Texas Rangers didn’t want prospects to miss development. Alternate camp providing it.
The pickings are getting pretty slim in the prospect pool at the alternate camp, where the Texas Rangers plucked catcher Sam Huff on Thursday and placed him on their 40-man and active rosters.
Huff might have made the major leagues this month in a normal 162-game season. Rosters expand for September, and players on the verge of their MLB debuts are often given some exposure to what’s ahead.
That’s not the case in this 60-game season, though rosters have been expanded to meet the demand put on players with shortened prep time.
Huff was promoted because Jose Trevino tweaked his left wrist Wednesday and can’t play for a few days and no MLB team can get by with only one catcher. Jeff Mathis started Thursday in the series finale with the Los Angeles Angels, and Huff is expected to make his MLB debut Friday.
When he does, the Rangers expect him to hold his own.
That’s a heckuva thing to say about a kid who has never played above High A, but the Rangers have reason to believe it.
They have seen others come from reserve player pool at the alternate site, step into the lineup, bullpen or rotation, and perform. While the Rangers aren’t getting much right on the field this season, it appears their biggest success might be the work the development their top prospects are getting in a season with without minor-league ball.
“The staff down there has been nothing short of phenomenal,” manager Chris Woodward said. “It’s not just guys going down there and taking BP and having an intrasquad game. It’s not about that. There’s so much going on that they’re pushing our guys.
“They’re doing the same thing we’re doing here, but almost more so because they’re not in the environment that we’re in. They’re not having to go out and play nine innings every day. They’re getting as much as they possibly can out of that, which, you know, just speaks volumes to the staff, and to the commitment of the players to buy in.”
Huff, for instance, has been working on how to call games in the big leagues. The coaches at the alternative camp attempted to simulate game planning and then after the game reviewed with Huff what pitches might have worked better in certain situations.
Right-hander Tyler Phillips has completely changed how he pitches, according to a story in Baseball America. His best friend, Demarcus Evans, has worked to fine-tune his curveball while also learning how to control his emotions on the mound.
Expect Evans to be the next player from the alternate camp to get his shot at the majors.
Josh Jung, the 2019 first-rounder from Texas Tech, is playing some second base while consistently being among the leaders in hard-hit balls and quality at-bats. Andy Ibanez, the offense-first infielder from Cuba, is playing the outfield.
The Rangers, meanwhile, have seen Leody Taveras come from the alternate camp and patrol center field like he’s been doing it his whole life and also do some impressive things at the plate.
The swing overhaul Ronald Guzman underwent at the alternate camp has him looking much better against big-league pitching. Trevino returned last month from the alternate site and has cemented his place on the 2021 roster.
Anderson Tejeda’s talent is showing through. Kyle Cody and John King have positioned themselves to compete for a spot in the rotation next spring.
Four players — Huff, Tejeda, Cody and King — made the jump to the big leagues from High A.
“I think everybody down there realizes, ‘I’ve got a shot at this thing, potentially to get called up,’” Woodward said. “It shows these guys, hey, this is what the expectations are here. This is what the demands are at the big-league level. And that’s what they’re doing down there. I mean, they’re getting preached this every day, and there’s a lot of consistency in how we do things and how they do things, which is critical for the development.”
Several minor-league coaches and coordinators are running the show at the alternate site, with field coordinator Matt Hagen and co-pitching coordinator Jono Armold taking the media’s questions.
They have been pleased with the work the players have been doing and how well-prepared the late additions came to camp after working on their own until there were openings.
Two in particular, right-hander Ricky Vanasco and Cole Winn, have put in enough work independently and as part of the alternate group that their development hasn’t been set back by not having a season.
Both would have opened in A ball, probably Low A Hickory.
“They’ve come in here and held their own, very much so,” Armold said. “For the most part they’ve thrown the ball over the plate and their stuff has played. They’ve both been really good, just continuing to learn the little things day in and day out. But not behind. I would not say behind.
“Aside from the overall innings log and span of games, just like everybody, they’re right about where you’d hope they’d be in a normal year as you have a certain vision of them wrapping up the year.”
As the games wind down, so will the opportunities for a player to be promoted. There’s plenty at play, like starting service clocks and burning minor-league options.
Huff, considered by many to be the Rangers’ top prospect, would have been put on the 40-man roster in the offseason to avoid exposure to the Rule 5 draft, so adding him late in the season isn’t a significant issue.
“I don’t think there was really any debate, to be honest with you,” Woodward said. “We had kind of thought that all along, to get him here at some point. We’re excited about it. I didn’t want to see Trevino go down for any time period. But if it meant getting Sam here for that reason, I think we were all kind of on board with that.”
