'Heim Time' Behind Plate For Rangers

Jonah Heim has been one of the Rangers' best hitters nearly two months into the season

Matthew Postins | May 23, 2022

Maybe all Jonah Heim needed was the opportunity to show the Texas Rangers what he could do at and behind the plate.

It’s something Heim has had little of during his Major League career, which started in 2020 with Oakland after a winding, seven-year journey through the minors that saw him traded from Baltimore to Tampa Bay to Oakland.

He wasn’t long for the Athletics either, as the A’s included him in the deal for Elvis Andrus later that offseason. The big piece for the Rangers in that deal was slugger Khris Davis, who ended up hitting .157 for the Rangers in 22 games in 2021. The pitcher included in that trade, Dane Acker, is down at Class A Down East.

Jonah Heim

Heim, meanwhile, is taking full advantage of his opportunity to be main starter at catcher.

Yes, Heim had a tepid series against Houston. He went 1-for-12 before an off-day on Sunday, where he pinch-hit late in the 5-2 loss. His averaged dropped from .300 to .268.

But, his .268 is more than 70 points better than last season when he shared time with Jose Trevino and hit .192 in 82 games.

Now, he’s among the leaders among catcher in home runs (tied for second with four) and RBI (fourth with 14).

In March, when the Rangers dealt infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa to the Minnesota Twins for catcher Mitch Garver, the idea was for the pair to split time. In fact, Garver started on Opening Day and became just the fourth Rangers catcher to hit a home run in the first game of the season.

But Garver got off to a slow start at the plate and then suffered a right forearm flexor muscle strain that put him on the injured list from May 9-18. Now, Garver isn’t able to play catcher yet and can only hit. He's hitting .207 this season, though he homered Sunday.

The Rangers called up their prized catching prospect Sam Huff. He’s hit well, and went 2-for-4 on Sunday. Huff is hitting .435, as the Rangers left Houston for the West Coast.

Mitch Garver

Mitch Garver

Sam Huff

Heim has caught 21 of the Rangers’ first 40 games. And since Garver went to the injured list on May 9, Heim has started 11 of the last 13 games, either at catcher or designated hitter.

Heim is showing he can produce at the plate with consistent playing time. Bounce back after a tough weekend in Houston will be key for the one of the Rangers’ best hitters the first two months.

You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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Published May 23, 2022

MATTHEW POSTINS

Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers the Texas Rangers for Fan Nation/SI and also writes about the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies. He also covers the Big 12 for HeartlandCollegeSports.com.