Carter Headlines Rangers Minors Awards

Several top prospects had outstanding years in the Texas farm system.

The Texas Rangers announced the organization’s 2022 minor league award winners:

Tom Grieve Player of the Year – OF Evan Carter

Nolan Ryan Pitcher of the Year – LHP Cole Ragans

Reliever of the Year – RHP Chase Lee

Defender of the Year – INF Jonathan Ornelas

True Ranger Award – INF Thomas Saggese

The honorees will be presented with their awards during a prior to Monday’s home game against the New York Yankees.

Carter, 20, batted .295 with career highs in home runs (12), triples (10), doubles (21), RBI (73), runs (86), and stolen bases (28) over 106 games between High-A Hickory and Double-A Frisco in 2022. After opening the campaign as the youngest player in the South Atlantic League, he finished as one of eight minor league players to post 10+ home runs, 10+ triples, 20+ doubles, and 25+ stolen bases. Carter’s .397 on-base percentage ranked second among Texas farmhands behind Aaron Zavala (.425). The outfielder slashed .287/.388/.476/.864 (108-376) with 11 home runs and 66 RBI in 100 games with Hickory before earning a late-season promotion to Frisco, where he went 8-for-21 (.429) over 6 games to close the regular season. Carter went 3-for-5 in Frisco’s Texas League championship-clinching win on Tuesday at Wichita.

Ragans, 24, combined to go 8-5 with a 3.04 ERA (32 ER/94.2 IP) and 113 strikeouts over 18 starts for Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock this season. He earned his first Major League call-up on August 4 and has been a member of the Rangers’ starting rotation since that time. Ragans opened the year with Frisco, going 5-3 with a 2.81 ERA (16 ER/51.1 IP) in 10 starts and earning the organization’s Starting Pitcher of the Month award for April. He advanced to Triple-A in mid-June and went 3-2 with a 3.32 ERA (16 ER/43.1 IP) over 8 starts for the Express before being promoted to the Majors.

Lee, 24, went 2-2 with a 4.14 ERA (25 ER/54.1 IP), 6 saves, 70 strikeouts, and just 2 home runs allowed over 50 appearances for Frisco and Round Rock in 2022. The right-hander, who was promoted to Round Rock in mid-June for his first career Triple-A action, struck out 70 of 238 (29.4%) batters faced while walking just 19 of 238 (8.0%). He finished the year by posting a 2.73 ERA (8 ER/26.1 IP) over his final 24 outings, including a scoreless streak spanning 11 appearances and 13.0 innings from July 17-August 25 for Round Rock.

Ornelas, 22, made 123 starts at shortstop (86), third base (29), second base (4), and center field (4) for Frisco this season, leading all Texas League players with 236 assists. He posted a .973 fielding percentage (10 E/367 TC) at his primary position of shortstop, earning back-to-back honors as the organization’s Defender of the Month for July and August. At the plate, Ornelas batted .299 (157-525) with a career-high 14 home runs and 64 RBI. His 157 hits led the Texas League by a wide margin (next: 141) and tied the Frisco franchise record for a single season, matching Joaquin Arias in 2005.

The True Ranger award, which was established in 2019, highlights a player who represents the core values of the organization in a positive light both on and off the field. Saggese, 20, had a breakout season with Hickory and Frisco this year, totaling a .312/.361/.506/.868 (125-401) slash line with 15 home runs and 70 RBI. His .312 batting average was highest among Texas minor league qualifiers. Saggese was a key contributor for the Texas League-champion RoughRiders, hitting a game-tying RBI single in the 9th inning of the club’s championship-clinching win on Tuesday at Wichita.