Texas Rangers invite the club’s future leaders to set winning tone at development camp
Josh Jung couldn’t script a better scenario for his baseball future than what he has with the Texas Rangers.
The organization’s 2019 first-round pick out of Texas Tech will go to spring training — assuming baseball’s lockout ends — with the idea of competing for the third base job with 2020 Gold Glove winner Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
To his left will be shortstop Corey Seager, who joined the club on a 10-year, $325 million deal this offseason. And, on the other side of the infield at second base will be Marcus Semien, fresh off a 45-homer season that landed him a seven-year, $175 million deal from the Rangers.
“I’m going to have a Gold Glover [Kiner-Falefa] in front of me, I’m going to have a World Series MVP [Seager] to my left and I’m going to have a 45-homer guy [Semien] on the other side of the field,” Jung said. “You can’t get much better than that from just a baseball maturity perspective and an experience perspective. It’s super cool to have those guys around. They take the weight off your shoulders because they’re ‘the guys.’”
Well, the Rangers are banking on Jung and other highly touted minor leaguers to become “the guys” eventually too. The club had six minor leaguers, all of whom are not on the 40-man roster as those players aren’t communicating with the big-league team amid the lockout, attend what it called a “player development camp” on Monday at Globe Life Field.
Part of the idea, Rangers president of baseball operations Jon Daniels said, was so the prospects could become more familiar with the big-league facilities while also engaging in leadership seminars and providing team officials with feedback on their experience and any constructive criticism for the organization.
It proved to be a win-win for all involved.
“There were some good conversations from a leadership standpoint, preparation standpoint,” Daniels said. “But one of my favorite parts so far has been the ability to get some feedback from them and what their takeaways have been from their time in the system and things that we can better help them with. It’s a short period, but it’s been productive so far.”
Along with Jung, other players the Rangers drafted on hand included 2021 first-round pick Jack Leiter, 2018 first-round pick Cole Winn and 2018 second-round pick Owen White. Infielder Dustin Harris, acquired as part of the Mike Minor trade with the Athletics, and infielder Josh Smith, acquired as part of the Joey Gallo trade with the Yankees, rounded out the group of six prospects.
“Obviously they think we can comprehend and pass it along and spread the word to get the championship attitude in everybody,” White said.
Much of the talk throughout the day centered on baseball but there was off-field chatter too. Every prospect met with reporters afterward, talking about everything from the team’s offseason moves to their own offseasons.
White discussed proposing to his fiancee last month. Winn talked about getting a matching tattoo with his mother over the offseason. Jung has found a passion for cooking (ask him about his stuffed chicken recipe). And Smith talked about taking a much-needed two-week break once the offseason began.
Smith, of all the prospects in attendance, might’ve had the most interesting season. He started with the Yankees before being part of a midseason trade. Then, in the offseason, the Rangers signed Seager and Semien to long-term contracts at the same positions Smith projects to play.
“My immediate reaction was I probably should get an outfielder’s glove,” Smith said, laughing. “For the Rangers to get both of those guys is extremely big for this organization. Those are two of the better players in the major leagues, in my opinion, at premier positions. Hopefully one day I’ll have a chance to play with those guys, whether it’s backing them up or playing a different position. It doesn’t really matter.”
That’s the mindset of every minor leaguer, of course. Players want to be in the big leagues as soon as possible and the Rangers feel this group has a chance to arrive some day.
The players believe it’ll be sooner than later.
As Leiter said, “The confidence in any pitcher would say that I can face a big league lineup. Even the big leaguers won’t hit 1.000. So, I mean, I feel like I can.
“I know I can face big league hitters. It’s just about consistency and continuing to refine certain things, but it’s the same game. I feel like I would attack a lineup the same or similar way if it was a high school lineup or an SEC lineup or a big league lineup.”
This story was originally published January 11, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
