What to Know about the Texas Rangers with the start of spring training days away
Spring training in Surprise, Ariz., is around the corner for the Texas Rangers.
The Rangers finished last season with a record of 68-94, their sixth straight and placed fourth in the American League West. The Rangers responded to their sixth straight losing season by making significant changes.
The changes started when the Rangers fired Chris Woodward in midseason of his fourth seasons at the helm, Woodward had a record of 211-287. The Rangers then hired former San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy in October 2022 in October.
Bochy won three World Series championships with the San Francisco Giants.
Heading into the 2023 season the Rangers feel the pressure of multiple losing seasons in a row.
“I feel responsibility to our fans that we are committed to winning and that we are putting the best team on the field to win and compete for the playoffs,” Rangers general manager Chris Young said on Monday. “We’re tired of losing, everybody here is tired of losing.”
Here’s what to look for as the Rangers prepare for spring training as the Ranger try to achieve their first winning season since 2016:
Free agent acquisitions
The Rangers went big on pitching in the off-season signing Jacob deGrom, Andrew Heaney, Nathan Eovaldi and resigning Martín Pérez.
The marquee signing was deGrom, a four-time all-star, and two-time Cy Young Award winner, who will be the Rangers’ ace going into the next season. deGrom went 5-4 with a 3.08 ERA and lost in the MLB Wild Card Round last season with the New York Mets.
Andrew Heaney will be on his fourth team in the last three seasons. Heaney spent last season with Los Angeles Dodgers and went 4-4 with a 3.10 era.
Martin Perez was the Rangers ace last season, earning the Rangers Pitcher of the Year by the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Perez went 12-8 with a 2.89 ERA.
Nathan Eovaldi is one of the most underrated signings for the Rangers. The former Boston Red Sox pitcher placed fourth in the 2021 Cy Young award voting with a record of 6-3 with a 3.87 ERA.
Will the Rangers try a six-man rotation?
The Rangers brought in a bevy of veteran pitchers over the offseason, yet there is injury concern as several of their new players have had injury problems over the years. Eovaldi, deGrom and Heaney all missed time last season with injuries.
The Rangers will need these pitchers to make it through the season if they want to be playing playoff baseball. Some have suggested a six-man rotation as a way to spread out the workload further.
Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux wasn’t keen on resorting to a six-man rotation.
“I still like the five-man rotation and honor the off days,” Maddux said.
Maddux did say that special circumstances could allow for the occasional sixth man in the rotation but was adamant that those occasions would be rare. Maddux has had success without the six-man rotation and believes he can keep his pitchers healthy and effective throughout the season.
Young players to watch
The Rangers have one of the best farm systems in the MLB. ESPN ranked the Rangers as the eighth-best system in the league and with three prospects in the ESPN top 100.
Josh Jung was the No. 38 prospect according to ESPN. Jung was thought to be the everyday starter last season before a torn labrum in his shoulder sidelined him for several months. Jung returned to the majors in September batting .204/.235/.653 with 5 home runs and 14 RBI.
Coming into this season fully healthy could be key to Jung’s development according to Young.
“To go through an offseason where you’re actually training and not rehabbing is big,” Young said. “He’s [Josh Jung] had a great offseason he’s feeling great and we’re excited about him coming into camp.”
Owen White was the No. 87 prospect according to ESPN. White is the second highest-rated pitcher on the Rangers roster according to MLB.com and justified that ranking his last season. White went 3-0 with a 2.49 ERA in four starts for the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders
Pitching coach Mike Maddux is ready to see what White and other young pitchers can bring to the team.
“I wanna see what they got, I know what people have said about them, I’d like to meet them and see it live,” Maddux said. “See how you can help a guy accelerate his trek to the big leagues.”
The Rangers will play their first spring training game against the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium on Feb. 24 at 2:05 p.m.
This story was originally published February 6, 2023 at 4:06 PM.
