Spring Training with the DEWDs
SURPISE, AZ - Picture the Rangers farm system is in a room featuring one of the tallest ceilings in all of minor league baseball. The farm is on the ground with plenty of supplies to build a ladder to the top of that ceiling but no instructions to do it.
SURPISE, AZ - Picture the Rangers farm system is in a room featuring one of the tallest ceilings in all of minor league baseball. The farm is on the ground with plenty of supplies to build a ladder to the top of that ceiling but no instructions to do it. Now picture the Wood Ducks as the head contractor. This is the year ahead for the prospects headed to Kinston.
This coverage from team broadcaster Dominic Cotroneo comes from the backfields of Surprise, AZ, the Spring Training home of the Texas Rangers. The prospects listed below are simply predictions and rosters are far from finalized.
When the prospect lists and rankings of 2018 were revealed throughout the offseason, there weren't many surprises with the Rangers' system. Ranked in the bottom third as a total farm across the board, but featured two top 100 prospects: outfielders
As for Taveras, the 19-year-old is the consesus top prospect in the organization and has consistently been among the youngest player in his leagues stateside. After 134 games in Low-A Hickory, all signs point to the center fielder coming to Kinston.
Now we begin our deep dive into a top 30 list from MLB Pipeline for the Rangers ahead of 2018. It is also a list that features 23 of 30 prospects listed having never played a game above High-A. I'll only be listing the prospects with a solid chance of appearing with the Woodies at some point this year.
TOP 10 - 2: OF
Given we have already touched on Taveras above, Cody is in an interesting spot. He only appeared in five games with the DEWDs in the regular season, but the 23-year-old from Wisconsin was electric. The Woodies won every game he started and he worked at least six innings in each of his last four starts.
For a system thin on reliable starting pitching, the Rangers will have to decide to they want to accelerate Cody's path by assigning him straight to AA Frisco out of camp, or simply slow-play his season with the first month or so in Kinston. Nonetheless, if the former Kentucky Wildcat is on the Opening Day roster with the Wood Ducks, he's getting the ball on Opening Night.
11-20 - 6: INF
The middle of the pack is jammed full of potential DEWDs. Looking at the cases for Hernandez and Perez to repeat in Kinston at least to start the year are strong: They are both only 21 years-old with plenty of room to still develop with another year just under the average age of the Carolina League (22.6 years old).
Like Taveras above, Tejeda has also been very young in his rise in the minors. He too is only 19, and showed his flexibility splitting time between second base and shortstop in his 115 games in Low-A last year. The Dominican also matured his approach in the second half with a .280/.336/.480 slash line in the Crawdads run at a playoff spot.
Remember that Yu Darvish trade? AJ Alexy, a teenage right-hander, was included in the trade and slots at number 16 in the MLB Pipeline ranking. He made 24 starts at the Low-A level between Great Lakes (LAD) and Hickory, and opponents only managed a .180 average against. Perhaps the Rangers will choose to slow things down for Alexy and keep him in Hickory to start the season, but it could be only a matter of time before becoming a DEWD.
Pelham has already had a taste of what it's like to pitch in Grainger Stadium: two perfect innings for the save in Game 1 of the south division championship series against Myrtle Beach. The flame-throwing lefty always brought strikeouts to the table, but allowing walks held him back. He shrunk his walks per 9 innings rate by three times from 2017 to 2016, helping him save 13 games for the Crawdads - a team high.
As for Aparicio, it would be a stretch to "expect" the 18 year-old to join the Woodies on Opening Day; given he has only played in 25 games at the low-A level. However, if he tears up South Atlantic League pitching like he did in the Northwest League, don't forget the name.
21-30 - 2: RHP
Oh would you look at that? The Yu Darvish return is back with another prospect. Davis came over from the Dodgers high-A in Rancho Cucamunga but was assigned back down at low-A with Hickory. He's yet another sub-21 year-old prospect the Rangers had stashed with the Crawdads and it remains to be seen if the Rangers want him to spend a bulk of time in low-A like his previous two seasons.
He's not a North Carolinian, but plenty in the state know of Matuella from his college days at Duke. He was lined up to be drafted at 1-1 in 2015 before Tommy John surgery ended that dream. Since joining the Rangers, he's been on tight inning and pitch selection limits while recovering his velocity and feel. It seems we're close to "all systems go" for 2018, and the righty could be a candidate as an Opening Night starter with the Woodies.
I want to be clear, these are not set names that will be on the first roster for the DEWDs at the end of the month. There are still about two weeks to decide who could be coming, but it seems these have the best chance of joining the club this season. Our coverage will continue from Spring Training on Monday with more on the 2018 DEWDs coming to Kinston soon!