Texas Rangers have questions up the middle. Anderson Tejeda may emerge as an answer.
Game 6 of the Anderson Tejeda Project arrived Wednesday night, when the High A-to-the majors infielder was stationed at shortstop for the Texas Rangers.
He entered with a .200 batting average in 20 at-bats, but a 500 slugging percentage thanks to two home runs among his four hits. He had struck out seven times.
Though a small sample size, to be sure, it represents what Tejeda is at the point.
He has the potential to do many things well, but he has been overmatched at times when his lack of plate discipline has been exploited.
That could be any young player, but Tejeda isn’t just any young player in the Season of COVID-19.
His baseball mettle is being tested at the sport’s highest level when he otherwise might have just finished his season at Double A Frisco. He didn’t even play a half-season in 2019 at High A Down East because of a shoulder injury that required surgery.
This is a rush job, though he was placed the 40-man roster before anyone had even heard of coronavirus. The Rangers have questions up the middle and need answers, and they need to know if Tejeda is one of them.
“My expectation is just to make sure he goes out and is prepared and does all the work,” manager Chris Woodward said. “He has been working his tail off before games, getting ready to play. He is doing everything we ask. All I ask is he go out and compete.
“As long as he is prepared and has a game plan, just go out and compete. I don’t think we need to compare him to anybody. He is in the beginning of his career. Sometimes I don’t think he knows what planet he is on or who he is playing for. I just want him to get the experience and compete.”
In a year without a minor-league season, Tejeda is getting much more development than most of his peers. He was part of the Rangers’ 60-man player pool from the beginning, and was called upon early in the season when Rougned Odor was out with a nagging injury.
Tejeda collected two hits, including his first home run in his MLB debut Aug. 6 at Oakland. After some time at the alternate camp, he homered again Saturday at Seattle.
That one came from the right side as Tejeda became only the second switch hitter in Rangers history to home from both sides of the plate within his first five career games (Ruben Sierra did it in 1986).
Switch hitting is also one of the areas where Tejeda must improve. He’s been doing it in games only since last season, though says he has been flirting with it since the Rangers signed him as an international free agent in 2014 from only $100,000.
While the coronavirus pandemic kept Tejeda from having a full year of development, he said it allowed him the change to return to the Dominican Republic to keep working on hitting right-handed.
He felt better when summer camp opened in early July and was able to pick up where he left off during what the Rangers thought was a productive spring training in Arizona after a productive rehab.
“Last year after my operation, I went to Arizona and did my rehab and worked really hard and started working on hitting from the right side,” said Tejeda, 22. “It’s unfortunate the coronavirus happened, but I went home and got another opportunity to work with some of my people back home.”
The Rangers activated Odor from the injured list before Wednesday’s game and started him at second base. Tejeda was the choice at shortstop over Elvis Andrus, who homered in Tuesday’s victory.
Odor has been lousy this season in all facets. The Rangers believe Andrus has been unlucky offensively, but he still hasn’t produced. The Rangers owe them more than a combined $50 million the next two seasons.
Tejeda might not beat either one of them out next spring for the 2021 Opening Day roster. Woodward said that a year’s worth of minor-league games would have taken Tejeda further this season than what he’s getting out of his first taste of the big leagues.
At minimum, the Rangers are doing to learn what Tejeda must improve and also if he can be on their roster for good at some point in 2021 or later.
“He’s pretty raw,” Woodward said. “It’s no more than any other guy coming up from A ball. He probably would have been in Double A this year. We kind of had a vision of maybe him being here at some point this year.
“He’s learning, though, man. One thing is he’s eager to learn. He asks a lot of questions. He’s fearless on the baseball field. That kind of leads to success. He goes out there and lets it rip.”
This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 6:04 PM.
