Rangers Prospect Continues Hit Streak for Frisco

He's not among Texas' Top 30 prospects, but the former third-round pick is putting together his best season of professional baseball.

Texas Rangers prospect Jonathan Ornelas continued his season-long hitting streak as the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders started a six-game series with Springfield on Tuesday.

The RoughRiders beat the Cardinals 10-6 in Texas League action.

Ornelas led off for Frisco and went 1-for-5 with a run in the contest. It was his 11th straight game with at least one hit.

Entering the series, Ornelas had hit .326 with two home runs, three doubles and five RBI in the 10 games prior to Tuesday.

While not among the Rangers’ Top 30 prospects per MLB.com, Ornelas is putting together his best season of minor league baseball since he joined the organization in 2018.

After Tuesday’s game, Ornelas had a batting average of .319. If he were to finish the season hitting .300 or better, it would be the first time he’s done that since his first professional season in 2018.

He’s already set career highs in home runs (9), RBI (42) and walks (22).

The Rangers have one of the best systems in baseball, one that includes their No. 1 prospect, pitcher Jack Leiter, and will soon include their first-round pick from earlier this month, pitcher Kumar Rocker.

The Rangers selected Ornelas in the third round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Kellis High School in Glendale, Ariz. He played 48 games with the Arizona League Rangers after he signed, batting .302/.389/.459/.848 with three home runs and 28 RBI.

The Rangers promoted him to Class-A Hickory in 2019 and he batted .257/.333/.373/.706 with six home runs and 38 RBI.

After the 2020 minor league season was canceled due to COVID-19, Ornelas returned to Hickory for a second season in 2021 and batted .261/.310/.394/.704 with eight home runs and 38 RBI.

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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