Pair of Texas Rangers Pitching Prospects Win Monthly League Honors

Two young Texas Rangers pitching prospects had terrific Mays to earn Player of the Month honors.

Mar 15, 2024; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, Arizona, USA; General view of a Texas Rangers hat, glove, and glasses prior to a spring training game against the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. / Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Texas Rangers minor league prospects continued to rack up awards.

Joseph Montalvo, a right-handed pitcher with the Hickory Crawdads, was named the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Month, while right-hander Adonis Villavicencio earned Arizona Complex League Pitcher of the Month. The Rangers announced both awards via social media.

Montalvo is the No. 26 prospect in the Rangers’ organization according to MLB Pipeline.

The 22-year-old went 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA in May, giving up just four earned runs in 25 2/3 innings. He struck out 32 and walked five in five starts. He ranked among the leaders in wins (T1st), SO pct. (2nd, 33.0%), WHIP (2nd, 0.78), ERA (4th), and SO (T5th).

The Rangers selected Montalvo in the 20th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Central Pointe Christian Academy in Kissimmee, Fla. He started the season with Hickory, their High-A affiliate, and is 3-2 with a 2.50 ERA with 43 strikeouts and 10 walks in eight starts.

Villavicencio threw 14 2/3 scoreless innings in May for the ACL Rangers, their rookie league team in Surprise, Ariz. He went 2-0 and gave up five hits and walked one in five relief appearances. Batters hit just .102 against him and he allowed one extra-base hit.

He leads ACL pitchers with a 0.00 ERA, two saves, a 0.38 WHIP and a .096 opponent batting average. He signed with the Rangers in 2022 on a minor-league deal out of Venezuela.

You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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