Thanks to the rash of injuries that have besieged the Texas Rangers this season, some of the Frisco RoughRiders’ top talent—such as Luis Sardinas and Rougned Odor—has been promoted to the big leagues. It’s a win-win for the players, but it leaves vacancies that sometimes can’t be filled at the Double-A level. Lucky for us, there is no dearth of talent throughout the minor leagues in the Rangers organization.
Player(s) Spotlight: RHP Alec Asher and OF Jake Smolinski
Much as Tomas Telis has languished in the shadows of premium prospect Jorge Alfaro, one young right-hander in the RoughRiders rotation has been in the background due to being in the same rotation as the Rangers’ number one pitching prospect, Luke Jackson.
Right-handed pitcher Alec Asher, a fourth-round pick of the Texas Rangers during the 2012 MLB Draft, went just 1-3 with a robust 5.61 ERA in in his first month of Double-A in April. Just as one month’s showers bring the next’s flowers, Ascher’s 4-1 record and 2.33 ERA in May has removed the stench from his sub par April.
Overall, the 6’ 4” Lakeland, Florida native has gone 5-4 with a very respectable 3.64 ERA. Just 22 years old, Asher has excelled at each stop he’s made in the minor leagues. Asher made his professional debut in 2012 at Spokane where he averaged 12.9 strikeouts per inning. In 2013, he moved up a level to High-A Myrtle Beach where he posted his first sub-3.00 ERA while still maintaining an impressive K/9 rate (9.7).
In the minor leagues, the most difficult jump aside from the leap to the big leagues is the jump to Double-A. And despite his brief period of adjustment in April, Asher has handled things exceedingly well, and done so while being over two years younger than the average denizen of the Texas League.
At 25 years old, Jake Smolinski can almost be considered an old-timer when compared to Alec Asher. About one year older than the average Texas Leaguer, Smolinski brings tons of minor league experience to the foray.
Originally drafted by the Washington Nationals in the second round of the 2007 MLB Draft out of Boylan Catholic High School in Rockford, Illinois, Smolinski’s scaled the heights of the minors, on the very precipice of the big leagues last season while at Triple-A New Orleans.
Smolinski has flashed some serious pop this season as his nine home runs are tied for the RoughRiders team lead, and matched his previous season high—and done so in just 233 plate appearances. But he’s far more than just a slugger, as his .382 OBP is good for fourth best in the Texas League—sandwiching him between teammates Ryan Rua (.383) and Tomas Telis (.379).
His 27 free passes are the highest among those in the Texas League’s top 10 in home runs. In other words, Smolinski is the rarest of power bats, the slugger that is also not afraid to work the count and draw a walk.
Come on out to Dr. Pepper Ballpark this week to catch Alec Asher and Jake Smolinkski live and in-person. The RoughRiders kick off an eight-game home stand June 3 as they host the San Antonio Missions for four, followed by the Midland RockHounds for four more. Tickets can be purchased by following this link.
