Former Riders Sweep 2022 Rangers MiLB Awards
September 30, 2022 – Texas League (TL) – Frisco RoughRiders News Release
FRISCO, Texas – Five 2022 Frisco RoughRiders players took home all of the Texas Rangers Minor League Awards on Friday:
Tom Grieve Player of the Year – OF Evan Carter
Nolan Ryan Pitcher of the Year – LHP Cole Ragans
Reliever of the Year – RHP Chase Lee
Defender of the Year – INF Jonathan Ornelas
True Ranger Award – INF Thomas Saggese
Carter spent the last six games of 2022 with the RoughRiders after beginning the season in High-A Hickory and shined in the postseason as well with Frisco. The 20-year-old played a total of 106 games during the regular season, hitting .295/.397/.489/.886 with 21 doubles, 10 triples, 12 home runs, 73 RBIs and 28 stolen bases. He finished tied for third in all of Minor League Baseball with his 10 triples while he was eighth in the Rangers organization in batting average (.295), tied for second in runs scored (86) and third in OPS (.885). In the postseason, the outfielder had three hits during the Championship Series-clinching game two, including a two-run single in the top of the 10th inning. Carter was the Rangers second-round selection in 2020 and is currently ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the organization by MLB.com. Carter is the 11th former RoughRiders player to be named the Tom Grieve Minor League Player of the Year and the first since Scott Heineman in 2018.
Ragans both finished the 2021 season and began 2022 in Frisco before ending the season in Arlington with the Rangers. In 2022 with Frisco, Ragans made 10 starts, going 5-3 with a 2.81 ERA while striking out 65 batters to 19 walks over 51.1 innings. Ragans then went on to make eight more starts in Triple-A Round Rock before his promotion to Texas. Overall in 18 minor league starts, Ragans went 8-5 with a 3.04 ERA. The former first-round selection in the 2016 MLB Draft by the Rangers is the No. 13 prospect in the Texas system by MLB.com. Ragans becomes the 15th former Riders pitcher to be named the Nolan Ryan Pitcher of the Year, joining most recent selection Cole Winn in 2021.
Lee also finished off 2021 and began 2022 with the RoughRiders, turning into one of the most dominant arms in the Rangers system. To start the season, Lee made 21 outings for the Riders, going 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA, acquiring 30 strikeouts to just eight walks over 24.0 innings while holding opponents to a .186 average. His numbers were inflated in Triple-A Round Rock (1-1, 5.46 ERA over 30 outings), but the 2021 sixth-round pick of the Rangers finished the season strongly, going 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA in his final 25 Triple-A games. Lee is the 10th former Riders player to win the Reliever of the Year award and the first since Nick Snyder took it home in 2021.
Ornelas showed off his defensive prowess at multiple positions in 2022 while spending the entire season with Frisco. The primary shortstop (86 games) also spent 29 games at third, four games at second and four games in centerfield while owning a .969 fielding percentage and a .973 mark at shortstop alone. On offense, Ornelas also hit .299 over 123 games, tying the franchise record for most hits in a single season with 157. Ornelas is the No. 22 prospect in the Rangers system by MLB.com and the ninth player in franchise history to win the award and the first since Jose Trevino in 2017.
The True Ranger award (established in 2019) highlights a player who represents the core values of the organization both on and off the field. Like Carter, Saggese finished the final series of the 2022 season in Frisco. In his last week of the season, Saggese won Texas League Player of the Week, hitting .381/.409/.857 over his five games with a home run and nine RBIs. Overall, he hit .312/.361/.506/.867 over 103 games between High-A Hickory and Frisco. Saggese is the No. 20 prospect and the third Riders player to win the True Ranger award, joining Bubba Thompson (2021).
The honorees will be presented with their awards prior to Monday’s home Rangers game against the New York Yankees.
The Frisco RoughRiders won the 2022 Texas League Championship, their second title in franchise history. Season ticket packages for 2023 are already on sale. For tickets and more information about the Frisco RoughRiders, visit RidersBaseball.com or call 972.731.9200.
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