By Gil LeBreton
glebreton@star-telegram.com
Hold all X’s, the manager cautioned Thursday.
Despite what you think, despite the off-season hype, and despite this impending windmill move of Jurickson Profar shoring up Team Netherlands, manager Ron Washington said the Texas Rangers have made no decision on the fate of the young infielder.
As only Wash could say it, “He hasn’t been X’d out. He hasn’t been X’d in.”
Pay no attention, in other words, to Profar being summoned this week as an injury replacement for his country’s colonial World Baseball Classic team. For whatever reasons, the Rangers gave Profar, a native of the Dutch island of Curacao, their blessing.
Maybe he’s supposed to bring Wash back a pair of wooden shoes.
Profar’s brief absence will not affect his chances of making the big league club, Washington said Thursday.
“No, he already showed us that he could play,” the manager explained. “Our decision is going to be what’s best for him, and what’s best for the organization. And we haven’t come to that conclusion yet.”
“We’re honestly still undecided,” general manager Jon Daniels added.
OK, whatever, but after being rated the No. 1 prospect in all baseball, Profar hasn’t Trout-ed us yet, has he? He hasn’t pillaged the Cactus League and won any jobs by acclamation.
The new gold standard for rookie arrivals, Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels, didn’t make the major league club from spring training last season, either. Instead, Trout was sent down to Triple A, where he proceeded to bat .403 in 20 games.
I’m not sure if owner Arte Moreno sent a limo to retrieve Trout, but he should have. The rest of Trout’s rookie season was history.
Maybe Profar’s will be, too. But hold the comparisons and, for now, the let’s-trade-Elvis talk.
Especially ignore all recent suggestions in St. Louis newspapers that allegedly superfluous shortstop Elvis Andrus should be traded to the Cardinals, who happen to need one.
Profar’s path to the big leagues isn’t “blocked” in the traditional sense. The Rangers cling to the notion that it will all work itself out in the end, and Profar, Andrus and teammate Ian Kinsler will all find vital places in the everyday lineup.
Maybe they will. But for now, the Rangers don’t need any St. Louis prospects. Andrus is an All-Star quality shortstop with two full seasons remaining on his contract. If out-of-town writers want to speculate, the Cardinals’ offer needs to
start with someone like Allen Craig or Matt Holliday.
Profar has had a nice, but not compelling spring. Andrus remains ensconced at shortstop. And the whimsical plan to maybe find Profar 350 at-bats off the Rangers’ bench has seemed more unlikely with each passing spring week.
“I think everybody can sit and play with numbers all they want,” Washington said, addressing the Profar 350 Plan. “They don’t know how a baseball season is going to go.
“Numbers are not playing baseball games... . I think we’ve got a scenario and we’ll play that out. But right now we’re still trying to weed through things.”
As Profar headed to his WBC assignment he carried a Cactus League batting average of .222 in 44 plate appearances.
The Rangers say they are not discouraged by that. Profar continues to draw raves for his maturity and baseball smarts.
In Triple A, he will be able to comfortably prepare for the transition. He’ll be playing against bearded foes who, in some cases, are much older than his 20 years.
And somewhere along the way, Profar’s time will come. Maybe, like Trout, Profar’s Triple-A sojourn will set off church bells.
Or maybe Profar’s arrival will be prompted by a slow start by Kinsler or Mitch Moreland, or the Rangers in general. That’s what happened with the Angels and Trout last year.
As Washington insisted, nothing has been X’d in yet. But good things often come to those who wait.
The weeding goes on.
Gil LeBreton, 817-390-7697 Twitter: @gilebreton
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