Texas Rangers’ youth movement in full swing. These players may not make 2021 roster.
Kyle Gibson is not a rookie, and his place on the 2021 Texas Rangers roster is already secure regardless of how he was to perform Saturday night against the Seattle Mariners.
The right-hander has two more years remaining on the three-year, $28 million contract he signed in the off-season. That pretty much guarantees him a spot in the rotation next season.
The series opener Friday, a 6-3 Mariners win, was quite the opposite. A rookie started and four rookie relievers followed, and two of the Rangers’ three runs were driven in by rookies.
A few had logged some big-league time before this season, but a few hadn’t.
More rookies and young players are getting opportunities over the final three weeks of the season.
Some are like Gibson and will be around in 2021. Nick Solak, Jose Trevino, Kolby Allard and Jonathan Hernandez come to mind.
But nothing is a given for most others.
“We are definitely going to see these younger guys play,” manager Chris Woodward said. “I want to see how they handle the at-bats. We’ve got to get a lot out of these 23 games. It’s really important for us as a staff, for them as players, to create the identity of what we are going to be moving forward, especially the younger group.”
CF Leody Taveras
This rookie is a strong candidate to be in the lineup next season after showing flashes of stardom the past two weeks.
Taveras has homered, drawn walks, beat out infield hits, stolen bases and, of course, wowed defensively. But he has struck out a lot and has work to do to catch up as a right-handed hitter.
There is also a potential roster crunch looming. Danny Santana was the Opening Day center fielder and is under club control for two more years. He can also play three infield spots, including first base, but he could also be a non-tender candidate.
RHP Kyle Cody
The right-hander hasn’t allowed an earned run in his first 7 1/3 big-league innings, three of which were Friday in his first MLB start. The stuff has been impressive, as has his composure considering he had never pitched above High A ball.
The Rangers, though, have several young starters knocking on the rotation, but might have only one opening depending on what happens with Lance Lynn and Corey Kluber in the offseason. Their returns aren’t guaranteed.
If neither is back and no one is added from outside the organization, Cody becomes a front-runner despite his lack of experience and potential workload concerns.
1B Ronald Guzman
Everyone knows by now that Guzman is a terrific defender who can be an infielder’s best friend. He catches almost everything thrown his way.
The bat, though, remains a question in his third MLB season, and his hitting woes relegated him to the alternate camp for a month as he worked through his swing.
He looks different at the plate, and has shown improvement over where he was. However, Guzman needs to show more.
“I think a lot of it was timing,” Woodward said. “Talking to Cody Atkinson, our hitting coach on the alternate site, some of it was timing when he gets ready. You can see he gets ready early. Some of his positioning with his hands, with his bat, puts him in a better position to fire. I think his pace through his swing is much better. It’s not as forced. That has a lot to do with timing.”
LHP Joe Palumbo
Injuries the past few seasons have kept Palumbo from cementing on the pitching staff and pushing his way into the starting rotation. He’s now dealing with a disease.
Ulcerative colitis has sacked Palumbo, who is unlikely to pitch again this season after making the Opening Day roster as a reliever. The Rangers believe his future is as a starter, and he should be in the rotation picture next spring.
But he again will be short on innings and will be trying to learn how to manage an intestinal disease that can rob a person of strength as he tries to keep weight on. The Rangers do have experience with treating ulcerative colitis (Gibson, Jake Diekman).
LHP Taylor Hearn
He lost out on the Opening Day roster to Kolby Allard and Palumbo after having trouble with commanding the strike zone. Hearn has since made his season debut, with mixed results.
Among the many things that have plagued the pitching staff this season is walks. With as talented as Hearn is, with an upper-90s fastball and two quality off-speed pitches, big-league hitters will chew him up if he can’t throw strikes consistently.
That’s especially true if he’s a starter, which he hopes to be after getting his feet wet in the bullpen this season.
OF Eli White
The Rangers have learned that their new ballpark, Globe Life Field, requires three quality outfielders. The Rangers have had that the past week when White has played left field, with Taveras in center and Joey Gallo in right.
White was still looking for his first career hit entering Saturday after being robbed twice Friday. The Rangers were impressed during spring training with how he reinvented his swing to drive the ball with more consistency, but he needs to see it translate the rest of the season.
White could face a roster crunch, too. Willie Calhoun plays left field when he isn’t the designated hitter. If Shin-Soo Choo returns for another season, he would be a second road block for White.
INF Anderson Tejeda
Tejeda oozes talent, which was on display early last month during his MLB debut when he got his first career hit and home run out of the way in a game at Oakland.
But he is the most inexperienced position player on the roster, having yet to complete a full season at Class A. He needs to hone in on a more patient approach, which will be tough to accomplish playing sporadically down the stretch.
Like other young players, Taveras doesn’t have a clear-cut path to a position. Second base is still compromised by Rougned Odor, and shortstop is held down by Elvis Andrus.
