Rangers’ 2015 success will hinge on pitching rotation

The first day of spring workouts for Texas Rangers pitchers and catchers Saturday included a curveball. Unlike past camps, they didn’t throw live batting practice.

The change, made after consulting with new manager Jeff Banister, was a first for pitching coach Mike Maddux but not the last. He and the pitchers who threw on Day One liked seeing the day’s work get done quickly at a pace that forced them to keep their foot on the gas throughout the short workout.

Keeping in line with tradition, though, the first group of pitchers to throw were the veterans, and on one six-pack of pitching rubbers were Derek Holland, Yu Darvish, Yovani Gallardo and Colby Lewis working side-by-side.

A wide cast of onlookers — fans, autograph seekers, media, coaches, scouts and club executives — watched the foursome throw the first official pitches of Rangers camp, and they watched with good reason.

Those are the starters who will determine the course of the Rangers’ season, and they have a chance to be a formidable group.

“Nobody has really talked much about our rotation,” the left-handed Holland said. “I know we had some health issues last year, but it’s a new year and we’ve turned the page. I’m actually excited about the guys we’ve got in there right now. It’s a great starting rotation.

“I feel very confident. I think we’re just as good as any rotation in the American League.”

Holland’s enthusiasm isn’t without merit. The Rangers have one of the game’s best pitchers in Darvish, and Holland showed in September that he might be ready to put together a more consistent season. Lewis improved drastically last season after figuring out his new hip, and one club official called Gallardo, a former All-Star, the piece that brings everything together.

Ross Detwiler and Nick Tepesch are the front-runners to be the fifth starter, and the group they are competing against includes Nick Martinez and prospects Alex Gonzalez and Anthony Ranaudo, among others.

The hope is that lefties Matt Harrison (back) and Martin Perez (elbow) are able to make significant contributions this summer.

The Rangers have far more depth than they did a year ago, when injuries and inexperienced replacements contributed to a 95-loss season, and building strength in numbers was the No. 1 goal set by general manager Jon Daniels over the off-season.

“We have a good combination of young pitchers with veteran guys,” said catcher Carlos Corporan, who was acquired in January from Houston. “I think this year is going to be surprisingly good for our team. The sky’s the limit for this rotation.”

Corporan caught Darvish for the first time and was wowed seemingly by each of the 45 pitches thrown. Maddux said that Darvish has had zero issues with his elbow and is “ahead of the field a little bit.”

Robinson Chirinos caught Gallardo for the first time, and said that the Fort Worth resident has his changeup, slider and curveball working well and was commanding both sides of the plate.

Holland, meanwhile, finished his bullpen session before the others in the group. Lewis, the veteran of the group, steadily went about his business before all four took part in pitchers’ fielding practice to end their day.

Even during the mundane PFPs, Holland said that there was a shared energy throughout the group. He took it as a sign of things to come for the Rangers’ rotation in 2015.

“Everybody looked really good today, and we need to get better from there,” Holland said. “You can see that the energy is high with everybody. We know what happened last year, and we know we’re about to make a statement this year.”

This story was originally published February 21, 2015 at 5:40 PM with the headline "Rangers’ 2015 success will hinge on pitching rotation."