'Dads Dominate Rangers Prospects List
Hickory, NC - Baseball America has released its 2016 Top 10 Prospects list for the Texas Rangers, with seven of the 10 players being alumni of the Hickory Crawdads.
The top seven players on the Top 10 Prospects list all spent time with the 'Dads including Joey Gallo (#1, 2013), Lewis Brinson (#2, 2013-'14), Nomar Mazara (#3, 2013-'14), Luis Ortiz (#4, 2014-'15), Dillon Tate (#5, 2015), Eric Jenkins (#6, 2015), and Josh Morgan (#7, 2015). Rounding out the Top 10 are three players who have yet to appear in a minor league game in Andy Ibanez, Leodys Taveras, and Michael Matuella.
Gallo, 22, made his major league debut with the Rangers in 2015, batting .204 (22-108) with six home runs and 14 RBI over 36 games. The 6'5" 230-pound slugger began the season in Double-A Frisco where he posted a .314/.425/.636 slash line with 9 HR and 31 RBI in 34 games before batting .195 (39-200) with 14 HR and 32 RBI in 53 total games at Triple-A Round Rock. Gallo spent the 2013 season in Hickory where he set a new single-season home run record for the club with 38 homers while also being named both a Mid-Season and Post-Season All-Star in the South Atlantic League.
Brinson, 21, was named the Rangers 2015 Minor League Defender of the Year. The club's first round selection in the 2012 Draft combined to bat .332 (132-398) with 20 home runs, 69 RBI, and 18 stolen bases over 100 games with High-A High Desert, Frisco, and Round Rock. Brinson spent 43 games with the 'Dads in 2014, where the center fielder hit .335 (55-164) with 10 HR, 8 2B, 46 RBI, and 7 stolen bases. The Florida native was a Mid-Season SAL All-Star with the Crawdads in 2013 while posting the first ever 20/20 season in club history with 21 HR and 24 SB to go along with a .237 average (106-447), 18 2B, and 52 RBI.
Mazara, 20, was a Mid-Season Texas League All-Star in 2015 after batting .284 (116-409), with 13 HR, 22 doubles, and 56 RBI over 111 games in Frisco. The Dominican Republic native earned a late-season promotion to Round Rock, where he posted a .358 average (29-81) during his 20-game stint with the Express. Mazara spent the majority of the 2014 season with the Crawdads where he was named both a MiLB.com Organization All-Star and a Baseball America Low Class-A All-Star thanks to a .264 average (105-398), 19 HR, 21 2B, and 73 RBI. The 6'4" left-handed hitter was also in Hickory for the entire 2013 campaign, where he hit .236 (107-453) with 13 HR and 62 RBI as a 17-year-old.
Ortiz, 20, was a Mid-Season All-Star with the 'Dads in 2015, going 4-1 with a 1.80 ERA (10 ER/50 IP), 46 strikeouts, and a .238 batting average against while helping to lead the Crawdads to the SAL Championship. A 1st Round selection by the Rangers in the 2014 June Draft, Ortiz also made a brief appearance in Hickory in 2014 with one run allowed over 7 IP.
Tate, 21, joined the Crawdads in August of 2015 and proceeded to make four abbreviated starts with one run allowed over 7 IP. The Rangers 1st Round selection in the 2015 June Draft, Tate also made three post-season relief appearances for the 'Dads including earning the win in Game 2 of the Northern Division Championship Series.
Jenkins, 18, was added to the Crawdads for the stretch run in 2015 after being selected in the 2nd Round of the 2015 June Draft. The North Carolina native hit .389 (7-18) during five regular season games for the 'Dads before going 2-12 with a double and an RBI over three post-season contests.
Morgan, 20, was a Mid-Season All-Star with the Crawdads in 2015 after leading the team in both walks (45) and on-base percentage (.385), while also batting .288 (101-351) with 15 2B, 3 HR, and 36 RBI. The California native was also Post-Season All-Star in rookie-league AZL in 2014 after hitting .336 (38-113) over 33 games prior to a promotion to Class-A short-season Spokane.
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