Heim honing this part of his game heading into 2025

This story was excerpted from Kennedi Landry’s Rangers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ARLINGTON -- If you ask Jonah Heim, a lot of his downfalls during the 2024 season were mental.

His body felt great, he said, despite playing 131 games the previous regular season and all 17 postseason contests en route to a World Series win. His offseason was much of the same, and his routine throughout the spring and into the 2024 season was status quo. But things never clicked.

“Obviously, this year wasn't ideal in any sense of any numbers,” he said at the end of the season.

The Rangers’ backstop was an All-Star starter and an AL Gold Glover in 2023, but he recorded a 70 wRC+ in 131 games in '24. Heim was not a qualified hitter, but if he was, that would rank in the bottom five in the Majors.

Additionally, he slashed .220/.267/.336 with a 72 OPS+, all below average numbers for a guy who did as much to lengthen the Rangers’ lineup as anybody in 2023. Texas' coaching staff repeatedly praised his handling of the pitching staff despite a dip in defensive metrics as well.

“There was a lot mentally going on for me this year,” Heim said. “Probably, honestly, all the accolades from last year, you try to live up to that. When you get off to the slow start like I did, it all kind of builds up on you and gets in your own head. It just kind of spirals from there. Over the last couple of months, I've learned that no matter what, I'm still that player I've proven that I am. I just got to go out and play my game.”

Despite what the metrics say, Heim’s defense won’t be the focus of his offseason. Instead, he’ll spend much of the winter getting his swing back to a place where he is comfortable and confident every time he steps into the box. He wants to find a swing that is going to work each and every day, without fail.

“I feel like constant tinkering and adjustments have gotten me to a point where I feel like I can step in the box and kind of just compete right now,” Heim said. “Obviously, I want to be able to step in the box and feel confident that I think that I'm better than the pitcher and that I'm going to do some damage, but that all comes with work, and that's what I'm going to try to do this offseason.”

That being said, the Rangers’ catching depth behind Heim will also need to be addressed this winter.

The Rangers entered 2024 with offseason acquisition Andrew Knizner backing up Heim, but Knizner hit just .167 in Texas, leading to Heim shouldering most of the workload.

The weight on Heim’s shoulders eased off after the Trade Deadline, when the club acquired Carson Kelly and it became more of a 50/50 split behind the plate. But Heim also emphasized that he doesn’t think the workload is what led to his struggles.

“My body feels better now than it did last year,” Heim said after playing the same number of regular-season games in 2024. “So like I said, I think most of my downfall is all mental. I feel like you hear all the time that this game is strictly mental. That's a very true statement. Once I can get over that hurdle, and -- I don’t know -- almost try to trick yourself into some confidence. I think the biggest thing is that if you can show up each and every day confident in the player that you are, you are going to be in a good spot.”

Kelly is a free agent this winter and former Top 100 prospect Sam Huff slashed just .246/.310/.416 with Triple-A Round Rock in 2024 and hasn’t gotten much of a leash at the big league level over the past few years anyway.

While Texas needs Heim to be better on both sides of the plate, he is not the biggest issue for the club at the moment, with the need for both a backup and a number of roles on the pitching staff.

More than anything, the Rangers appear confident in his ability to bounce back. Heim feels the same about himself.

“I think Jonah in particular, because he had such a heavy workload, it's all about making adjustments,” said manager Bruce Bochy at the end of the season. “What I liked about what he did at the end [is] he did make some adjustments with the swing. He is a guy we have to take care of. He does a great job with the pitching staff. I really, really look forward to watching him next year.”