It’s go time for these Texas Rangers who really need to get rolling now
The first full-squad workout of Texas Rangers spring training was more than two weeks ago, and nine days have passed since their first Cactus League game.
Opening Day is just over three weeks away.
In other words, it’s go time.
The players should know that the grace period of the initial few games is over. Yeah, it’s spring training, but this spring is essentially an open competition at almost every position.
Only seven of the 74 players who came to Arizona were assured of regular big-league at-bats or innings. Some players were really good bets for meaningful roles. Some were penciled in for the minor leagues.
But all need to be at full speed now. Timing at the plate needs to be there. The feel for pitches and the strike zone needs to be dialed in.
Anyone who isn’t there has put his role with the 2021 Rangers and possibly his spot on the Opening Day roster in peril.
“There’s no more grace period, not there ever really was,” manager Chris Woodward said. “Early in camp, I get it, there’s some timing issues and some physical issues to get these guys ready to play. If you’re coming into camp competing for a spot, you better be ready Day 1. That’s the way it’s always been. You’ve got to come in and make an impression from Day 1.”
Terrific numbers aren’t necessarily what Rangers coaches and officials are hoping to see. It’s about doing the right things that will lead to positive outcomes, which might be hitting line drives but still making outs.
There are those who are still searching, though, and they need to make a discovery quickly.
Nate Lowe, 1B
The offseason acquisition doubled in his first at-bat of the spring but has struggled since, going 0-for-11 with seven strikeouts. Some of those Ks have been looking.
Contrast that with Ronald Guzman, the other main competitor at first base. Guzman opened spring with a five-game hitting streak and was batting .555 with two homers entering his sixth game Tuesday.
He’s also playing left field and right field, showing that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make the Opening Day roster.
Guzman, who appeared to be out of luck in December when Lowe was acquired, is the early leader to be the first baseman.
Lowe needs to pick it up.
“Everybody’s had enough at-bats now to have their feet under them,” Woodward said. “In Nate’s case, I like what I’m seeing but I’d like to see a little more aggressiveness, especially with two strikes. Those are things we can address.”
Leody Taveras, CF
The Rangers want Taveras, who maintained his rookie status despite debuting last season, to be the center fielder and leadoff hitter. So far, though, he hasn’t had the kind of at-bats that he needs to have atop the lineup.
Woodward wasn’t remotely happy with the offense Monday, a 9-0 shutout to the Chicago Cubs. Taveras batted first and failed to set the right tone for the rest of the lineup.
On Tuesday, he batted ninth.
“When you set the tone in a bad way ... I just won’t put him in the leadoff spot if he continues to bat like that,” Woodward said.
Taveras is a terrific defensive player and base runner. He’s still only 22 and jumped to the majors in 2020 after a lukewarm season at Double A Frisco.
The Rangers evaluate his ceiling as an All-Star-caliber center fielder. He still has a lot to learn, and so one should expect growing pains this season.
“We’re going to continue to evaluate the progress he makes this spring,” general manager Chris Young said. “Over the course of a season these things start to play out. It’s going to take a little more time to fully evaluate.”
Willie Calhoun, LF
The bad news for Calhoun is that he’s going to be held out a few days because he has tightness in his groin and will have fewer opportunities to get on track.
He has only one spring hit in 11 at-bats, though there haven’t been any complaints about how he’s going about things. But he is in a logjam in left field and at designated hitter, and he has to win playing time.
David Dahl and Khris Davis aren’t exactly tearing things up, but they have more track record. If Guzman and Lowe are both hitting when April 1 comes around, Guzman could take at-bats from Calhoun at DH.
It feels like Calhoun will be on the Opening Day roster, if for no other reason than he’s been around so long now, but it’s no longer the given it once seemed to be. He could help his cause by getting going quickly upon his return.
Jordan Lyles, RHP
Lyles has pitched one inning this spring, and breezed through it. The reports on him this spring have been nothing but positive.
But the right-hander still needs to overcome his miserable 2020 season and needs to erase all the doubt it created. The Rangers might have made a decision on him already.
They haven’t committed to Lyles as a starting pitcher the way they have Kyle Gibson, Mike Foltynewicz and Kohei Arihara. Lyles might end up pitching a lot of innings each time out, but it might not be at the start of the game.
If he does start, he might not get the chance to work more than two times through a lineup. In order for that potential line of thinking to change, he needs to dazzle this spring.
Hyeon-Jong Yang, LHP
The left-hander has made only one appearance and isn’t scheduled to go again until this weekend. Woodward said the Rangers are hoping to continue to build him up for the season so that he can potentially start.
It’s entirely possible that Yang, pitching on a minor-league deal, could open the season at the alternate camp. He was about a week late to Arizona after traveling from Korea and going through the mandatory in-take process.
With three weeks to go, it seems like it would be difficult to get Yang stretched out far enough to be part of the rotation or a piggyback system.
But the Rangers could use the innings, and Yang might be as capable at providing innings this year than any Rangers pitcher after the shortened 2020 MLB campaign.
