The Texas Rangers' two-way players stole the show Thursday night for the ACL Rangers in a 21-3 win over the ACL Angels. Josh Owens and Seong-Jun Kim put together a night that showed why the organization is excited about them both and handling them carefully.
The Rangers have kept both Owens and Kim on a short leash on the mound. Kim didn't make his first pitching appearance until June 23rd, and neither he nor Owens has thrown more than two innings in any outing this season.
Owens opened Thursday's game on the mound, working a scoreless inning with a strikeout on 13 pitches, 10 for strikes, while touching 97.0 mph on the radar gun. He then served as the DH, batting 9th, and hit a grand slam in a 2-for-6 night with 5 RBI. His grand slam had an 100.2 exit velocity. It's the first time this season he's both pitched and hit in the same game.
For the year, Owens is now hitting .255 with a .814 OPS, 9 home runs and 36 RBI, while carrying a 3.48 ERA and 24 strikeouts over 20.2 innings in 12 games.
Kim also had a strong night at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a home run and 2 RBI. His home run traveled 385 feet and had a 107.4 exit velocity.
It was his 7th home run of the season, and he's now hitting .303 with 34 RBI on the year. On the mound, he owns a 1.04 ERA with 10 strikeouts across 8.2 innings.
It's been an exciting stretch to track for anyone following their development. It'll be worth watching whether Owens continues to DH on the nights he pitches, and whether Kim starts doing the same before long.
Other performances of note
RHP Jake Barbee, a 12th round pick in the 2025 draft, was credited with the win. He pitched 3 innings, allowing 1 run on 1 hit with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts.
Braulio Cavero continues to impress since his promotion to the ACL. He went 3-for-5 with 2 triples, 4 RBI, a walk and a run, and now carries a 1.432 OPS.
Catcher Noah Franklin also had a big night, going 3-for-4 with 3 RBI, a walk and a run. He's hitting .363 with a 1.053 OPS on the season.
Manni Ramirez hit the other Rangers home run of the night, going 1-for-4 with 2 RBI, a walk and 3 runs scored.
Cody Freeman, currently on an MLB rehab assignment, went 1-for-4 with a walk and a run.
On the mound, Jacob Johnson threw two innings, allowing one run on one hit with three walks and a strikeout, needing 32 pitches, 13 for strikes. He topped out at 96.7.
It was a complete team effort for the ACL Rangers, with contributions up and down the lineup and a pitching staff that kept the Angels to three runs.
With Owens, Kim, Cavero, and Franklin all producing like this down the stretch, it's a promising note for the Rangers system as the ACL season winds down.
