Forsythe earns ABs with veteran presence
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MILWAUKEE -- The Rangers want to get good looks at young players over the final two months of the season, but they are not ready to push aside utility infielder Logan Forsythe.
Forsythe started at third base on Friday night against Brewers left-hander Gio Gonzalez, even though the Rangers want to see if that is the best spot for Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the future.
Forsythe is a free agent after the season, but Texas still views him as valuable member of its team, and that could extend in to 2020. There is mutual interest on both sides in making that happen.
¡°Yes, it has crossed my mind,¡± Forsythe said. ¡°It¡¯s something even my wife and I have talked about as being a place to come back to. I¡¯ve enjoyed the season. I¡¯ve enjoyed the cultural shift in the clubhouse, winning baseball games and the mindset a lot of these young guys have adopted. They are trying to learn about all aspects of the game, and the more guys listen, learn and talk about the game, it¡¯s fun to be part of it.¡±
Forsythe continued his strong season by starting a Rangers comeback in the eighth inning of Friday night's 6-5 loss. Forsythe hit a two-run home run off Brewers reliever Jake Faria, his seventh of the season.
Forsythe was a late addition to the Rangers' Spring Training roster, made the team as a utility infielder and has stuck with the club all season. He plays all four infield positions, and his .763 OPS, entering Friday's game in Milwaukee, is 58 points above his career average. Forsythe's clubhouse leadership has been huge around Texas' younger players.
¡°He is one of our most prepared guys,¡± Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. ¡°He is probably our biggest influence on how to prepare for the younger guys. He deserves to play. He and Hunter [Pence] and [Shin-Soo] Choo are invaluable getting the younger guys to prepare, championship-quality prepare, not just prepare. It¡¯s invaluable for our team.
¡°I feel I owe it to him to play. I want to get him as many at-bats as I can. I know he¡¯s not going to play every day, but I want to get him in there as much as I can because of what he has done for our ballclub.¡±
The Rangers aren¡¯t ready to start putting together next year¡¯s team. But having a veteran utility player who knows how to handle the role appeal rather than forcing the role on a young player like Jurickson Profar, Drew Robinson or Hanser Alberto, as they have done in the past.
¡°Obviously, he is going to gain some interest from other teams,¡± Woodward said. ¡°It¡¯s just a matter of where he would fit on ours or if somebody else is going to give him the opportunity to play every day. I would love to have him. He¡¯s a championship piece.¡±
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Fan banned by Rangers
The Rangers have banned a fan from attending any more home games after an internal investigation found that he racially harassed a family last Saturday at Globe Life Park.
According to a statement from the club: ¡°The Texas Rangers are committed to providing a safe and welcoming fan experience for everyone who attends our home games. After reviewing information relating to the exchange that took place at last Saturday's game in which a family was subjected to offensive comments and a profane gesture made by a nearby guest, we are notifying the individual that he violated the club's fan code of conduct and is indefinitely prohibited from attending Rangers home games. We don't plan to comment further on the matter. Thank you.¡±
Ramon and Jessica Romero and their son, Nomar, have been offered tickets to another Rangers game in September. Jessica posted about the incident on Facebook and, according to the Star-Telegram, it had been shared 80,000 times and drew 6,000 comments and 140,000 responses.
Rangers beat
? The Rangers sent left-handed pitcher Miguel Del Pozo to the Angels for cash considerations. Del Pozo, who was in the Major League camp for Spring Training, was 2-3 with a 5.12 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 12.8 strikeouts per nine innings for Triple-A Nashville.
? Alex Burg, who is in his first season as coordinator of run production, turned 32 on Friday. Burg is in charge of putting together comprehensive advance scouting reports on upcoming opponents. Former big league catcher Brett Hayes does the same thing for the pitching staff.
? Rangers starter Kolby Allard took the mound on Friday against the Brewers at the age of 21 years and 361 days. He is the sixth youngest pitcher to start a game in MLB this season.