Cole Robert Winn…X/Twitter: @cole_winn…was born and raised in Colorado before moving to California for his senior year of high school…was 8-2 with a 0.20 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 70 innings at Orange Lutheran (Calif.) High School as a senior in 2018, earning Gatorade’s California High School Player of the Year award and Baseball America High School Player of the Year honors…was named Gatorade’s 2017 Colorado High School Player of the Year at Silver Creek High School near Denver…pitched for an Orange Lutheran squad that won the USA Baseball National High School Invitational in March 2018…pitched the opening game of the tournament for the Lancers, posting nine strikeouts in 6.0 innings, and went 2-for-3 with three RBI in the championship game to help Orange Lutheran repeat as NHSI champions…was rated as the 9th-best prospect (MLB Pipeline) and the 10th best prospect (Baseball America) in the 2018 draft…tabbed Baseball America’s top prospect in Southern California…shifted college commitment from Notre Dame to Mississippi State to Texas Christian University, and was committed to TCU when he was drafted and signed by the Rangers…is a fan of the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Broncos.
2023
Spent 2nd full season at Round Rock (AAA), posting 9-8, 7.22 ERA (81 ER/101.0 IP), 97 SO/79 BB, and a 1.91 WHIP figure…ranked highly among PCL hurlers in wins (T4th) and IP (T13th)…primarily worked as a starter to begin the season, as 11 of first 12 G from 3/31-6/14 were starts – including Opening Day nod on 3/31 vs. ABQ…went 1-5, 8.74 ERA (44 ER/45.1 IP) over aforementioned season-opening stretch…endured stint on 7-day Injured List from 5/20-6/1…following early-season struggles as a starter, Winn transitioned to a bullpen role from 6/20-9/10, posting a 6.38 ERA (34 ER/48.0 IP) and 7-3 record as a reliever in that span…rejoined the rotation for to make final two starts of season 9/16-22…spun gem in final outing on 9/22 at TAC, earning the win after twirling 5.0 SHO IP with 2 H, 2 BB, 5 SO in Round Rock’s 3-2 victory…was 2-4 with a 7.97 ERA (44 ER/49.2 IP) and 2.07 WHIP in 13 starts, compared to 7-4 with a 6.49 ERA (37 ER/51.1 IP) and 1.75 WHIP in 16 relief appearances…went 4-3, 5.77 ERA (34 ER/53.0 IP) in 14 G/8 GS at home and 5-5, 8.81 ERA (47 ER/48.0 IP) in 15 G/5 GS on the road…went 2-0 with a 2.63 ERA (7 ER/24.0 IP), 24 SO/10 BB, and a 1.08 WHIP figure in seven G/6 GS for Caguas of the Puerto Rican Winter League this past Nov-Dec.
2022
Returned to Round Rock (AAA) where he finished the 2021 campaign and went 9-8 with a 6.51 ERA (88 ER/121.2 IP) over 28 games/starts...logged an organization-high 121.2 IP, the most innings pitched by a Texas minor leaguer since Tim Dillard in 2019 with Triple-A Nashville (153.1)…the last TEX farmhand to make as many as 28 starts in a single season was Alec Asher in 2014 with Double-A Frisco (also 28)…set career highs and ranked among Pacific Coast League leaders in starts (T1st), wins (T4th), strikeouts (T6th, 123) and innings (7th), but also led the league in walks (87) and wild pitches (12-tied)… opponents batted .265/.379/.429/.808 with 13 HR, but his 1.0 HR allowed per 9.0 innings figure was 7th-lowest among PCL pitchers (min. 80.0 IP)...went undefeated (6-0) over his first 15 starts to open the campaign, but posted a 3-8 record and 8.48 ERA (49 ER/52.0 IP) over his final 13 starts.
2021
Named the organization’s Nolan Ryan Minor League Pitcher of the Year and Baseball America’s Texas Rangers Minor League Player of the Year after combining for a 4-3 record, 2.41 ERA (23 ER/86.0 IP), 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings, and a 0.860 WHIP figure in 21 G/GS for Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock...held opponents to a .146/.239/.259/.497 slash line, the lowest opp. batting average among minor leaguers (min. 80.0 IP)...was almost equally dominant against right-handed and left-handed batters: .144 opp. BA vs. LHB, .148 vs. RHB…spent the entire season with Frisco until the conclusion of the Double-A schedule, when he was promoted to Triple-A to make two final starts...was named Double-A Central Pitcher of the Year and a postseason All-Star after finishing the season ranked among circuit leaders (min. 70.0 IP) in ERA (1st,2.31), WHIP (1st, 0.82) and strikeout pct. (2nd, 32.8)…earned Double-A Central Pitcher of the Week honors for 5/24-30...rated by Baseball America as the no. 9 prospect in Double-A Central at the conclusion of the season…entered the year ranked as the 5th-best prospect in the TEX farm system by both BA and MLB Pipeline.
2020
Winn was in minor league spring training camp and remained on a throwing program following the camp shutdown in March…was added to the club’s Alternate Training Site roster on 8/12, and he continued training in Arlington until the end of the Major League regular season...pitched in the Fall Developmental League following the campaign (9.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 16 SO), striking out 16 of the 36 (44%) batters he faced…entered the year as Baseball America’s No. 14 Rangers prospect.
2019
Entered season ranked as the no. 89 prospect in baseball (MLB.com) and the 4th-best prospect in the Texas organization (Baseball America)…rated as the 11th-best prospect in the SAL by Baseball America following season… began season in Extended Spring Training and debuted with Hickory on 5/16…went 4-1, 2.81 (16 ER/51.1 IP) in final 12 G/ GS after a 0-3, 9.35 (18 ER/17.1 IP) start spanning 6 G/GS… opponents batted .233/.340/.360/.700…started Game 2 of the SAL Championship Series (5.0 IP, 4 R-ER), as Hickory would go on to lose the series 3-games-to-1.