Surprise Five: Rangers might have found their opening for 'Big Sexy'
Not that anyone wants to leave Arizona, but the Texas Rangers will do just that Saturday afternoon following what should be their quickest Cactus League game.
It will be getaway day from spring training, the best getaway day of all, and Rangers hitters will cooperate with early swings and the pitchers will cooperate with tempo on the mound.
Cole Hamels is the scheduled starter, and tempo usually isn't a problem for the left-hander.
The Rangers will then be off Sunday, an off day that the Star-Telegram Surprise Bureau will spend tending to the yard back home. It might be the only day to get the lawn mowed before the monsoon sets in.
It's going to be a soggy week. Good times. At least everyone will be home.
Here's the Surprise Five from Friday.
1. Martin Perez broke news late Friday after his second spring start. He will open the season on the 10-day disabled list, making a final start in an exhibition either Wednesday or Friday at Triple A Round Rock, and debut April 5 at Oakland.
In revealing his schedule, he might have also said without saying that Bartolo Colon is on the Opening Day roster.
The Rangers will need a starter April 1 at Oakland, and the leading candidate is Colon after tossing 5 1/3 scoreless innings Thursday.
General manager Jon Daniels didn't have much to offer earlier Friday when asked about the status of Colon, who can opt out of his minor-league deal Saturday. There is also a retention bonus at play that is forcing the action.
Colon appeared to be in good spirits Friday and, as far as the media could tell, went about his work like he normally would. Coming off his finest start of the spring to cap what he called one of the best springs of his career, it seems like he knows he will be working next week and needs to stay on his routine.
The Rangers were considering their options, and one of them is having Colon make a spot start in Perez's spot in the rotation and then bidding him farewell. Another is to keep him in the bullpen after the start, and that idea has some momentum in the organization and is something Colon said he is willing to do.
Daniels spoke at some length Friday about the Rangers' lack of starting pitching in the minor leagues. Yohander Mendez, Austin Bibens-Dirkx, Adrian Sampson and David Hurlbut are expected to be in the Round Rock rotation. Richelson Pena is under consideration, and Tyler Wagner will be stretched out.
With depth such an issue, the Rangers would be wise to keep Colon. It appears as if they will do that to start the season.
2. Word that Ryan Rua is likely to be the primary left fielder to open the season sounded like nails on a chalkboard to some. Judging solely by some of his numbers last season and this spring, angst is understandable.
He hasn't been very good overall, and good only when the Rangers have run into a run of left-handed opposing pitchers. But the Rangers believe in his ability and know his history.
When Rua finds his rhythm, the barrel of his bat finds the ball.
That explains his usual spring outbursts, though this one has been the lone exception.
Is Rua the ideal left fielder? No. But Ted Williams is on ice and the Rangers' owners came up with alligator arms this off-season, so Rua it is after Willie Calhoun's defense was deemed too much of a liability.
But this is actually part of the plan. Maybe it was part of the plan all along.
The Rangers, for those who haven't heard 100 times already this year, aren't all-in for 2018. They aren't trying to lose, but part of the process is taking chances with young and/or inexperienced player.
Rua is 28, but he's never had more than 240 at-bats in a season. That wasn't in 2015, when he was the Opening Day left fielder, but in 2016, when he batted a career-high .258.
Like it or not, this is something the Rangers need to try.
3. The position player whose Opening Day status is most up in the air is Drew Robinson. Actually, it's pretty simple.
If the Rangers go with a seven-man bullpen, he makes the team. If not, well, he goes Triple A Round Rock while the Rangers roll out with eight relievers.
It's a numbers game that Robinson knows well. He made the Opening Day roster last season but found himself in the minors after only eight games.
That's the plight of many young players, and the plight of a player competing against another player who was selected in the Rule 5 draft.
Carlos Tocci, the Rule 5 pick from Philadelphia, has made the team despite his glaring offensive deficiencies. The Rangers are aware of them and believe they are, in part, due to his lack of strength.
He looks like he should be an elite marathoner, and his swings have only slightly more oomph behind them. So, when he isn't a late-game defensive substitute or pinch-runner, he will be in the weight room trying to pack on muscle.
The Rangers will try to do their best to keep his bat somewhat active, but that will be a challenge for a player who has barely been above Double A.
And don't compare him to Delino DeShields, a Rule 5 pick in 2015. DeShields' speed and offense are what put him on the team and eventually allowed him to stay in the lineup after Leonys Martin returned from injury.
It's going to be tough to keep Tocci on the active roster for 162 games. If the Rangers learn that his bat is too much of a liability, they're going to have to keep Robinson on the bench.
Maybe they know that already.
4. There is problem with keeping Colon and Kevin Jepsen. Neither is on the 40-man roster, and the Rangers' 40-man is full.
All the candidates for the 60-day disabled list are there already. The Rangers might have to make some tough calls after protecting several prospects from the Rule 5 draft by putting them on the 40.
Someone is going to have to be traded or designated for assignment, and it might be tough to move a prospect through waivers with so many teams rebuilding and trying to stockpile young talent.
The Rangers recently acquired first baseman Tommy Joseph, who was acquired earlier this week on a waiver claim and sent to Double A Frisco on Friday for everyday at-bats. Tocci would have lost his 40-man spot had he not made the team.
The importance of having a 40-man spot — or not having one — can't be overstated.
5. Perez allowed four runs on eight hits in five innings, saying that two pitches in the fifth inning cost him a solid outing. The first three hitters reached, with the third being a mammoth homer by Raffy Lopez, before Perez got out of the inning.
It would have good enough to help the Rangers win for the first time in eight days had Anthony Gose not struggled in his spring debut. But the Rangers had plenty of offense as Joey Gallo and Rougned Odor homered for the second straight game.
Gallo hit two homers, giving him a team-high five, and Odor's blast to center was a three-run shot. He also lined out to shortstop and flied to deep center after declaring himself ready for the season earlier in the day.
Odor entered the game batting .192, but said it's all part of the spring process.
Next up in the process? Packing for home. It looks like Colon will be coming with the Rangers.
This story was originally published March 23, 2018 at 11:29 PM with the headline "Surprise Five: Rangers might have found their opening for 'Big Sexy'."