The Prospect Times Mailbag: No. 2
Welcome back! This is our second mailbag feature of the season! First and foremost, I owe you a massive apology for getting this edition out to you a bit later than planned—life in the middle of the baseball season can throw some serious curveballs. That said, we want to give a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to submit their questions. Let’s dive straight into what Mason, Kasey, and Reggie have to say about the state of the system.
From @JakeLahna: Is Ian Moller starting to get it? Does the bat match the glove. Does he have a shot?
Mason: Developing as catcher can take some time, it’s one of the hardest positions to develop in the game. Moller is still young in my eyes, he’s only 23 years old. I think he’s got time. He’s off to a pretty solid start this year, if he keeps it up he can definitely find himself at AAA or maybe the big leagues before long.
Kasey: Ian Moller is putting together a strong May. Aside from rookie ball, Moller has never posted an OPS above .700, but his recent at-bats have been more competitive. We are hopeful Moller can follow Moore’s lead and find consistency at the plate, providing a rare homegrown success story at the catcher position.
Reggie: Ian Moller is a lifetime .204 hitter in the minors, at the moment he is hitting .238 with a .340 OBP and a .745 OPS. Prior to going on the 7-day injured list he was hitting .296 for the month of May. Defensively his caught stealing percentage is sitting at .11%. It's very early in the season, and not everything falls on the catcher on stolen bases. By comparison his teammate, Julian Brock has thrown out .30%. Last season Moller was at .24%. Let's see where that number is at the end of the season.
He's in his second season at AA and is only 23 years old. If he can continue to get on base consistently then he has a shot to get to the big leagues, even if it's just organizational depth. If his bat reverts back to previous years, then I don't see him making it past AAA.
From @BasebCharlie: What player do you think will make his mlb debut this season?
Mason: I think there could be a few guys who have a shot to make their debuts this year. Cam Cauley, David Davalillo, and maybe some of the relievers in AAA like Robby Ahlstrom or Emiliano Teodo.
Kasey: I personally feel Outfielder Aaron Zavala has emerged as a likely candidate for a promotion. If Zavala can maintain a batting average near .250 and an OPS above .750, he could see major league reps soon. With nearly 2,000 minor league at-bats and a Rangers outfield riddled by injuries and inconsistent performances, Zavala's debut may be imminent.
Reggie: That's not an easy question in my opinion, but if David Davalillo can settle down at Round Rock, then I think he has a shot. At some point the Rangers are going to have starters go down to injury for an extended amount of time. There are not a lot of options out there at the moment for the rotation.
From @rangers74285: Injury updates?
Mason: Caden Scarborough is back seeing game action after missing with a surgery where some malignant melanoma was removed. Izack Tiger has made his a couple of appearances recently after returning from Tommy John surgery. Maybe there is more but those come to my head.
Kasey: In injury news, Wyatt Langford started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock and it may be moved with Double-A possibly.
Regarding the pitching rotation, Jordan Montgomery’s timeline appears more optimistic than Cody Bradford's. While Montgomery is throwing live batting practice and could return after the All-Star break, there is growing uncertainty as to whether Bradford will pitch again this year.
Corey Seager is also set to begin a rehab assignment this week. The Rangers have been decimated by injuries this season, with Josh Smith, Cody Freeman, and Carter Baumler also sidelined. Despite the health struggles, Texas remains in the hunt for a division title as the American League West competition has underperformed.
Reggie: I'll stay at the big-league level on this. Wyatt Langford hit prior to Friday's game vs the Angels. He had not swung a bat since he first attempt at a rehab outing a couple weeks ago. Corey Seager is set to begin a rehab assignment this week. Josh Smith was already on the 10-day IL for a glute strain, when he was hospitalized with viral meningitis. I have not seen anything regarding a timeline for his return. Robert Garcia hasn't pitched since April 16th and is on the 15-day DL with a shoulder inflammation. Two weeks ago, it was reported that he still was not throwing from a mound. Carter Baumler was sent to Round Rock to begin a rehab assignment at the end of April after he was put on the DL for an Intercostal strain. He has not pitched since April 28th. Cody Freeman is back in Round Rock. Cody Bradford was shut down after making his first rehab start in early April. He has slowly been working his way since then to begin making rehab starts. The Last report on Jordan Montgomery in early May was that he was 7 to 8 weeks away from possibly being back in the big leagues if he suffers no setbacks.
From @cherokeepurple: What exactly is the catcher situation at all levels?
Mason: The Rangers really don’t have a ton of depth at the position in the organization. Malcolm Moore is on an absolute tear in A+ and realistically could receive a promotion to AA soon. Ian Moller who was a 4th round pick in 2021 is off to a decent start in AA. Josh Springer is another player who’s off to a solid start. He was selected in the same draft as Malcolm Moore in the 12th round out of Corona, California. Those are a few guys that come to mind for me.
Kasey: Catcher has historically been a difficult position for the Texas Rangers to develop, and until the recent surge from Malcolm Moore, that trend appeared likely to continue this season.
The depth at Triple-A Round Rock remains thin. Veteran catchers Cooper Johnson and Jose Herrera both carry career OPS marks below .715, significantly under the league average. Barring a major injury to Danny Jansen or Kyle Higashioka, it is unlikely either will receive a call-up.
Ian Moller remains the primary catcher for Frisco, but his offensive production has yet to catch up to his defensive reputation. Moller has not posted an OPS above .700 in any season beyond rookie ball, leaving questions about his potential to make a major league roster. However, his defensive skills remain his strongest asset and have been the primary driver of his professional progression.
In Hub City, Malcolm Moore has become a major talking point among the Rangers’ online fan base. After a sluggish April where he hit .231 with a .724 OPS, it briefly appeared the first-round pick might be in for another subpar offense year. However, Moore rebounded in May, mashing his way to a .412 average and a 1.288 OPS. If this production proves to be more than just a short-lived spark, a promotion to swap places with Moller could be on the horizon.
The Hickory Crawdads are currently carrying four catchers, which has prevented anyone from receiving consistent daily at-bats. The only notable producer in the group is 19-year-old Josh Springer, who is hitting .283. While Springer has yet to hit a home run, his age leaves plenty of time for him to add muscle and refine his craft.
Reggie: The Round Rock roster has former big leaguer Jose Herrera and Cooper Johnson. Herrera would be the first catcher called up to the Rangers due to an injury.
Frisco has Ian Moller, Julian Brock and Tucker Mitchell. We will touch on Moller in a different question. Brock has thrown out .30% of baserunners this season at Frisco, but he is only hitting .178. Tucker Mitchell is just minor league depth.
Malcolm Moore is currently setting the minor leagues on fire at High A ball Hub City. He's hitting .322, with 7 HRs, .414 OBP and a 1.009 OPS. He is throwing out .35% of base runners. He is in his third season at High A ball and will be 23 in July. It's time to send him to Frisco. I have been pretty critical of the Moore pick in the first round in the 2024 draft. No one will be happier about being wrong than me if he works out.
The Rangers went heavy on catcher in the 2024 Draft after they took Moore in the first round. Josh Springer and Ben Hartl were taken in the later rounds of that draft. Springer is 20 and hitting .294 at Hickory he has thrown out .29% of baserunners this season. Ben Hartl is at Hub City with Moore. He is hitting .204 at the moment but has thrown out .31% of baserunners this season.
Instagram question from Senor. I still think we gave up too much for Gore. Fitz and Cabrera?
Mason: DFG was one of my favorite prospects in the system, I wasn’t super happy about giving him up. However, when you are trading for a young lefty starter that is controllable and has the upside that MacKenzie Gore has, it’s not going to be cheap. Gore is 10 starts into the season and has a full season ahead there is plenty of time for him to improve, and I think he will. In addition, we have him in the 2027 season as well. Devin Fitz-Gerald may end up being the best prospect in that package or he may not turn into anything. Those guys are so young you just don’t know yet. I think Yeremy Cabrera won’t be as good as he’s been in the end.
Kasey: Look, five prospects is always a risky move, however the talent we’ve given up wasn’t ready for the big leagues and CY was ready to try and win now. Gore has shown spurts of being a frontline guy and I believe with who he has surrounding him in the rotation if he truly asks questions and takes it all in he can be. I know it’s hard seeing those two guys and even right now Ortiz mash in AAA. It was a win now move and I'm still okay with it, I’m not going to tell you it doesn’t hurt everytime I see a highlight of one of those guys doing great in the minors, however I know I have to hold out faith that we still made the right choice in the end. I still believe in Gore, I have yet to lose hope what so ever.
Reggie: My opinion of the MacKenzie Gore trade.
Gore has an ERA of 3.96 at the moment. Let's forget about the Colorado start for a moment, the previous start Gore went 8 innings and only gave up one run. If that version of Gore starts to be the norm then I'll take this trade any day of the week.
I'm just as guilty about second guessing it as anyone, when you see the numbers that Devin Fitz-Gerald and Yeremy Cabrerra have put up this season. If the Rangers scored were scoring runs and a few games over .500 there would not be as much attention on the trade.
Part of that trade was Gavin Fein. He was drafted way too high in the opinion of a lot of draft experts. So far he has done nothing to disprove that. Alejandro Rosario did not pitch in 2025 and has not pitched in 2026 due to injury.
Fitz-Gerald and Cabrera are at least two maybe three seasons away from the majors in the Nationals system and it's possible it would be longer in the Rangers system. The Rangers coming into the season were in win now mode, with some left-over world series players and some youth. I think they still should be in win now mode. IF and yes it's a big IF, the Rangers figure out how to produce on offense, this team will make the playoffs. If this team makes a deep playoff run, especially if they get to the ALCS, then I'm ok with the trade.
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That wraps things up for this edition of the mailbag! We appreciate you sticking with us through the delays, and we want to keep this conversation going. What are your thoughts on the catcher timeline, or who do you think gets the call to Arlington first? Drop your thoughts in the comments below. 👇
