Texas Rangers’ minor leaguers, with one exception, get their spring training underway
Texas Rangers minor-league camp started Saturday at the Surprise Recreation Campus, where nearly 140 players have gathered to prepare for their first full season of baseball since 2019.
Some of the Rangers’ advanced prospects are already playing games.
Camp games don’t begin April 12, but the prospects who were in major-league camp started playing Wednesday in a co-op league with six other organizations who have facilities in Arizona.
The Rangers and Kansas City Royals have partnered to form one of the teams. So, 2020 first-round pick Justin Foscue, 2019 supplemental pick Davis Wendzel and 2018 first-rounder Cole Winn are playing with former Colleyville Heritage star Bobby Witt Jr., the Royals’ top prospect.
The Rangers picked Arizona for those prospects because they could continue their development sooner than at the alternate site, which opened Sunday at Round Rock, and make an easier transition when the minor-league seasons begin next month.
“They probably weren’t looking at being in Triple A to start,” assistant GM Mike Daly said. “From where they’re at, at a development standpoint, they’re going to start and at a lower level and there’s a clear opportunity for them to develop here. They’ve played more games in Arizona than have been played so far at the alternate site.”
The players in the co-op league, which runs through Saturday, have been separated from the others but they will join them next week. The co-op games are structured like B games and have lasted anywhere from seven innings to 11 innings depending on how much pitching is available each day.
MLB safety protocols capped the number of players and staff who can be at a minor-league camp at 215. Daly said the Rangers’ roster has 140 players, while the big-league roster had a cap of 75.
One notable prospect who is not in camp is outfielder Bayron Lora, who was involved in a fatal car accident last month in the Dominican Republic.
Lora, 18, walked away from the accident and is continuing baseball activities in the D.R. while local police determines if he should face charges as the driver in the single-car wreck that killed his passenger.
The Rangers signed Lora to a $3.8 million signing bonus in 2019, and he has yet to make his professional debut.
This story was originally published April 5, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
