ARLINGTON, Texas — MLB Pipeline named Dalton Pence the Texas Rangers‘ hottest pitching prospect of August, in a list of one arm per organization published Wednesday by Jim Callis and Sam Dykstra. Pence, the No. 10 prospect in the Texas system, spent the month at Triple-A after moving up on Aug. 1.
In six August appearances with the Round Rock Express, the left-hander worked 24 2/3 innings and allowed 19 hits and 6 earned runs, with 10 walks and 18 strikeouts. He went 3-1 with a 2.19 ERA. Opponents hit .209 against him.
Between High-A Hub City, Double-A Frisco, and Round Rock this season, Pence is 5-4 with a 2.59 ERA across 22 games and 20 starts. He has thrown 104 1/3 innings and given up 81 hits and 30 earned runs, with 38 walks and 109 strikeouts. Pipeline ranks him third in the Minors in ERA. His .208 opponent average also ranks third.
Pipeline lists a low-90s fastball with carry and command as his primary pitch. Additionally, a sweeping slider and a splitter/changeup that both sit in the low 80s.
Pence’s Six Outings At Triple-A
Pence made his Triple-A debut against Reno on Aug. 1 at Dell Diamond, recording five outs and giving up 4 hits and 2 earned runs, with 2 walks and 1 strikeout. Six days later at Sacramento, he went 5 innings on 2 hits and no runs, with 1 walk and 6 strikeouts, and picked up the win.
Round Rock used him in relief on Aug. 13 against Sugar Land, and he took the loss after allowing 3 hits and 2 earned runs over 3 innings.
On Aug. 19 at El Paso, Pence went 6 innings and allowed 5 hits and 2 earned runs, with no walks and 6 strikeouts. His last two starts of the month came against Albuquerque at Dell Diamond. He threw 4 scoreless innings on Aug. 25 and 5 more on Aug. 30, giving up 5 hits and 4 walks between them.
Pence’s Path Since The 2024 Draft
Texas took Pence in the 11th round of the 2024 Draft, No. 345 overall, out of North Carolina. He pitched out of the bullpen for the Tar Heels in his draft year, appearing in 36 games with 8 saves and a 2.45 ERA over 58 2/3 innings, with 27 walks and 74 strikeouts.
The Rangers moved him into a rotation the following spring. In 2025, between Single-A Hickory and High-A Hub City, Pence went 4-4 with a 2.73 ERA over 31 games and 18 starts, throwing 82 1/3 innings with 57 hits, 25 earned runs, 27 walks, and 103 strikeouts.
This season opened at Hub City, where he made 5 starts through May 7 and posted a 2.59 ERA with 5 walks and 30 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings. He moved to Frisco on May 14 and made 10 starts and one relief appearance in the Texas League, finishing with a 2.77 ERA, 23 walks, and 61 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings. Pence turned 24 on Aug. 28.
David Hagaman’s Path From Texas To Arizona
David Hagaman, the pitcher Pipeline led its list with, was in the Texas system a year ago. The Rangers sent Hagaman, along with left-handers Mitch Bratt and Kohl Drake, to the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 31, 2025, for Merrill Kelly. Hagaman struck out 48 batters over 31 1/3 innings in August, more than any other Minor League pitcher has recorded in a month this season, and he now ranks fourth in the Arizona system. Kelly returned to the Diamondbacks in free agency that December.
Texas kept its pitching at this year’s Deadline on July 31. Chris Young, the Rangers’ president of baseball operations, graded the day on the trades Texas did not make, in remarks published by MLB.com‘s Kennedi Landry.
“Sometimes the best deals are the deals you say ‘No’ to,” Young said after the Deadline. “I think we did a good job of doing that and staying disciplined, as well.”
The Rangers re-ranked their Top 30 on Aug. 14 after a Draft that added left-hander Gio Rojas at No. 3. Texas is 69-71 and second in the American League West, two games behind the Houston Astros.
