The Ben Peoples acquisition was one of those moves the Texas Rangers hope pays off down the road.
The 25-year-old right-hander — who has a face that makes him look much younger than a pitcher that has been in pro baseball since 2019 — was acquired by the Rangers at the end of June via trade from the Chicago White Sox. Peoples was blocked from a Major League job in Chicago. The Rangers scouted him enough to believe he could not only join the organization but make the 26-man roster.
Texas moved him to the 26-man roster two days after trading for him and he made his MLB debut on the Fourth of July. From there, he bounced back and forth between the Rangers and Triple-A Round Rock.
So, was the move worth it for 2026? That’s probably a no. But for the future? Peoples has qualities that make him a future bullpen piece, according to his Statcast page.
Breaking Down Ben Peoples’ Rookie Season
Peoples pitched in 16 games for the Rangers as he went 0-1 with a 2.76 ERA. He struck out 10 and walked eight in 16.1 innings as batters hit .241 against him. He only allowed five earned runs but also gave up three home runs.
He didn’t pitch enough to be among MLB percentile leaders on Statcast, but he had several data points that will probably intrigue the Rangers next spring. He relies heavily on a four-seam fastball and a slider, with the four-seamer used 58% of the time. That fastball is an asset. He averaged 96 mph which would have put that pitch in the 75th percentile in baseball.
The pitch combination landed well in several key metrics that should give the Rangers something to work with. For instance, his average exit velocity allowed was 84.9 mph. Had he qualified it would have been among the best in baseball.
His chase rate is relevant to the conversation, too. It was 36.1% and it would have been among the Top 90 percent in baseball. Plus, his hard-hit percentage of 26.5% would have been among the best in baseball, as well.
His arsenal does three things the Rangers value — it forces hitters to chase, it induces weak contact and it can overpower them in combination. The next step is to use that two-pitch mix to force more strikeouts and induce more ground balls.
If he takes that step in 2027, then the Rangers will have a young, controllable set-up man to put in front of their closer, Jacob Latz. It would be a formidable final two innings for opposing hitters.
Add us as a preferred source on Google