ESPN

Should a need arise with the Texas Rangers, first baseman/outfielder Brad Hawpe is ready.

The eight-year veteran had Tommy John surgery on his left elbow Aug. 5. He has since built up the arm strength and with that comes confidence while playing for Double-A Frisco in the Rangers' minor league system. He's more than nine months removed from the major surgery, and there are no limitations.

PODCAST
Brad Hawpe discusses his recovery from Tommy John surgery in Double-A Frisco and the Rangers' keys to success. Listen

"I was nervous making throws," Hawpe said about the way he felt about seven or eight months after the surgery. "Late in the game, if we were up by one run or something, I would look at manager (Steve Buechele) and say, 'Hey, you know, if a guy is on third and one out and a fly ball to right, I may not be your guy just yet to be able to throw him out,' because in the past that was my calling card.

"That’s not a question for me anymore."

Hawpe was a guest last weekend on Rangers Magazine on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM. He said there wasn't a specific moment when he felt he was over the mental and physical obstacles of elbow surgery. However, he credits his Frisco teammates for encouraging him to play long toss, which is something he used to do three days a week pre-surgery.

The 32-year-old has played in 893 minor league games, mostly with the Colorado Rockies organization, but he has also played for San Diego and Tampa Bay. Hawpe, a Metroplex resident, is a career .276 hitter with 124 home runs and 490 RBIs. Three of those home runs came as a pinch-hitter.

Getting back to his "calling card," Hawpe led the National League with 16 outfield assists in 2006 and was second the year before with 10.

While Hawpe is trying to get back to the big leagues, he has the pleasure of being a teammate of highly touted prospects who are looking to get to the majors for the first time. When I brought up Jurickson Profar, Hawpe delivered quite the scouting report.

"Most 19-year-olds are what, freshman in college? Most kids can't handle the level he's at and the attention he gets. That kid is going to be incredible," Hawpe said.

"I don’t know how else to put it. He’s going to be a star, in my opinion. Not just because of his talent. His talent is off the charts. His work ethic is good. His mindset is right. He’s a very positive kid, but what people may not know about him when they are looking at stats and trying to figure this and that out about him is he’s very intelligent. He’s a very, very, very smart kid. For a 19-year-old to carry himself and handle himself like he does, I mean I am thoroughly impressed by that kid."

Hawpe talked more about his health, the difference between his athletic ability before and after surgery, his relationship with the Rangers in spring training and thereafter, playing for and the importance of a manager like Buechele and the difference in minor league ball in present day compared to his rise to the big leagues.

He also talked about a major key to Rangers success. Listen to the podcast and find out what he thinks.

Bryan Dolgin is the host of Rangers Magazine as well as the host of the Rangers radio pre and post game shows on the Texas Rangers ESPN Radio Network & ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM. Follow him on Twitter: @RangersRadioBD

Texas Rangers prospect Mike Olt is experiencing plenty of firsts since the conclusion of his second pro season. He played in the Arizona Fall League, was invited to major league spring training and was told he will see time at first base. Here’s another first for the third baseman: He is in his first season at the Double-A level.

PODCAST
Rangers corner infield prospect Mike Olt talks about his first season at the Double-A level and how he fits in the organization. Listen

“Double-A is definitely a big jump from High-A. I guess my first impression is there’s definitely a lot of work I have to do in order to continue to climb the latter,” Olt said. “You’ve got step up your game mentally and try to figure out what they like to throw in certain situations.”

Olt was a guest on Rangers Magazine (ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM). The third-year pro out of the University of Connecticut was the Rangers' first-round pick (49th overall) in the 2010 June draft. Through 29 games, he is batting .287 with seven home runs and 19 RBIs. His on-base percentage is .394, and he has a .959 OPS.

Ahead of Olt in the organization is Adrian Beltre, who is locked into a long-term contract and is a Gold Glove third baseman. Versatility is important, whether it is the majors or minors. We have seen it with Michael Young and his super-utility role as well as the Rangers outfielders playing multiple spots instead of being planted in one position. In the minors, we see it with shortstop Jurickson Profar seeing time at second base and with Olt occasionally moving across the diamond to first base.

“I was excited,” Olt recalled of when the Rangers told him he would see time at first base. “Obviously, we have Mitch Moreland up at first base right now who is also a very good first baseman. So, basically I kind of took it as they are trying to make me more versatile in case something were to happen. I’m up for the challenge, and certainly first base is coming along.”

Olt also talked about Steve Buechele, spring training fun, being a teammate with Profar, and the AFL experience. Listen to the podcast.

Bryan Dolgin is the host of Rangers Magazine and the radio pre and postgame shows of the Texas Rangers on the Texas Rangers ESPN Radio Network. Follow him on Twitter @RangersRadioBD.

The Texas Rangers announced the club's minor league awards for April, and that included Double-A Frisco RHP Justin Grimm as pitcher of the month. The others included: OF Chris Grayson (player of the month), C Kellin Deglan (defender of the month) and RHP Randol Rojas (reliever of the month).

Here's some information about each player from the club's release:

Grimm, 23, was 4-1 with a 1.59 ERA (5 ER/28.1 IP) and 27 strikeouts against 6 walks, while holding opposing Texas League batters to a .194 average (20-103) over 5 games/starts with Double-A Frisco. The University of Georgia product recorded the 6th-lowest ERA and WHIP (0.92) among all Double-A pitchers during the month. The 6-foot-3 right-hander also came within a strikeout of his career high with 10 in his Double-A debut on April 5 at Springfield. Overall, Grimm has gone 6-1 with a 1.60 ERA (7 ER/39.1 IP) and 37 strikeouts against just 7 walks in 7 games/starts this season. Grimm was selected in the 5th round of the 2010 June draft and signed by Ryan Coe.

Grayson, 22, batted .400 (32-80) with 16 walks, 10 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home runs, and 11 RBI over 21 games with Low-A Hickory in the month of April. In his first full professional season, Grayson recorded at least one hit in 19 of 21 games during the month, while his .500 on-base percentage was 3rd-highest among all minor leaguers. The outfielder saw his 24-game on-base streak come to end last night, as he entered the game as a pinch hitter in the 9th inning and hit a sacrifice fly. The streak is tied for 2nd-highest in the South Atlantic League this season. Overall, the Lee (TN) University product ranks among the SAL leaders in batting (2nd, .366), doubles (T3rd, 11), hits (T4th, 37), triples (T4th, 3), OBP (5th, .463), SLG (5th, .594), and walks (T9th, 18). Grayson was selected in the 13th round of the 2011 June draft and signed by Chris Kemp.

Deglan, who turned 20 last Thursday, started 15 games behind the plate for Low-A Hickory in the month of April. The native of Canada rates statistically as the top catcher in the South Atlantic League with a 1.000 fielding percentage (171 TC). He has also thrown out 9 of 22 (40.9%) would-be base stealers, the highest rate in the South Atlantic League. At the plate, Deglan is batting .257 (19-72) with 9 doubles, 3 home runs, and 4 RBI in 22 games overall. Deglan was selected in the first round of the 2010 June draft and signed by Gary McGraw.

Rojas, 21, combined to go 1-0 with a 0.48 ERA (1 ER/18.2 IP) over 6 relief appearances between Low-A Hickory and High-A Myrtle Beach in April. The right-hander compiled 17 strikeouts against 7 walks, while holding opposing batters to a .107 average (6-56) with no extra-base hits during the month. Rojas was promoted from Hickory to Myrtle Beach on April 24 and retired 16 of the 18 batters (2 walks) over his first 2 appearances with the Pelicans. Overall, Rojas has gone 3-0 with a 0.82 ERA (2 ER/22.0 IP) in 7 relief appearances. He was signed as a non-drafted free agent on December 22, 2008 by Rafic Saab.

The Texas Rangers have a solid first-place standing in the American League West, but that doesn’t mean you can’t look at their minor league system. The current major league team could experience injuries, they may acquire new pieces via trade later this season and certainly there will be September call-ups when the minor league season ends.

PODCAST
Rangers senior director of player development Tim Purpura talks about Leonys Martin and others in the minor league system. Listen

Thus, it’s not too early to check in with Tim Purpura on what’s happening in the Rangers' farm system. Purpura is the Rangers' senior director of player development, and he was a guest on the recent edition of Rangers Magazine (ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM).

A player who creates plenty of conversation is outfielder Leonys Martin. Recently at Triple-A Round Rock, Martin tried bunting his way on and slid head first into first base. He tore a ligament in his left thumb and could miss up to eight weeks. The injury delays the plan for Martin that was implemented at the beginning of this season. That was to move him to the top of the lineup rather than be in the middle because he projects to being more of a top/bottom part of the lineup hitter. He also has been asked to bunt more often.

His injury contributed to the Rangers needing another major league-ready outfielder if a need arises, and that’s where the trade for outfielder Ryan Spilborghs comes into play.

“Ryan is a very versatile player, plays all three outfield positions and plays them well, runs and makes good routes in the outfield,” Purpura said. “Offensively, he’s more of a contact guy. Not a real big power guy, but has very good at-bats. Very competitive guy, and from what we heard a very good guy on the team.”

From a Triple-A perspective down to the high-A level at Myrtle Beach, right-handed starting pitcher Cody Buckel is a standout with his 3-1 record, 1.31 ERA, 41 strikeouts and 12 walks in six starts.

“He’s someone who is mature beyond is years. There’s no doubt about it ... as a pitcher and as a person,” Purpura said of the 19-year-old who was the Rangers' second round draft pick in 2010 out of Royal High School in California. “A very, very competitive guy. Has three plus pitches. Attacks the strikes zone and pitches down in the zone. He’s got some swagger about him.”

Purpura talked about Martin, Spilborghs, righty Neil Ramirez, first baseman/outfielder Brad Hawpe staying at Frisco rather than moving to Round Rock, whether Tanner Scheppers can be a contributor at the MLB level, the Cody Ross factor, the depth of the organization and more. Listen to the podcast.

Bryan Dolgin is the host of Rangers Magazine (weekends on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM) and the radio pre and postgame show of the Texas Rangers. Follow him on Twitter: @RangersRadioBD.

What if the Texas Rangers had an experienced right-handed pinch-hitting option? What if they had a right-handed pinch hitter who was versatile fielder? Those were questions that have come up from time to time in the past. On Friday, the Rangers acquired outfielder Ryan Spilborghs from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for cash considerations.

PODCAST
Rangers minor leaguer Ryan Spilborghs joins Rangers Magazine to talk about pinch hitting, Clint Hurdle's influence and more. Listen

The right-handed hitter can play all three outfield positions and is a career .272 hitter in 619 major league games. He played all those games with the Colorado Rockies and played in the 2007 World Series when the Rockies lost to Boston.

“Once you get there, you understand how important it is and how big of a deal it is,” Spilborghs recalled of that World Series. “You’re talking about one or two percent of guys that have ever played baseball have actually won a World Series. We’re talking handfuls of guys. For the Rangers to be close two years in a row, I know it’s eating at them. They want to get back, and they want to win it. Just like it’s been eating at me for years.”

Former Rangers hitting coach and current Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle was the manager of that ’07 Rockies team. He played a pivotal role in the 32-year-old Spilborghs becoming a .305 career pinch hitter.

“Without Clint, I probably didn’t get the opportunities that I would have had to establish myself as a big leaguer. He obviously believed in me. Gave me opportunity when I was starting to come up to pinch-hit in situations, you know, with the game on the line,” Spilborghs recalled. “That led to other stuff. Without Clint believing in me the way he did, potentially I don’t have the type of career I have because of the opportunities. He means a lot to me.”

That .305 pinch-hitting average equates to being 53-for-174 with 39 RBIs and 32 walks. He has a .411 OBP and .837 OPS in his career as a pinch hitter.

“I love every opportunity to pinch hit,” Spilborghs said sincerely. “Usually, if you are pinch hitting, you are in a situation that’s important for the game. Those are moments that I live for.”

Currently, Spilborghs is not on the Rangers' 40-man roster. He has played two games for the Round Rock Express, the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate. He’s already 4-for-7 with two doubles, two stolen bases and three RBIs. He’s played left field in both games.

Spilborghs was a guest this past weekend on Rangers Magazine (ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM). Spilborghs also discussed the approach he takes in his new organization, why he was in the Cleveland Indians organization, his relationship with Rangers assistant general manager Thad Levine, trade rumors of the past and that 2007 World Series. Listen to the podcast.

Bryan Dolgin hosts Rangers Magazine on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and the Rangers radio pre and postgame shows on the Texas Rangers ESPN Radio Network. Follow him on Twitter: @RangersRadioBD.

With the Texas Rangers off to a 12-3 start, you are probably not eagerly awaiting the arrival of the next minor league prospect who can contribute at the major league level.

PODCAST
Triple-A Round Rock hitting coach Brant Brown talks about the team's start and the developments of Leonys Martin and Julio Borbon. Listen

However, it doesn't hurt to take a peek as to what is happening in the Rangers farm system. The name amongt position players that draws the most interest at Triple-A Round Rock should be outfielder Leonys Martin.

"Mechanically, there's a lot of things that he's cleaned up that allows him to be a little more efficient to the baseball and then mentally kind of easing in to the way we play, the way things are, and getting used to his comrades," Round Rock hitting coach Brant Brown said. "Obviously, the hot start has helped with confidence."

Brown was a Saturday morning guest on Rangers Magazine (ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM). Later that night in New Orleans, Martin went 2-for-3 with a double, a two-run home run and three RBIs. He also walked once. The home run was his third of the season, and his batting average is up to .359.

Brown also coached Martin last season for 29 games at Double-A Frisco, where Martin batted .348 with four home runs and 24 RBI. He was promoted to Round Rock on July 9. On the field, Brown saw Martin last year make just one error in 71 outfield chances.

"I think the best thing about him is his arm, of course," said Brown, a former major league outfielder for the Cubs, Pirates and Marlins. "I think lateral movement and movement back and forth ... I think we can always improve on that. I believe that he knows that. His energy levels have been a lot better than they were last year. We are just hoping to see more consistency from that aspect."

Brown also discussed his own transition from being the hitting coach at Double-A Frisco to being at Round Rock, Julio Borbon, and working with Mike Bianucci and Tommy Mendonca.

FRISCO, Texas -- The Frisco RoughRiders dropped to 8-4 on the season, falling 5-4 to the Arkansas Travelers on Tuesday afternoon. Frisco had a 4-3 lead after a two-run homer from Chris McGuiness in the bottom of the sixth, but Arkansas tied it in the top of the seventh and then took the lead with a run in the top of the ninth. Some thoughts:

* Jurickson Profar played second base for just the second time this season. And he didn't see much action over there. Arkansas hit two balls his way and he handled both of them. Profar did make one nice play, going to his right to backhand an in-between hop on a hard-hit ball in the eighth.

* With Profar at second, Leury Garcia played shortstop and he struggled. He had an error in the ninth to score the winning run, booting a ball that was hit right at him. He missed a hard-hit ball earlier in the game that was called a hit. The last time Garcia played shortstop was Friday, when he had three errors (two of them on throws). He's played SS three times this season.

* Mike Olt got the game off and Alex Buchholz played third base. At some point soon, Olt will get some chances at first base.

* LHP Miguel De Los Santos started the game and gave up three earned on four hits in four innings of work with five strikeouts and two walks. He threw 78 pitches (48 of them strikes).

* RHP Fabio Castillo pitched two innings on Tuesday and worked out of a two-out jam in the sixth. He gave up two hits and a walk to load the bases and then got a strikeout on a nice slider on a 3-2 count to Angel Castillo, the No. 9 hitter for Arkansas.

* Left-handed hitting Chris McGuiness hit his second homer in as many days with a two-run shot in the sixth. It was a long one to right field. That long ball gave Frisco the lead briefly before Arkansas tied it up the next half-inning.

We blogged earlier about four Rangers players being in ESPN.com's Keith Law's top-100 prospect list. But he also put together the top-10 list for all of the MLB clubs. Here is his top-10 for the Rangers:

1. Jurickson Profar, SS (7)
2. Martin Perez, LHP (20)
3. Mike Olt, 3B (75)
4. Neil Ramirez, RHP (99)
5. Robbie Ross, LHP
6. Rougned Odor, 2B
7. Leonys Martin, CF
8. Cody Buckel, RHP
9. Leury Garcia, SS
10. Jorge Alfaro, C

BTW, the Seattle Mariners and Oakland A's had the most prospects in the top-100 list among AL West teams with five, as the Rangers and Angels both had four.

As we noted yesterday, the Rangers still had the top overall minor league system in the AL West, according to Law.

ESPN.com's Keith Law has revealed his top-100 prospect list and it includes four Rangers:

No. 7: SS Jurickson Profar

The Sally League's youngest regular was one of its most impressive prospects of any age; Profar showed the selectivity of a player six or seven years his senior, outstanding instincts in the field and more power than anticipated in his full-season debut.

Profar is a plus-makeup, plus-feel, plus-instincts guy who breaks the mold of that type of player by also having tremendous tools. Born in Curacao, he was scouted more as a pitcher that a position player before he signed. His defense projects as plus, if it isn't there already, with good hands, great reactions off the bat and of course a plus arm. At the plate, his approach is very advanced, and he's stronger than I realized, showing the ability to drive the ball the other way. He needs to keep his stride shorter -- I've seen him overstride to the point where his back side collapses -- and might have more pull power if he does so. He is only an average runner down the line but gets more out of his speed through his feel for baserunning.

Profar is also a player to root for, because of the energy he brings to the game and what a potential superstar like him could do for the sport on the global stage.

No. 20: Martin Perez

Perez has been on the prospect radar so long that it's easy to forget he has yet to turn 21. His performances haven't matched his stuff -- or the hype -- just yet, but he reached Triple-A at an unusually young age and performed well given that added variable.

He will sit 92-95 mph on good days, working effectively to both sides of the plate, with a plus changeup at 83-85 that has both good arm speed and hard fading action. His curveball is more solid-average, mid-70s with inconsistent shape. Perez's command and control are still works in progress. He can take an inning or more to find his rhythm, and he has a tendency to overthrow when in trouble. He's improved his conditioning over the past two years, losing baby fat and building up muscle for durability. He could still end up at the top of a rotation but is more likely a solid No. 2 behind, say, someone such as Yu Darvish.

No. 75: Mike Olt

A potentially plus defender at third with plus raw power, Olt has seen the ball much better as a pro than he did as an amateur, resulting in better-than-expected plate discipline that gives him a chance to be at least an average regular at third. Olt can launch balls in BP, but his approach is now less pull-happy than it was in college, with very good bat speed and great extension on his follow-through for power to left and the ability to use the middle of the field.

He missed two months this summer with a broken collarbone, but was 100 percent again for fall league and led the AFL in home runs (helped by a very homer-friendly ballpark). His contact rates probably won't ever be great, but even an average hit tool with plus power and defense at third makes for a fringe star.

No. 99: Neil Ramirez

Ramirez took a huge step forward in 2011 that was short-circuited temporarily by some shoulder trouble that cropped up in mid-summer. He'll sit 93-94 mph when fully healthy and reached 97 in big league camp last spring with a plus curveball and solid-average changeup. When he had the chance to jump up to Triple-A for a spot start midyear, he threw well enough that Texas decided to leave him there the rest of the year.

He has cleaned up his delivery substantially since high school, with a slightly long but smoother arm swing that puts less stress on his shoulder and none of the former cross-body action that plagued him before he signed. He seemed fully recovered in the Arizona Fall League, and with a full, healthy season he would be a top 50-60 prospect if he's not already in the majors by then.

The top-6 ahead of Profar:

1. CF Mike Trout, LAA
2. RF Bryce Harper, Washington
3. LHP Matt Moore, Tampa Bay
4. SS Manny Machado, Baltimore
5. RHP Shelby Miller, St. Louis
6. C Travis d'Arnaud, Toronto

ESPN.com's Keith Law ranks the minor league organizations and has the Texas Rangers coming in seventh overall. A look at what he says about Texas:

The Rangers have ranked highly the past few years -- including No. 1 once -- because of depth and ceiling, but they're now more about the latter than the former. (Note that I don't consider Yu Darvish or any player with Nippon Professional Baseball experience a "prospect" for the purpose of this ranking or the top 100.)

The teams Law ranks ahead of Texas:

1. San Diego Padres
2. Tampa Bay Rays
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. St. Louis Cardinals
5. Kansas City Royals
6. Arizona Diamondbacks

How the other AL West teams fared:

9. Oakland A's
11. Seattle Mariners
15. Los Angeles Angels

I thought it was interesting that the Angels came in last among AL West teams despite having Mike Trout. But Law's write-up says Trout is the "only one real sure thing" in their system, but says other guys are one major adjustment away from becoming better prospects.

Law's top-100 prospects come out this week as well and it will be interesting to see how many Rangers make that list.

Kevin Goldstein at Baseball Prospectus and ESPN.com, put together his list of prospects who helped themselves with strong offseasons this winter. Two Rangers made Goldstein's list:

Mike Olt, 3B, Texas Rangers: Olt was in the midst of a breakout season, batting .286/.395/.508 in a tough park at high-A Myrtle Beach when he broke his collarbone in a home plate collision. Now 54 games does not a breakout make, so after a rusty return to finish the regular season, he picked up where he left off by leading the Arizona Fall League with 13 home runs in just 106 at-bats while batting .349/.433/.764.

He's a plus defender at third base as well. His overall future is bright, but with Adrian Beltre entrenched at the position in the big leagues, Olt's future with Texas is a bit muddled.

Tanner Scheppers, RHP, Rangers: Scheppers hasn't been the same pitcher since the Rangers briefly dabbled with making him a starter, but he showed signs of returning to his old self in Venezuela this winter. With a classic two-pitch mix of a well-above-average fastball and power breaker, Scheppers has late innings potential.

While he walked 13 in 13 innings for Magallanes, he also limited batters to a 5-for-41 (.122) mark with 16 strikeouts. That's half of a major step forward for Scheppers, and the other half could land him in Texas in short order.

You can read the whole list here (Insider).

The Rangers announced the minor league staff, which includes Randy Ready as the minor league hitting coordinator, Corey Ragsdale as manager of the Arizona League Rangers and Jake Krug getting promoted to director of minor league operations.

Here's the club's official release:

Ready, a Dallas resident, joins the Texas organization after spending the previous eight seasons with the San Diego Padres, including major league hitting coach from July 31, 2009 through last season. Ready appeared in 777 big league games over parts of 13 Major League seasons with Milwaukee (1983-86), San Diego (1986-89), Philadelphia (1989-91, 1994-95), Oakland (1992), and Montreal (1993), batting .259 with 40 home runs and 239 RBI.

Additionally, Jake Krug has been promoted to Director of Minor League Operations. He will assist new Senior Director of Player Development Tim Purpura. Krug is entering his 10th season with the Rangers and spent the previous two seasons as Assistant Director of Player Development. Krug joins Purpura, new field coordinator Jayce Tingler, and pitching coordinator Danny Clark to form the club’s Player Development leadership team, with Tingler and Clark providing direction on the field.

Lopez joins the Rangers from the University of Southern California, where he was the Baseball Operations Assistant the past two seasons. Lopez had previous experience with the organization as an assistant with Hickory and the instructional league. Mashore worked in the Toronto Blue Jays organization the last nine seasons, including the last five as a hitting coach, most recently with Double-A New Hampshire in 2011. Mashore spent 11 seasons in the minor leagues and appeared in seven games with the San Diego Padres in 2007. Miranda was an assistant coach with Northwood University in Cedar Hill, TX following a standout career with the Knights. In addition to his duties with Northwood, Miranda had also worked as an assistant with the Rangers in the Arizona and Dominican Leagues.

Ragsdale will be the lone new manager in the organization this season, after serving as a coach at Low-A Hickory in 2011. Hector Ortiz, who managed the AZL Rangers in 2011, will serve as the club’s roving catching instructor this season. The former catcher played 18 seasons of professorial baseball, including 93 games at the big league level.

Here's the complete list of the minor league staff:

Round Rock (AAA)
Manager: Bobby Jones
Pitching: Terry Clark
Coach: Brant Brown
Coach: Spike Owen
Trainer: Jason Roberts
Strength: Ric Mabie

Frisco (AA)
Manager: Steve Buechele
Pitching: Jeff Andrews
Coach: Jason Hart
Trainer: Carlos Olivas
Strength: Eric McMahon

Myrtle Beach (High-A)
Manager: Jason Wood
Pitching: Brad Holman
Coach: Julio Garcia
Coach: Kenny Holmberg
Trainer: Jeffrey Bodenhamer
Strength: Ryan McNeal

Hickory (Low-A)
Manager: Bill Richardson
Pitching: Storm Davis
Coach: Josue Perez
Coach: Humberto Miranda
Trainer: Jacob Newburn
Strength: Anthony Miller

Spokane (Short-A)
Manager: Tim Hulett
Pitching: Ryan O’Malley
Coach: Oscar Bernard
Coach: Vinny Lopez
Trainer: Sean Fields
Strength: Ed Yong

Arizona (Rookie)
Manager: Corey Ragsdale
Pitching: Oscar Marin
Pitching: TBA
Coach: Donzell McDonald
Coach: Justin Mashore
Trainer: Zach Jones
Strength: Wade LaMont

Dominican (Rookie)
Manager: Ryley Westman
Pitching: Jose Jaimes
Pitching: Pablo Blanco
Hitting: Guillermo Mercedes
Infield: Jesus Ovalle
Bench: Alexis Infante
Outfield: Osvaldo Oliva
Strength: Eduardo Thomas

Roving Instructors
Special Assistant: Mark Connor
Special Assistant: Harry Spilman
Pitching: Danny Clark
Field Coordinator: Jayce Tingler
Infield/Baserunning: Casey Caendale
Catching: Hector Ortiz
Hitting Coordinator: Randy Ready
Assistant Hitting Coord.: Luis Ortiz
Special Assignment Coach: Brian Dayette

Now that Darren Oliver has finalized his deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, Baseball America has updated the 2012 draft order.

Texas gets a supplemental first round pick for Oliver. So here are the Rangers' picks in first round and then those they got from Wilson and Oliver:

No. 29 (first round)
No. 38 (for C.J. Wilson, Type A to Angels)
No. 51 (for Darren Oliver, Type B to Blue Jays)
No. 76 (from Angels for Wilson, second round pick)

The Rangers on Tuesday acquired infielder Brandon Snyder from Baltimore for cash considerations.

The first-round pick (13th overall) of the Orioles in the 2005 draft has played primarily at first base but has also seen action at third and catcher. He has a .273 batting average in 16 major league games -- all with the Orioles.

Snyder, 25, spent most of the 2011 season with Triple-A Norfolk, batting .261 with 14 home runs and 71 RBIs in 114 games.

"He's a guy our scouts have liked for a while, particularly his swing," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said.

Daniels said Snyder may benefit from a change of scenery, adding that "if he does realize some of his potential, it's an intriguing deal."

"We'll let him come in and compete and go from there," Daniels said. "We see him playing some first base and some third base in camp. It's also been suggested he could work out at second base, and he was an amateur catcher, but we'll see when we get to Surprise."

With the addition, the Rangers have 38 players on the club's 40-man roster.

Other notes:

The Rangers re-signed Brad Nelson to a minor league contract. The infielder/outfielder spent last season at Triple-A Round Rock, batting .281 with 24 home runs and 83 RBIs in 121 games. He was originally a fourth-round pick of the Brewers in 2001 and has 28 career big leagues games, all with Milwaukee in 2008 and 2009.

Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein listed his "biggest prospect flops of 2011" and on the list is Rangers RHP Tanner Scheppers. Here's what Goldstein says about Scheppers:

The point in which Scheppers went south is clear to point out. He started the 2010 season by dominating out of the bullpen and was on the verge of the big leagues when the Rangers decided to see if he could work as a starter.

He's simply never been the same since, and a return to the bullpen has not brought his stuff all the way back to 2010 levels.

"I think he's still a potential 7th or 8th inning guy, but I'd be wary of him in a deal," said one front office member. "There are a lot of red flags, from the control, the delivery, and most of all the injury history."

You can read the whole thing here (insider).

I agree that Scheppers hasn't zoomed to the majors as expected, but I still believe he's got time. The injury issue was a concern even back to when he was drafted, but he's still got the stuff to do something if he can put it together. The Rangers aren't the type of club to simply throw a guy in a deal and give up easily. They'll see what he's got this season, which is clearly a big one for Scheppers.

Do you agree with Goldstein?