Hub City Spartanburgers Preseason Roster Features Six Rangers Top 30 Prospects

The Hub City Spartanburgers will be the Texas Rangers’ High-A affiliate for the second straight year — and they’re defending a title.

When the Spartanburgers face the Frederick Keys on Friday, they’ll do so as South Atlantic League South Division champions. When the Rangers announced their break-camp roster for Hub City, they chose to send 25 prospects that played with the Spartaburgers last season.

That’s more about development than defending a title. Most of these players are still under 22 and a year or two away from truly being considered for a Major League roster spot. But, Texas sent six Top 30 prospects to the affiliate, per MLB Pipeline.

That list includes left-handed pitcher Dalton Pence (No. 12), catcher Malcolm Moore (No. 18), Outfielder Paxton Kling (No. 21), outfielder Maxton Martin (No. 24), right-handed pitcher Ismael Agreda (No. 28) and outfielder Anthony Gutiérrez (No. 29).

Rangers Top 30 Prospects at Hub City

Texas Rangers first round draft pick Malcolm Moore throws out the first pitch. — Texas Rangers first round draft pick Malcolm Moore. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Pence was in Major League spring training with the Rangers and impressed the staff in his limited appearances. The 11th round pick in the 2024 MLB draft out of North Carolina made quite the impression in his first professional season. He went 4-4 with a 2.73 ERA in 31 games, including 18 starts. He struck out 103 hitters in 82.1 innings and walked only 27. He’s a candidate for an in-season promotion to Double-A Frisco.

Moore was the Rangers’ first-round pick out of Stanford in 2024 and need his bat to respond due to a lack of organizational depth behind the plate. He slashed .195/.300/.276 with three home runs and 27 RBI between the Arizona Complex League and Hub City.

Kling was the Rangers’ seventh-round pick out of Penn State last year and he quickly made an impression in just 21 games at Class-A Hickory and Hub City. He slashed a combined .301/.355/.446 with one home run and seven RBI.

Martin is another late-round pick, taken in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB draft out of Southridge High School in Kennewick, Wash. The 20-year-old is coming of a 2205 in which he slashed .258/.347/.445 with seven home runs and 14 RBI in Hickory and Hub City.

Agreda is a Venezuela native who has been in the Rangers system since 2021 but is only 22 years old. Last year was a breakthrough for him stateside, as he went 4-5 with a 2.64 ERA in 24 games, with 19 starts. He struck out 97 and walked 45 in 85.1 innings.

Gutiérrez, also from Venezuela, spent last season with Hub City and slashed .258/.333/.320 with two home runs and 28 RBI.

Hub City 2026 Break Camp Roster

Pitchers: Joseph Adametz, Ismael Agredo, Aidan Curry, Joey Danielson, J’Briell Easley, Anthony Ho’opi’i-Tuionetoa, Thomas Ireland, DJ McCarty, Dalton Pence, Brock Porter, Josh Sanders, Luke Savage, Enrique Seguro, Cole Stasio, Anthony Susac, Paxton Thompson, Adonis Villavicencio.

Catchers: Ben Hartl, Malcolm Moore, Cal Stark.

Infielders: Arturo Disla, Gleider Figuereo, Luke Hanson, Antonis Macias, Rafe Perich, Chandler Pollard.

Outfielders: Anthony Gutierrez, Paxton Kling, Maxton Martin, Yeison Morrobel, Quincy Scott.

Note: Roster subject to change before opener.