Why RoughRiders Playoff Run So Important to Rangers Minor League Growth

The Texas Rangers only have two minor league affiliates in action. Only one was scheduled to be in action this week.

While the Triple-A Round Rock Express are wrapping up their regular season against Tacoma at home, the Frisco Roughriders, their Double-A affiliate, is playing in the Texas League playoffs. Frisco won game one, 8-7, at Amarillo on Tuesday. After an off day on Wednesday, the two teams will play again Thursday in Frisco with game three on Friday if necessary.

It was a thriller, too. The game went to extra innings where Max Wagner scored on a wild pitch to give the RoughRiders the lead. Jonathan Brand then got the save, though he worked around a sacrifice bunt and intentional walk to do it.

Winning a title in the postseason is a big deal, even at the minor league level. But there are deeper ramifications for the Texas Rangers in terms of player development.

The Importance of the Texas League Playoffs

The Riders are back on top‼️

B10 | FRI 8, AMA 7 pic.twitter.com/DR3RQmosbg
— Frisco RoughRiders (@RidersBaseball) September 16, 2026

It would be easy to focus on Sebastian Walcott, who is the organization’s No. 1 prospect and the No. 9 prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline. Walcott didn't arrive in Frisco until after the All-Star break. By then, the RoughRiders had essentially clinched their spot in the Texas League playoffs. The winners of the first half and second half of the season advance to the postseason.

Frisco already had a good team put together when he arrived. His success the past two months has only augmented what the RoughRiders have been able to do. It isn't just the quality of the players it's how well they're thought of across the organization and across Major League Baseball.

Start with Rafe Perich, the infielder who was just named the Rangers Tom Grieve minor league player of the year.

Beyond that, there are four other players among the MLB Pipeline Top 30, including Walcott and Perich (No. 19). There is also catcher Malcolm Moore (No. 6), outfielder Dylan Dreiling (No. 13), outfielder Paxton Kling (No. 20), and right-hander pitcher Leandro Lopez (No. 27).

Moore was the Rangers’ first-round pick in 2024 out of Stanford and is having a breakthrough season. The same could be said for Dreiling, who was also selected in 2024 out of Tennessee. Lopez was in Major League camp with the Rangers and his arm is well-respected.

In many ways, this team could be looked upon as the future core of the organization. Walcott is seen as a future shortstop that he has flexibility to play other positions. Perich’s emergence gives the Rangers a corner infield option with power who could eventually replace either Josh Jung at third base or Jake Burger at first base at the Major League level.

Dreiling’s rise has been so quick that the Rangers could move on from a young outfielder on the Major League roster in favor of the slugger from Tennessee. Lopez projects as a starter in the Majors, but his arm is powerful enough to transition to a relief role.

The organization is hoping the Rough Riders can bring some hardware home. But in the long term, it's this group of players that could form the core for the next wave of Rangers success at the Major League level. It's a core that fans should pay attention to in 2027 when many of them make the move to Triple-A Round Rock.

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