The Texas Rangers are beginning to build a reputation as a pitching powerhouse, and that might be helping to attract minor-league free agents.
Texas didn’t sign any big names to boost the pitching staff this winter, opting instead for a blockbuster trade with the Washington Nationals to bring in lefty MacKenzie Gore. There could be some unexpected contributors this season, and Austin Bergner may have just become a name to watch.
Bergner, a 28-year-old righty who pitched in the Detroit Tigers system for the last seven years, signed a minor-league contract with the Rangers on Tuesday, per the transactions log on his official roster page.
Bergner, who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 210 pounds, was a ninth-round draft pick for the Tigers in 2019 out of the University of North Carolina. He pitched in 156 games in the Detroit farm system, alternating between starting and relief duties.
In his affiliated career, Bergner owns a 4.15 ERA in 490 innings, racking up an impressive 546 strikeouts. He’s pitched at the Triple-A level briefly in each of the past four seasons, and it’s been his kryptonite, as he sports an 8.39 ERA there in 88 innings.
Though he’ll do his best to make a good impression in camp, it’s unlikely the Rangers would consider Bergner as an option for the major league roster right away. He’ll move from the International League to the Pacific Coast League if he stays at Triple-A, so that will at least mean a major change of scenery and a whole new set of farm teams to face.
And perhaps by midseason, if the Rangers have a need, Bergner could finally make his long-awaited major league debut.
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