The Texas Rangers may be chasing a playoff spot over the next two weeks, but the organization’s minor league awards offered a clean look at what’s coming next.
The club announced its 2026 minor league award winners, and the list is built around five players who each carved out a real case as part of Texas’ future. Some are closer than others, but all of them put together seasons that made them stand out across the system.
Rafe Perich took home the Tom Grieve Rangers minor league player of the year honor after a huge year split between High-A Hub City and Double-A Frisco. In 116 games, the switch-hitting corner infielder hit .315/.401/.586/.987 and led the organization with 27 home runs. He also added 4 triples, 31 doubles and 92 RBI.
Perich brings obvious value simply because he hits from both sides of the plate, which matters in a game where so many bats come from the right side. MLB Pipeline ranks him as the No. 19 prospect, and he’s projected to be ready as soon as next season. With Jake Burger at first base and Josh Jung at third base both under team control for two more years and set to become free agents after 2028, Perich is already lining himself up as a possible successor to one of them.
Dalton Pence earned his award after a season that showed how fast a pitcher can rise when the stuff and the command both show up. Across 24 games and 22 starts with Hub City, Frisco and Round Rock, he went 6-4 with a 2.44 ERA, 45 walks, 117 strikeouts and a 1.163 WHIP.
Pence was a non-roster invitee to Major League spring training last February, and he drew attention from the big league staff because of his command. Going from High-A to Triple-A in one season says plenty.
So does the fact that he settled in after a slow start with the Express. Texas needs more left-handed starting pitching, especially as MacKenzie Gore enters his final year of team control, and Pence could be the answer in 2028.
One of the more intriguing stories belongs to Marinaro, who converted all eight of his save chances and finished 7-2 with a 3.08 ERA in 36 relief appearances for Single-A Hickory in his first professional season.
For Texas, that kind of relief production matters. The system has had some trouble building high-leverage bullpen arms, so getting an undrafted free agent from Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., is a real win.
Marinaro spent 2026 laying the groundwork at Hickory, and now he appears set up for a jump across multiple affiliates in 2027. At the lower levels, performance is the whole story.
Yolfran Castillo also made a strong impression in Hickory, and not just because of the glove. The teenage shortstop finished with a .973 fielding percentage over a season spent mostly at shortstop, where he played 107 games, and also at third base, where he appeared in 13 games.
At shortstop, Castillo’s .973 fielding percentage ranked second among all non-first basemen and catchers at the A-ball level with at least 400 total chances. He also stole 55 bases, which led the Carolina League, and gave the Rangers a middle-infield profile with real two-way impact. He’s projected as a middle infielder in the majors and could eventually become a stealthy replacement for Corey Seager.
Evan Siary rounded out the group after a strong year in the Hickory rotation. He went 7-3 with a 3.30 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 22 starts, and he led Carolina League qualifiers in both ERA and WHIP at 1.10.
The award recognizes “a player who represents the core values of the organization in a positive light both on and off the field.” Siary fit that description while also putting himself in position to move up a couple of affiliates next season. He worked as a starter at Hickory, but his profile also gives him swingman potential at the major league level.
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