of consistent performance over 113 games (he also went 3-8 in short season ball) combined with the simple eye test in batting practice certainly bode well for his future as a potential 20 homer, solid on-base guy. Now defensively, he could end up as a catcher, a first baseman, or a corner outfielder, and obviously his value decreases in the likely event he's not a catcher. We'll just have to see how he handles short season and perhaps Class A in his age-20 season.
- Keep an eye on: Alex Kowalczyk, Yohel Pozo, Matt Whatley, Randy Florentino
Corner Infield
- Josh Jung (2020 Age: 22): The eighth overall pick out of Texas Tech in 2019, Jung demolished complex level pitching for four games (10-17, 2B, 3B, HR) before evening out a bit at short season Spokane (.287/.363/.389, 1 HR, 29/16 K/BB in 40 games). A native Texan who grew up in San Antonio, Jung is an extremely advanced hitter who understands the strike zone, finds the barrel consistently, and can hit it hard and far. There's no question he'll be able to put up high on-base percentages in the majors, but so far, Jung hasn't translated all his hard hit balls into much over the fence power. He mostly hits line drives for now, and that helped him slash .348/.455/.576 with 32 home runs in 187 games at Texas Tech, but the Rangers are going to want him to figure out how to lift the ball and start driving it in the air. Defensively, he has a cannon arm but his range needs work if he'll want to stick at third base, and if he's moved to first, the pressure will really be on for him to develop that power. I'm not particularly worried about the power, though, and I think it will come and he'll eventually hit 20-30 home runs per season with high on-base percentages.
- Sherten Apostel (2020 Age: 21): Originally signed by the Pirates for $200,000 out of Curacao, Apostel was traded to the Rangers in the Keone Kela deal in 2018 and he's consistently gotten better and better as a hitter. In 2019, his first taste of full season ball, he slashed .251/.339/.440 with 19 home runs and a 120/51 strikeout to walk ratio over 121 games at Class A Hickory and High A Down East. He's an explosive player with a lot of power in his lanky 6'4" frame, and he managed to get to it much more consistently at Hickory this year (.258/.332/.470) when he finally started getting the ball off the ground and into the air. He was back to pounding the ball into the ground up at Down East (.237/.352/.378), but he doesn't turn 21 until spring training and he has plenty of time to figure it out. He's also still learning the nuances of the game at third base, where he has a cannon arm like Jung and more range but doesn't have as consistent a glove. He started to realize his big upside in 2019 and the hope is that he builds on his success in 2020, his age-21 season.
- Davis Wendzel (2020 Age: 22-23): After taking native Texan third baseman Josh Jung in the first round in 2019, the Rangers dipped back into the Texas college ranks and grabbed Baylor third baseman Davis Wendzel, though Wendzel is a native of Southern California. He's a bit older for a college junior draftee, as he'll turn 23 in May, but his bat is advanced enough that that shouldn't be too much of an issue. Over a brief, seven game debut between complex ball and Spokane, he slashed .316/.458/.526 with a home run, a pair of stolen bases, and six strikeouts to five walks, and he should move quickly through the minors with his good plate discipline and ability to find the barrel. He employed more of a line drive-heavy approach at Baylor, and adding some loft could make him be a 20 homer threat in the majors, and his ability to get on base will increase his offensive value as well. He's a better defender at third base than Jung, Apostel, or any other name on the corner infield list here, so if anyone's getting forced over to first base, it's probably not Wendzel. That's good, because his bat profiles much better at third.
- Curtis Terry (2020 Age: 23): Terry was a 13th round pick out of an Atlanta-area high school in 2015, and the Rangers have brought him along extremely slowly, finally giving him his first taste of full season ball this year. After slashing .337/.434/.606 with 15 home runs as a 21 year old in short season ball in 2018, he split 2019 between Class A Hickory and High A Down East and slashed .293/.362/.537 with 25 home runs and a 117/37 strikeout to walk ratio over 129 games. He's a hulking hitter at 6'3" and 265 pounds, but with that big frame comes an explosive swing and big power that he has gotten to more and more regularly – basically Sherten Apostel if he gained 60 pounds. He's an aggressive hitter that doesn't draw a lot of walks, but his hit tool is solidly decent and it should play up at least to the upper minors if not farther. As a first baseman in a Rangers system that's deep there, he'll have to keep his on-base percentages reasonably above .300 no matter what his power looks like, but the ceiling here is an impact bat that could make the Rangers look really smart with the way they've handled his development. He's a sleeper to watch, though he's got quite a few players ahead of him on the depth chart.
- Keep an eye on: Andy Ibanez, Ryan Dorow, Andretty Cordero, Tyreque Reed, Blaine Crim
Middle Infield
- Nick Solak (2020 Age: 25): A Yankees second round pick out of Louisville in 2016, Solak has already been traded twice, heading to Tampa in the three team Steven Souza/Brandon Drury deal in spring training 2018 and then on to the Rangers for Peter Fairbanks mid-season 2019. Between the two farm systems, Solak slashed .289/.362/.532 with 27 home runs and a 105/45 strikeout to walk ratio over 115 games at hitter-friendly AAA, then continued to hit in his call-up to the Rangers, slashing .293/.393/.491 with five home runs in 33 games. He's remarkably consistent at the plate, as his slash lines have looked nearly identical everywhere he's played, and with those still-consistent MLB numbers, he's really easy to project as a hitter with 15-20 homer pop and good on-base percentages. Defensively, he's more of a question mark, as he's improving but still shaky at second base and may be moved to the outfield. Expect him to play an important role on the 2020 Rangers, either as an offensive-minded backup or as a starter at some position or another.
- Eli White (2020 Age: 25-26): Another guy you can expect to see in the big leagues in 2020, White slashed .253/.337/.418 with 14 home runs, 14 stolen bases, and a 138/43 strikeout to walk ratio over 116 games at hitter-friendly AAA Nashville. He's unlikely to ever be a full-time starter, but his competency with both the bat and the glove point to a nice career as a utility or super-utility guy. He has modest but present power, a sound approach, some speed, and can handle shortstop, which makes him major league ready and exactly the kind of guy you want on your bench. There's really not much else to say about White, just expect to see the Clemson product in uniform at the Rangers' brand-new stadium at some point next year.
- Anderson Tejeda (2020 Age: 21-22): It was a lost season for Tejeda, who slashed .259/.331/.439 with 19 home runs at High A Down East in 2018 before hitting just .234/.315/.386 with four home runs and a 58/17 strikeout to walk ratio over 43 games at the same level this year. He's still young, as he doesn't turn 22 until May and he already has 279 games under his belt in full season ball, but he still has considerable work to do on his game. There's plenty of raw power despite his 5'11" stature and his great defense at shortstop buys his bat time, but he needs to improve his plate discipline and learn to recognize pitches. There's the upside of a 20-25 homer bat with average on-base percentages and great defense, though there's considerable risk as well.
- Jonathan Ornelas (2020 Age: 19-20): Ornelas, like Nick Solak, isn't for sure a middle infielder, as he's seen significant time at shortstop, second base, third base, and the outfield already. However, with some of the Rangers' best prospects manning the hot corner for now, he's more likely to end up at second or short despite his defensive skill set fitting best at third. Ornelas was a third round pick out of a Phoenix-area high school in 2018, and he had a reasonably successful first full season in 2019 by slashing .257/.333/.373 with six home runs, 13 stolen bases, and a 103/42 strikeout to walk ratio over 113 games at Class A Hickory. He's grown an inch in the Rangers' system and offers some real power potential, though he hasn't yet tapped it and has employed more of a line drive approach in pro ball. The good news is that he has shown the ability to handle mid-minors pitching at a young age, and he still won't turn 20 until May. The hope is that Ornelas can start to tap into that power and become a 15-20 homer bat if not more, and that should be something to focus on in 2020.
- Chris Seise (2020 Age: 21): Since Tejeda is safely ahead of Ornelas in the minors for now, Ornelas' primary competition to stick at the premium position is Chris Seise, a first round pick out of an Orlando-area high school in 2017. Unfortunately, shoulder injuries wiped out his 2018 season and ended his 2019 season just 21 games in, where he slashed .241/.272/.356 with a 33/3 strikeout to walk ratio at Hickory. After all the time off, it's hard to say exactly what kind of a player Seise is today, though we do know he's a supreme athlete with speed and very good defense at shortstop. That means that if both he and Ornelas hit enough, it will be Seise who remains a shortstop and Ornelas who will have to go elsewhere on the diamond. When healthy, Seise some power projection in his 6'2" frame and has shown the ability to make consistent contact, but he has a lot to prove after all the time off.
- Maximo Acosta (2020 Age: 17): Signed for $1.65 million out of Venezuela in July, Acosta is an excellent all-around player for his age. He has an advanced approach at the plate and an explosive, line drive swing from the right side, one that could give him above average power once he adds some loft. He's also a good defender at shortstop that should stick there, and he's fast enough to make an impact on the bases. Of course, Acosta has yet to even play in complex ball, so he's all projection at this point, but the Rangers have a lot of money invested in him and he'll be interesting to track as he begins his slow trek up through the minors.
- Keep an eye on: Charles Leblanc, Yonny Hernandez, Osleivis Basabe, Cody Freeman
Outfield
- Leody Taveras (2020 Age: 21): The top outfield prospect in a shallow system at that position, Taveras has tantalized with his tools while putting up solidly satisfactory numbers. In 2019, he slashed .279/.344/.376 with five home runs, 32 stolen bases, and a 122/54 strikeout to walk ratio over 131 games at High A Down East and AA Frisco, showing off his variety of ways to impact the game. He doesn't hit for a ton of power and probably never will, as he's instead content with just getting the barrel to the ball and going with the pitch. He keeps his strikeouts reasonably low, draws a few walks, and can use his plus speed to steal plenty of bases. That speed helps him in the outfield, where he's a plus defender who will stick in center field. If you're thinking of current center fielder Delino DeShields, that's a pretty solid comparison, though Taveras should have better pure hitting ability and he's a bit more wiry at 6'1" while DeShields is more compact at 5'9". He probably won't begin 2020 in the majors, but it's not out of the question that Taveras could get there at some point next season, at least for a short stint.
- Julio Pablo Martinez (2020 Age: 24): A Cuban defector who signed for $2.8 million before the 2018 season, Martinez has been a little more up and down than the Rangers would have liked. Overall in 2019, which he spent mostly at High A Down East, the 23 year old slashed .248/.317/.421 with 15 home runs, 32 stolen bases, and a 156/42 strikeout to walk ratio over 123 games. However, hidden in the stats is the big turnaround he had mid-season; as of June 7th, he was slashing .164/.223/.322 through his first 42 games in High A, but he turned it around to slash .298/.374/.475 over his final 71 games. Listed at 5'9" and 175 pounds, he's not the most imposing guy in the world, but he uses his elite bat speed and ability to find the barrel to hit for power and average when he's going right, though his aggressive approach limits his walks. He's also one of the faster players in the Rangers' system, which gives him a chance to be a 20-20 player in the majors. The often-complicated defection process from Cuba means that he'll turn 24 just before the 2020 season, so the coming season will be an important one for his development.
- Bubba Thompson (2020 Age: 21-22): A Rangers first round pick in 2017 out of a Mobile, Alabama high school, drafted three spots before Chris Seise, Thompson had a good run through Class A Hickory in 2018 (.289/.344/.446) before struggling to keep up with High A pitching in 2019, slashing .178/.261/.312 with five home runs, 12 stolen bases, and a 72/21 strikeout to walk ratio over 57 games at Down East. Hand and hamstring injuries have slowed his development so far, and while that didn't appear to affect his production in 2018, it may have in 2019. When healthy, he's a very good athlete with power and speed, the latter of which has played up more in games (44 stolen bases in 141 games the last two seasons) than his power (13 home runs in same span). However, with the lost season in 2019, I wouldn't be so quick to label him a future impact player, and while he certainly has the potential to be one if he can put it all together, there's a good chance he ends up more of a fourth outfielder. How he bounces back in 2020, and whether he can stay healthy, will be big in telling us that.
- Pedro Gonzalez (2020 Age: 22): Acquired from the Rockies for Jonathan Lucroy, Gonzalez has spent two years at Class A Hickory but he started to turn the corner in 2019, slashing .248/.317/.471 with 23 home runs, 14 stolen bases, and a 129/39 strikeout to walk ratio over 119 games there. He's a big guy at 6'5" with long arms and legs, and he got much better at leveraging that size to drive the ball over the fence in the South Atlantic League this year. He also has considerable speed for someone his size, and he's consistently improved his baserunning year by year, setting a career high in both stolen bases (14) and stolen base success rate (70%) in 2019. He's an aggressive hitter who still needs to tone down the swing and miss in his game, but his good defense and ability to be a well above average right fielder buys his bat some time. Overall, it's a platoon/bench bat projection.
- Bayron Lora (2020 Age: 17): The Rangers signed Lora, a Dominican outfielder who only turned 17 in September, for $3.9 million in August, and he's yet to play in professional games. However, Lora already puts on a show in batting practice with his ability to drive the ball out of any park, and his thick 6'3" frame helps him tap that power relatively easily. His hit tool is still unproven against professional pitching, and he'll have to prove he can keep his strikeouts down and find the barrel enough to get to his power, but the upside is enormous and if the Rangers get lucky, they could have a 30-40 home run bat in a future right fielder.
- Keep an eye on: Hunter Cole, Kellen Strahm, Alexander Ovalles
Starting Pitching
- Joe Palumbo (2020 Age: 25): It's been a long road to the majors for Palumbo, who spent five years in high school on Long Island, pitched for a mens league team his senior year, and signed for $30,000 in the 30th round in 2013 rather than attend San Jacinto College. He finally reached full season ball in 2016 but went down with Tommy John surgery in 2017, then returned for a strong 2018 season. This year, he posted a 3.01 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, and a 108/35 strikeout to walk ratio over 80.2 innings between AA Frisco and AAA Nashville, then got knocked around with a 9.18 ERA and a 21/8 strikeout to walk ratio over 16.2 major league innings. He sits in the low 90's with his fastball from an extremely easy left handed delivery, and he adds a bat missing curveball that should continue to work for him well at the major league level. He also adds a changeup and profiles well as a #3 or #4 starter, and his easy delivery should theoretically help him stay healthy as he puts that Tommy John surgery farther in the rearview mirror.
- Brock Burke (2020 Age: 23-24): Another high school lefty who was drafted a long time ago, Burke was a third round pick by the Rays in 2014 out of the Denver area. He was since traded to Texas as part of the three team deal that sent Jurickson Profar to Oakland and Emilio Pagan to Tampa, and in a blister-interrupted 2019, he posted a 3.90 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP, and a 64/18 strikeout to walk ratio over 62.1 innings, mostly at AA Frisco. He also made six MLB starts and posted a 7.43 ERA and a 14/11 strikeout to walk ratio over 26.2 major league innings. He has a pretty straightforward profile as a 6'4" lefty who sits in the low to mid 90's, adds a solid slider and changeup, and who fills the zone with enough strikes to make his stuff play up. Nothing jumps off the page with him, but his combination of solid stuff and command makes him very useful as a starting pitcher and one who should get a chance to compete for a spot in the Rangers rotation in 2020.
- Tyler Phillips (2020 Age: 22): A 16th round pick out of a Philadelphia-area high school in 2015, Phillips took a few years to get his footing in the minors but took off once he finally did in 2018. He had a 2.64 ERA and a 127/16 strikeout to walk ratio in A ball in 2018, then in 2019, he posted a 3.71 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, and a 102/26 strikeout to walk ratio over 131 innings at High A Down East and AA Frisco. The numbers were a lot better at Down East (1.19 ERA, 28/6 K/BB) than Frisco (4.73 ERA, 74/20 K/BB), but he was only 21 years old in the upper minors and he maintained his control of the strike zone. Phillips sits in the low 90's with his fastball, though his true out pitch is his fading changeup with serious arm side movement. He also adds a curveball with downer action but not a ton of bite, as well as a new slider that could be the last bump he needs to reach the majors. Of course, his best asset is his command, which ties everything together and makes everything play up. The 6'5" righty might not be as well known as Palumbo or Burke or the younger guys you'll read about next in Hans Crouse and Cole Winn, but he's a sleeper to watch.
- Jason Bahr (2020 Age: 25): Bahr's meteoric rise as a pitcher has been a fun one to follow, as he was actually cut from the UCF baseball team at one point simply because he wasn't that great of a pitcher. He managed to work his way back onto the team and was drafted in the fifth round by the Giants in 2017, then was sent to the Rangers in 2018 as the Giants packaged him with Austin Jackson and Cory Gearrin's salaries. After strong seasons in 2017 and 2018, he had a breakout 2019 in which he posted a 2.51 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, and a 126/51 strikeout to walk ratio over 122 innings at High A Down East and AA Frisco. As a former senior sign, he's a bit older and will turn 25 before the 2020 season, and while his fastball only sits around 90, his secondaries have gotten sharper and his curveball and changeup should be usable major league pitches. His solid command and good feel for pitching help him keep the ball off the barrel, and he could rise up as a #4 or #5 starter in the near future.
- Hans Crouse (2020 Age: 21): Crouse has always been an exciting pitcher, and that led the Rangers to select the 6'4" righty in the second round out of a Southern California high school in 2017. He held a 1.93 ERA in limited action over his pro debut and first full pro season, then spent 2019 at Class A Hickory and had a 4.41 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP, and a 76/19 strikeout to walk ratio over 87.2 innings. He's a funky guy, both by his personality and by his pitching style, and he sits in the mid 90's with his plus fastball while adding a quickly improving slider, one which was slurvy in high school but which has tightened into a real weapon in pro ball. Because he has a lot of effort in his funky delivery, he will always face reliever questions as long as he's a prospect, but he throws a surprising amount of strikes given his profile and the development of that slider is a huge move in the right direction. While Crouse's statistics were unremarkable this year, and part of that may have been due to nagging bone spur problems that were corrected this offseason, the improvements he made to his game make him easily the most exciting pitching prospect in this system.
- Cole Winn (2020 Age: 20): Winn, a first round pick out of a Southern California high school in 2018 (though he grew up in Northern Colorado), had an unremarkable stat line in his first full season in the Rangers system, posting a 4.46 ERA, a 1.43 WHIP, and a 65/39 strikeout to walk ratio over 68.2 innings at Class A Hickory. However, it was a tale of two seasons for him after he started with a 9.35 ERA and a 19/14 strikeout to walk ratio over 17.1 innings in his first six starts, turning that around to post a 2.81 ERA and a 46/25 strikeout to walk ratio over 51.2 innings in his final 12 starts. In an interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, he said that the difference was that he began to trust his stuff rather than nibble, and if he can stay in that mindset, he should be able to get back on track next year. When he's at his best, he has four pitches including a low to mid 90's fastball, two good breaking balls, and a changeup, and as an amateur he commanded all of his pitches well. His stock is down a tick just because of the uneven first full season, but he does have the upside of a #2 starter.
- Noah Bremer (2020 Age: 23-24): Here's a sleeper. Bremer was a sixth round pick out of Washington in 2017, and he spent most of 2019 at High A Down East, posting a 2.86 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP, and a 74/24 strikeout to walk ratio over 78.2 innings. He's 6'5" and has added a tick of velocity since college, now sitting in the low 90's while bringing in a good curveball and a decent changeup. It plays up both because he has good command and because he has a deceptive delivery where he rocks back before firing from a high arm slot afforded to him by his height, and he projects as either a #5 starter or a bullpen guy.
- Yerry Rodriguez (2020 Age: 22): Rodriguez dominated in his stateside debut in 2018, then carried it over to 2019 where he had a 2.08 ERA, a 0.90 WHIP, and an 85/21 strikeout to walk ratio over 73.2 innings at Class A Hickory. He's continued to add velocity and now sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball, though his secondary stuff haven't quite come all the way along yet. His plus command makes everything play up for now, though it would be nice to see him sharpen that secondary stuff so that he can be more than the #5 starter he's otherwise projected as.
- Ryan Garcia (2020 Age: 22): After grabbing slugging Texas collegians Josh Jung and Davis Wendzel with their first two picks in 2019, the Rangers pivoted to take UCLA righty Ryan Garcia in the second round. Garcia absolutely dominated in a strong Pac-12 this year, then allowed two runs while striking out eight and walking two over five innings in his pro debut. He only sits in the low 90's with his fastball and adds a solid slider, a good changeup, and the occasional curveball, but he has great command and really knows how to pitch, making all his stuff play up significantly. Right now, he has the ceiling of a #3 or #4 starter, though he's a bit slight in stature and may eventually move to the bullpen. Either way, he should move fairly quickly through the minors.
- Ronny Henriquez (2020 Age: 19-20): Henriquez is only listed at 5'10" and 155 pounds, but he made the jump from complex ball in 2018 straight to full season ball in 2019, where he had a 4.50 ERA, a 1.44 WHIP, and a 99/27 strikeout to walk ratio over 82 innings at Hickory. He has a lot of work to do in getting more consistent with his secondary stuff and proving his durability, but he handled Class A well as a teenager and showed good athleticism and command to go with his live arm and low to mid 90's fastball. There's significant relief risk here but he's interesting, I'd keep an eye on Henriquez as a sleeper.
- Keep an eye on: A.J. Alexy, Tim Brennan, Reid Anderson, Jake Latz, John King, Ricky Vanasco, Cole Ragans, Owen White
Relief Pitching
- Emmanuel Clase (2020 Age: 22): Clase sits in the upper 90's with his fastball, bumps triple digits regularly, and gets a ton of riding action on it that makes it nearly impossible to square up. What more do you need to know? In 2019, Clase had a 2.82 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, and a 50/9 strikeout to walk ratio over 44.2 innings at High A Down East and AA Frisco, then had a successful MLB debut in which he posted a 2.31 ERA and a 21/6 strikeout to walk ratio over 23.1 innings. His slider stands out more for its velocity, around 90 MPH, than its movement, but it's a good enough secondary pitch that it gets swings and misses from major league hitters regardless. He actually throws his share of strikes, which is far from a given when pitchers throw 100, and he should be able to settle in as a set-up man at the major league level in 2020.
- Jonathan Hernandez (2020 Age: 23-24): Hernandez spent most of his pro career as a starter, but he shifted to the bullpen late in 2019 and that's where he'll stay most likely. This year, he had a 5.16 ERA, a 1.44 WHIP, and a 95/38 strikeout to walk ratio over 96 innings at AA Frisco, then put up a 4.32 ERA, a 1.62 WHIP, and a 19/13 strikeout to walk ratio in 16.2 major league innings. He's a 6'2" righty with a fastball that sits in the mid 90's and a slider that misses bats, and now that he's in the bullpen, he can focus on those two pitches while going to his more average curveball and changeup less often. He was indeed more effective once he switched to the bullpen, where he had a 1.80 ERA and a 12/6 strikeout to walk ratio in 15 innings before he was called up, and he should be a real asset starting in 2020.
- Keep an eye on: Cole Uvila
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