First guess at Rangers’ Opening Day roster tries to sort out center field, first base
Find a piece of wood to knock so that the following doesn’t prove to be a jinxing moment:
Things have been really quiet so far at Texas Rangers spring training.
Really quiet.
No late additions to the roster. No new injuries. No fuss.
All of that could change, and some of that will change with the start of Cactus League games Friday at Surprise Stadium.
The big one, of course, is injuries, and they are coming. Some will be minor, but some could affect the shape of the Opening Day roster.
The Rangers will play 30 games over 30 days before heading home to christen Globe Life Field as a baseball venue March 23. The season opens March 26 at Seattle.
By then, this projection of the Rangers’ Opening Day roster might look foolish. Then again, a lot of the roster spots are already wrapped up.
Here’s goes nothing.
Pitchers: Rotation set
Rotation (5): Corey Kluber, RHP; Mike Minor, LHP; Lance Lynn, RHP; Kyle Gibson, RHP; Jordan Lyles, RHP.
Comment: Barring an injury or Gibson getting extra time to minimize the effects of ulcerative colitis, these are the five starters but not necessarily how they will line up to start the season.
Bullpen (8): Jose Leclerc, RHP (closer); Rafael Montero, RHP; Jesse Chavez, RHP; Nick Goody, RHP; Cody Allen, RHP; Joely Rodriguez, LHP; Brett Martin, LHP; Edinson Volquez, RHP.
Comment: The Rangers will use eight relievers. The first six above have been mentioned as either locks or very good bets. Volquez potentially could give the Rangers multiple innings and some good vibes, and Allen could blossom into a candidate to close games if Leclerc needs rest, is needed as a set-up man, or is ineffective as the closer.
There are a number of candidates for the final two spots. Allen and Volquez have work to do. The Rangers could go with Jonathan Hernandez or Luke Farrell as a multi-innings relievers. Demarcus Evans should be fun to watch this spring. A good one might get him on the club.
Position players: Center-field guess
Catcher (2): Robinson Chrinos, Jeff Mathis.
Comment: These two are expected to carry the catching load, with Chirinos potentially topping 100 games caught for a third straight season. Mathis is beloved by Minor and Lynn, and the Rangers hope that fewer games will equal more plate production.
Jose Trevino is on the outside looking in, but he is drawing raves for the changes he has made at the plate and his defense is always going to be considered a strength. He still needs to have a monster spring or an injury to make the team.
Infield (5): Elvis Andrus, ss; Rougned Odor, 2b; Todd Frazier 3b; Ronald Guzman, 1b; Matt Duffy, util.
Comment: Guzman is on the 40-man roster, so that gives him the early edge on Greg Bird. Bird, of course, has to stay on the field. The backup first baseman is Frazier, in part because Duffy’s best position is third base.
Andrus and Odor are locked in, but Odor is facing heavy scrutiny. The Rangers also want more from Andrus, though it seems hard to imagine him losing playing time if isn’t as productive as he was in 2017 or even last season. Duffy can play shortstop when Andrus needs a day off.
Outfield/DH (6): Willie Calhoun, lf; Danny Santana, cf; Joey Gallo, rf; Shin-Soo Choo, dh; Nick Solak, util; Scott Heineman, of.
Comment: Solak will also play in the infield, particularly at second base if Odor flops, but the Rangers need to learn this spring if he can play center field. Santana is projected to play most in center field, though the Rangers would like to move him around.
Heineman makes the team, edging out infielder Isiah-Kiner Falefa, because of the uncertainty with Solak’s abilities in center and because he can play all three spots capably.
This story was originally published February 20, 2020 at 7:24 AM.
