RoughRiders May-June 2020 Digital Game Program

We Are Open to Serve You

Online, Phone or by Appointment We are here to help! Visit our website (itcu.org), or call 800-337-3328, option 5.

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WELCOME

roughriders fans OFFICIAL PROGRAM OF YOUR FRISCO ROUGHRIDERS

During the 2020 season, students will have the opportunity to submit artwork to be featured on the cover of select Riders game program covers through the Whataburger Art contest.

Our featured cover artist is 12-year-old Jocelyn from Frisco ISD.

for more info on the whataburger art contest visit

LEADING OFF | PAGE 1

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riders fun facts THE 2020 SEASON WILL MARK THE 18TH SEASON IN RIDERS HISTORY. 162 FORMER ROUGHRIDERS HAVE PLAYED MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL. THE ROUGHRIDERS HAVE TOPPED DOUBLE-A IN ATTENDANCE EACH OF THE LAST 15 SEASONS. THE RIDERS TOOK HOME THE 2004 TEXAS LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP, LED BY FUTURE RANGER IAN KINSLER. FRISCO HAS THROWN FIVE NO-HITTERS IN FRANCHISE HISTORY, MOST RECENTLY BY JOE WIELAND IN 2011.

RIDERS FUN FACTS | PAGE 6

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WHITE CLAW AD | PAGE 10

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RESIDES: LARGO, FL SEASON WITH RIDERS: 1st

COACHING STAFF | PAGE 14

JEFF ANDREWS

JONATHAN GELNAR

JOSUE PEREZ

PITCHING COACH

COACH

HITTING COACH

RESIDES: YANKTON, SD SEASON WITH RIDERS: 8th*

RESIDES: TULSA, OK SEASON WITH RIDERS: 1st

RESIDES: LEWISVILLE, TX SEASON WITH RIDERS: 1st

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*This is Andrews’ first season with the Riders since he was Frisco’s pitching coach from 2009-2015.

COACHING STAFF | PAGE 14

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PHOTO: FRISCO ROUGHRIDERS

RANGERS PROSPECTS

PROSPECT BIOS: TYLER PHILLIPS A 16th-round pick of the Rangers in 2015 out of the New Jersey high school ranks, Phillips checks in as the No. 24 prospect in the Rangers Top 30 list

by MLB.com.

Phillips struggled in the beginning of his career and was demoted from Low-A Hickory back down to Short Season Spokane in 2016. He said it was the best thing that could have happened to him as he exploded in 2018 with Hickory when he walked just 14 batters in 128 innings (2.7 percent walk rate; the MLB average is about 7.7 percent) and accumulated a 2.67 ERA over 22 starts. He took home Rangers Minor League Pitcher of the Year for his efforts.

The 22-year-old pitched his way to Frisco in 2019 by dominating in High-A Down East. In his six starts with the Wood Ducks, Phillips went 2-2 with 1.19 ERA, walking just six batters in 37.2 innings. That 4.3 percent walk rate was the third-best mark on the Woodies among those with at least 35 innings.

When he was promoted to Double-A, Phillips continued his excellent control with a 5.2 percent walk rate, but ran into a little trouble with the long ball, giving up 15 home runs in 18 outings. The righty went 7-9 with a 4.73 ERA with the Riders. *Players are projected to be on the RoughRiders 2020 roster, not confirmed.

for more info on the riders, visit

PHOTO: DOWN EAST WOOD DUCKS

RANGERS PROSPECTS

PROSPECT BIOS: ANDERSON TEJEDA RANGERS PROSPECTS

Tejeda, a 22-year-old infielder, is projected to be a big part of the Riders middle infield in 2020.

Signed in 2014 out of the Dominican Republic, Tejeda showed off both his offensive and defensive talents in the Dominican Summer League for two years before making his U.S. debut in 2016.

After combining to hit 18 home runs over his 2016 and 2017 seasons, he exploded for 19 long balls with High-A Down East in 2018, tying him for fifth in the Carolina League. He also finished second in the league with 205 total bases and eighth in slugging with a .439 mark.

Originally a left-handed swinger, Tejeda was converted to a switch hitter in 2019 and thus repeated in Down East, but only played 43 games in season marred by injuries. He finished the season hitting .234/.315/.386 before dislocating his left shoulder while sliding into a base.

Tejeda brings a beautiful blend of power and athleticism that will play well at shortstop both in Frisco and in Arlington down the road.

*Players are projected to be on the RoughRiders 2020 roster, not confirmed.

for more info on the riders, visit

PHOTO: DOWN EAST WOOD DUCKS

RANGERS PROSPECTS

PROSPECT BIOS: SHERTEN APOSTEL RANGERS PROSPECTS

Acquired in August of 2018 from the Pirates in exchange for RHP Keone Kela, Apostel has quickly become one of the Rangers’ top prospects.

Rated as the 10th-best player in the system by MLB.com, the 21-year old made it all the way to High-A Down East in 2019. Apostel started the season in Low-A Hickory, hitting .258/.332/.470 in 80 games while hitting 15 home runs for the Crawdads. Even though his production slowed slightly with the Wood Ducks, the Curacao native still managed a .779 OPS in the 2019 season.

As a 16-year-old, the right-hander threw 90 mph from the mound, but preferred to hit and signed as a third baseman. His younger brother, Shendrik, was also signed by the Pirates two years later, but the two were separated when Sherten was traded.

Along with 2019 first-round pick Josh Jung, he looks to compete for the hot corner job in Arlington soon, while some believe he is better suited for first base. *Players are projected to be on the RoughRiders 2020 roster, not confirmed.

for more info on the riders, visit

UTSW

PHOTO: WINSTON-SALEM DASH

THE RANGERS’ MAN OF STEELE For Steele Walker, it was one of the greatest moments of his life.

He was off to a good start already in professional baseball after being drafted out of the University of Oklahoma in the second round. Walker had already finished his first pro season in the White Sox system when he received a phone call on December 10, 2019; Walker had been traded to the Texas Rangers for major-league outfielder Nomar Mazara.

For all players, a trade can be a jarring spectacle. They are sometimes uprooted and shipped off to an unknown place and an unknown organization filled with even more uncertainties. But for Walker, it instead felt like destiny.

The outfielder grew up in Prosper, Texas, just 10 minutes away from Dr Pepper Ballpark and no more than an hour away from Globe Life Park in Arlington. Naturally, he was a Rangers fan and would spend his spring and summer nights either out on the diamond himself or watching stars like Hank Blalock and Josh Hamilton launch balls through the Texas heat.

STEELE WALKER FEATURE | PAGE 20

“When that call came and I talked to [Rangers General Manager] Jon Daniels, it felt like I was in a video game,” Walker said while laughing. “It was probably the first time in my baseball career where I couldn’t have written it any better.”

One-for-one trades are not rare by any means in baseball. There are teams that want to ship a veteran off and bring in a talent who can develop in the minor leagues, but the Rangers showed how much they valued Walker with this specific trade.

Mazara, a former RoughRider himself, was about as consistent as they come offensively over his four years in north Texas. Between 2016 and 2019, he failed to hit exactly 20 home runs just once – he hit 19 instead – and managed around the league average with a .754 OPS for his career.

To be traded for an established, young big leaguer (Mazara just turned 25 in late April), Walker must be viewed as a future impact player in the Globe Life Field grass.

“It’s obviously a good feeling to know that, not only you see yourself as a big leaguer, but so do other people,” said Walker. “I’m a very confident player, so I definitely see myself in the big leagues, but for another organization to reinforce that is just a confidence boost and I am thankful to be in an organization where they value me.”

“

it was probably the first time in my baseball career where I couldn’t have written it any better Steele Walker

*STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 23 STEELE WALKER FEATURE | PAGE 21

We Are Open to Serve You

Online, Phone or by Appointment We are here to help! Visit our website (itcu.org), or call 800-337-3328, option 5.

Federally insured by NCUA.

Not only is it an organization that values him, the feeling is mutual. He noticed it as soon as he started in the Rangers 2020 Spring Training.

“The Rangers organization is welcoming, it’s tradition, it’s first class and so respectable,” Walker said. “That’s the first thing that I felt was this strong tradition and pride with the Rangers. They hold everyone accountable to that and really it was a smooth transition.”

Though it is delayed now, when Walker makes it to Double-A, it will be a similarly smooth feeling going into Frisco.

When he was young, Walker attended RoughRiders games as a fan, but he will someday soon take the field at Dr Pepper Ballpark.

When that thought came to his mind, he remembered one specific story about Frisco.

He was in eighth grade and was invited to a game by someone who had a suite for the night. It was not the game itself, but the sounds and tastes of baseball that he recalled. Walker remembered the sweet peach cobbler that he wolfed down and the sound a long home run hitting a tin roof beyond the outfield wall before the crowd erupted. He cannot wait to provide those memories for Frisco fans himself.

“I’m hoping to have a lot of high school friends and family there,” Walker said, hardly controlling his excitement. “One of my favorite things about playing the game is playing in front of fans and interacting with them.

It makes it a little better if you know them. There will be a huge support system for me and that’s something I want to take with my as long as I play for the Rangers.”

When baseball returns, Walker certainly hopes that support system will be there. It’s a new journey, but the game he loves coupled with the familiarity of north Texas, makes Walker sure it is destiny.

STORY BY ZACH BIGLEY

STEELE WALKER FEATURE | PAGE 23

RIDERS OUTPOST (HP)

DEAR CAREGIVERS, GROCERY EMPLOYEES, POSTAL WORKERS, EVERYONE, WE THANK YOU. What do you call those who spend their days helping for others? We call them heroes. As an official sponsor of the Frisco RoughRiders, Children’s HealthSM wants to thank you and everyone else for helping fight and minimize the spread of COVID-19.

#THANKYOUCAREGIVERS

Share encouraging words at childrens.com/sendcard

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We Are Open to Serve You

Online, Phone or by Appointment We are here to help! Visit our website (itcu.org), or call 800-337-3328, option 5.

Federally insured by NCUA.