What did the Rangers do during summer camp? They learned about Globe Life Field
If the 2020 MLB season had unfolded as planned, on March 26 with 162 games ahead of all 30 teams, the Texas Rangers would have played only twice at Globe Life Field before Opening Day.
And, if everyone is being honest, that’s what they would have preferred to have happened.
Instead, the coronavirus pandemic delayed the start of the season four months and lopped 102 games off the schedule. Teams held spring training 2.0, summer camp, at their home ballparks.
The 60-game season is a sprint. Struggling players could find themselves on the bench as teams look for the hot hand and any advantage that could put them in the lead pack for the postseason.
And the Rangers might have received the biggest advantage in baseball.
They spent three weeks practicing in their new home, and in the process created a knowledge base of the ballpark’s intricacies that could serve them well while opponents feel their way around during their maiden visits.
More information was gleaned on the biggest question, if Globe Life Field will play as a hitter’s park or a pitcher’s park.
“I think it plays perfect, and that’s all I’m going to give you because I don’t want anyone else to hear what it plays like,” manager Chris Woodward said.
“I know other teams are probably going to do their due diligence to find out, but we are heavily watching everything that happens from a field standpoint to make sure we are aware of everything or any potential issues.”
Issues? Like how balls ricochet off the various angles on the outfield walls. Or getting used to the roof on popups and flyballs. Or making adjustments to infield positioning to account for quicker grounders off the turf.
There are more, many more, and the Rangers attempted to replicate all of them in their summer camp workouts and watched for oddities in games. That goes for outfielders and infielders alike.
“Knowing the turf, how it plays. Knowing the dirt, how it plays. The backdrops, and things like that,” said Todd Frazier, who has worked at third base and first base. “Just little details of things that don’t go unnoticed by me. A bunt for a different situation. It does some stuff that you don’t see at other stadiums.
“Intricacies, fun facts and things that you have to do your homework for, and that’s studying your home field and hopefully everything will take care of itself when the test comes, and that’s the game.”
The Rangers open their season Friday against the Colorado Rockies, who connected for five home runs in two exhibition games Tuesday and Wednesday. The Rangers hit only one, a three-run homer Wednesday by Frazier that just cleared the fence in the right-field corner.
None of the home runs were to the power alleys or center field, where hitters learned during the coronavirus shutdown that the ball doesn’t carry. That played out during the camp intrasquad and simulated games as well.
“In general, probably from bullpen to bullpen it’s going to play pretty fair,” said right-hander Kyle Gibson, who yielded three homers Tuesday. “Down the lines I think it’s yet to be seen. I don’t know that I’ve given up any wall-scrapers yet, so I really can’t complain.”
Gibson said more data, like exit velocity and launch angle on balls in the air, will give a better representation on if Globe Life Field will be a hitter’s park or a pitcher’s park. Right fielder Joey Gallo, who initially said the park was playing “big as hell,” backed off that claim after hitting newer balls.
He still thinks it will be more of a pitcher’s park than the homer-happy Globe Life Park was.
“It’s a big park. It’s definitely a bigger park than our old one,” Gallo said. “I don’t know if I want to say 100 percent ‘pitcher’s park,’ but it’s definitely going to be more pitcher-friendly than our old one.”
Aside from the Rockies, one thing about the Globe Life Field is irrefutable, and it’s irrefutably an advantage for the Rangers.
“I know nobody’s ever played in our place, so that’s got to be a little bit of an advantage on our part,” Woodward said. “There’s only so much they can do in batting practice and there’s only so much they can get out there. They’re not going to get every ball we’ve been getting. We’re trying to take advantage of it as best we can.”
