ARLINGTON -- Joey Gallo just got called up this week to the big leagues, but he is still officially the Rangers' top Minor League prospect according to the midseason rankings put out by MLBPipeline.com on Thursday.
Gallo is ranked No. 15 overall. He played in 70 games for Triple-A Round Rock this season and hit .246 with 19 home runs, 47 RBIs, a .381 on-base percentage and a .557 slugging percentage.
• Rangers' Top 30 Prospects
Lewis Brinson is ranked second in the organization and No. 22 overall. He is currently at Double-A Frisco, where he is hitting .226 with 11 home runs, 38 RBIs and a .428 slugging percentage in 72 games.
Right-handed pitcher Luis Ortiz is the No. 3 prospect for the Rangers and No. 65 overall. He was 3-2 with a 2.60 ERA in seven starts for Class A Advanced High Desert before being promoted to Frisco. He is 1-4 with a 4.06 ERA in eight games with Frisco.
Yohander Méndez made his entry into the Top 100. He is No. 4 with the Rangers and No. 69 overall. He was 4-1 with a 3.24 ERA in nine starts at Frisco before being promoted to Triple-A.
Mendez's inclusion is significant as it demonstrates the Rangers are starting to rebuild their pitching depth in the upper levels of the Minor Leagues. That depth has been hit hard by trades the last few seasons.
The ranking of baseball's top prospects is done by MLBPipeline.com Draft and prospect experts Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis and Mike Rosenbaum, who compile input from industry sources, including scouts and scouting directors. It is based on analysis of players' skill sets, upsides, proximity to the Majors and potential immediate impact to their teams.
Only players with rookie status are eligible for the list. The rankings follow the Collective Bargaining Agreement guidelines for which players fall under the international pool money rules: Players who were at least 23 years old when they signed and played in leagues deemed to be professional (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Cuba) are not eligible.