The fastest player in Texas Rangers spring training not named James Jones is ...
Of the flaws the City of Surprise has — with distance to the airport No. 1 on the list — it’s entirely possible to go a whole week without leaving.
Trust me. I just did it.
The streak ended Tuesday as MLB held its Cactus League media day in Scottsdale, which is farther away than the airport.
Don’t worry. Everyone made it back for trivia night.
Surprise, though, has all I need: an Orangetheory studio, a grocery store, a place to hang out at night and a variety of restaurants. Golf courses, too, but my clubs are in Texas.
The players’ clubs will be getting less and less usage the deeper and deeper the Texas Rangers get into spring training, which added a new wrinkle Tuesday.
Here’s the Surprise Five.
1. The story on James Jones at star-telegram.com asks (and partially answers) the question: Who is the fastest Rangers player now that Delino DeShields is gone?
It might be Jones, who stole 27 bases in 2014 for the Seattle Mariners as an outfielder. He claims he can still fly even though the sprints he runs are shorter than they used to be.
Of those who are likely to make the Opening Day roster, Nick Solak, Danny Santana and Rougned Odor received some votes. So did Ronald Guzman, from smart aleck Joey Gallo.
But the two fastest players in camp are Eli White and Leody Taveras.
White, who was first mentioned by general manager Jon Daniels, posted the fastest 10-yard sprint Monday at 1.6 seconds. That just edged Taveras at 1.63.
“I like to run,” White said.
Taveras, though, is confident that he can beat White over a longer distance.
Taveras is thought to be the Rangers’’ future in center field, though former first-round pick Bubba Thompson and a few others might have something to say about that. White might be one of them.
Manager Chris Woodward said that White has the potential be an elite center fielder, and would come with a decent bat. That bat is a tick ahead of Taveras’ bat at this point.
White will see game action this spring in center field, Woodward said, but Santana and Solak will start the first two games Friday and Saturday.
Woodward expects Solak to play most of his games this spring in center field, especially early on. He might also do some work during intrasquad games and B games, which there will be plenty of to accommodate all the innings the 37 healthy pitchers will need.
2. The beginning of pitchers throwing live batting practice serves as a nice change of pace each spring training.
Rather than throwing just to a mitt, pitchers get a different and necessary perspective with hitters standing in against their pitches.
That was especially so Tuesday for Corey Kluber, who hadn’t faced a hitter since August.
At this point in camp, the hitters’ swings don’t tell him as much as what he feels. But after one round of live BP, with another this week, Kluber is pleased with his camp.
“I don’t put much stock in what the hitters are doing at this point,” said Kluber, who got multiple swings and misses with his slider. “It’s more so if I can repeat my delivery, you know how you want the ball to feel when it comes out of your hand, and I’m trying to execute pitches whenever I want to.”
Kluber doesn’t know for sure when he will make his Cactus League debut, though the projected starting pitchers aren’t going to be rushed into games.
He’s eager to return to game action, his first since a left oblique injury last season while on a rehab assignment for a broken right arm, but he also been around long enough to know there isn’t a sense of urgency.
“I realize it’s a long season,” Kluber said. “As long as it’s been since I pitched in a game, it’s not going to be any difference if I pitch Feb. 25 or March 1. Just taking the necessary steps along the way is part of it.”
3. Mike Minor also threw live batting practice, facing Odor and Shin-Soo Choo as the left-handed hitters tracked a left-handed pitcher.
Minor did so hours after his agent, B.B. Abbott, reached the 19,341-foot summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in East Central Africa in a climb for charity.
That’s noteworthy because now he can return home and wait for general manager Jon Daniels to come calling about a contract extension for his client Minor.
The Rangers haven’t sat down as a group to discuss which players the will consider offering extensions, though Minor and Gallo are thought to be the leading candidates.
But Daniels pulled a spring surprise last year by giving closer Jose Leclerc a team-friendly extension. Robinson Chirinos, Odor, Derek Holland, Elvis Andrus, Matt Harrison, Ian Kinsler (twice) and Michael Young have all signed extensions either during spring training or a few days into the season.
That’s something to keep an eye on for later in camp. Minor wants to stay with the Rangers.
4. The good news from Arlington on Tuesday is that the toilets at Globe Life Field were flushed simultaneously without destroying the plumbing.
Fittingly, hot dog connoisseur Stefan Stevenson was there to cover the Super Flush for the Star-Telegram.
His Twitter feed showed that the Shaw Sports Systems turf is being put down, a process that should be completed next week. The grounds crew will then put protective padding over the turf to limit the damage that might be caused by the first event at Globe Life Field — Chris Stapleton All-American Road Show on March 14.
The ballpark has reached 94 percent complete, the Rangers said. The lower concourse is 97 percent finished, and the east side of the roof now has on it the red T Rangers logo.
5. The Rangers PR staff passed out the bios that will be in their annual media guide, and from it these random player facts were plucked:
Jordan Lyles’ middle name is Horton, and his four siblings’ first names also start with J: brothers Justin, Josh and Jake, and sister Jody.
His favorite player growing up was Chipper Jones. The Hall of Famer was also Jeff Mathis’ favorite growing up.
Now you know.
6 (Bonus!). Just a reminder that a Sports-only subscription to the Star-Telegram is available for only $30 for the first year. Click on the embed below.
As T.R. Sullivan reported, he finds access around the Star-Telegram’s paywall via his subscription to be the easiest to navigate of the local outlets covering the Rangers on a subscription basis.
That should be a good enough endorsement right there.
