Surprise Five: Perez impresses in spring debut, but not just with his pitching
Shohei Ohtani came to town Sunday afternoon, which means a bunch of our friends in the Japanese media came, too. Both were welcome sights.
The No. 1 reason I wanted the Rangers to land Ohtani or to re-sign Yu Darvish was to keep the press box full. Our counterparts from Japan have it tough — covering one player every day and writing something no matter how little he does.
Though they cover one player, they are working press just like the rest of us, can be counted on for help and know that they can rely on us if they need an assist.
The good news is that Ohtani signed in the division, so that makes for more chances to see our media pals. The press box could be full again Wednesday, if Darvish makes his scheduled start for the Chicago Cubs at Surprise Stadium instead of in a B game.
Fingers crossed, though not entirely to see him. It's the media that follows him I also want to see.
Here's the Surprise Five from Sunday.
1. Martin Perez is ready for the regular season. Anyone who watched him pitch against the Los Angeles Angels could see it, but it wasn't the results alone (five innings, one run) that were so convincing.
Perez showed that his broken right elbow is strong enough for him to defend himself.
The Angels had a runner at third with one out and Ohtani batting in the fourth. The Japanese star hit a line drive back to the mound, and Perez snagged it and threw to third for the inning-ending double play.
The ball wasn't crushed, but it was hit hard enough to cause Perez to react quickly and snap the elbow into place. No problem.
"I was trying to stay ready," Perez said. "Something close to me, I wanted to catch it. It was straight to me and I was lucky to catch the ball. I didn’t feel anything. It was hit hard, but I was quicker."
Perez was also pitching with motivation. As the bull that caused him to slip and fall and break his elbow learned, a motivated Perez is tough to beat.
Perez had heard (hopefully by reading the Star-Telegram) that the Rangers had some doubt about his status for Opening Day, and the best way for Bartolo Colon to make the team was if Perez needed an extra start before the season.
After the way he pitched — lots of grounders and only one walk — and fielded his position, he's ready to go.
"He's trending the right direction," manager Jeff Banister said.
The same can't be said for ...
2. ... Top prospect Cole Ragans, who won't be on a mound again until June 2019. He needs Tommy John surgery, a giant red light for him and the Rangers as they try to develop a starting pitcher.
Ragans felt discomfort Friday during a minor-league game, when coaches and scouts flagged him after seeing a lack of extension and a drop in velocity. The 20-year-old was rushed to the nearest MRI tube. The results came back Saturday. The surgery is likely to come this week in Arlington.
The Rangers usually prescribe a 14-month recovery period, but with Ragans they might choose to take it a tad slower. He will still be highly regarded once he returns.
But a more immediate punch to the system might be the elbow inflammation that has Kyle Cody shut down for another three weeks. There is no torn ligament, but there's still ample concern.
Cody, a right-hander, is the reigning Rangers Minor League Pitcher of the Year and was likely to start 2018 at Double A Frisco. He might start there. It just might not be until June.
Outside of Yohander Mendez, the Rangers might not have a more advanced pitching prospect. Entering camp, Cody was closer to the majors than Ragans.
So, where does that leave the Rangers? Reeling, some, and curious to see which pitchers might emerge this season.
Brett Martin was in big-league camp and could be the guy to watch. Same for Jonathan Hernandez. Hans Crouse is too young, though stranger things have happened. People still love Alex Speas' arm.
People also love ...
3. ... Matt Bush's arm, and he had a better showing in his third relief appearance this spring after two stinkers since being told he was out of the running for a rotation spot.
But it wasn't a clean appearance for Bush, who 10 days away from Opening Day has some work to do. He doesn't need an overhaul but he needs more than just the usual late-camp fine-tuning.
Bush had trouble getting ahead of hitters, and the RBI double he allowed to Zack Cosart came on a 3-2 fastball down the middle. He was lucky Mike Trout didn't do more with a 2-0 fastball for the first out of the inning.
The Angels scored only the one run in one inning, a much better result for Bush than the five-spot and three-spot he allowed his first two times out of the bullpen. He's trending the right way, right?
The core relievers, look to be trending the right away, too, though the Rangers aren't sure about ...
4. ... Tim Lincecum's availability for Opening Day. With 10 days to go, it's not impossible, but it doesn't look good based on the scant evidence at hand.
However, the right-hander also appears to be making progress after throwing 32 pitches of live batting practice Saturday. His next step could be a game, though that hasn't been determined.
The Rangers aren't planning out his schedule too far in advance.
"It's still just day to day with Tim on how we approach that decision, just the way he responds every day, before we made a decision either way," Banister said.
This much is known about Lincecum: He's another terrific guy in the line of newcomers that includes Doug Fister, Matt Moore, Mike Minor, Destin Hood, Kevin Jepsen, Jesse Chavez and Colon.
Each is ...
Adrian Beltre and Delino DeShields described what it means to be a good teammate, and their descriptions were similar. Trustworthiness, accountability, work ethic, respecting the game and teammates.
Not every player on the roster is going to be a saint. Talent will keep those players on rosters until they either evolve into better teammates or burn one too many bridges and get released or traded away.
DeShields wasn't as diplomatic as Beltre when asked how to handle a difficult teammate.
"I call them cancers on the team, to the point where guys don't even want to be around them, and that's not good," he said. "I don't care how good you are or what you bring to the team, if you're a bad teammate and not good for the team, I don't want you here."
Players respect other players who are on time, accountable, trustworthy and hard workers. DeShields said that he would prefer a player who might not be as talented but who is a great teammate as opposed to the talented player who is a bad dude.
But Beltre, DeShields and Banister agree that good guys make good teammates who win championships. The Rangers' chemistry was at the heart of their World Series teams and is part of their formula for success.
In listening to Beltre and DeShields, it's the No. 1 part of the formula.
This story was originally published March 18, 2018 at 6:47 PM with the headline "Surprise Five: Perez impresses in spring debut, but not just with his pitching."