Rangers’ DeShields never doubted himself in rise to top of lineup

A year ago Wednesday, Delino DeShields went 0 for 3 with a walk and a strikeout as the starting left fielder and No. 3 hitter for Double A Corpus Christi in a one-run loss at San Antonio.

The O-fer dropped his average to .237, a point higher than it would be at season’s end and when the Houston Astros decided to leave him exposed to the Rule 5 draft.

Twelve months later, DeShields is the Texas Rangers’ most exciting player and the player who makes their offense go. It’s the most stunning development with the 2015 Rangers, who have again started to see the top of the lineup setting the table for the middle of the order.

Even DeShields, who some believed shouldn’t have made the Rangers’ Opening Day roster, can’t believe it.

“It’s crazy to see how everything worked out,” DeShields said. “I remember when Joey Gallo just got called up. We were talking, and we were like, ‘Dang, we were in Double A last year, and now we’re in the big leagues.’

“If you get an opportunity, you have to take advantage of it.”

DeShields was back atop the lineup Saturday for the 14th consecutive game, with second baseman Rougned Odor batting second for the eighth straight game. The Rangers were averaging 5.5 runs per game with DeShields and Odor batting 1-2 the first seven games of the second half.

DeShields got his chance in spring training as a Rule 5 pick who had to stay on the 25-man roster all season or be offered back to the Astros. He made the team and then started playing regularly in early May when Leonys Martin injured his left wrist.

The only thing that has slowed DeShields was a strained left hamstring that put him on the disabled list. Since returning, he was batting .300 (15 for 50) and is batting .296 (50 for 169) since May 8.

DeShields can reach base in a number of ways, including bunt hits (tied for the most in the American League with seven) and walks (27 in 227 plate appearances), helping fuel a .368 on-base percentage.

As the Rangers try to tighten up for the playoff run they believe they have in them, getting steady production from DeShields, who has relegated Martin to bench duty, and Odor is critical.

“When those two guys have gotten on in front of the heart of the lineup, we’re a much more dangerous offense,” manager Jeff Banister said. “When they don’t get on, you see where our offense is; it doesn’t sputter but we don’t score a lot.”

That production was missing at the beginning of the season with Martin and Elvis Andrus often occupying the first two spots.

The Rangers’ offense, though, has been more than a run better with DeShields in the lineup, and they are 24-8 when he scores a run.

That’s a shocker after he batted .236 in 2014 with Double A Corpus Christi, but he said his batting average didn’t tell the full story. He drew 61 walks, stole 54 bases, scored 75 runs and drove in 57.

“I feel a lot of people may have doubted me, which is fine. It kind of fuels my engine a little bit,” DeShields said. “To me, it was a very productive year. People talk about my average not being there, but average is only multi-hit games. I couldn’t pull off multi-hit games, but I always feel like I did my part to contribute.

“Every game I tried to touch home plate one time, whether I got a hit or not. One of the main things I want to do is stay within myself and not go outside of who I am as a baseball player. I don’t care about how many hits I get. If I drive in a run or score a run, I’m helping the team.”

Take the Rangers’ 10-8 win Wednesday at Colorado, a game they lose if DeShields isn’t on the field.

He had only one hit, a bunt single to start the game and jump-start the offense to its first double-digits run total in more than a month. He also scored three times, twice after the Rockies had closed a 5-1 deficit to 5-4 in the fourth inning.

DeShields had a career high four hits and was a homer shy of a cycle Tuesday.

Odor was big factor, too, finishing a double shy of the cycle Wednesday and scoring four runs. He entered Saturday batting .387 (12 for 31) since the All-Star break, with seven extra-base hits, and .360 (40 for 111) since he was recalled from Triple A Round Rock on June 15.

As the Rangers try to put together a run for the postseason, DeShields and Odor will need to continue to jump-start the offense.

“It’s the recipe for success for us,” Banister said.

This story was originally published July 25, 2015 at 8:11 PM with the headline "Rangers’ DeShields never doubted himself in rise to top of lineup."