How taking a step back could help DeShields start to move forward for Rangers
Good won’t cut it for Delino DeShields, who in his fifth season with the Texas Rangers is still attempting to reach his ultimate goal.
“I want to be great,” he said.
He has the speed to be great, and his route running has elevated him to among the best center fielders in baseball. The Rangers have armed him with fresh data and some swing changes to be a better hitter.
Yet in the glare of the opening of a new season, his sluggish start might feel like a massive weight on his shoulders. That’s what the Rangers have seen.
Their message to DeShields, from manager Chris Woodward to veteran newcomer Hunter Pence, is that no one is down on him and that they know he will turn things around.
Take a deep breath, in other words. No one is turning the page on DeShields.
“He needs to stick with what he’s working on and just stay with it,” Woodward said. “I really hope he has some results to show for the work he’s put in. This game is so cruel in that way.
“It’s an important message for us to just say to all of our guys to keep working. Maybe the finished product isn’t there yet, but he’s close. If you abort or abandon ship, now you have to start over.”
DeShields was out of the lineup Tuesday as the Rangers opened a two-game interleague series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, though because Woodward wanted an extra left-handed hitter to face right-hander Zack Greinke.
With left-hander Robbie Ray pitching Wednesday for Arizona, DeShields should return to the lineup.
He carried a .107 average into Tuesday, though he had reached in 7 of 9 starts. In his mind, he has been too stubborn in his approach and is letting hittable pitches pass because he’s being too picky.
DeShields said that he needs to go into “attack mode.”
“Right now I feel like I’m being attacked,” he said. “I’m trying use my idea of the strike zone almost to a disadvantage, being too picky and too selective. If you’re at the plate thinking attack, attack, attack instead of I’m going to wait for this certain pitch, and you don’t get it and you don’t swing at it but it might be a good pitching to hit.”
DeShields is hardly the only MLB player off to a slow start, but because his slump has covered the first 10 games of the season instead of a 10-game stretch in mid-June, it’s much more magnified.
Only three seasons ago, Ian Desmond was batting .109 after his first 12 games in his only season with the Rangers, but ended up making the American League All-Star team.
“You see it every year,” Pence said. “We’re just telling him to stick with the process and trust it. He’s working harder than anyone I’ve ever seen, and that’s impressive. His determination is something we should all aspire to.
“I think there is a balance, and you have to find what balance works for you. You have to find the mentality and mental state and best energy of yourself. A lot of times you try so hard and want it so bad you get in you’re own way. I would say relax. Just relax.”
It sounds as if DeShields has heard their words.
“It just have to stop trying to force it and just let it happen,” DeShields said. “I want to be great. I put that on me every day. Sometimes I’m really hard on myself critically. I just have to -- and this is going to sound really bad -- care less. I care a lot, maybe too much, and maybe I need to take a small step back. Just have some fun and just go out there and play.”
This story was originally published April 9, 2019 at 8:26 PM.
