Isiah Kiner-Falefa doesn’t play first, but may impact Texas Rangers’ decision there
Ronald Guzman made his debut Wednesday at Texas Rangers summer camp, and not a minute too soon following an undisclosed delay in his pre-camp screening for COVID-19.
The job at first base is the only position battle to be settled, but Greg Bird isn’t Guzman’s only competition.
Todd Frazier is garnering strong consideration, and not necessarily because of what Guzman and Bird haven’t done.
It’s what Isiah Kiner-Falefa has done and continues to do.
The infielder-turned-catcher-turned-infielder again has picked up where he left off in Arizona when spring training was suspended back in March. He has been one of the most impressive players thanks to a transformation into a hitter who can drive the ball.
Kiner-Falefa has been so good that he has created a scenario in which he plays third base, Frazier plays first base, and Guzman and Bird are scrambling for whatever at-bats are left.
“Every day that’s going by he’s making it more and more [realistic],” manager Chris Woodward said. “You see the changes in his body, the changes in his swing, and it’s hard for me to not have him in the lineup. All I can ask is for every player to approach their role that way.”
The Rangers felt so good with Kiner-Falefa ahead of summer camp that they let veteran infielder Matt Duffy take free agency and an opportunity with the New York Yankees and now consider Nick Solak to be a center fielder and second baseman.
Kiner-Falefa plays third base just as well as Duffy and better than Solak, but is a superior backup shortstop. He has told Woodward he can play first base and the outfield, and he was one of the two catchers on the Rangers’ Opening Day roster last season.
The end of spring training was frustrating for him, and he didn’t see live pitching for more than three months while at his home in Hawaii. But the swing changes he made in the offseason stuck through the shutdown, and he hasn’t skipped a beat.
“I’m going to go about my business as if we’re trying to win the World Series, because that’s what we are trying to do,” he said. “If I’m the guy out there, them I’m the guy. If not, I’m still going to focus on doing what I can.”
Guzman is in catch-up mode after missing the first five workouts. He is excellent defensively at first base, but his bat has lagged behind during his first two seasons in the major leagues.
Bird dealt with injuries the past four seasons with the Yankees, who finally parted ways with him in the offseason. Bird was a highly regarded prospect but has never realized his potential.
Neither he nor Guzman separated himself in Arizona, allowing Rangers brass to start considering alternatives. At the very least, it appears the winner of the roster spot will be a platoon player with Frazier.
But there is still time for Guzman to put a foot forward at first.
“We all need to see it. I need to see it. I need to see him in there competing in the batter’s box,” Woodward said. “At this point, in a 60-game season we’re going to take the guy that’s ready to go,” and if that means Kiner-Falefa, so be it. “He’s putting a lot of pressure on both those guys, and it’s a good thing.”
