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Rangers Majors Pipeline: Peyton Gray, Aidan Curry Dominating in Minors

The Texas Rangers are a couple of weeks into the minor leagues season and here are four players to keep an eye on.  
Matt Postins|
The Texas Rangers logo.
The Texas Rangers logo. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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The Texas Rangers are now a couple of weeks into the minor league season at all four of their affiliates and some top players are starting to emerge.

The Rangers have already called up one Top 30 prospect per MLB Pipeline. Pitch Gavin Collyer joined the Rangers last week and already has his first Major League win. After a relatively clean weekend of action, he could be with the Rangers for a while.

This week, the focus is on another reliever who could be ready for the Majors, along with a pitcher who may be done with High-A baseball soon.

Peyton Gray Making His Case

Texas Rangers pitcher Peyton Gray poses for a photo
Texas Rangers pitcher Peyton Gray. | Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images

With Gavin Collyer now with the Rangers, the Triple-A reliever with the best case for a call-up that has yet to play in the Majors is undoubtedly Peyton Gray. The next time Texas experiences an injury in the bullpen, Gray must be the go-to for Texas.

Gray was brilliant in spring training, and he’s carried that over into the early part of the Triple-A season with Round Rock. He’s pitched in seven game and has no ERA. He is 1-0 with two saves in two chances. He’s struck out 15 and walked two in 12.2 innings. He has a 0.79 WHIP and batters are hitting .186 against him.

Yes, MLB hitters are better than Triple-A hitters. But the 30-year-old who has been bouncing around professional baseball since 2018 has fashioned himself into a high-leverage reliever in waiting. With a nine-game homestand coming up, don’t be surprised if the Rangers turn to him at some point, which will require a 40-man roster move.

Frainyer Chavez Blows Up

Late last week, Frisco third baseman Frainyer Chavez became the organization’s home run lead with four home runs. Going into this week he’s slashing .306/.413/.548 with 10 RBI, along with three doubles. The 26-year-old is like Gray. He’s been doing this since 2018 without an MLB call-up after he was drafted in the 22nd round of the MLB draft by Texas out of Midland Junior College.

The needle has been stuck on Chavez for a few years. He gets a handful of games at Triple-A Round Rock each season but ends up at Double-A Frisco eventually. In the past two seasons he’s been about a .250 hitter at Triple-A. So far at Frisco he’s batting well above his career .256 average. He needs a promotion to Round Rock and some runway to get some serious playing time. That’s not easy when he’s not a Top 30 prospect.

Aidan Curry Closing in on Double-A

Dalton Pence is the Top 30 prospect to watch at High-A Hub City. But Aidan Curry, who isn’t yet a Top 30 prospect per MLB Pipeline, isn’t far behind.

Curry has started two games for Hub City and is 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA. He’s struck out 13 and walked one in nine innings and batters are hitting .235 against him. Curry pitched in 17 games (13 starts) at Hub City last year and went 3-2 with a 4.01 ERA, with 77 strikeouts and 41 walks in 58.1 innings. Batters hit .232 against him.

The reduction in walks so far is intriguing, as is the strikeout to walk spread. The right-hander joined the Rangers in 2021 and is just 23 years old. By the end of April, he may have proven enough to get a promotion to Frisco.

Who is Deward Tovar?

Remember how Chavez moved into the organizational lead for home runs last week? Well, Tovar, who plays for Class-A Hickory, joined him. He’s slashing .263/.333/.579 with four home runs and 13 RBI in 15 games.

So who is Tovar? The 20-year-old from Venezuela was part of the Rangers’ 2023 international signing class and he’s playing his first year at a full season affiliate. He has posted fine numbers throughout the system, with a slash of .271/.373/.445 and an .818 OPS. He’s already closing in on his single-season career high for home runs (he had five in 2024 and 2025). His career high for RBI is 31 in 2024. He isn’t a Top 30 prospect but if he produces like this all season he could be by the end of the season.

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Matthew Postins
MATT POSTINS

Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers Major League Baseball for OnSI. He also covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.

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