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May 14, 2023

Press release: Rangers announce Minor League Award winners for May, with RHP Jack Leiter and INF Davis Wendzel among the honorees

Arlington, Texas — The Texas Rangers today announced the organization’s minor

Arlington, Texas — The Texas Rangers today announced the organization's minor league award winners for April:

Player of the Month – INF Davis Wendzel

Starting Pitcher of the Month – RHP Jack Leiter

Reliever of the Month – RHP Alex Speas

Defender of the Month – INF Jax Biggers

Wendzel, 26, batted .286/.388/.619/1.007 (24-84) with 7 home runs, 7 doubles, 16 RBI, and 16 runs over 23 games last month for Triple-A Round Rock. He reached safely via hit or walk in 19 of 23 games in May, ranking among Pacific Coast League monthly leaders in home runs (T4th, 7), slugging percentage (9th, .619), total bases (T9th, 52) and doubles (T9th, 7). He was selected as the PCL Player of the Week for May 23-28. Wendzel also has a 6-game hit streak to open June, and he is batting .271/.392/.554/.945 with 12 home runs and 34 RBI over 52 games for the year, ranking T9th in the PCL with 26 extra-base hits. The Baylor University product was selected by Texas in the first round (41st overall) of the 2019 MLB Draft.

The 23-year-old Leiter went 2-1 with a 1.67 ERA (5 ER/27.0 IP) over 5 games/starts for Double-A Frisco in May, holding opponents to a .148 batting average with 13 walks and 33 strikeouts. Leiter allowed one-or-zero runs in 4 of his 5 starts last month and had a career-best 10 strikeouts while earning the win on May 17 vs. Amarillo. He finished among Texas League leaders last month in ERA (4th, 1.67), opponent batting average (4th, .148), strikeouts (6th, 33), WHIP (7th, 0.97), and innings (T7th, 27.0). The second overall selection in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Vanderbilt University, Leiter has gone 2-3 with a 3.88 ERA and 12.2 strikeouts per 9 innings over 11 games/starts with Frisco in 2023. He is currently rated as the Rangers’ fourth-best prospect by MLB Pipeline.

Speas, 25, had a 1.93 ERA (2 ER/9.1 IP) over 9 relief outings with Double-A Frisco in May, whiffing 16 of 41 batters faced (39.0%) for the month. Over his final 6 appearances in May, Speas held opponents to a .105 batting average (2-19) while whiffing 12 of 23 batters faced (52.2%). He has a 0.89 ERA (2 ER/20.1 IP) over 18 relief outings this season, averaging 15.5 strikeouts per 9 innings (35 SO/20.1 IP). The Georgia native was originally selected by the Rangers out of high school in the second round of the 2016 MLB Draft.

The 26-year-old Biggers has yet to commit an error this season over 36 total starts (18 starts at both 2nd base and 3rd base) for Double-A Frisco. His totals over 37 games at the two positions in 2023: 322.0 innings, 119 total chances, 42 putouts, 77 assists, 15 double plays, no errors. Over 19 games in the month of May, Biggers had no errors across 54 total chances (35 assists, 19 putouts, 8 double plays). The versatile Biggers was originally selected by Texas in the eighth round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of the University of Arkansas.