White returns to K side twice in 2022 finale

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White ties perfect knot around 2022 with Frisco (Sept. 27)
When Owen White got on the bump for Double-A Frisco against Wichita, he was looking to keep the club’s 2-0 deficit in Game 2 of the Texas League Championship Series right where it stood. He may not have been at the forefront of the club’s late-inning comeback, but he did strike out every batter he faced en route to a ring.

The Rangers’ No. 4 prospect faced six batters and struck four of them out swinging, while the other two went down looking. Three punchouts came on the heater, three on his wicked breaking ball. After he departed, White watched as the RoughRiders’ offense scored two runs in the eighth, one in the ninth and four in the 10th en route to a 7-5 win that clinched their first league title since 2004.

The fact that White took the mound in any capacity prior to the conclusion of the 2022 season stands as a victory. When the 23-year-old landed on the injured list in July with right forearm fatigue, it was a sizable speed bump for a hurler who had forced his way onto the Top 100 Prospects list with strong performances and electric stuff dating back to last year’s Arizona Fall League.

Upon his promotion to Frisco in June, White made four starts and won three of them, yielding three runs or fewer each time out. Factoring in his final outing, he compiled a 2.28 ERA at the level with 29 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings. Overall, he accrued 110 strikeouts during the 2022 year, despite throwing just 82 1/3 frames. -- Jesse Borek

Frisco rallies to win Texas League title (Sept. 27)
Stymied through seven innings, the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders still managed to save their best for last.

Frisco rallied from deficits in the eighth and ninth innings before scoring four times in the 10th en route to a 7-5 championship-clinching win over Wichita at Riverfront Stadium.

Evan Carter's two-run single in the 10th proved to be the decisive knock for the RoughRiders, who completed a two-game sweep of the best-of-3 series to claim its second Texas League title and first since 2004, the franchise's second year of existence.

Trailing by two runs from the opening frame and held to three singles over the first seven innings, Frisco broke through in the eighth with clutch hitting and some good fortune. Kellen Strahm doubled to plate No. 7 Rangers prospect Luisangel Acuna to cut the deficit to one run and took third on a throwing error by Wichita catcher Jair Camargo. The error proved costly when Trevor Hauver evened the score with a sacrifice fly. Full story »

Foscue, Ornelas and Kapers lead Frisco to blowout Game 1 win (Sept. 25)
Justin Foscue got Frisco off to a strong start out of the gates in the Texas League Championship Series. Scott Kapers made sure his team won by a furlong.

The Double-A RoughRiders are a win away from claiming the league title for the first time since 2004 after a commanding 11-3 win over Wichita. The Wind Surge are slated to host Games 2 and 3, the latter only necessary if Frisco is unable to pull off the sweep.

Foscue, the Rangers' No. 5 prospect, drove in three runs in the first two innings as the RoughRiders jumped out to an early 5-0 lead. Kapers, a 25-year-old backstop, hit a solo home run in the fifth and emphatically slammed the door shut with a grand slam in the sixth.

Jonathan Ornelas, Texas' No. 22 prospect, contributed four hits and an RBI. Mason Englert, the organization's No. 30 prospect, worked 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball. -- Jacob Resnick

Saggese's first Double-A homer is a grand slam (Sept. 18)
In the final regular-season game for Double-A Frisco, Thomas Saggese ended with a bang. The Rangers’ No. 20 prospect cranked a first-inning grand slam -- his first home run with the RoughRiders -- and finished with five RBIs in Frisco’s 10-9 win over Northwest Arkansas.

Three of the first four Frisco batters reached base to begin the game, and Saggese took full advantage. The infielder took the first pitch before pouncing over the next one for a no-doubt slam to left field for his 15th long ball of the season. He added an RBI double in the seventh, and with two more extra-base knocks, the 20-year-old has six such hits and nine RBIs through his first five games at Double-A.

A fifth-round pick in the 2020 Draft, Saggese’s performance put an exclamation point on a breakout sophomore season. The righty slugger finished the regular season with a .312/.361/.506 slash line, 25 doubles, 30 walks and 70 RBIs in 103 games across two levels. -- Stephanie Sheehan

Roby fans career-high 12 for Crawdads (Sept. 8)
Tekoah Roby is soaring to the end of the regular season and may have completed it with his best start yet.

The No. 15 Rangers prospect worked five innings without allowing an earned run and struck out a career-high 12 batters in High-A Hickory's 5-4 win over Rome. Roby retired the first nine batters he faced and yielded an unearned run after a catcher's interference preceded a steal of home, but recovered to strike out five of his final seven opponents.

It was the third time in Roby's last five starts that he allowed no earned runs. The 2020 third-round pick has posted a 3.38 ERA in 10 outings since the beginning of July, a strong improvement from his 5.61 mark over his first 12 starts. Roby's turnaround was all the more impressive as a 20-year-old in the South Atlantic League. He is one of just three pitchers at that age to throw at least 100 innings in the circuit this year. -- Jacob Resnick

Foscue produces first multihomer game of the season (Sept. 2)
Justin Foscue showed the power in his bat.

The No. 5 Rangers prospect produced his second multihomer game of his career as he went 3-for-6 with two long balls and four RBIs in Double-A Frisco’s 21-2 win over Amarillo.

The 23-year-old's power surge started in his second at-bat as he crushed a two-run blast to right field in the third inning. Foscue capped it off with a two-run blast to left-center field in his next at-bat.

The infielder brought his homer tally to 14 and improved his slash line to .289/.369/.492 on the season. -- Edwin Perez

Huff homers twice, adds double for Round Rock (Aug. 27)
Known for prestigious power, Sam Huff is no stranger to multihomer games. But for the first time in his career, the Texas catcher drove in six runs on a big night for Triple-A Round Rock.

Huff homered twice and doubled to lead the Express to an 18-7 win over Albuquerque. All three of his extra-base hits went to the opposite field in right. Huff's double in the third inning plated one run, then later he connected on a three-run homer in the fourth and a two-run homer in the sixth.

The backstop, who has appeared in 30 games in the Majors this season, now has 20 home runs with Round Rock, the second time he's reached that plateau in his Minor League career. He has now homered twice on three occasions this year and seven times overall. -- Jacob Resnick

Prospect extends hitless streak to 14 1/3 innings (Aug. 18)
Though High-A Hickory fell two outs short of their third no-hitter of the season, Mason Englert is still in the midst of an unprecedented stretch of his own.

The Rangers prospect extended his hitless streak to 14 1/3 innings, scattering a walk and two hit batsmen across six scoreless frames as the Crawdads blanked Winston-Salem, 7-0, at L.P. Frans Stadium. He spun seven hitless innings in his previous start on Aug. 12 to help propel Hickory to its second no-no in a month.

“As far as the hitless streak goes, a lot of it is kind of out of my control. A lot of it is luck,” Englert said. “I made a physical change about five or six weeks ago and that’s contributed a lot to what’s been going on lately. I’ve done a lot better job observing my thoughts and not reacting to them and just accepting how I feel when I go out there, whether it’s good or bad.” Full story »

Jung clubs pair of jacks for Triple-A Round Rock (Aug. 16)
Six months ago, Josh Jung wasn't sure if he was going to be on a baseball field this season. MLB's No. 39 overall prospect suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder during an offseason workout in February.

In his sixth game of the year with the Express, the top-ranked Rangers prospect appeared to be in midseason form as he mashed a pair of home runs as part of a three-knock night with six RBIs to power Triple-A Round Rock's 9-4 victory over El Paso at the Dell Diamond.

"It's just crazy. I wasn't even supposed to play this year. Then it went to, maybe I can just DH. Then I'm out there in the field again. I'm just so happy to be playing baseball again because at the beginning of rehab, with all the unknowns, to being in this position I'm at now is just a blessing and I'm just super grateful to be here," Jung said. "I'm honestly just pretty loose right now. I don't have any expectations for myself, just go out there and play ball, just see the ball and hit it. Coming back from shoulder surgery, you're really not sure how it's going to affect you.

"I had six months to prepare for this moment, but there are just so many unknowns and you don't know how you're going to come out of it. So, hats off to the rehab crew and strength coaches in Arizona to get me back to the position I'm in to play again."

After a successful surgery to repair the tear in his shoulder in late February, Jung began a rehab assignment with the Arizona Complex League Rangers on July 28. After an eight-game rehab assignment at the Rookie-level where the 24-year-old posted a .240/.345/.600 with three dingers, three walks, five RBIs and four runs scored, Jung rejoined the Express on Aug. 9. Full story »

Jung continues to impress in his return (Aug. 13)
Josh Jung has not missed a step in his return from long-term injury.

The No. 2 Rangers prospect had homered in three of his previous five games. Jung showcased his power again, going 2-for-4 with one homer in Triple-A Round Rock’s 9-5 loss to Oklahoma City.

The 24-year-old's power display came early as he hit a two-run shot to left-center field in the first inning. Jung topped it off with a double to center field in the fifth inning.

The third baseman brought his homer tally to five and slash line to .286/.375/.690 this season. -- Edwin Perez

Hickory's Englert, McDowell combine on no-no (Aug. 11)
High-A Hickory made history almost exactly a month to the day from when it completed the franchise's first no-hitter in nearly a decade. The club didn't wait nearly as long to throw one again.

Mason Englert and Theo McDowell combined to toss the second no-hitter of the season as Hickory blanked Greenville, 4-0, at Fluor Field at the West End. The duo worked around three walks to accomplish the feat.

"We were on a four-game skid here, so we just wanted the win any way we could get it. But to be able to close out another no-hitter, I think that was really special for the guys and the organization," Crawdads pitching coach Jon Goebel said. "I think when a no-hitter like that happens, it's really a team effort. We have a mantra here of '30 vs. 9' [our entire roster vs. their starting lineup] and I think that really came through tonight." Full story »