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EIGHT RANGERS TOP-30 PROSPECTS, 21 RETURNERS FILL ROSTER
FRISCO, Texas (Mar 29, 2023) – Along with the Texas Rangers, the Frisco RoughRiders are pleased to announce the official 2023 Break Camp Roster, highlighted by four of the Ranger’s top five prospects which each rank in the top 100 prospects in all of baseball.
For a PDF version of the Break Camp Roster, click here.
Outfielder Evan Carter, right-hand pitcher Owen White, infielder Luisangel Acuña, and right-hand pitcher Jack Leiter are the Rangers organization’s No. 2 through No. 5 prospects. Along with No. 8 prospect Dustin Harris, No. 12 Tekoah Roby, No. 20 Marc Church, and No. 24 Antoine Kelly, the RoughRiders carry eight of the top 30 prospects in the organization.
Carter is also ranked No. 41 in MLB.com’s prospect rankings among all farm systems, while White is No. 66, Acuña is No. 71, and Leiter is No. 78.
The four prospects in the Rangers’ top five are all returners to Frisco: Carter played his final six games last year with the RoughRiders, while White made his final four starts on the hill at the Double-A level. Acuña logged 37 games in the infield, and Leiter spent the entire 2022 season in Frisco.
Leiter and the rest of the pitching staff have the talent to give opposing teams trouble, with five pitchers ranked in the Rangers’ top 30 prospects. In addition, the pitching staff includes seven players drafted in the first three rounds.
The Rangers selected six of those names, plus second-rounder Antoine Kelly, who was traded to Texas last year from Milwaukee and returns to Frisco this season.
The RoughRiders have 21 players on the roster who have already made their RoughRiders debut. That includes Alex Speas, who last played pro ball with Frisco in 2021. Five players also make the jump from High-A Hickory.
Former 2021 Tom Grieve Rangers Minor League Player of the Year Dustin Harris returns to the reigning Texas League Champions after slugging 17 home runs for the RoughRiders last year in 85 games. Including Harris, all four outfielders are returners to Frisco: Carter, Trevor Hauver, and Kellen Strahm.
Jax Biggers heads back to Frisco for his third year with the RoughRiders and is joined in the infield by three players who made the jump to Double-A partway through the 2022 season. Acuña joined Frisco in August. Little Elm High School graduate Frainyer Chavez played 14 games down the stretch, hitting .291. In contrast, Thomas Saggese played a significant role in the championship run, playing three different infield positions in his five games.
The infield also has a pair of veterans in Nick Tanielu and former first-round pick Josh Sale, who was with the RoughRiders for one game in 2022. Plus, the Ranger’s 2017 first-round selection Chris Seise will make his Double-A debut after logging 26 extra-base hits last year with High-A Hickory.
The RoughRiders have plenty of young talent, with seven players born after the turn of the century and over half the players under 25. Littered with homegrown talent has landed on Frisco’s roster, and the Rangers originally drafted 18 players.
Skipper heads the roster is Carlos Cardoza, who starts his first season in Frisco after managing High-A Hickory last year. He is joined by pitching coach Jon Goebel, hitting coach Ryan Tuntland, bench coach Tripp Keister and development coach Kawika Emsley-Pai.
The Break Camp Roster is subject to change before Opening Day.
The Frisco RoughRiders won the 2022 Texas League Championship, their second title in franchise history. The RoughRiders open their 2023 season on Apr 6, at 6:35 pm against the Amarillo Sod Poodles. For tickets and more information about the Frisco RoughRiders, visit RidersBaseball.com or call 972.731.9200.
About the RoughRiders
The Frisco RoughRiders are the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and the 2022 Texas League champions. In 2023, the team is celebrating its 20th anniversary and has consistently finished in the top five among all Double-A franchises in attendance yearly. In August 2014, the group led by Chuck Greenberg purchased the RoughRiders. Since then, the new ownership group, together with the City of Frisco, has spearheaded numerous significant franchise enhancements, investing over $8 million in a wide array of facility upgrades and improvements, including a state-of-the-art HD video board, sound system, Bull Moose Saloon, Bullpen Bar, Riders Outpost Team Store and the world’s most prominent water feature in a sports facility, the massive Lazy River.
These enhancements earned the Riders and the City of Frisco Ballpark Digest’s prestigious “Best Ballpark Renovation” award for two consecutive years (2015 and 2016). In addition, more than 185 former RoughRiders players have gone on to play Major League Baseball, including current Rangers Josh Jung, Cole Ragans, and Bubba Thompson. For more information on the Frisco RoughRiders, please visit RidersBaseball.com or contact zbigley@ridersbaseball.com.