Rangers Sign Hoby Milner to One-Year Deal

By Nate Miller

Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images

December 19, 2024

According to a report from Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Texas Rangers signed lefty Hoby Milner to a one-year contract. Financial terms are still unknown at this time, and the deal is pending a physical. The Rangers already have a full 40-man roster. This means they will need to make a trade or designate someone for assignment once the signing, which occurred on Thursday, is finalized.

Dallas Native

Hoby Milner earned $2.05 million last season, but was non-tendered by the Milwaukee Brewers. He is no stranger to the Lone Star State, as he was raised in the Fort Worth area. After attending the University of Texas, began his career with the Philadelphia Phillies. They selected him in the seventh round of the 2012 draft. Milner had cups of coffee with the Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, and Los Angeles Angels before finding his way to Milwaukee on a minor league contract after the 2020 season.

Milner had a good four-year stretch with the Brew Crew. He posted interesting strikeout and walk numbers in 2021, so the Brewers retained him despite a 5.40 ERA. That proved to be a good move, as Milner was a key piece of Craig Counsell’s bullpen between 2022-23. He combined for a 2.79 ERA across 129 innings over that stretch. Only 30 relievers around the NL logged a heavier workload. Milner struck out 23.5% of opponents while limiting his walks to a 5.3% rate. His arm angle gave left-handed hitters fits. They managed a .199/.259/.284 line across 223 plate appearances.

Plenty of Appearances

Hoby Milner is as reliable as they come. He appeared in 60 or more games for the Brewers in each of the last three seasons. Milner is an off-speed specialist who specializes in soft contact. Despite posting a 4.73 ERA in 64 innings in 2024, he was in the top 1% of the fewest “barreled” balls, according to Baseball Savant.

He also was in the top 20% in the league in lowest walk percentage and highest ground ball percentage. He had a 4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk rate in 2024, a key metric for evaluation for the Rangers.