Texas Rangers working on a rebuild, but 2021 lineup might not look all that different
The countdown to the end of the Texas Rangers season reached T-minus 10 on Thursday, as only 10 days stood between the American League’s last-place team and unlimited off-season tee times.
The front office won’t have the same amount of freedom after the Sept. 27 season finale.
General manager Jon Daniels and crew must make decisions on who returns and who doesn’t, which young players have won roster spots for 2021 and which ones need more time in the minors, and who to add as place holders at certain positions.
Ideas are already floating around their heads, as well as those of many in the Rangers fan base.
One thing seems to be nearly unanimous with fans: For the Rangers to rid themselves of second baseman Rougned Odor.
He was in the starting lineup again Thursday as the Rangers completed a three-game series with the Houston Astros. Activated from the injured list eight games ago, Odor has played in eight of them and took a five-game hitting streak into Thursday.
Told he had to earn his playing time, he has — like it or not.
“I’m throwing him a bone because he’s been productive and that’s what we asked him to do,” manager Chris Woodward said. “He’s been better. I’ll give him that.”
That doesn’t mean that Odor will be at second base April 1 at Kansas City. He might be. He might not.
As 2020 ends, enough information has been gathered for an exercise in futility -- predicting the Rangers’ 2021 Opening Day lineup.
Not a full 26-man roster. That’s lunacy. Just the position players and the designated hitter. And just to start the season, not taking into account the changes could be make after the first month or two.
Here goes nothing.
Catcher
Jose Trevino: This one is a slam dunk. Trevino has been steady defensively, as was expected, but has shown more with the bat than he did in the minors. He had been hitting in the middle of the batting order before injuring his left wrist last week.
Who backs him up is a bigger question. Woodward doesn’t believe Sam Huff is going to be ready for regular MLB duty and would like a veteran/mentor as Trevino’s backup. Jeff Mathis would be available and said he would like to fill that role for another season.
First base
Ronald Guzman: The Rangers say Guzman has been better than he was to start the season and end 2019, but they want to see more from him. He hits right-handed pitchers well, but the left-handed hitter needs to be better against lefties.
Ordinarily, he wouldn’t be starting next season. But the Rangers are rebuilding and don’t have many candidates behind him. Giving Guzman a shot to start the season isn’t going to hurt anything. It might turn out in their favor.
Second base
Rougned Odor: Would it be a surprise if Odor did everything asked of him in the off-season, goes to spring training and tears up the Cactus League, and in the process again raises the hopes that this is the year? Not at all.
Maybe the Rangers have already decided to cut the cord or put him in a platoon, but what they say about Odor and what they do with him aren’t a match and don’t lend to much credibility. There are options to replace him, yet the Rangers keep playing him.
Shortstop
Elvis Andrus: The veteran finds himself in the same boat as Odor, who has always had more upside than Andrus but has lacked the consistency. Andrus has been unable to replicate his eye-opening 2017 season, and injuries have hit him the past three seasons.
After he hobbled into the off-season over the weekend, he said he had discovered something at the plate that will help him next season. He is also motivated by those who are saying he’s too old. A motivated player is a good thing.
Third base
Isiah Kiner-Falefa: There is Gold Glove buzz surrounding Kiner-Falefa, and rightfully so. He leads AL third baseman in defensive runs saved and has made spectacular plays seemingly once or twice a series.
This might not be as set in stone as it appears. If Andrus isn’t healthy or the Rangers decide they would be better off without him, Kiner-Falefa would become the shortstop with a short-term fix at third until either Sherten Apostel or Josh Jung is ready.
Left field
Nick Solak: He has been the Rangers’ best rookie all season, and the Rangers believe his best position is left field even though he played second base throughout his rise through the minors.
He’s a more polished hitter now than Eli White and Scott Heineman, though both are better defenders. If Odor doesn’t return or doesn’t win a job in spring training, Solak would be the leading candidate at second. Anderson Tejeda could emerge there after more seasoning in the minors. Woodward said on Thursday that second base could be Tejeda’s best fit.
Center field
Leody Taveras: If Trevino is a slam dunk, Taveras is a take-off-from-the-free-throw-line dunk. Danny Santana won’t be ready to start the season, and he might be non-tendered and not even on the roster next spring.
Taveras has work to do at the plate, but the defense and base running are MLB-ready and the hitting doesn’t seem all that far off. He’s also not intimidated by being in the major leagues, and that’s big part of the battle for young players.
Right field
Joey Gallo: There was talk of the Rangers shopping Gallo ahead of the trade deadline, and then talk afterward of a contract extension. He wants to be with the Rangers beyond the two seasons of arbitration he has remaining.
The Rangers might be gun shy after he has taken a step back in some areas, albeit in a shortened season. He could also win a Gold Glove this year, and he has been better in some facets offensively. If the Rangers are going to stick with Odor through thick and thin, it seems they would do it with Gallo.
Designated hitter
Willie Calhoun: He has had one crazy season, from getting hit in the face with a fastball in spring training to a pair of leg issues once the season was restarted. He played some left field, but with as big as Globe Life Field is, the Rangers need someone who can cover more ground.
It will be a big season for Calhoun, who was very good in 2019 but has been not very good in 2020. Some of that might be due to his time down during the shutdown as his jaw healed and the on-and-off because of injuries this season. He needs to prove that he’s the 2019 hitter and not the 2020 version.
