Rangers notes: Pitching rotation gladly accepts leadership role
The message had already been sent multiple times in various ways. But Texas Rangers manager Jeff Banister wanted to make sure it had hit home.
He met Saturday morning with the four starting pitchers who will make up of the top of his rotation.
The message: Lead our staff, lead our club.
Derek Holland was the first of the four pitchers to speak in the room, which also included pitching coach Mike Maddux and bullpen coach Andy Hawkins.
Holland’s response? We’re way ahead of you, skipper.
“We’re ahead of schedule,” Holland said. “We have fun and once it’s our turn to get up there that guy goes serious and then we come back and goof off again. I think we’re ahead of what he’s already asked of us.”
Colby Lewis, who will start the Rangers’ first Cactus League game on Wednesday, said the meeting amounted to a quick reassurance of the direction of the staff.
“I think we all kind of knew and know our roles,” Lewis said. “I think you guys saw in the 2010 and 2011 seasons when you have a strong staff and everybody sticks together we collectively as a team seem to succeed.”
It was also about reminding the rotation guys to never stop mentoring young pitchers in the clubhouse, including prospects such as Alex “Chi Chi” Gonzalez, Keone Kela and Luke Jackson.
“I had a good role model with Michael Young who set the tone for me and I want to do the same,” Holland said, while also acknowledging that a pitcher has a different leadership role than an everyday player. “But as a rotation guy I want to try to be the leader of the pack. I want to see if I can go out there and set the tone and motivate those guys each time we go out there.”
Banister called it a fun meeting and said he’s enjoyed watching the staff develop a chemistry this spring.
“This ballclub is going to be driven by those five men that toe the rubber every fifth day,” he said, including the fifth starter, who is yet to be determined. “[They need to] understand their responsibility to each other, continue to grow a competitive atmosphere with each other.”
Rotation game
Lewis will start the Rangers’ spring opener against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday. Each pitcher will throw two innings or about 35 pitches. Yovani Gallardo, Lisalverto Bonilla and Gonzalez follow Lewis.
In Sunday’s intrasquad game, each pitcher will throw an inning or 15-20 pitches. The home team will go with Yu Darvish, Holland, Ross Detwiler, Anthony Ranaudo, Ross Wolf and Alec Asher. The visiting team counters with Nick Tepesch, Nick Martinez, Ross Ohlendorf, Anthony Bass, Jerad Eickhoff and Jackson.
The relief corps will pitch in Monday’s intrasquad game.
Detwiler dialed in
Darvish wasn’t the only Rangers pitcher looking strong early in camp.
Left-hander Ross Detwiler looked good against the Rangers’ top sluggers. He signed in the off-season with hopes of cracking the rotation. He feels more comfortable as a starter but came out of the bullpen 47 times for the Nationals in 2014. He made 69 starts for Washington from 2007 to 2013.
Each time he throws this spring he’s thinking like a starter, a spot general manager Jon Daniels told him he expected Detwiler to fill when he was signed in December.
“Until he tells me different that’s where I’m going,” Detwiler said. “I don’t know why it would be different.”
Detwiler looked smooth against Rangers sluggers.
“I felt pretty good. We’re kind of in the same boat as them right now, trying to get our timing in and kind of hone our craft a little bit. It’s good once you get hitters up there,” he said. “I’ve faced a lot of those guys before, so you can talk to them afterward and figure out I was a little off here or this was working well.”
Stefan Stevenson, 817-390-7760
Twitter: @StevensonFWST
This story was originally published February 28, 2015 at 3:51 PM with the headline "Rangers notes: Pitching rotation gladly accepts leadership role."