Inside The Rangers

Rangers Prospects Help Surprise Win Arizona Fall League Title

Keep track of all of the Texas Rangers prospects on the Surprise Saguaros in the Inside the Rangers Arizona Fall League Tracker.

Matthew Postins

In this story:

The Surprise Saguaros, which included prospects from the Texas Rangers, won the Arizona Fall League title by beating Glendale in 11 innings on Saturday night. 

The Saguaros were made up of prospects from the Rangers, along with the Astros, Phillies, Pirates and Royals. 

Houston Astros prospect Scott Schreiber drove in the winning run, as Surprise won, 7-6.

Rangers prospects that played in the finale included:

Infielder/outfielder Jayce Easley, who went 1-for-6 with a 2 RBI double;

Infielder Luisangel Acuña, who went 1-for-5 with an RBI; 

Outfielder Trevor Hauver, who went 1-for-3 with two walks. 

On the mound, Rangers prospect Grant Wolfram pitched one inning, giving up one hit and walking one.

Nov. 11: The Surprise Saguaros, which feature several Texas Rangers prospects, will play in the Arizona Fall League championship game on Saturday at 7 p.m. central, a game that will be broadcast on the MLB Network. 

The Rangers were one of five MLB teams that had prospects assigned to Surprise, which finished the AFL with a league-leading 19-10 record to earn a bye in to the title game. 

The Rangers prospects on the team include pitcher Kumar Rocker, shortstop Luisangel Acuña and outfielder Trevor Hauver. Rocker will not pitch in the title game, as he made his last AFL start on Tuesday. 

Acuña showed an ability to reach base consistently in the AFL, as he finished the season reaching base in his final 11 games and 18 of his 21 overall contests. He also had nine stolen bases. Hauver drew 16 walks, which was among the best in the AFL. 

Infielder/outfielder Jayce Easley is batting .375/.556/.583/1.139 in 13 games. Pitcher Grant Wolfram compiled a 1.86 ERA over 7 relief appearances in the AFL.

Aaron Zavala was playing for the Saguaros until an injury sidelined him. He has surgery for a torn UCL and will miss part of the 2023 season. 

Nov. 8: Texas Rangers first-round pick Kumar Rocker made what is likely his last start in Arizona Fall League action on Tuesday night for the Surprise Saguaros. 

For the second straight game he put up five strikeouts. He threw 3 1/3 innings, giving up four hits, three runs and three walks and left the game in line for the victory. 

Rocker was one of three Rangers prospects that were named to the Fall Stars All-Star Game, though he did not play. 

Nov. 4: Infielder Luisangel Acuña and pitchers Kumar Rocker and Grant Wolfram have been selected to the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game, set for Sunday. 

The game will be at Sloan Park in Mesa.

Rocker won't play in the game, according to Rangers PR. He is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA. Batters are hitting .211 against him. He has 13 strikeouts in five starts and 10 2/3 innings. He's coming off throwing three shutout innings on Monday. 

Acuña enters the weekend batting .247 with two home runs and 10 RBI. He's also shown off his glove during AFL action.

Wolfram has been efficient, going 1-0 with a 1.86 ERA in 9 2/3 innings. He's allowed just five hits and two runs. He's struck out 13 and walked two.

All three play for the Surprise Saguaros, who as of Friday have the best record in the Arizona Fall League.

Nov. 3: If you were out trick-or-treating on Halloween you can be absolved for missing what turned out to be Texas Rangers prospect Kumar Rocker's best start in the Arizona Fall League on Monday. 

Rocker, who normally throws on Mondays for the Surprise Saguaros, pitched three shutout innings, giving up just one hit and striking out five as he shaved his ERA for AFL play down to 3.38. 

He didn't figure in the decision, but the Saguaros won the game and enter Thursday's games at 16-10, which is best in the six-team AFL. 

The AFL is beginning to wind down. The AFL Home Run Derby is Saturday, but no Rangers prospects have been tapped to participate. The Fall Stars Game is set for Sunday. The play-in semifinal game is set for Nov. 11, with the championship game set for Nov. 12. The Saguaros are up by 2 1/2 games in the standings.

Oct. 30: The Arizona Fall League was on an off-day on Sunday, so there was a chance to see how the different Rangers prospects are doing as the AFL winds down in the next week or so.

Utility player Jayce Easley is hitting .357 in seven games with one home run and four RBI in 10 games and 14 at-bats.

Catcher Cody Freeman is hitting .233 in 11 games and 30 at-bats.

Infielder Luisangel Acuña is hitting .252 with two home runs and 10 RBI in 17 games and 66 at-bats.

Outfielder Trevor Hauver is hitting .211 with three home runs and nine RBI in 12 games and 38 at-bats.

Outfielder Aaron Zavala is hitting .200 in five games, going 3-for-15 with one home run and one RBI.

Pitcher Nick Starr is 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA, giving up six earned runs in 8 2/3 innings.

Pitcher Grant Wolfram is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA in 8 2/3 innings, giving up five hits and two runs. He has struck out 13 and walked two.

Pitcher Kumar Rocker is 1-1 with a 4.70 ERA in 7 2/3 innings, giving up seven hits and four runs. 

Oct. 24: Kumar Rocker, the Rangers first-round pick in July, threw nearly three innings in his latest start for the Surprise Saguaros during Arizona Fall League action on Monday night. 

Rocker threw 2 2/3 innings and threw 53 pitches. Rocker gave up three hits, two walks and one run while striking out three. The outing dropped his ERA in AFL to 4.70. 

The Saguaros went on to lose the game, 2-1, to Peoria. Rocker took a no-decision.

Oct. 23: Texas Rangers prospects are fueling the Surprise Saguaros' first-place standing in the Arizona Fall League entering their next game on Oct. 24.

Here's an update on how each of the Rangers' prospects are doing:

Utility player Jayce Easley is hitting .400 in seven games, going 4-for-10 with one home run and four RBI. 

Catcher Cody Freeman is hitting .273 in eight games, going 6-for-22.

Infielder Luisangel Acuña is hitting .255 in 12 games, going 12-for-47 with two home runs and seven RBI. 

Outfielder Trevor Hauver is hitting .214 in nine games, going 6-for-28 with one home run and six RBI. 

Outfielder Aaron Zavala is hitting .200 in five games, going 3-for-15 with one home run and one RBI. 

Pitcher Nick Starr has thrown seven innings, giving up five hits and a run with a 0.00 ERA. 

Pitcher Grant Wolfram is 1-0 with a 2.35 ERA in 7 2/3 innings, giving up five hits and two runs. 

Pitcher Kumar Rocker is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA in five innings, giving up four hits and three runs. 

The Saguaros (11-6) face Peoria on Monday.

Oct. 17: Texas Rangers first-round pick Kumar Rocker made his third Arizona Fall League start on Monday against Salt River and it was his first significant bump of his career with the Rangers. 

For the second straight start, Rocker threw two innings. But, this time, he gave up three runs, three hits and two walks. He also struck out two. But he left the game with Surprise in a 3-0 hole. 

Meanwhile, fellow Rangers prospect, catcher Cody Freeman, already had two hits in the game to lift his AFL average to .400.

Oct. 14: Luisangel Acuña continues to impress at Arizona Fall League, even though he didn't play in Surprise's 9-2 loss to Mesa on Friday, dropping the Saguaros to 7-3 on the season. 

On Thursday, when Surprise faced Scottsdale in a 14-8 loss, Acuña drove in a run on his first triple of the AFL slate. 

Acuña went 2-for-5 in the game. He's hitting .300 in seven games for Surprise, with five of his nine hits having gone for extra bases. 

Surprise is back on the field on Saturday when it faces Salt River.

Oct. 10: Texas Rangers No. 8 overall prospect Kumar Rocker threw two innings in his second Arizona Fall League start on Monday. 

Rocker threw 32 pitches, with 18 of them strikes. He gave up one hit and no runs, walking two and striking out two. In his first start last week, Rocker threw just one inning, and while he didn't give up a hit, he did walk three hitters. 

Surprise won their game, 7-1, improving their record to an AFL-best 6-1. Rocker claimed the victory. 

Other Rangers in AFL action on Monday included:

Infielder Luisangel Acuna, who went 0-for-5 at the plate;

Outfielder Trevor Hauver, who went 0-for-4 but walked once and scored once;

Catcher Cody Freeman, who went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored;

The Saguaros face Mesa on Tuesday. 

Oct. 9: Sunday was an off-day in the Arizona Fall League, and the Surprise Saguaros — the team the Texas Rangers prospects are part of — lead the league with a 5-1 record. 

Luisangel Acuna, a Top 10 Rangers prospect, has been the third-best hitter for the Saguaros after the first week. His .353 batting average includes two home runs and five RBI. Among all AFL players, his average is in the Top 20. 

Other Rangers hitters for the Surprise team include: 

Designated hitter Trevor Hauver is hitting .250 with a home run and five RBI;

Outfielder Aaron Zavala is .200 with one home run and one RBI;

Catcher Cody Freeman is hitting .333;

Utility player Jayce Easley doesn't have a hit in two at-bats, but has two runs scored.

Rangers first-round pick Kumar Rocker pitched one inning in his AFL debut last week. He struck out one and walked three in a scoreless inning. 

Other Rangers pitchers for Surprise include:

Nick Starr, who has struck out three and given up one run in 3 2/3 innings;

Grant Wolfram, who has struck out eight and given up one run in four innings.

Surprise plays Scottsdale on Monday.

Oct. 7: Trevor Hauver, the one player from the Joey Gallo trade that hasn't made his Major League debut, drove in a run for the Surprise Saguaros on Friday, as they defeated the Peoria Javelinas 6-5 to improve the team's record to 4-1. 

Hauver, who played at High Class-A Hickory and Double-A Frisco last season, went 0-for-3 with an RBI, a walk and two strikeouts. 

Other Rangers prospects that played included: 

Infielder Jayce Easley, who went 0-for-2 with a run scored and a walk.

Pitcher Nick Starr, who threw two innings of scoreless relief, giving up one hits and striking out two.

Oct. 6: Texas Rangers infield prospect Luisangel Acuña hit his second home run in Arizona Fall League action during the Surprise Saguaros' 8-6 win over Salt River, which lifted the Saguaros to 3-1. 

Acuña hit the home run in the top of the third inning, part of a 2-for-3 game that include two runs and a stolen base. 

Cody Freeman, a Rangers catching prospect, hit ninth and went 0-for-3.

On Wednesday, the Rangers beat the Glendale Desert Dogs, 6-5. Aaron Zavala and Trevor Hauver went 0-for-3. 

Oct. 4: Texas Rangers prospect Grant Wolfram struck out six hitters in two innings of work for the Surprise Saguaros on Tuesday, a game that turned out to be a 6-4 loss to Peoria. 

The game was notable for the Arizona Fall League debut of first-round pick Kumar Rocker, who threw the first inning. 

But it was Wolfram who truly impressed, as he struck out six and walked one in two innings of work. 

Other Rangers prospects on Tuesday night included: 

Pitcher Nick Starr, who pitched 1 2/3 innings, giving up one hit and one run while striking out one.

Infielder Luisangel Acuna, who went 1-for-5 with 2 RBI and one runs scored. 

Catcher Cody Freeman, who went 2-for-3 with a run scored. 

Surprise is back in action on Wednesday against the Glendale Desert Dogs.  

Oct. 3: Texas Rangers prospects Trevor Hauver and Aaron Zavala both homered in their Arizona Fall League debuts on Monday, as the Surprise Saguaros defeated the Salt River Rafters 11-6.

The Rangers have nine players in the Arizona Fall League, all playing for the Saguaros.

Hauver and Zavala both ended their 2022 season with the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders, which won the Texas League championship.

Hauver hit his home run in the top of the seventh inning, which was a three-run shot. That gave Surprise a 10-3 lead. Hauver had a run-scoring single in the top of the second. He was the designated hitter and went 2-for-2 with four RBI and two walks. He also scored a run.

Zavala’s home run was a solo shot that came in the eighth inning. He played right field and finished 2-for-4 with a RBI and run scored.

They weren’t the only Rangers prospects in the lineup for Surprise on Monday.

Luisangel Acuña started at shortstop and went 2-for-5.

The Surprise team features players from the Rangers, the Houston Astros, the Kansas City Royals, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In other AFL games on Monday, the Peoria Javelinas beat the Glendale Desert Dogs 5-3 and the Scottsdale Scorpions beat the Mesa Solar Sox 7-4.

Action continues on Tuesday when Surprise faces Peoria in the late game at 8:35 central time. Earlier on Tuesday Salt River faces Glendale and Scottsdale takes on Mesa.

You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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Matthew Postins
MATTHEW POSTINS

Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers the Texas Rangers for Fan Nation/SI and also writes about the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies. He also covers the Big 12 for HeartlandCollegeSports.com.

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