Fast-Rising Texas Rangers Prospect David Davalillo Shines in First Frisco Start

David Davalillo made his Double-A debut with the Frisco RoughRiders earlier this week and the returns were positive for the 22-year-old.

Fresh off his promotion from High-A Hub City, he started in Friday’s game against San Antonio. He took the loss, but his performance didn’t suffer appreciably after two effective months at Hub City.

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He went 4.2 innings, giving up four hits, two runs (both earned) and two walks. He struck out three. He did give up a home runs, his second in three starts.

The international signee out of Venezuela has been with the Rangers since 2022 and his progress has picked up steam since the start of the 2024 season. In 11 starts with Hub City he went 4-1 with a 2.12 ERA in 51 innings. He struck out 68 and walked 11. Batters hit just .170 against him.

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Between Class A and High A last season, he went 8-2 with a 1.88 ERA in 22 games (21 starts). He struck out 113 and walked 32 in 110.1 innings. Batters hit .217 against him.  

Davalillo, a right-handed pitcher, is the No. 28 prospect in the organization per MLB Pipeline and has emerged as one of the fastest-rising prospects in the organization this season.

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His promotion opened the door for Texas to promote another fast-rising prospect, left-handed pitcher Mason Molina, to Hub City.

Molina made his first start with Hub City on Saturday. He went four innings, giving up four hits and one run (unearned). He struck out four and walked one.

Molina is the No. 30 prospect in the organization per MLB Pipeline. The 21-year-old was acquired earlier this year in a trade for reliever Grant Anderson.

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The lefty was a seventh-round pick for the Brewers last year out of Arkansas. Milwaukee placed him with its Class-A affiliate in the Carolina League, and he pitched in two games, both starts. He pitched five innings, gave up four hits and didn’t allow a run. He struck out six and walked one as batters hit .235 against him.

The Rangers returned him to the Carolina League with Hickory, and he proved effective. In 11 starts he went 2-3 with a 3.86 ERA, as he struck out 62 and walked 16 in 46.2 innings. He improved his opponent batting average to .215.

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