ROUND ROCK, Texas – The Texas Rangers announced their 2026 minor league award winners on Monday and Round Rock Express LHP Dalton Pence was named the organization’s Nolan Ryan Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Pence has appeared at three levels this season (High-A, Double-A, Triple-A) and was promoted to Round Rock on August 1.
This season in 24 games and 22 starts between High-A (5 GS), Double-A (11 G/10 GS) and Triple-A (8 G/7 GS), Pence is 6-4 with a 2.44 ERA (31 ER/114.1 IP) with 45 walks and 117 strikeouts while opponents own a .208 batting average against him. With the Express he has made eight appearances and seven starts while owning a 4-1 record and a 1.82 ERA (7 ER/34.2 IP) with 17 walks and 26 strikeouts. He has tossed 5.0 innings or more in five of his seven starts. He has not allowed more than two earned runs in any outing.
Among Rangers minor league pitchers this season, Pence is first in innings (114.1 IP) and tied for first in starts (22). Among Texas farmhands with at least 55.0 innings this year, he is first in ERA (2.44), fourth in WHIP (1.16) and third in strikeouts (117). Among PCL pitchers to make at least three starts since August 25, he owns a 0.47 ERA (1 ER/19.0 IP) which is the second lowest in the league.
In just his second Triple-A start, Pence took home Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week honors for August 3-9. In his lone start for the week on Friday, August 7, Pence delivered 5.0 scoreless innings in just his second Triple-A start against the Sacramento River Cats (San Francisco affiliate) at Sutter Health Park. He allowed only two hits, with one walk and six strikeouts on just 63 pitches to collect his first Triple-A victory as the E-Train earned a 7-1 win.
The Gastonia, North Carolina native is listed as the No. 8 (MLB.com) and No. 13 prospect (Baseball America) in the Rangers system. He was an 11th round selection by the Rangers in the 2024 MLB Draft out of the University of North Carolina. In his redshirt sophomore season with the Tar Heels in 2024, he notched a team-high eight saves and earned Second Team All-America selections from Baseball America, College Baseball Foundation, D1 Baseball and Perfect Game.
Pence is scheduled to make his final start of the 2026 season on Thursday, September 17 at Dell Diamond against the Tacoma Rainiers (Seattle Mariners affiliate). The Express return home on Tuesday, September 14-Sunday, September 20 for the final homestand of the 2026 season. First pitch on Tuesday night is slated for 6:45 p.m. CT. For more information on the Express, visit RRExpress.com or call (512) 255-2255. Keep up with the Express on Facebook, Instagram and X!