Who are key players in 2021 for Texas Rangers? One isn’t even in the organization yet
No team goes through a season without needing more than the 26 players who fill its Opening Day roster.
Injuries happen, frequently. Players struggle, frequently. A chunk of consecutive messy games will require bullpen reinforcements, frequently.
That goes for teams that are in contention from Day 1 to teams that have already declared that they don’t expect to contend, as the Texas Rangers have done ahead of the 2021 season.
And as a rebuilding team, who knows how many players they will use over the course of their 162-game season.
They used 49 players in 2020 in a 60-game season. That tied for the most in the American League.
The guess here is they will exceed that number fairly easily in this season, which begins Thursday at Kansas City.
However, no matter how many they use, these five players — plus a sixth who almost certainly will not play this season — are critical to making the rebuild move forward.
Leody Taveras, CF
The one player who debuted in 2020 who has the best chance to make an immediate and lasting impact is Taveras, who overcame a slow start this spring in securing his roster spot.
No matter how impressive Eli White was in spring training, the Rangers see a higher ceiling for Taveras. That ceiling is an All-Star center fielder. The floor is still fairly high, as a solid everyday center fielder.
The bat is the primary concern. A switch-hitter, Taveras is better from the left side but showed better pop as a right-handed hitter in 2020. The Rangers tried to drive home the importance of making each at-bat count, and his failure to do that from the outset of camp cost him a chance to be the leadoff hitter.
He could regain that opportunity as the season grinds on, but he can’t start the season as he did the spring.
Josh Jung, 3B
A high-ranking club official didn’t object when asked if asked if Jung, the 2019 first-round pick (Texas Tech, eighth overall), is already one of the Rangers’ best five players.
“He might be,” the official said.
This was before Jung needed surgery for a stress fracture in his left foot, but he lived up to all expectations in his first big-league camp.
He plays third base, but is willing to play anywhere. His batting practice is a thing of beauty. He is hitting for more pull-side power, and already recognizes pitches at a high level and grinds out at-bats.
Once he’s healthy, likely no later than mid-May, and has some minor-league games under his belt, he will start gaining consideration for his MLB debut.
First-round pick
The Rangers own the second pick in the MLB draft in July, the most important draft in the Jon Daniels era, and the latest Baseball America mock draft has them selecting Vanderbilt right-hander Kumar Rocker.
Baseball America says the consensus top three is Jordan Lawlar, the Dallas Jesuit shortstop, Rocker and Rocker’s teammate Jack Leiter.
If Lawlar is worthy of the No. 1 overall pick, which is where this mock draft has him going, the Rangers shouldn’t be disappointed if he’s available at No. 2 and they take him.
They also shouldn’t be worried that they have a deep group of shortstops in the minors, led by Anderson Tejeda, Max Acosta, Luisangel Acuna and Chris Seise.
But this team has never had much luck in developing an ace starting pitcher. Rocker and Leiter could change that luck.
Whoever the choice is, he has to become a star.
Joey Gallo, RF
The Gold Glove right fielder would rank higher if his future with the club were clearer. As things stand now, he might be gone after next season if not sooner.
Gallo badly wants to stay, saying so yet again Monday, but he doesn’t want his willingness to stay to be used against him. He just wants a fair deal.
A productive season would help up his price and convince the Rangers that he is worthy of keeping around long-term.
Coming off a dismal 2020 season (.181 average), Gallo was proactive in making changes in his swing that should reduce his launch angle and help him drive more balls out of the ballpark.
He hit six home runs in spring training, but he wasn’t all or nothing. He’s always going to strike out a bunch, but he showed in 2019 that he can be among baseball’s most productive hitters.
If he does that again, and the Rangers surely hope he does, he becomes a player the Rangers won’t want to let walk away.
Dane Dunning, RHP
As the Rangers continued acquiring young talent during the offseason, their biggest pickup could be Dunning, who made his MLB debut last season with the Chicago White Sox before being sent south in the Lance Lynn trade.
Dunning might not have as high of a ceiling as other Rangers pitching prospects, like Cole Winn and Hans Crouse, but he comes with much less risk.
Dunning throws five pitches, though his two best are sinker and a slider. He throws strikes, something the Rangers didn’t do enough of last season, and he had his first full offseason since Tommy John surgery in 2019.
While he feels as if he could manage a normal workload, the Rangers will monitor his pitch counts in order to protect him in future seasons. But he’s starting 2021 in the rotation, and could develop into a reliable starter for years to come.
Nate Lowe, 1B
The Rangers have been searching for a consistently productive first baseman for more than a decade. Mitch Moreland was the closest they have had since the Mark Teixeira trade in 2007.
Teixeira was great, and it’s unfair to place those expectations on any player. But the Rangers traded for Nate Lowe for him to be their first baseman and to finally stabilize first base.
Lowe’s spring numbers were not as good as Ronald Guzman’s, and Guzman is also on the Opening Day roster. But the Rangers believe that Lowe’s approach will lead to fewer swoons and more offense.
He showed well defensively in spring training, though he still isn’t as good as Guzman. But beyond Lowe and Guzman, there isn’t much depth in the farm system at first base.
