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Emiliano Teodo

Rangers Notes: Teodo, Bullpen, Leiter

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Rangers pitching prospect Emiliano Teodo is making a strong impression early in camp. The 24-year-old righty struck out the side to earn the save in today’s exhibition win against Cincinnati. He’s up to 3 1/3 scoreless frames with five punchouts, a pair of saves, and a hold. His fastball has reached triple digits in short stints.

While it’s far too small a sample on which to draw real conclusions, Teodo’s stuff has caught the attention of Bruce Bochy. “You don’t know, he could break spring with us. To be honest, yeah, he’s probably on the outside looking in, but that’s how much we think about him,” the veteran manager said on Monday (link via Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News). “The stuff works, he’s been starting, I like him coming from the ‘pen too. There’s not a lot of arms like this.”

Teodo, whom the Rangers added to the 40-man roster over the offseason, doesn’t have a real shot to start the season in the big league rotation. The Rangers have Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Tyler Mahle and Jon Gray lined up for their top four spots. Cody Bradford and Kumar Rocker are vying for the fifth starter job. There may be an opportunity in the bullpen. Texas has built its relief corps with a handful of low-cost free agent pickups and the trade for Robert Garcia. Teodo might have as good of raw stuff as anyone in that group, but breaking camp would require him to make the jump directly from Double-A.

Working as a starter with Double-A Frisco last season, Teodo turned in a 1.98 earned run average across 86 1/3 innings. He punched out 30.7% of opponents against a huge 14% walk rate. While the high-octane stuff has translated into a lot of whiffs, Teodo has yet to throw strikes consistently. Baseball America ranked him the #4 prospect in the system. They credit him with the potential for three plus or better pitches — headlined by a huge fastball-slider combination — but his control could point to a bullpen future. If Texas believes that’s the likeliest outcome regardless, there’s an argument for seeing how his stuff plays in relief on Opening Day.

Jack Leiter has had a similar combination of whiffs and walks in the minor leagues. The former second overall pick fanned a third of opponents with a 10.6% walk rate over 17 Triple-A appearances last season. The strikeout rate dropped to 17.9% as he surrendered nearly a run per inning over his first 35 2/3 MLB frames. Leiter has a pair of minor league options remaining and seems likely to work out of the Triple-A rotation to open the season.

The 24-year-old righty told reporters he’s tinkering with his pitch mix (link via Kennedi Landry of MLB.com). Leiter said he’s working on a two-seam fastball that he picked up over the offseason. More interestingly, he said he adjusted the grip on his changeup late last year after a conversation with reliever Matt Festa. Leiter said he feels the new grip gets more downward action but that he didn’t feel comfortable using it frequently in games last year because it was difficult to command. Spring Training is an opportune time for pitchers to experiment with new offerings. Leiter has tossed five innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts and one walk thus far in camp.

Rangers Select Three Players To 40-Man Roster

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The Rangers have selected the contract of right-hander Emiliano Teodo ahead of today’s Rule 5 Draft protection deadline, as first reported by Ari Alexander of KPRC2. The Rangers also announced that they’ve selected the contracts of infielder Max Acosta and right-hander Winston Santos. Texas’s 40-man roster now stands at 39 following the club’s decision to return 2024 Rule 5 Draft pick Carson Coleman to the Yankees.

Teodo, 23, has spent the past fours years in the Rangers system after making his pro debut back in 2021. The righty began his career pitching exclusively in relief but moved into a rotation in 2022. Despite rather pedestrian numbers in the lower minors including a 4.52 ERA in 61 2/3 innings at High-A last year, Teodo impressed in the Arizona Fall League that autumn with eight scoreless relief appearances where he struck out an eye-popping 48.7% of opponents faced. That exciting performance earned the right-hander a job in the Rangers’ Double-A rotation this season, where he has continued to excel. In 86 1/3 innings of work in 2024 spread across 20 appearances (19 starts), Teodo dominated during his first taste of upper minors action to the tune of a 1.98 ERA and a 30.7% strikeout rate with the club’s Frisco affiliate and even started the 2024 Futures Games for the AL.

Despite those fantastic numbers, he’s nonetheless struggled with his control throughout his time in the minors, and that only worsened this year as his walk rate reached an unsustainable 14%. While that’s not a figure that would play in the majors even when paired with a strikeout rate north of 30%, it’s not hard to imagine Teodo’s impressive stuff translating to success at the highest level as soon as 2025 if he were to move back to relief. Given that potential for near-term success in the big leagues, it’s hardly a surprise that the Rangers opted to protect Teodo from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. Now that he’s on the 40-man roster, it’s possible he could find himself in the mix for a big league bullpen job at some point in 2025, though it’s also easy to imagine the Rangers deciding to try and iron out the righty’s control problems in hopes he may have a future in the rotation.

Acosta, meanwhile, is a 22-year-old who signed with the Rangers out of Venezuela and made his pro debut in 2021 as well. Primarily a shortstop, Acosta has also played plenty of second base throughout his time in the minors while posting solid but unspectacular offensive numbers. The infielder took a step forward with the bat at Double-A this year, however, slashing a respectable .288/.353/.425 in 104 games. Of particular note is Acosta’s dramatic reduction in strikeout rate, which dropped from 21.1% in 2023 to 13.4% this year. Acosta combines that improved contact ability with strong baserunning skills, as he’s swiped 96 bases over the past three years. That combination of speed and contact ability at a premium position may have been enough to earn Acosta consideration for the club’s 40-man roster already, but he sealed his case by catching fire during the Arizona Fall League this year with a .338/.413/.521 slash line in 80 trips to the plate.

Santos, 22, signed with the Rangers out of the Dominican Republic and made his pro debut in 2021 alongside Acosta and Teodo. The righty turned in a brutal season at Triple-A last year, surrendering a 6.29 ERA in 98 2/3 innings of work. He managed to turn things around in his second taste of action at the level, however, as he posted a 2.80 ERA and a 30.5% strikeout rate in 12 starts (64 1/3 innings). That performance earned him the bump up to Double-A, where his struggles from the previous year resurfaced in his first taste of the new level. In ten starts, Santos posted a 4.89 ERA while maintaining an impressive 29.5% strikeout rate against a 7.2% walk rate. Santos’s struggles at Double-A came primarily from issues with the long ball, as he surrendered eight homers in just 46 frames. Despite those struggles, Santos’s high strikeout rates seemingly convinced the Rangers to play it safe and roster him rather than run the risk of losing him in next month’s Rule 5 draft.

Big Hype Prospects: Nett, Montgomery, Teodo, Triantos, Sabato

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Our AFL coverage continues. The schedule is winding down. The Fall Stars game was played on Sunday. The two-game postseason will take place next Friday and Saturday. James Triantos and Jakob Marsee continue to battle for top batter status. Presently, Triantos has the edge. On the pitching side, Davis Daniel has the best claim to the top performance as a starter. Reliever Emiliano Teodo has 11 scoreless innings with 19 strikeouts with only three hits and four walks allowed.

Listed stats are from the AFL. To emphasize, this is AFL coverage.

Five Big Hype Prospects

Braden Nett, 21, SP, SDP
17.1 IP, 21 K, 13 BB, 4.67 ERA

Though he doesn’t have the shiniest stats, Nett posted an encouraging AFL as detailed by Baseball America. An undrafted pitcher, Nett has seen his velocity approach triple-digits as a starter, complemented by visually impressive secondary offerings. Command eludes Nett – an issue dating back to his pre-draft days. However, he showed strides in attacking the strike zone during this fall session. If he’s able to build upon his success next season, he’ll find his way into top prospect conversations. There’s considerable relief risk here if his command doesn’t continue on an upward trajectory.

Colson Montgomery, 21, SS, CWS
84 PA, 3 HR, .244/.302/.423

The second-best Montgomery in the AFL by the numbers, Colson is low-key divisive among evaluators. None that I’ve contacted doubt he has a Major League future. Most see as a blue-chip regular. Where the arguments begin is the type of regular. Some see him as a core performer. While they acknowledge the upside, they’re skeptical Montgomery will reach it. The doubters point to an impending move to third base where there will be more pressure on his bat. Advocates are confident he can support a move down the defensive spectrum. His exit velocities suggest he’s a small tweak or epiphany away from unlocking more extra-base outcomes.

Montgomery took home MVP honors in the Fall Stars game. He went 2-for-2 with a run and an RBI.

Emiliano Teodo, 22, P, TEX
11 IP, 19 K, 4 BB, 0.00 ERA

The Rangers have developed Teodo as a starter, but his future appears to be in the bullpen. Though listed at 6’ 1’’, one evaluator I contacted believes he’s several inches shorter. That’s backed by the FanGraphs crew – they describe him as “lilliputian.” His usage – and success – in the AFL points to an imminent role shift. As a starter, he touched upper-90s. He has the look of an on-meta power arm who relies on effectively wild heaters and hammer curves.

James Triantos, 20, 2B/3B, CHC
92 PA, 3 HR, 9 SB, .423/.505/.700

The hits, triples, and OPS leader of the AFL, Triantos has long appeared on scouts’ breakout lists. The results haven’t really stood out in full season leagues where he’s been more solid than exceptional. The Cubs are developing him as a super utility type including the odd game in center field. He focused on third base in 2022 and second base this year. He’ll spend 2024 in the upper minors where we all eagerly await to see if his power continues to develop. Triantos is a high-probability Major Leaguer. His future role remains open for debate.

Aaron Sabato, 24, 1B, MIN
74 PA, 7 HR, .215/.320/.585

A classic TTO slugger, Sabato has bashed his way to a share of the AFL home run lead along with fellow Twin Kala’i Rosario. Sabato works counts and routinely runs over-30 percent strikeout rates. In fact, he’s done so at every level. The reward for all those whiffs is some of the most impressive exit velocities in professional baseball. As a right-handed first baseman, the standards he needs to reach are rather high. He was a tad old for Double-A this season and produced an exactly league-average 100 wRC+. This is a profile that tends to late-bloom and early-fade. Sabato is Rule 5 eligible, and there’s a solid chance he’ll be left exposed.

Three More

Liam Hicks, TEX (24): While scouts are dismissive of Hicks for valid reasons – low exit velocities and sub-par defense – there’s no question he’s posted a dominant AFL season. He’s batting .455/.556/.530 in 81 plate appearances. His 15 walks nearly double his eight strikeouts. For Hicks to have big league relevance, he might need to channel his inner Luis Arraez. Or change his approach.

Wilmer Flores, DET (22): Flores’ AFL matches his scouting report to a “T.” He’s worked 18 innings with 22 strikeouts and only five walks. He also coughed up 25 hits and a 4.00 ERA. Flores has an attractive combination of high ground ball and swinging strike rates. Though Rule 5 eligible, he’s a lock to be added by the Tigers.

Sterlin Thompson, COL (22): Thompson has compiled a .950 OPS without hitting a home run in 93 plate appearances. A designated hitter, his bat nonetheless shows signs of carrying him to the Majors. He handles fastballs of all types well. Presently, he’s better at laying off breaking balls than he is at hitting them – a trait that will likely determine if he’s a Quad-A slugger or a future big leaguer.

Did I miss a detail or nuance? DM me on Twitter @BaseballATeam to suggest corrections.

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