Nick Solak getting better for Texas Rangers in center field. Could he unseat Santana?
The weather Saturday at Surprise Stadium might have been perfect.
Little to no wind, which is always an element of a great weather day.
Temperatures flirting with 80 degrees.
Lots and lots of sunshine.
Ideal for those who decided to bring their golf clubs with them to Texas Rangers spring training. Nice for the who needed some postgame exercise to make room for either pizza or Mexican food.
Why not both?
Here’s the Surprise Five from Saturday at Rangers camp.
1. Danny Santana is going to be the Rangers’ primary center fielder.
General manager Jon Daniels has said it. Manager Chris Woodward has said it.
The higher authorities, the ownership group, said it when they didn’t free up the cash for the Rangers to acquire a free agent.
And Santana, to his credit, has played well there. It’s his best position, and he’s better there than any other candidates for the Opening Day roster.
He’s not better than Leody Taveras, but Daniels has ruled him out as a candidate.
So, for all those clamoring for Nick Solak in center, a position he is trying to learn this spring, it’s unlikely to happen on an everyday basis.
Yes, the Rangers want to move Santana around as they did last season. Woodward said that again during a postgame conversation centered on Solak’s play. He made a fine catch on a deep drive to center field as Santana’s replacement.
But the Rangers didn’t make Santana a nomad last season until they yanked on the leashes of Delino DeShields and Ronald Guzman and moved on from Asdrubal Cabrera.
Santana filled in early at second base and shortstop when Rougned Odor and Elvis Andrus dealt with injuries.
The roster is constructed to keep Santana in center. Solak, an infielder, is part of that construction along with infielder Matt Duffy and outfielders Scott Heineman and Adolis Garcia. Eli White might fit into that mix, too.
Center field is a way to get Solak at-bats, but Santana is going to be the primary center fielder. At least until there are injuries or some leashes are yanked.
2. Woodward proved to be clairvoyant before the bottom of the ninth inning.
The game against the Chicago White Sox was tied at 6 when Bryan Mitchell came in from the bullpen.
Woodward told those in the Rangers’ dugout that the poor kid was going to come in and throw all those warm-up pitches only to see the game end on a first-pitch homer.
Blake Swihart proved Woodward right, crushing the first pitch over the right-field wall for a 7-6 walk-off win.
“I wish I could call them like that more often,” Woodward said.
Swihart, who took over at catcher for Nick Cuiffo, continues to make a strong early impression as he tries to make the roster as a non-roster invite to camp. He can play first base, second base and in the outfield in addition to his catching duties.
The Rangers initially tried to acquire him when he was a Boston Red Sox prospect. The shine has worn off Swihart, who has struggled to hit big-league pitching, but the Rangers believe he is tapping into some of that potential via a few swing changes.
There’s a long way to go, obviously, but Swihart is more prominent on the Rangers’ radar.
3. Hours earlier, right-hander Jonathan Hernandez gave the Surprise Stadium radar gun a workout.
His first three fastballs came in at 98, 99 and 100 mph to White Sox star Yoan Moncada. There was some debate on whether the radar gun was running a little hot, but Woodward said afterward that the gun frequently matches the data the Rangers collect.
Hernandez believed what he saw.
“I just say the work I did in the offseason is paying off,” he said.
Triple digits isn’t uncharted territory for Hernandez, who has popped 100 multiple times in the minor leagues. He first did it as a starting pitcher, but the problem was he wasn’t always sure what he was going.
He said that he worked over the winter, including a stint in the Dominican Winter League, on his command. That is his biggest improvement since his MLB debut last season.
Hernandez threw a 92-mph changeup and his slider was effective. He gave up a two-run homer to Eloy Jimenez, but Woodward said it came on a quality pitch and might have benefited from the thin, dry air in Arizona.
The outing was another step toward the Opening Day roster for Hernandez, who in the second inning showed composure with runners on base, even in surrendering the homer, to pair with his electric pitches.
“His stuff is absolutely filthy,” Woodward said.
4. Mike Minor got his work in, as the cool kids say, during a two-inning simulated game on the back fields and said he is ready to pitch Thursday in a Cactus League game.
He logged 40 pitches and felt no issues with the tightness in his left hamstring that has limited somewhat this spring. He had trouble commanding his slider, including one that Sam Travis hit out on Minor’s final pitch.
“When I was trying to bury one, I couldn’t,” Minor said. “When I was trying to throw one for a strike, it was in the dirt.”
Those are small things that can be fixed over the course of the next 25 days before the season opens March 26 at Seattle. Minor is one of three candidates to get the Opening Day start, and it would be his second straight if he’s the choice.
Next up for the Rangers is Corey Kluber’s spring debut Sunday, and Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles will make their initial A game appearances Monday and Tuesday.
Lance Lynn was the first member of the project rotation to appear in a spring game, allowing two runs Friday in 2 2/3 innings.
5. Another day, another loyal Twitter follower who expressed dissatisfaction after encountering the paywall on Rangers stories star-telegram.com.
I get it. I want free stuff, too.
But journalism, and not just what is produced by the Star-Telegram, can’t continue giving away the goods as the industry deals with declining advertising revenue and a digital transformation. The Star-Telegram certainly isn’t the first to begin requiring online subscriptions, nor will it be the last.
The solution, though, is a Sports-only pass that costs only $30 for the first year. Looking at the landscape, that’s a bargain.
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This story was originally published March 1, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
