Much has happened since Rangers spring camp was canceled in March. Here’s a refresher
When last we saw the Texas Rangers on the field, they were heading into their only off day of spring training with a 12-8 record following a loss to the San Francisco Giants on March 11.
That night, Utah Jazz All-Star Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, and within hours the NBA suspended its season.
The next day, while the Rangers were off, MLB canceled the rest of spring training. The team met March 13 and agreed they would stay together and continue to train at the Surprise Recreation Campus in Arizona. And they did that, for one day, until MLB shut down team workouts.
Finally, more than three months later, team workouts are set to resume again Friday with spring training 2.0. MLB is calling it Summer Camp, apparently to satisfy a sponsorship agreement.
The 2020 MLB season is scheduled to start July 23, with the Rangers expecting to open July 24.
The questions the Rangers had in mid-March about their team still require answers.
Here’s quick refresher:
Who’s on first?
The only real position battle of camp is at first base, where Ronald Guzman and Greg Bird are jockeying for the job. It could be a platoon role, with one of the left-handed hitters facing right-handed pitching while third baseman Todd Frazier, a righty hitter, moves across the diamond against lefties.
Guzman is the superior defensive player, but also has minor-league options remaining. Injuries have kept Bird from realizing his potential. He is in camp on a non-roster deal and was healthy through the Rangers’ time in Arizona.
Is Odor safe?
Well, he’s not out, not yet. All signs point to Rougned Odor opening the season as the everyday second baseman. The Rangers are encouraged by his September last season and how he stuck to swing changes during the offseason.
However, this season is only 60 games. As manager Chris Woodward said, it’s like the Rangers are waking up on Aug. 1 tied for a playoff spot. Woodward will manage accordingly, and that could mean giving struggling players a seat sooner than if it were a 162-game season.
Where’s Danny?
Danny Santana is expected to start the season in center field, following the offseason trade of Delino DeShields, but the Rangers are still enamored with the versatility he showed last season in becoming the team’s player of the year.
Santana played seven positions, and could be moved around again this season either to give others a day off or if a regular isn’t producing. Santana, though, also needs to back up his breakthrough 2019 season in which he shredded previous career-highs in homers (28), RBIs (81), slugging percentage (.534) and OPS (.857).
Where’s Nick?
Nick Solak is on the team and expected to receive regular at-bats. He could be the 2020 version of Santana after focusing on center field and left field in the offseason and in Arizona.
Drafted by the New York Yankees as a second baseman, the Rangers tried Solak at third last season and want to look at him at first base in spring training 2.0. General manager Jon Daniels, though, said last week that Solak could get most of his time in center field.
How’s the rotation?
The key to a successful season is the starting rotation, and the Rangers still feel pretty good about theirs. Lance Lynn will start Opening Day, answering one perennial camp question, and be followed in some order by Corey Kluber, Mike Minor, Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles.
The Rangers have no plans for a six-man rotation, but are open to the possibility of using an opener. The only health issue in Arizona was if Gibson, who is learning to manage ulcerative colitis, would be strong enough avoid the injured list to start the season. That shouldn’t be an issue now.
Who was opening eyes?
A few names come to mind, the first being Isiah Kiner-Falefa. He was doing something he had never done — drive the ball. The infielder is an infielder again after his switch to catcher was abandoned. He had abandoned his offense in the process, but that has returned.
The Rangers also think they found two future defensive wizards in center fielder. No one was surprised about Leody Taveras, one of the best defensive players in the minors, but Eli White had been an infielder most of his career but now looks to be cemented in center field. Will they make the roster? Probably not, but they impressed.
There’s room for one more: Sherten Apostel. The player to be named in the 2018 Keone Kela trade, Apostel stood out defensively at third base and at the plate. There is a thought that he will end up at first base, especially with 2019 first-rounder Josh Jung a third baseman. It’s not a bad problem for the Rangers to have.
