Rangers Prospect Weekly: Santana's Scorching July, Dreiling Makes His Case at Double-A
By Noah Patterson ·
The 19-Year-Old Who Won't Stop Hitting: Paulino Santana's Case for Promotion
Paulino Santana (A, OF, Rank: 17) went 11-for-28 with two triples, two home runs, and eight RBI over seven games this week, capping off a genuinely remarkable stretch of baseball for a teenager. Over the last 30 days, he is slashing .357/.450/.655 with five home runs, six doubles, two triples, and 19 RBI across 22 games at Hickory. That is not a fluke sample. Through 101 games this season, Santana has posted a .272/.396/.455 line with 13 home runs, 65 walks, and 18 stolen bases, and his walk rate has been a consistent bright spot throughout. For a 19-year-old at full-season A ball, the on-base ability is the carrying tool right now, and the power output this month is a sign that the gap between projection and present is closing faster than anticipated.
The scouting profile describes him as a 45/45 hit/power bat with a 60 speed grade and genuine CF athleticism, with the main concern being whether the hit tool can hold against better sequencing and spin. What this recent run suggests is that at least against A-ball arms, Santana has found a gear. The strikeout total of 115 through the season remains a yellow flag, and the quality of contact will face a real test at High-A. Still, a 19-year-old posting a .396 OBP in full-season ball while also running and playing center is an encouraging development arc for the Rangers. A promotion to Hickory's upper circuits or a push to Spartanburg feels imminent if this pace continues another few weeks.
Dylan Dreiling Is Outplaying His Scouting Report
Dylan Dreiling (AA, OF, Rank: 13) had another composed week at Frisco, going 6-for-15 with two doubles, a home run, and four RBI while adding three walks against just four strikeouts. He is hitting .360/.415/.686 over his last 30 days with six home runs, eight doubles, and 16 RBI in 21 games, a stretch that follows a July 12 game where he nearly hit for the cycle, going 3-for-5 with a double, triple, and home run. The full-season line sits at .293/.371/.499 with 17 home runs and 47 walks in 89 games, and that 17th home run already puts him comfortably ahead of his career pace. He hit 12 total home runs in 110 games at High-A last year, so the jump in power at a harder level is worth flagging.
The scouting report grades him as a 50 hit/55 power left fielder with a second-division ceiling, and that read is not wrong on tools. But Dreiling's actual production is currently beating those grades. The strikeout-to-walk ratio has been reasonable this month; the four strikeouts against three walks in a single week at Double-A show he is not getting overwhelmed by better velocity. His below-average arm and fringe defensive profile in left field mean the bat has to do the heavy lifting, and right now it is doing just that. If he sustains a .480 or better slugging percentage through August at Frisco, a September promotion to Round Rock becomes a real possibility, and a major-league look by late 2026 or early 2027 starts to feel less like a stretch.
Quick Hits
Izack Tiger (A+, RHP, Rank: 25) · was as dominant as a pitcher can look in four innings, spinning four hitless frames with seven strikeouts and one walk. The outing was a needed breath of air for a pitcher whose 2026 has been rough at High-A; he carries a 10.26 ERA in seven starts at Spartanburg, with seven home runs allowed in just 16.2 innings. The raw stuff is real, a mid-to-upper-90s fastball and a plus slider, and this week showed what the ceiling looks like. The command has to get sharper and the homer rate has to come down before anyone should revise his up-down reliever projection upward.
Maxton Martin (A+, OF, Rank: 37) · drove in seven runs across 22 plate appearances, smacking two doubles and two home runs for a productive week that pushed his season total to 15 home runs. He is hitting just .192/.292/.385 over the last 30 days, so the power is carrying a profile that otherwise struggles with contact and strikeouts; his 105 strikeouts in 401 PA this season reflect the swing-length issues in his scouting profile. The pop is real, but the hit tool will need to improve for him to move beyond an organizational role.
Gavin Collyer (AAA, RHP, Rank: 39) · threw four clean innings at Round Rock, allowing just two hits, no runs, and a walk while striking out four. He was optioned back to Round Rock in mid-July after struggling in 23 MLB appearances (5.09 ERA), and the 2.28 ERA he carries at the AAA level compared to his big-league numbers tells the familiar story: the 97-101 mph fastball and plus sweeper are genuinely devastating stuff, but the command grade of 35 is not a typo. Collyer's 15 walks against 34 strikeouts in 23.2 AAA innings this year is actually an improvement over his worst stretches, and clean outings like this one are what keeps him cycling back to Arlington.
Emiliano Teodo (AAA, RHP, Rank: 21) · struck out six across 3.2 hitless innings of one-run ball. Teodo also came back to Round Rock via option in mid-July, and his 3.69 ERA in 39 AAA appearances this year is a reasonable number given his 37 walks in 46.1 innings. The 70-grade four-seamer and 65-grade slider give him a legitimate setup-reliever ceiling, but the walk rate remains the barrier between him and a stable MLB role.
Elian Rosario (RK, SS, Rank: 20) · went 2-for-9 with a double, a home run, two RBI, and four walks in 14 plate appearances. The 17-year-old is slashing .266/.402/.448 with six home runs across 38 games in the complex, and that .402 OBP from a teenager with a 60 raw power grade is a genuinely encouraging foundation. The 60 power/55 hit projection points to a potential everyday corner outfielder, and the patient approach is keeping the profile well ahead of where most hitters his age land.
Malcolm Moore (AA, C, Rank: 14) · went 3-for-11 with a homer and two RBI in 12 plate appearances. Moore is slashing just .182/.297/.364 over his last 30 days at Double-A, a sharp contrast to the .300/.387/.542 line he posted in 48 games at High-A earlier this year. The combined 16-homer season is encouraging for a 23-year-old catcher with a 55 power grade, but the strikeout rate at Frisco (36 K in 132 PA) suggests the hit-tool concerns the scouting profile flags are showing up as expected against upper-level pitching.
Aidan Curry (AA, RHP, Rank: 34) · went five innings, allowing four hits and one earned run with three walks and four strikeouts. His last-30-day ERA at Frisco sits at 3.00 with 15 strikeouts in 15 innings, a meaningful improvement over a rough earlier stretch that pushed his season ERA to 5.13 at Double-A. The fastball-slider combination can miss bats, and the recent stretch hints at the up-down reliever projection becoming a realistic outcome if the walks stay manageable.
Josh Trentadue (AA, LHP, Rank: 27) · gave up four hits and one run in 3.1 innings with a walk and three punchouts. The modest line masks a genuinely strong recent stretch: he carries a 0.84 ERA with 15 strikeouts over his last 10.2 innings at Frisco. That is a stark turnaround from a 5.79 season ERA across 56 innings, and it echoes the high-strikeout run he put together at High-A in 2025. Whether this stretch signals growth or is a hot run within a volatile profile is the question worth watching over the next few weeks.
Sebastian Walcott (AA, SS, Rank: 1) · was placed on the 7-day injured list at Frisco on August 2. No timetable has been announced. Walcott is the top prospect in the Rangers system, so any extended absence warrants attention.
Dalton Pence (AAA, LHP, Rank: 28) · received his first promotion to Round Rock on August 1. No pitching line is available from this week, but the jump from Frisco to Triple-A is worth noting for a 28th-ranked arm pushing toward the back end of the organizational depth chart.
Paxton Kling (A+, OF, Rank: 19) · returned from the 7-day IL on July 31 at Spartanburg. No meaningful stat line is available from the week, but the return of a top-20 Rangers prospect to action is a positive development heading into the second half of August.
Adam Macko (AAA, LHP, Rank: 30) · was acquired by Texas in a trade from Toronto on August 3, sending Josh Smith and Josh Stephan to the Blue Jays. He was optioned to Round Rock the same day and threw 2.2 innings of one-run ball in his first appearance. Macko brings a deceptive three-quarters delivery and an above-average curveball, but his 4.91 ERA over 22 big-league appearances with Toronto this year and persistent walk issues put him squarely in the depth-arm category. His 6.00 ERA over nine innings at Round Rock since arriving is not an inspiring start, though it is a small sample.