These seven Texas Rangers position players are worth watching this spring
Spring training has changed from the time when Chris Woodward was an MLB player to his second year as an MLB manager.
Players came to camp to get in shape, but now players basically come ready to play.
Maybe that’s why the Rangers have only four full-squad workouts before their first Cactus League game Friday.
The first practice with all 68 players on the spring roster was held Monday, yet another sun-splashed day at the Surprise Recreation Campus.
Pitchers and catchers are nearing a week in camp, and live batting practice begins Tuesday. Most position players have been in town for at least a few days, some longer.
Just like the pitchers last week, there are some intriguing position players to monitor this spring.
Here’s a rundown.
Rougned Odor
Get ready to hear about Odor the rest of the spring. He has to show the coaching staff that he is in the right place with his approach and swing mechanics, and then carry them into the season and produce.
Forget his contract. Woodward and general manager Jon Daniels have said that Odor will not have a long leash should his struggles continue for what would be a fourth consecutive season.
Greg Bird
The former New York Yankees top prospect and Ronald Guzman, both left-handed hitters, will be duking it out at first base in the only true position battle of spring training.
Bird must be healthy, which has always been tricky for him. He needs to be healthy so that he can get consistent at-bats, something he hasn’t had the past four seasons.
Guzman’s dilemma is clamping down on all the moving parts in his swing, the result of being 6-foot-6. The power is there. It’s the accuracy that’s missing.
Matt Duffy
The Rangers have talked about Duffy as if he has already made the Opening Day roster as a utility infielder. He can play shortstop, despite his lack of MLB games there, and his best position is third base.
Depending on how first base shakes out, the Rangers might need Duffy, a right-handed hitter, to play third against lefty pitchers while Todd Frazier, another righty hitter, shifts to first.
Nick Solak
Yes, the Rangers can carry Duffy and Solak on the roster even though both play third base and second base. Solak separates himself with his ability to play center field, though that ability is to be determined.
As is the case with Duffy, the Rangers are talking as if Solak has already made the team. He needs to hit, which he did last season, and show that he can play capably in center field and at third base.
The Rangers have little doubt he can do both those things.
Joey Gallo
The team’s best offensive player needs to be healthy for a full season rather than the 70 games he managed in 2019. They were a spectacular 70 games for the most part, so good that he made the All-Star team for the first time before a broken hamate bone sidelined him.
Gallo says the hand has been at full strength since the end of October. He says that he picked up with the same mind-set and approach to hitting that he had last season.
The best player is always worth watching, but there is some reason for concern that Gallo, who hasn’t played since July, could start slowly.
Jose Trevino
Trevino has two veteran catchers (Robinson Chirinos, Jeff Mathis) ahead of him and a top prospect (Sam Huff) closing in on him, and he appears to be headed to Triple A Nashville to start the season.
But Trevino was the hitter mentioned first by hitting coach Luis Ortiz when asked who has looked the best over the off-season and early in camp. There’s more power potential in Trevino’s bat now to go with his minor-league Gold Glove defense.
Trevino will be in the majors at some point this season. It could be sooner than later.
Leody Taveras
The persistent belly-aching about center field will come to an end eventually, and Taveras could be the reason. One of the Rangers’ top prospects, Taveras is the future in center field.
He could play there now in the majors defensively, but his bat needs more time. Specifically, the Rangers want to see the switch-hitter show more power. Taveras, in his first big-league spring training, believes he is almost there.
While 2021 seems more likely for his MLB debut, this season isn’t out of the question if the Rangers need a defensive upgrade in center.
