May 18, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers hat in honor of the military in the dugout during the second inning against the Houston Astros at Globe Life Field. Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

Veteran Rangers Pitcher Wins Minor League Pitcher of the Week Award

Originally posted on Texas Rangers on SI
By Jeremy Trottier | Last updated Sep 15, 2025 6:17 PM ET

One of the peaks of the MLB season is here, and with the playoffs right around the corner, the Texas Rangers remain in firm contention for a Wild Card spot.

Two games separate them and the Houston Astros, who have fallen into the third Wild Card position following a strong stretch from the Seattle Mariners that has them in first place of the AL West. All three of those teams in the division are in a deep battle for postseason contention coming down the stretch of the 2025 campaign.

The Rangers have not just had players performing well at the MLB level level recently, either, as some intriguing minor league pitchers have also stepped up their games to close out the year. Two in particular just won Pitcher of the Month awards for August, as David Davalillo and Trey Supak won in Double-A and Triple-A. With this many high-quality arms on their way to the Major Leagues sooner rather than later, it could make for a pretty impressive rotation and bullpen for 2026 and beyond.

However, those two aren't the only ones who were recognized for their performances, as another Texas minor leaguer was given an award of his own due to his performance with Double-A Frisco coming down the stretch.

Which Rangers Minor League Player Won Pitcher of the Week?

This time around, the player who was given the award was veteran pitcher Daniel Missaki, who won Texas League Pitcher of the Week for Sept. 8-14. He has been utilized both as a starter and a reliever, and was given an appearance as both in two games during this span.

He accrued 6.1 innings of work where he allowed no hits or runs while walking two and ringing up 10. 66% of his 80 pitches were strikes as well, showing just how dominant he was by pounding the strike zone.

Congratulations to Double-A Frisco RHP Daniel Missaki, who was selected as Texas League Pitcher of the Week for September 8-14.
— Texas Rangers PR (@TXRangersPR) September 15, 2025

A native of Fujinomiya, Japan, the right-hander has played in multiple leagues over the past few seasons and returned to the MLB in 2024 with the Chicago Cubs on a minor league deal. That was by another contract of that type with Texas for 2025.

Overall, he has been good this year but not great, posting a 4.38 ERA, 1.392 WHIP, 83 strikeouts, 30 walks, seven home runs allowed and 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings. His 74 innings on the mound have been split, with 22 games in relief and eight as a starter, which has given him an opportunity to try out both and see where he fits best.

If he can keep up this type of production through the remainder of the season, he should be able to earn another deal for next year.