Emiliano Teodo’s first big league outing for the Rangers was messy on the scoreboard, but the radar gun told a much louder story.
The right-hander finally got his first crack at a Major League game Friday night against Atlanta, and the result was the kind of rookie debut that can humble just about anybody. Teodo entered in the fifth inning with Texas already buried in a 6-0 hole, then worked 1.2 innings and allowed three hits and two earned runs. He struck out one and walked two while throwing 43 pitches to 10 batters before being optioned back to Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday.
Still, buried inside the rough line was the kind of raw stuff that keeps Teodo on the Rangers’ radar.
He mixed 25 sinkers, 15 sliders and three change-ups, and the sinker was the headline. That pitch averaged 99.4 mph, generated 10 swings and four misses, and he reached 100 mph seven times. By the end of the night, he had thrown the game’s 17 fastest pitches, all of them 99.2 mph or harder.
For Texas, that kind of velocity stands out even more because of who Teodo just passed on the club’s season list for 100 mph fastballs. Per Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required), Teodo moved ahead of Jacob deGrom, whose fastball averages 97.2 mph this season.
Teodo’s arm has long made him one of the more fascinating pitchers in the organization. He started the 2024 MLB Futures Game at Globe Life Field and picked up the win there, and the Rangers originally had him on a starter’s path before deciding his arm talent pointed more toward the bullpen. Texas called him up right before the All-Star break, but he didn’t appear in a game until Friday.
The 25-year-old has already had two major elbow surgeries, including one in 2023, and before that second operation he could routinely crack 100 mph. Now he can still get there, but he’s working to rein in the velocity a bit and lean more on his off-speed pitches so he can last longer.
He’s still sorting through the command piece, and that remains the obstacle. At Triple-A Round Rock this season, Teodo is 3-3 with a 3.76 ERA in 35 games, along with six holds and five saves in six chances. Opponents are hitting .190 against him, and he has 52 strikeouts and 35 walks in 40 innings.
Friday didn’t give Texas a clean result, but it did give the Rangers a look at the upside they’ve been chasing: a high-leverage reliever with serious power in his arm.
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