Delino DeShields holds no grudge as Rangers outlast Astros

Not much was ever said, at least not on the record, by Houston Astros officials as to their reasoning for not protecting Delino DeShields from the Rule 5 draft in 2014.

The Astros protected another outfielder, feeling Ronald Torreyes was closer to contributing in the majors in 2015. DeShields was coming off a poor season at Double A, there was some question about his work ethic, and the Astros were well-stocked in the outfield.

If he were selected, the team that took him would have to keep a player who had never been above Double A on its 25-man roster all season or offer him back if he didn’t make the club. The Astros took a risk, but it was a calculated risk.

So DeShields didn’t get a spot on the 40-man roster, he was exposed to the Rule 5 draft, and the Texas Rangers swooped him up with the third pick and found a spot for him on their Opening Day roster.

The center fielder eventually became their leadoff hitter, the offense’s spark plug, and helped the Rangers win 13 of the 19 games last season against his former organization en route to rallying toward the American League West title.

But all along, and as the Silver Boot Series resumed Tuesday for the first of 19 games this season, DeShields has never felt animosity toward the Astros. He wants to beat them the same as any other team, and the more he’s on base, the better chance the Rangers have.

“At the end of the day it’s still another team that I’m trying to play my best baseball against,” DeShields said. “I don’t have anything against the Astros for letting me go. The rivalry is there for the team. I think that’s the only emotion I have. Nothing personal.”

DeShields was a bit player in the Rangers’ 7-5 victory to open the three-game series, collecting a bunt single in the sixth only to get picked off moments later, but he had a busy night in center field with six putouts and another ball off his glove for a double.

Prince Fielder did the heavy lifting early with a two-run homer in the first inning, and Rougned Odor collected RBIs in the third and sixth. Ian Desmond and Elvis Andrus also drove in runs behind Derek Holland, who struggled with his command but limited the Astros to two runs in five innings.

Despite the Rangers’ success against the Astros last season, DeShields didn’t light up his old team. He batted only .209 with a .293 on-base percentage, but he scored 11 runs in 16 games.

Runs scored has always been DeShields’ go-to statistic, dating to his seasons in the minor leagues. He can take a walk, reach on an error or reach on a fielder’s choice and use his double-plus speed to get himself into scoring position.

Entering Tuesday, DeShields was tied for fourth in the league with 11 runs.

“I’m just doing what I feel like I should be doing as far as getting on base and scoring runs,” he said. “I don’t really care about average and all that stuff. I just want to touch home plate and get on base.”

Maybe he doesn’t care about average, but DeShields was batting .326 through his first 12 games. The on-base percentage he covets sat at .420, thanks in part to six walks. He was even showing a little pop with a .465 slugging percentage.

The at-bats had been mostly patient, maybe too patient. DeShields had struck out 16 times in 42 at-bats, something he wanted to reduce, but he had taken multiple called third strikes as he was too stubborn when down in the count.

Only in his second year, DeShields will learn how to keep at-bats alive.

“That’s controlling the strike zone, too,” manager Jeff Banister said. “There comes a time you’ve got to fight some of those pitches off, and that’s a skill in itself. You see some of those guys that have the ability to spoil some of those pitches.”

DeShields is going to get better with the Rangers, but there’s no hate for the Astros. If anything, they did him a favor.

“Everybody’s path is different,” DeShields said. “Who knows what would have happened if they had protected me? Them letting me go gave me an opportunity to play in the big leagues, and it worked out to the point where I’m in the same division as them and we get to play them all the time and I still get to see my boys that I came in with in that system.”

How the Rangers fared

Hitting: Continuing their knack for the big innings, the Rangers scored three times in the first against Scott Feldman. Prince Fielder had a two-run homer, and Ian Desmond had an RBI single. The struggling Desmond collected a double in his second at-bat. Rougned Odor drove in two runs, Elvis Andrus one, and Mitch Moreland had a solo homer in the seventh.　

Pitching: Derek Holland’s numbers look decent enough — two runs on five hits in five innings — but he needed 105 pitches to get 15 outs. He lacked command until the fifth, his only 1-2-3 inning. ... The Astros got two in the seventh on back-to-back homers off Keone Kela, and scored a ninth-inning run off Shawn Tolleson. Tony Barnette and Sam Dyson worked a scoreless inning apiece.

This story was originally published April 19, 2016 at 11:15 PM with the headline "Delino DeShields holds no grudge as Rangers outlast Astros."