The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

FOR the second time in their young minor league careers, Texas Rangers prospects Zion Bannister and Keithron Moss are taking the field together with the same club.

Both players are on the roster for the ACL Rangers in the Arizona Complex League and made their respective debuts last week.

In Tuesday’s 5-4 win over the ACL White Sox, Bannister got the start in left field and hit seventh in the lineup while Moss got the start at secondbase at hit eighth.

Bannister doubled and Moss finished 2-4 with an RBI. Bannister went 3-4 with a double in his ACL Rangers’ 4-2 win over the ACL Dodgers in the season opener.

The highly touted 6’3”, 190-pound outfield prospect was called up to the club’s Spring Training roster for Cactus League play in Surprise, Arizona.

Bannister was originally signed by the Rangers in July 2019 and made his debut on the Dominican Summer League roster the following month.

As a member of the DSL Rangers 2 he hit .273 with six hits, one RBI, and a .333 OPS.

He progressed to the AZL Rangers of the Arizona Rookie League on August 15 as a late season call up and appeared in 37 games where he hit .227 with six doubles, two home runs and 15 RBI.

Moss, a 20-year-old, 5’11 188-pound infielder last appeared with the Down East Wood Ducks in Single-A baseball.

The duo last appeared together in the Arizona Rookie League in 2019 and helped lead their team to the league title.

Moss hit .429 in the playoffs and in the finale of the series sweep over the AZL Indians Blue 7-2, he finished 1-4 with one stolen base. He had one of his best offensive games of the season in the semifinals when he doubled and singled twice as the AZL Rangers defeated the AZL Giants Orange 2-1.

In 34 AZL games, he hit .308 with a .425 OBP, .442 slugging percentage, and an .866 OPS. He totalled 37 hits, including four doubles, three triples and two home runs with 14 RBI, 27 runs scored and eight stolen bases.

In 51 games last year in the Dominican Summer League, Moss hit .196 with 11 doubles, 23 RBI, 29 runs scored and eight stolen bases.

Bannister was a late season call up to the AZL Rangers in 2019 after beginning his first season of professional baseball in the Dominican Summer League.

He was assigned to the DSL Rangers on August 10 and in two games with the club, Bannister hit .300 and scored two runs before he was quickly assigned to the AZL Rangers on August 15.