The Texas Rangers are seeing encouraging developments throughout their minor-league system, highlighted by right-handed pitcher David Davalillo earning Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week honors for his dominant performance with the Round Rock Express.
Davalillo was officially recognized for the week of August 11-16 after delivering arguably his best outing of the 2026 season. The honor represents a significant turnaround for a pitcher who experienced major struggles earlier this year and had to make several adjustments before rediscovering his form.
The 2025 season originally put Davalillo on the organization’s radar as a potential pitching option for the future. Following a breakout campaign, the Rangers added him to their 40-man roster during the winter, signaling that they viewed him as an important part of their pitching depth.
He began the 2026 campaign with Double-A Frisco and initially showed plenty of promise. Across five starts and 23⅓ innings, Davalillo posted a 3.86 ERA, striking out 36 hitters while issuing only eight walks.
However, his promotion to Triple-A Round Rock proved much more difficult.
Davalillo struggled badly in his first stretch with the Express, posting a 7.59 ERA over 21⅓ innings across six appearances. The most concerning aspect was his command. A pitcher who had previously built a reputation for controlling the strike zone suddenly walked 21 batters and hit six more during that stretch.
The Rangers responded by sending him to Arizona for several weeks to work through his issues and make adjustments.
Rather than simply remaining at one level, Davalillo moved around the organization as the Rangers attempted to find the right environment for him. He made appearances with the Arizona Complex League club, High-A Hub City and Double-A Frisco before eventually returning to Round Rock.
His time back at Frisco provided signs that things were beginning to turn around.
In two starts for the RoughRiders, Davalillo struck out eight hitters and walked only three across nine innings. He then returned to Round Rock, where his first two appearances in August produced mixed results but showed enough progress to keep him in the rotation conversation.
Then came his breakthrough performance.
On August 14, Davalillo dominated from the opening pitch. He faced the minimum number of batters over six innings and surrendered only one hit, allowing just one opposing player to reach base.
He also struck out seven batters while demonstrating the command that had been missing earlier in the season. Of his 76 total pitches, 52 were strikes, an especially encouraging figure considering his previous struggles with walks.
The performance was so impressive that it immediately became the defining outing of his season and ultimately earned him the PCL Pitcher of the Week award.
The recognition also continues a strong run for the Round Rock pitching staff. Davalillo became the second consecutive Express pitcher to win the weekly award after Dalton Pence received the honor the previous week.
While Davalillo’s award is the headline, the Rangers also made moves involving two intriguing young two-way players.
The organization is reportedly promoting Josh Owens and Seong-Jun Kim from the Arizona Complex League to Low-A Hickory, giving both teenagers their first opportunity to experience full-season professional baseball.
Owens, only 19 years old, was selected by Texas in the third round of the 2025 draft out of Johnson City, Tennessee. The left-handed hitter and right-handed pitcher has spent the 2026 season developing as a two-way player.
At the plate, Owens produced a .255/.345/.469 slash line across 168 plate appearances, recording 62 strikeouts and 16 walks.
On the mound, he posted a 3.48 ERA in 20⅔ innings across 12 appearances, striking out 24 batters while walking seven.
His versatility has also been evident defensively. When he wasn’t pitching, Owens split his time between designated hitter, shortstop and second base.
Owens’ development is attracting significant attention within the organization. He is currently ranked No. 3 among Rangers prospects on Baseball America’s latest organizational Top 30 list, making his move to Hickory one worth monitoring closely.
Kim is another intriguing international prospect.
The 19-year-old South Korean signed with the Rangers in May 2025 and has also been used as a two-way player. Unlike Owens, Kim bats and throws right-handed.
He enjoyed an impressive offensive season in the Arizona Complex League, hitting .303/.419/.546 across 160 plate appearances. He struck out 51 times but also drew 24 walks, showing an ability to reach base while providing extra-base power.
Kim has also shown promise on the mound. In 8⅔ innings over five appearances, he posted an impressive 1.04 ERA, striking out 10 while issuing five walks.
When he wasn’t pitching, Kim primarily played shortstop and served as a designated hitter.
With the Arizona Complex League schedule completed, the Rangers are giving both players a chance to test themselves against more advanced competition. Their promotion to Hickory will provide valuable experience against full-season competition and could help determine where they fit within the organization’s long-term development plans.
Both players could also begin the 2027 season with Hickory, depending on how they perform during their late-season introduction to Low-A baseball.
Kim currently sits at No. 20 on Baseball America’s Rangers prospect rankings, further emphasizing the organization’s growing belief in his potential.
Taken together, the developments represent an encouraging stretch for the Rangers’ farm system.
Davalillo’s turnaround demonstrates how a struggling prospect can respond to organizational adjustments, while the promotions of Owens and Kim give Texas two more young players an opportunity to accelerate their development.
The Rangers still have plenty of work to do to rebuild their minor-league depth, but performances like Davalillo’s—and the continued emergence of promising young prospects provide reasons for optimism.
For Davalillo specifically, the PCL Pitcher of the Week award is more than an individual accomplishment. After struggling with command and effectiveness earlier in the season, his dominant six-inning performance suggests that the adjustments he made throughout his time moving between levels may finally be paying off.
The Rangers will now hope Davalillo can carry that momentum forward while Owens and Kim begin the next stage of their professional development in Hickory.
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