FRISCO, Texas (July 22, 2026) - Former Frisco RoughRiders LHP Kohl Drake made his MLB debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday, July 21st in their game against the Athletics. He is the ninth player in 2026 who will go on the Road to the Show wall, driven by Advondale Dealerships.
Drake, 26, surrendered just one earned run over five innings against the A’s. He struck out five, including recording his first MLB K against former Rangers’ catcher Jonah Heim.
The Orem, Utah native was a part of the trade that netted Texas Merrill Kelly at the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline. A lefty, Drake made 16 starts for Triple-A Reno in 2026 before his call-up.
Over two seasons as a RoughRider, Drake posted a 2.62 ERA in 75.2 total innings across 17 career starts at the Double-A level. His 2.44 mark was second in the Texas League last year among pitchers who made at least 12 starts.
In May last season, Drake spearheaded Frisco’s sixth no-hitter in franchise history and first in 15 years with six shutout innings against San Antonio.
Drake was originally taken by Texas in the 11th round in 2022 out of Walters State Community College.
With Drake’s debut Tuesday, there have now been 234 players in RoughRiders franchise history to make the major leagues. Ortiz joins Emiliano Teodo, Gavin Collyer, Peyton Gray, Robbie Ahlstrom, Mitch Bratt, Cam Cauley, Winston Santos and Abimelec Ortiz in 2026.
For tickets and more information about the Frisco RoughRiders, visit RidersBaseball.com or call 972.731.9200.
About the RoughRiders
The Frisco RoughRiders are the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and the 2022 Texas League champions. In 2023, the team celebrated its 20th anniversary and has consistently finished in the top five among all Double-A franchises in attendance yearly. In August 2014, the RoughRiders were purchased by an ownership group led by Chuck Greenberg. Since then, the new ownership group, together with the City of Frisco, has spearheaded numerous major franchise enhancements, investing over $8 million in a wide array of facility upgrades and improvements, including a state-of-the-art HD video board, sound system, Bull Moose Saloon, Bullpen Bar, Riders Outpost Team Store and the world's largest water feature in a sports facility, the massive Lazy River. These enhancements earned the Riders and the City of Frisco Ballpark Digest's prestigious "Best Ballpark Renovation" award for two consecutive years (2015 and 2016). More than 225 former RoughRiders players have gone on to play Major League Baseball including current Rangers Jack Leiter, Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford. For more information on the Frisco RoughRiders, please visit RidersBaseball.com or contact zbigley@ridersbaseball.com.