As part of a weekly Texas Rangers Minor League summary, SBNDallas will be highlighting some of the most notable (and most forgettable) individual performances for the week. Check out the week 7 entries after the jump.
3 Up
Jurickson Profar
(.421 AVG, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 5BB:1K)
Even with Robbie Erlin's complete domination of the Carolina league and Martin Perez's resurgence at Frisco, the story of the Rangers' young minor league season has been the remarkable play of this highly touted 18 year-old shortstop. Profar came into the season as a consensus top 3 player in the Rangers system, but that ranking was largely based on his advanced approach (given his age) and solid tool base. You would be hard pressed to find anyone who could've predicted his early power surge. Of Profar's 37 hits, 21 have been for extra bases and he leads Hickory in home runs with 6. Profar's Isolated Power (measured by SLG-BA) is a ridiculous .261. It's unreasonable to expect Profar to continue at this pace, but this stretch should be more than enough to leave Rangers fans salivating.
Leonys Martin
(.437 AVG, 3 2B, 2 3B, 4BB:1K)
Martin's been a favorite of mine since I first read about him during his defection process. Martin features solid (albeit not spectacular) tools across the board, and Jim Callis of Baseball America has stated that Martin would've been a top-half of the first round type talent in this year's draft had he been eligible. Given the strength of this year's draft crop (more on that later this week), that's no mean feat. The Rangers started Martin in Frisco to get his feet wet with American ball, but he's proving to be unchallenged at the AA level.
Thunder Joe Wieland
(14.2IP, 12H, 2ER, 0BB, 19K)
Wieland's always been stingy with walks in his career, compiling a 1.86 BB/9 prior to 2011. However, this year he's compiling numbers that would make Cliff Lee blush. Wieland hasn't walked a batter since April 18th, a remarkable 47 inning stretch. During this time, he's matched his 0 walks with 53 strikeouts. The only pitcher in the Carolina League that has approached Wieland's dominance (Robbie Erlin) has already been promoted to Frisco. Wieland surely isn't far behind.
3 Down
Jake Brigham
(6.2IP, 9H, 10R, 9ER, 7BB, 5K, ejection)
Brigham's pure stuff ranks up there with some of the better prospects in the Rangers system. The problem for him has always been poor command, resulting in a mediocre walk rate and hittability despite his stuff. Given the Rangers need for relief help and the wealth of talent coming up from Myrtle Beach, it wouldn't shock me to see the Rangers explore moving Brigham to the pen.
Leury Garcia
(.187BA, 1 2B, 0BB:3K)
"Furcalito" has been overmatched so far at A+ ball, compiling a .233/.271/.291 line. Garcia has also continued to pile up errors at the SS position at a tremendous rate. After error totals of 42 and 30 in 2009 and 2010 respectively, Garcia already has 13 in Myrtle Beach. While he's considered a strong defensive player, Garcia's error-prone nature is a huge concern that hasn't shown signs of dissipating with age and experience.
Engel Beltre
(.142BA, 1 2B, 1BB:5K)
Hits not coming, plate patience nowhere to be found...I could put him on this list every week.