Rangers at Mariners Pre-Game Notes: Young Players Testing Their Limits

The Texas Rangers look to avoid a sweep as they wrap up an unconventional four-game series in Seattle on Monday.

Happy Labor Day! The Texas Rangers look to avoid a sweep as they wrap up an unconventional four-game series in Seattle on Monday. 

Texas Rangers (13-26) @ Seattle Mariners (18-22)

Monday, September 6, 2020
3:10 p.m. CT
T-Mobile Park | Seattle, WA
Roof Closed

Probables
TEX: LHP Kolby Allard (0-4, 5.40 ERA)
vs
SEA: LHP Marco Gonzales (4-2, 3.09 ERA)

Broadcast

Texas Rangers
TV: FOX Sports Southwest
Radio: 105.3 The Fan, KFLC

Seattle Mariners
TV: Root Sports Northwest
Radio: 710

Texas Rangers Starting Lineup

1. CF Leody Taveras
2. 3B Isiah Kiner-Falefa
3. DH Shin-Soo Choo
4. 2B Nick Solak
5. RF Joey Gallo
6. C Jose Trevino
7. 1B Ronald Guzmán
8. SS Elvis Andrus
9. LF Scott Heineman

Seattle Mariners Starting Lineup

1. SS J.P. Crawford
2. 2B Dylan Moore
3. CF Kyle Lewis
4. 3B Kyle Seager
5. DH Ty France
6. 1B Evan White
7. RF Phillip Ervin
8. C Luis Torrens 
9. LF Dee Strange-Gordon

Injury Report

10-Day IL

• Joe Palumbo (ulcerative colitis flare-up): eligible August 14
• Willie Calhoun (strained left hamstring): eligible August 30
• Danny Santana (right elbow sprain): eligible September 6
• Rougned Odor (right eye infection): eligible September 7
• Joely Rodríguez (left hamstring strain): eligible September 16

45-Day IL

• Brock Burke (left shoulder surgery): eligible May 27
• Corey Kluber (torn right teres major muscle (shoulder)): eligible September 11
• José Leclerc (torn right teres major muscle (shoulder)): eligible September 13
• Edinson Vólquez (right oblique strain): eligible September 27

Young Players Testing Their Limits

During this time when the Rangers are letting their younger players get an extended look, there's a fine line between teaching and letting players figure things out for themselves. 

Infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa detailed how the younger players should be aggressive to push their limitations during this time, especially the ones who haven't played at the Double-A or Triple-A levels. On Monday, manager Chris Woodward detailed how they are trying to instruct the younger players with how to handle their aggression:

"It's tough, because you obviously want to test your ceiling. I totally believe in that. I don't like putting a ceiling on a player. I think that their mental capacity allows their ceiling to go higher. I've told a lot of our younger guys that. Your physical ability sets your ceiling according to the outside world, but your mental ability pushes that higher. I've talked to [Ronald] Guzmán a lot about that, (along with) Kiner and [Nick] Solak. All of those guys. It’s what you allow yourself to think about and be able to accomplish and what you believe. Kiner falls in the category of he believes he's gonna be a superstar, you know what I mean? There's a there's a roadmap to get there, but you can't go from one to ten. There has to be growth that gets you to level two, three, and four—whatever to get to that highest level that you can achieve. I don't want to put a ceiling on guys. I evaluate them and I say, ‘Okay, this is what I think this guy is going to be.’ But I love it when guys prove me wrong. That innate hunger and desire usually does prove people wrong. I’ve seen it throughout my entire career in coaching and playing. We want guys like that. That's who we're targeting in guys. The ones we have up here have that.”

Regarding Leody Taveras, I asked Chris Woodward what he's improved on the most since the start of Spring Training back in February:

“I saw a lot then, honestly. I think we were all kind of shocked when he came into camp. I got to see him in Dominican. I saw him last year and got to meet him and shake his hand. His hands are twice the size of mine. He's got giant mitts. Honestly, it’s just the poise that this kid carries himself with. Even off the field, you just talk to him. Like I said, he's very cerebral, very smart. He loves to talk about the game. But he obviously plays within an athleticism that's pretty elite. You see the speed. The things I saw last year—I told you guys from a swing standpoint, it looks a lot better now. I think that's the thing that's improved the most to me. He's always controlled the strike zone. But his bat to ball, there was a lot of weak contact out in front last year. I know that was the biggest flaw that he had. He was trying to keep that front side to stay in there as long as possible. He's really worked hard at that. I saw it in Dominican when I went out there, and then I saw it in Spring Training this year. I saw the drills that he was doing; that he was really trying to clean that up. With his path and his ability to hit square up a baseball is pretty elite. If he can get himself in a better position to do it more often, then you're starting to see the results. Like the homer yesterday, he's able to stay on breaking balls, he's got more adjustability. There's a lot of things that are positive with him. His mindset is exactly what we're looking for. He's hungry. He’s driven. He wants to learn. He wants to improve everyday. He's asking questions. He's doing all the above. And he's playing at a high level. I can't wait to see it more often. That's my test to him. You’ve got to do this every day. This can't stop for your entire career. You're going to be a great player if you do it.”

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