Six questions facing 2021 Texas Rangers, who don’t plan to be playoff contenders
Heading into a rebuilding season, it makes perfect sense that the Texas Rangers have more questions than answers.
They cleared up one Monday: How long will they stick with Rougned Odor? Not long at all, as he will be designated for assignment before Thursday’s season opener in Kansas City.
More moves like that could be pending, though the plan isn’t to rid the roster of every veteran player in the last year of his contract. There are candidates, like Khris Davis and Jordan Lyles, but they can also help the team’s development.
Davis can offer Joey Gallo some protection by hitting behind him in the order. Davis needs to be effective, which is a big question. He’s also injured, so it might take a while to figure that one out.
Lyles can give the Rangers innings, and manager Chris Woodward seems to think the right-hander will give lots of good innings. If so, that helps the Rangers more easily cap younger pitchers who are facing pitch counts this season and also could put the Rangers in winning situations young players can learn from.
While Lyles has made the team, the Rangers haven’t yet committed to Davis. He was trending the right way when he strained his left quad muscle last week.
So there’s the answer to one question: Will Lyles and Davis meet the same fate as Odor?
Here are six more questions about the 2021 Rangers.
What will make this season a success?
Wins and losses aren’t the end-all be-all to success this season, as Rangers brass has said. That’s good, otherwise everyone in the front office and on the coaching staff probably would get fired.
But the Rangers need to know how well-positioned they will be for victories in 2022.
So, the Rangers must see young players develop.
That doesn’t mean every rookie needs to hit .275 with 20 home runs or pitch to a 3.50 ERA. They need to adjust to being a major-leaguer and show signs that they will be quality players in future seasons.
Make the right decisions. Don’t be afraid. Believe in their process when things go bad.
Many of the players on the Opening Day roster have never played more than 140 games in a season. They’ve never played at most MLB ballparks or traveled from, say, Anaheim to Chicago overnight.
The season is a grind, and learning how to survive it is critical to every young player.
The Rangers’ future hangs on their development.
How many Rangers wins in 2021?
Las Vegas has established the over/under total at 66.5, which means they expect the Rangers to lose 96 games. That’s really hard to do.
Yet, the 2020 team that went 22-38 would have gone 59-103 had their .367 winning percentage played out over a full 162-game schedule.
Rangers players are adamant that they will beat the paltry Vegas win total. They know baseball a lot better than any sportswriter.
There are enough veterans and enough key players who can’t possibly be any worse than they were last season to offset some of the growing pains that will be absorbed this season.
Some, not all.
The Rangers are headed to their fifth straight season with a sub-.500 record.
Peediction: The Rangers will go 71-91.
Will Joey Gallo be better?
The 2019 All-Star hit 10 homers over 193 at-bats last season, when he batted .181 but won a Gold Glove in right field.
History shows he launches homers more frequently than one in every 19.3 at-bats, though not as frequently as one in every 6.5 at-bats as he did this spring. However, only two players in MLB history have a lower homer/at-bat ratio than Gallo’s 12.63.
Two guys named Mark McGwire (10.61) and Babe Ruth (11.76).
Injuries are always tricky, but Gallo has been mostly healthy as an MLB player. If he collects 500 at-bats, he could do some damage.
His spring training indicates that the swing adjustments his made could stick. He swatted six homers in 44 at-bats.
Gallo won’t hit 40 this season. He’s going to walk too much. He won’t hit .181, either
So what will he do? Let’s say Gallo swats 36 homers, bats .258 and has an .889 OPS.
Which rookie will make the biggest impact?
There will be no shortage of them to choose from, beginning on Opening Day and increasing in number throughout the season.
The 13-man pitching staff has been inundated with eight rookies. Dane Dunning is the most ballyhooed, but his workload will be limited as the Rangers play it safe in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery.
Kohei Arihara, a veteran from Japan, is technically a rookie.
The rookie with the toughest job is catcher Jonah Heim, who will be the backup to Jose Trevino. It’s difficult for rookies to develop while not playing every day, but the best place for Heim to develop right now is in the majors.
Eli White was a pleasant surprise this spring and has a chance to play multiple outfield spots while Willie Calhoun and Davis are recovering from injuries.
But one rookie position player on the Opening Day roster has a chance to be a star.
The answer is Leody Taveras, who will establish himself as an everyday player despite the emergence of White and the doubts raised early in camp about his approach.
When will Josh Jung make his MLB debut?
Jung, the Rangers’ top prospect, is currently recovering from surgery on his left foot that will keep him out until mid-May. That puts a dent in the prediction of many who believed Jung would be in the majors by July 1.
Before being sacked by a stress fracture, he was one of the best players in camp. He didn’t get the opportunity to showcase that in Cactus League games, but did so with his backfield work.
Jung takes the best batting practice on the team, and everything he does has purpose behind it. Once he catches back up to that form following the March 22 surgery, he will be ready.
The best guess is that Jung makes his MLB debut Aug. 1.
When will Rangers players be vaccinated?
This answer to this now appears to be sooner than later. In fact, some have already started the process.
With Texas opening COVID-19 vaccinations to all adults, Rangers players could start to get their initial doses this month and be fully loaded by the end of May.
And their reward might be ditching masks.
MLB said it will relax its health and safety protocols once a team is 85% vaccinated. They will be able to ditch the mask at the ballpark, to go out to eat, to bring family with them on the road and other freedoms.
So the sooner the better. Don’t be surprised if they hit 85% by June 1.
This story was originally published March 31, 2021 at 5:33 PM.
