3 crucial questions for the Rangers ahead of Opening Day
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SURPRISE, Ariz. -- After two offseason spending sprees and with a farm system on the rise, the Rangers have spent this spring ironing out the finer details for the season ahead.
With a Hall of Fame manager in Bruce Bochy, an ace like Jacob deGrom and a middle-infield duo of Marcus Semien and Corey Seager, this has the potential to be the most interesting season that Texas has seen in years.
Here are three questions the club still has to answer in the 10 days left before Opening Day.
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How much will Jonah Heim and Mitch Garver split time behind the plate?
When the Rangers acquired Garver last Spring Training, there wasn¡¯t a doubt that their intention was for him to be the starting backstop. But then he was limited to just 54 games between catcher and designated hitter in 2022 due to a right forearm injury that ultimately required surgery.
In his absence, Heim stepped up by catching 111 games with a .262/.313/.467 slash line before the All-Star break before he struggled at the plate in the second half. With Garver coming off injury and Heim getting used to the rigors of catching a full season, it¡¯s hard to say how evenly the reps behind the dish will be split this season.
¡°I think it's fair to say Jonah will do a bit more catching, especially with where Mitch is at now,¡± Bochy said. ¡°Mitch is doing great. We certainly want to keep him healthy. I wouldn't put it 50/50, to be honest. It's going to be a little higher on Jonah, I think, to get the share of the catching time. With Mitch, I can't say how many games he¡¯ll be catching, but we'll see how he feels.¡±
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If Leody Taveras isn¡¯t ready for Opening Day, will Bubba Thompson start in center field?
Taveras was set to be the Opening Day center fielder for the first time in his short big league career, but he has been sidelined since March 6 with a ¡°low-grade oblique strain.¡± It seems as if Bochy is committed to keeping Adolis Garc¨ªa in right field for the time being, and Robbie Grossman will open the season as the everyday left fielder. That leaves a trio of contenders competing for a role.
Second-year outfielder Thompson is leading that pack with his elite speed and defense, but Bochy has continually mentioned the need for him to make more contact at the plate in order to get on base and be able to utilize his speed.
Josh H. Smith and non-roster invitee Travis Jankowski are the other two getting reps in center field, both in Cactus League play and on the back fields, but neither has put the ball in play much more than Thompson.
¡°We¡¯re throwing guys out there,¡± Bochy said. ¡°Track record means a lot, and it¡¯s also the defense we need out there. I think we have two good candidates [in Thompson and Jankowski]. But also Smith has played some center field. That¡¯s another option there to cover ourselves.¡±
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Will the starting pitching depth stay in the big leagues in long-relief roles or head to Triple-A Round Rock?
The trio of Dane Dunning, Glenn Otto and Cole Ragans was pushed down the depth chart after the free-agent signings of deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney. Texas has more than a few spots in the bullpen up for grabs, and those three guys are in the thick of things.
Left-hander Taylor Hearn is already expected to pitch in a multi-inning relief role, and with right-hander Jake Odorizzi still experiencing right arm fatigue, another similar role for a righty is also up for grabs. That would open up the opportunity for Dunning or Otto, but Ragans¡¯ uptick in velocity makes him a prime candidate out of the bullpen. The second-year lefty would also benefit from more Triple-A innings, but if he can help the team, Bochy wouldn¡¯t hesitate to keep him in the big leagues.
Otto spent time in Triple-A last season, but Dunning hasn¡¯t gone down since he was acquired by the Rangers in 2020. Neither has come out of the bullpen more than twice in their relatively short big league careers.
¡°We're here to win,¡± Bochy said. ¡°So we're going to break camp with the guys that fill our needs, and our needs are going to be some long guys.¡±