2019 was one of Elvis Andrus’ top years. It wasn’t good enough for him, Texas Rangers.
When it comes to the problems facing the Texas Rangers, Elvis Andrus doesn’t appear to be one of them.
A quick glance at the shortstop’s career statistics shows that his 2019 season was one of his best.
Only once has he hit more homers and driven in more runs.
His slugging percentage and OPS ranked third and fourth over his 11 MLB seasons.
And he had his highest stolen base tally since 2014.
Yet, toward season’s end, general manager Jon Daniels told Rangers writers at Oakland Coliseum that Andrus needed to be better in 2020 and that he might face some competition in spring training.
Andrus agreed, though not necessarily with the need for competition to motivate him. He has been better, and not all that long ago in his career year of 2017.
The Rangers want him to recapture that. And so does he.
So, he has dropped some pounds this offseason, hoping to be lighter and quicker, and he has dialed in more to the analytics the Rangers say will help him match what he did three seasons ago.
“I’m trying to not put pressure on myself, but I’m going to be going into this year with a chip on my shoulder,” Andrus said. “I know there’s a lot of talking about me, so I’m trying to get everything to fit me and make me more confident and show everybody the results.”
Andrus batted .275 with 12 home runs and 72 RBIs in 2019, just the second season of his career to reach double figures in homers and the second to clear 70 RBIs. But his .707 OPS was well below what is considered average, and there were too many instances when he didn’t drive the ball and chased pitches.
He strayed from the approach that led to a banner year in 2017, when he had 20 homers, 88 RBIs and a .808 OPS. All were career highs.
From what manager Chris Woodward has seen and heard from Andrus this winter, he is trending more toward 2017 than a repeat of 2019.
It took some time for Andrus to see that the new data would help him after 10 seasons in the same organization of doing much of the same stuff.
“He’s 100% on board,” Woodward said. “It’s been awesome talking two him. We’ve both reflected on last year quite a bit, and we both want to move this thing forward. It was cool to watch the end of last year to take in the stuff we were presenting.”
Andrus wanted to hit .300 and collect 200 hits. Woodward and the coaching staff, though, would rather see him hit .320 with more damage from the hits he collects and be a bigger offensive weapon by being more selective.
Woodward saw Andrus get into the mind-set of simply chasing base hits, and he would swing at pitches that wouldn’t get him any further than first base. Some of those were out of the strike zone, which enable pitchers to expand beyond the plate.
“He’s looking to do things different, and that’s what we want,” Woodward said.
Andrus is 31 and entering his 12th MLB season. He has been one of the game’s most durable players since his rookie season in 2009, aside from the broken arm in 2018 that cost him two months.
But, as the saying goes, Father Time is undefeated, and Andrus’ weight loss is his way of buying more time at shortstop. The Rangers don’t have anyone in the minors on his heels, and Danny Santana would seem to be the only player on the roster who could take over the position on a regular basis.
It looks as if Andrus is going to be a shortstop yet again, but he’s not resting on his veteran status.
“Last year was an OK year for me. I’m not too happy about it,” he said. “I was able to be healthy, but I’ve put a lot on in the offseason. Expectations, not only for the team and from the fans but also for myself, are really high.”
This story was originally published February 4, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
