'I'm Just Trying To Better Myself': Hearn's Solid Start Paves First Step Into Rangers Rotation

Taylor Hearn's path back to rotation took a step forward on Tuesday night, along with an unorthodox mentality.

Chris Halicke | Aug 18, 2021

ARLINGTON, Texas — The 2021 season is an evaluation year for the Texas Rangers. With just a month and a half left, the Rangers are making opportunities available to those who have earned them, hoping to get some answers about who may be a part of the next team to compete for a championship in Arlington.

Taylor Hearn has been a starter for the majority of his professional career, but has pitched primarily out of the bullpen during his big league career. A injury from his first career start in 2019 was a big reason why, but after a solid second season in the bullpen, Hearn is now getting the opportunity to earn consideration for the future as a piece in the starting rotation.

Hearn made his fourth start of the season on Tuesday, but this was the first "real start", as manager Chris Woodward put it prior to the game. He wasn't acting as an opener or shackled by a three- or four-inning limit. He ended up taking the loss as the offense struggled in the 3-1 defeat against the Seattle Mariners, but Hearn pitched five solid innings — the most in his big league career — giving up just two runs on five hits with no walks and two strikeouts.

"It was good," Woodward said. "Honestly, he's been throwing really well for us. His command was decent. The velo was maybe a bit down today, but he was able to get through five innings, and honestly, probably should've only given up one run."

Both runs that Hearn allowed came on sacrifice flies, with the second coming after Nathaniel Lowe let a 89-MPH grounder go underneath his glove for a one-out double that put runners on second and third. Hearn limited the damage, which is a key attribute for a starting pitcher.

The drop in velocity may explain the lack of strikeouts, but it wasn't due to any injury or lingering issue. The 26-year-old southpaw has pitched in a variety of roles throughout the season, and is now being stretched out as a starter.

"He's been pitching a lot," Woodward explained. "It's kind of natural to have that happen. I don't think anything was bothering him. He said he felt fine."

"I didn't even know [my velocity dropped]," Hearn added. "I was just so focused on throwing. I kind of figured though. I got a little tired."

Tuesday night was a step in the right direction as Hearn makes any bids for the rotation in the short- and long-term future. As far as his goals for the team, you might be surprised to hear that Hearn doesn't set goals before the season anymore.

"To be honest, I'm not trying to prove anything," Hearn said. "I'm just trying to do the best I can. Honestly, I'm just trying to better myself. My mentality every year, no matter what role I'm in, I never want to prove [anything to] anybody. I just want to make sure — physically and mentally — that I'm a different guy than I was at the beginning of the year."

It's been a challenging year for Hearn. He's gone through multiple role changes and had to overcome a few rough outings. But he's added the sinker to his repertoire, which helps with his ability to pitch deeper into games. He's scrapped the windup and begun to pitch exclusively out of the stretch to help better control his mechanics. The strikeouts may have been down for Hearn on Tuesday, but no walks is a huge victory for Hearn. His largest weakness in the big leagues has been his command.

Hearn has also spent less time on social media and deleted the MLB app from his phone. He's not looking at his ERA, WHIP, walks, strikeouts — nothing. He's just focused on becoming a better pitcher.

"I used to have goals coming out of college and early in pro ball," Hearn said. "I tried it out in Double-A where I didn't set any goals. I was just going to go out and be the best pitcher I can be, and just make sure that I was a different guy than I was at the beginning of the year. And before I left to come to Texas, I was leading the Eastern League in strikeouts. It kind of just took care of itself."

Since his rough start against Oakland on June 22, Hearn has logged 29 2/3 innings over 12 appearances (three starts) with a 1.82 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP and 23 strikeouts. Whatever he's doing, it's working right now.

As far as his role going forward, like many things with the Rangers, it's still to be determined. But Tuesday night was definitely a step forward.

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Published Aug 18, 2021

CHRIS HALICKE