As you know, we endeavor to keep up with Texas Tech Baseball players of the future, the present, and the past. Currently, there are 23 former Red Raiders chasing their dreams in professional baseball and we will check in occasionally to see how they’re doing in pro ball. You can keep up with them in our Red Raiders in the Pros section on the website, those profiles are updated regularly to include their newest advancements or setbacks.
AA
Across the baseball community, AA ball is generally referred to as “where the prospects go.” Top prospects often end up in AA to hone their game against other strong competition and AA rosters are often more stable than AAA rosters as they don’t face the challenge of MLB stars coming down for rehab assignments, or MLB players coming down to work on specific skills.
This isn’t a hard and fast rule but a generalization, sometimes top prospects will move up to AAA because those clubs are usually geographically close to the MLB club providing easier access for players moving up and down, as well as access to training and coaching staff.
AA vs AAA Baseball – Which is the Better Level and Why?
CLAYTON BEETER, RHP
2022: 2.2IP, H, R, ER, 6K, BB | ERA: 3.44 | WHIP: 1.13 | OPP AVG: .200
Clayton Beeter was poised to be a premier starter for Texas Tech in 2020 before the season was canceled. Through 4 starts he tossed 33K and only 4 walks in 21 innings. Beeter ended his career with a 2.81 ERA and held opposing hitters to a paltry .168 average.
He was taken in the Competitive Balance-B round as the 66th overall pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers and is currently ranked as the #15 prospect in the Dodgers system. Beeter started his pro career with the High-A Great Lakes Loons where he posted a 3.13 ERA through 37.1 innings over 22 starts. He fanned 55 batters with only 15 walks and moved up to the AA Tulsa Drillers to finish the season.
Beeter continues with the Drillers in 2022 and has picked up where he left off with 6K to 1BB so far in 2022. Beeter is very well positioned within the Dodgers organization as the #15 ranked prospect. While they have a very deep roster and a Top 5 farm system, by continuing to post imposing strikeout-to-walk ratios and developing his impressive frame and velocity he can further separate himself.
TY DAMRON, LHP
2022: 3.0IP, 4H, R, ER, 5K, BB | ERA: 3.00 | WHIP: 2.00 | OPP AVG: .273
Ty Damron played for the Red Raiders from 2014-2016 starting in 25 of his 35 appearances. He was taken in the 25th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics. Damron was promoted to the AA Midland Rockhounds in 2021 and fanned 84 hitters in 89.1 innings of work across 20 starts.
When working through the MiLB with eyes set on making it to “The Show,” players are not only judged based on their performance on the field, but their age is also taken into consideration. At 27 years old, the clock is ticking for Damron to take a step forward and separate himself from the rest of the system. The Athletics’ farm system is ranked at or near the bottom of the MLB in most rankings, giving Damron an open opportunity to take that step.
TAYLOR FLOYD, RHP
Taylor Floyd played one season for the Red Raiders in 2019 and he absolutely made the most of his opportunity. Floyd made 31 appearances good for 2nd on the team in 2019 and his wipeout slider served him well as he struck out 88 hitters in his 57.1 innings of work. Floyd posted a 2.51 ERA and will perhaps be most remembered for two performances in the College World Series in which he notched his fourth and fifth saves of the season. The first earned the Red Raiders a one-run come-from-behind win over Arkansas and the second an 8K performance over 4 innings to take down Florida State and end the storied career of Seminole Head Coach Mike Martin.
Floyd was taken in the 10th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. With the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, Floyd struck out 72 and earned 8 saves in 33 appearances. He was promoted late in the 2021 season to the AA Biloxi Shuckers where he notched 12K to only 2BB and held opposing hitters to a .160 average. He earned 2 saves in both opportunities he was presented.
Floyd’s performance in 2021 earned him an invitation to compete in the Arizona Fall League, an opportunity reserved for the top prospects in each MLB system.
Floyd has not pitched yet in the young 2022 season but is well-positioned as the #23 prospect in the Brewers system. His ceiling as a closer and specialty reliever is high and teams will covet his intense and fiery competitiveness on the mound.
CALEB FREEMAN, RHP
2022: 1.0IP, H, 3R, 3ER, K, 3BB | ERA: 27.00 | WHIP: 1.21 | OPP AVG: .250
Caleb Freeman played for the Red Raiders from 2017-2019, but 2018 was undoubtedly his best season in the Red and Black. Freeman became a fan favorite with his trademark mullet, even prompting fan-made “Party at Freeman’s” shirts in the postseason. Freeman made 22 appearances that season and fanned 31 hitters in 33 innings of work, earning 3 saves.
Freeman cooled in 2019 seeing his innings drop by more than half as he continued to struggle with command and control issues. He was drafted in the 15th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox due in large part to his high ceiling. Freeman performed well in three stops in 2019, finishing with the A ball Kannapolis Cannon Ballers. He started 2021 with the High-A Winston Salem Dash where 6 saves and 33K in 27.1 innings of work earned him a promotion to the AA Birmingham Barons.
Freeman was excellent for the Barons fanning 22 with only 5 walks and earning 3 saves in 16.2 innings over 14 appearances. With a fastball sitting 94-98mph and a nasty curveball, Freeman has the tools as long as the command and control stay true. He earned an invitation to play in the Arizona Fall League, an opportunity reserved for the top prospects in each MLB system. Freeman’s 1.69 ERA and 11K over 10.2 innings earned him a selection as a West Fall Star.
Freeman’s upside continues to be high with big league velocity and a plus curveball. Freeman’s first appearance of 2022 was a rough one, but he’s ranked as the #21 prospect in the Chicago White Sox system. That farm system is ranked last in the MLB, giving Freeman plenty of importance for a club in need of up-and-coming talent.
GABE HOLT, 2B
2022: .231/.375/.385 | 2 2B, 2BB, 2R, K | 0-1 SB
Gabe Holt played for the Red Raiders in 2018 and 2019 and became the first tech player to receive consensus Freshman All-America honors. A career .333 hitter, Holt served as an extremely effective leadoff hitter for the Red Raiders over his two seasons of work. He pounded 43 extra-base hits, 79 RBI, and worked 63 walks for a career OBP of .425. He was just as dangerous on the basepaths putting his speed tool to good use as he swiped 57 bases.
Holt was taken in the 7th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. He spent 82 games with the A Carolina Mudcats, where he batted .279 with 36 RBI and was 17-for-19 stealing bases. He spent the last 15 games of 2021 with the AA Biloxi Shuckers where he struck out only 5 times in 15 games and batted .316.
The speedster from Bonaire, GA is back with the Shuckers in 2022 and listed as the #23 prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers farm system. Holt has the ability to spray base hits to all fields, the approach to draw walks, and the speed to terrorize pitchers on the base paths. A high school shortstop, Holt moved to right field for the Red Raiders, but the move back to the middle infield at second base is a positive one and he has posted only 4 errors in his MiLB career.
He started the season with a bang by slapping two doubles in the Shuckers season opener. Ongoing consistent production at the plate and on the basepaths will allow Holt to continue climbing the prospect rankings. Showing a touch more power in 2022 to add to his 3 MiLB career home runs would go a long way at putting minds at ease as he looks toward opportunities at higher levels.
DAVIS MARTIN, RHP
2022: 5.0IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 6K, 1BB | ERA: 3.60 | WHIP: 1.00 | OPP AVG: .211
Davis Martin was a three-year starting pitcher for the Red Raiders from 2016-2018 making 40 starts over that span. A solid one-two punch paired with Steven Gingery in 2016, Martin was poised for a breakout season in 2017 but went down with an injury with a 4-2 record and was unable to make his way back into service that season. With an impressive career record of 24-9, Martin fanned 179 hitters, including 81 in his final season.
He was drafted in the 14th round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox. Martin saw 27 starts in 2019 with the A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers posting an incredible 156-to-38 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He split the 2021 season between the High-A Winston Salem Dash and the AA Birmingham Barons where he has also started 2022.
Martin’s hit totals and opponent batting averages have never been minuscule, but the stuff is real and the swings and misses speak for themselves. Cleaning up mistakes and dialing in fastball command will go a long way in an important season for Martin’s hopes of moving forward.
TYLER NESLONY, LF
2022: .222/.417/.222 | 3BB, K
Tyler Neslony played for the Red Raiders from 2013-2016 starting all but 3 of the 164 games he appeared in his sophomore through senior seasons. He pounded 58 RBIs in his final season and had a career slashline of .317/.402/.525. Neslony’s biggest moment (and one of my personal favorites in Red Raider baseball history) came in the 2016 College World series.
The Red Raiders held a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the ninth over the University of Florida in an elimination game. Future #5 overall pick Jonathan India stepped to the plate with 2 outs and pounded a ball to LF, as he tried to stretch for the double, he was gunned down by Neslony on a perfect throw to Michael Davis to secure Texas Tech’s first CWS victory in school history.
Neslony was taken in the 9th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves. He worked his way up to the AA Mississippi Braves in 2017 and played there into the 2021 season appearing in 245 games, good for 10th-most in club history. Neslony was traded to the Birmingham Barons in 2021 where he slashed .355/.444/.678 over 38 games and stacked up 24 extra-base hits and 28 RBIs.
Neslony brings an impressive bat to the table, and SB Nation: South Side Sox ranks him the #43 prospect in the White Sox farm system. The move to the White Sox system could be a positive one for Neslony, who seemed to be stagnating in a deep Braves system and then struggled after working through injuries in 2019. The clock is ticking for Neslony whose age will be judged along with his skills as he is now 28. This season is an important one for the left-fielder and the production in the batter’s box is as important as its ever been.
