ridersbaseball.com: Notable Alumni

Jason Botts

The 6-5, 250 lb. Botts was an integral part of the RoughRiders 2004 Texas League Championship, hitting .293 with 24 home runs. By the time the 2004 playoffs rolled around, Botts had become a fan favorite, often propelling his power to send bombs into the Frisco night sky. Botts dominated Texas League pitching as he ranked among the league leaders in home runs (2nd, 24), RBI (2nd, 92), walks (3rd, 77), slugging (4th, .507), on-base percentage (4th, .399), extra base hits (T4th, 52), runs (5th, 85), hits (6th, 141) and average (8th, .293). He led Texas organization in home runs and ranked 4th in RBI. Botts was named to the Texas League All-Star team and the TL postseason All-Star team. He was twice named league's batter of the week; July 19-25 and Aug. 16-22. During the ‘Riders championship run he batted .364 (12-33) with 3 doubles, 2 homers and 6 RBI in 8 playoff games.

Botts arrived in Arlington in 2006 and appeared in 20 games for the Rangers. He was 1-for-10 left-handed and 10-for-40 right-handed. He hit his first Major League home run on May 28 off of Oakland pitcher Kirk Saarloos. He played 63 games at Triple-A Oklahoma, hitting .309 with 13 home runs and 39 RBI. He had a .398 on-base percentage there and a .582 slugging percentage. He missed the final three weeks of the season with a fractured hamate bone. In 2007 he appeared in 48 games, batted .240, and hit two homeruns as the Rangers DH.

Adrian Gonzalez

Following a trade to Texas organization, Gonzalez came to Frisco and batted .283 with 6 doubles, 3 home runs and 17 RBI with the ‘Riders. Adrian hit safely in 32 of 45 games with Frisco. Gonzalez played in all 8 of the RoughRiders Texas League playoff games and led the team in hits with seven and RBI with six.

The former RoughRider finished the 2006 season with a .304 average (173-for-570) with 38 doubles, 24 home runs, 82 RBI and 83 runs scored in 156 games. Gonzalez was named team MVP in 2006 led the Padres in numerous offensive categories including batting average (.304), hits (173), home runs (24), doubles (38) and slugging percentage (.500), while trailing only Brian Giles in games played (156) and at-bats (570)

In 2007, he hit .282 (182-for-646) in his second season with the Padres...ranked tops among Major League first basemen with 161 games and a career-high 46 doubles, and second with 79 extra-base hits. He ranked among National League leaders in doubles (5th) and extra-base hits (7th). Gonzalez collected a team-high 48 multi-hit games, ranking fourth in the NL, and set career highs in at-bats, runs, doubles, triples, homers, RBI, total bases and walks.He finished with 30 home runs on the year, a career high and his second consecutive season with more than 20 homeruns

Ian Kinsler

Second baseman Ian Kinsler was a member of the 2004 RoughRiders team that won the Texas League Championship. In 71 games for the RoughRiders Kinsler hit .300 with 21 2B, 9 HR and 46 RBI.

In 2006, Kinsler opened the season as the Rangers starting second baseman starting 84 of the last 85 games. Kinsler hit .286 with 14 HR, 55 RBI and 11 SB. Kinsler became the first rookie in club history to gather 100 hits, 10 HR and 10 SB. Among all rookies Kinsler ranked 4^th in batting average, 1^st in doubles, 2^nd in stolen bases and 3^rd in multi-hit games with 32.

In 2007, Kinsler followed his freshman season batting .263 with 20 home runs and 23 stolen bases.

Wes Littleton

Right-handed reliever Wes Littleton opened the 2006 campaign with the ‘Riders as the most reliable member of the bullpen. Before an early season promotion to Oklahoma City Littleton was 3-0 with a 0.66 era and 3 saves. He struck out 25 in 27 1/3 innings of work.

Littleton arrived in Arlington on July 3^rd and became one of the Rangers top relievers throughout the remainder of the season. Littleton posted a 1.73 ERA, which is the lowest is Rangers’ history for a reliever with 30 or more innings of work. He also won two decisions and earned one save. In 2007, Littleton appeared in 48 games, went 3-2 with two saves in 48 innings of work and struck out 48.

Kameron Loe

Starter Kameron Loe was named the Texas Rangers’ 2004 Nolan Ryan Minor League Pitcher of the Year. The 6-7 righthander began the season in Frisco going 7-7 with a 3.10 ERA. Loe ranked 4th in Texas League in ERA and his average of 7.7 strikeouts per 9 innings was 5th-best in the league. Ranked 2nd on the Frisco staff in wins, innings (113.1), starts (19) and strikeouts (97). He also posted 6 or more strikeouts in a game 8 times and had 12 quality starts for the ‘Riders, including each of his last 7 outings.

Loe started 15 games for the Rangers in 2006 before being sidelined with an elbow injury. In his first ten starts of the season Loe went 3-4 with a 4.29 ERA. In August, Loe returned to Frisco and made two starts while on a rehab assignment.

In 2007, Loe came back from his injury and appeared in 28 games going 6-11 in 136 innings of work striking out 78.

Laynce Nix

Laynce Nix, a member of the inaugural RoughRiders, played in 83 games at Frisco and batted .284 with 23 doubles, 15 home runs and 63 RBI. Nix was first on the team in home runs and slugging percentage (.487), tied for second in doubles, third in RBI, fourth in at-bats (335) and fifth in runs (52). Nix in 31 May games, hit .363 with 6 home runs and 29 RBI. He also participated in the Texas League All-Star game. Nix went straight from the RoughRiders to the Rangers on July 9 and made his Major League debut.

The Rangers dealt Nix to the Milwaukee Brewers in July of 2006 as part of the Carlos Lee trade. In 2007, Nix appeared in only 10 games with the Brewers due to an injury.

Edinson Volquez

Edinson Volquez arrived in Frisco in June 2005 as a highly touted Ranger’s prospect and did not disappoint. Volquez was 1-5 with a 4.14 ERA, but struck out 49 in 58.2 innings of work. He struck out five or more batters in six of his 10 starts and allowed three runs or less in eight of those starts. Volquez was also a member of the 2005 All-Star Futures Game World Team and Texas League West All-Stars. He earned the win for the World Team in the Futures Game on July 10 at Detroit's Comerica Park and combined with seven other pitchers in a shut out victory in the Texas League All-Star Game hosted by Frisco at Dr Pepper Ballpark.

Volquez was a member of the Ranger’s rotation at the end of the 2006. In 2007, he received the Nolan Ryan Pitcher of the Year Award as the best minor league pitcher in the Rangers' organization. In 26 starts at Class A Bakersfield, Class AA Frisco and Class AAA Oklahoma he went 14-6, with a 3.67 ERA. As a September call up, he went 2-1, 4.50 in 6 starts for the Rangers. He won his first 2 starts for Texas in consecutive starts on 9/12 at Det and 9/17 at Min recorded a career-high 6 strikeouts. In 2008, he was traded to Cincinnati and will compete to for a starting spot in the pitching rotation alongside Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo.

Chris Young

The Rangers acquired Young in early April after a trade with the Montreal Expos. The local product from nearby Highland Park went 6-5 with a 4.48 ERA in 18 games/starts with the RoughRiders. Young was promoted to Oklahoma City in late July and eventually made his Major League debut on August 24 for the Rangers.

Young matched a Rangers rookie record with 12 wins during the 2005 season, but was traded following the season to the San Diego Padres. Young established himself as one of the top starters in baseball after going 11-5 with a 3.46. The former RoughRider finished the 2007 season with a 9-8 record and a 3.12 ERA. He struck out a career-high 167 batters. Young held opponents to a Major League-best .192 average and finished among National League leaders in ERA (5th, 3.12), and strikeouts per 9.0 innings (T-3rd, 8.7). He earned his first All-Star appearance and was the National League's leading vote getter on the Monster 2007 All-Star Game Final Vote.