Rangers Mailbag: Early Pitching Struggles and Marcus Semien's Slow Start

Early struggles by the Texas Rangers have raised questions about the pitching staff, Marcus Semien and when Jack Leiter might get his big-league call up.

A 2-7 start is never ideal for any team, regardless of whether they are a World Series contender or in full rebuild mode. The Texas Rangers are pivoting away from the latter in order to take their first step toward the former, but it will take more than one year of growth and additions to accomplish that goal.

With this rough start, there are some fans that are concerned whether the team is significantly better than its 2021 counterpart. I'm addressing some of your concerns in the latest mailbag here on InsideTheRangers.com.

Not the start we wanted with the pitching struggles. Does it look like there will be a lot of roster movement at that position throughout the year?
-Daniel Faulkner (@thelastfaulkner)

The natural course of a baseball season will always provide plenty of movement at the pitching position. Injuries happen. It's inevitable. In fact, three pitchers have already had to go on the Injured List with blister issues. A.J. Alexy and Glenn Otto will get their shot this year, whether that's due to performance or need at the big league level.

As far as movement among pitchers already in the big leagues, the rotation will likely stay intact, at least for the first half of the season. The Rangers really need to see if guys like Spencer Howard, Taylor Hearn and Dane Dunning are legitimate rotation options for the future. They need an extended look there.

Once Jonathan Hernández and José Leclerc come back in June, that will affect the bullpen. If Brock Burke is still impressing everybody and—as manager Chris Woodward puts it—"blowing the doors off" hitters, maybe he gets a look as a starter. However, I would not count on that. Burke is finally healthy after not pitching in the big leagues since 2019. I don't see the club forcing anything with him.

This might be a little bit of an overreaction, considering we are only nine games into the season, but is it starting to look like things are only going to get worse before they get better for the Rangers? At least on the pitching side of things.
-Chase Gilmer (@datboiquadzilla)

The pitching staff won't be this bad all season. It's important to remember that counting back from the start of spring training, pitchers would just now be getting ready to start the season. That's what pitchers are used to, and no amount of solo workouts during the lockout could replicate the work needed to make up for a shortened spring training.

This isn't an excuse, it's just a reality. The Rangers are not the only ones dealing with this issue. It just so happens their performance is at the very bottom of the league. But, it's only nine games. To put that in perspective, that's not even the equivalent of the entire first game of the NFL schedule.

Let's see where we are by mid-May before we raise serious concerns about the pitching staff.

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Taylor Hearn

Ben Ludeman / Courtesy of the Texas Rangers

Spencer Howard

Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Dane Dunning

I know it’s early… but how concerned should we be about Marcus Semien’s bat?
-Jordan (@Jordan_Harmond)

Zero concern. Forget about the fact that he was sick in the opening series in Toronto. Semien has finished in the top three of the American League's Most Valuable Player voting in each of the two previous full seasons. Semien is coming off a year where he set the record for the most home runs by a second baseman in a single season. He didn't forget how to hit.

If it's any consolation, Semien slashed .211/.290/.368/.658 in April last season. A few big games in the final 12 of this month can get him to a similar slash line. And overall, there is still 153 games left to play. Anyone concerned about him being a "bust" (I know you're not, but I've seen that word thrown around social media already) needs to take a good ol' fashioned chill pill.

If he keeps having great outings and the Rangers can’t find pitching help, do you think there’s any chance we see Jack Leiter in The Show this year?
-Scotty (@MrDavisPlease)

My initial reaction: No. 

I mean, never say never. The philosophy in the organization is to never put a ceiling on a player. If somebody like Jack Leiter clearly isn't being challenged at Double A, he'll get moved up a level. If the same thing happens in Triple A, then the Rangers might call him up to Arlington.

However, even in Leiter's first two starts, there was still room for growth. He's been blowing guys away, but also walking too many hitters and not being very efficient with his pitches. He can get away with that in Frisco. He won't in Round Rock or the big leagues.

Listen, there is every reason in the book to be excited for Leiter. He's showing plenty of reasons why, even in two starts. But let's slow things down a bit. Let's see how he handles Double-A hitters for a few months. The Rangers aren't making a World Series push this year. There is no need to rush him.

Assuming Adolis García doesn't fall of track, what might he bring in in a trade? Would this trade make a lot of sense for the Rangers? Thx!
-Sean Daniel (@LuckyGuy2017)

I don't believe trading Adolis García makes much sense. If the García performs well enough to yield phone calls from contending teams, then he's probably good enough to be on this team when it's ready for a postseason push. Remember, García is under club control through 2026 and isn't eligible for arbitration until after 2023 at the earliest. 

If he proves that 2021 was not a fluke, that's a very good player at an inexpensive cost. Why move on from that?

Now, if he struggles and is labeled a "one-year wonder," then he won't field much in a trade. Some depth in the minor leagues is probably the maximum you're looking at if this is the case, unless he is paired with more valuable assets. 

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Marcus Semien

Ben Ludeman / Courtesy of the Texas Rangers

Jack Leiter

Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Adolis García

The Giants just made history with a woman as an on-field coach. Do we have any women coaching anywhere in the organization?

-Joe Siegler (@JoeSiegler)

In fact, yes! The Rangers hired Kayla Baptista earlier this year as an on-field player development coach. 

After being a four-year starter as a softball player at La Salle Academy and making her way to the University of North Carolina, Baptista became the first on-field coaching intern in the history of the Cape Cod League. That opened the door to an opportunity with the Rangers.

After she spent a week in Arizona during instructs, the Rangers offered here a job and she later accepted it.

Also, the Rangers hired Hannah Huesman as a mental performance coordinator in the offseason as well. Huesman spent the previous four seasons in a similar role with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Now that we’ve heard everyone’s walk up/warm up song: which one is the best???
-Robyn Hearn (@RobynHearnTV)

There are some really good ones this year. Nathaniel Lowe using "HYFR" by Drake, but specifically the line "all my exes live in Texas like I'm George Strait" is a genius move.

However, my age is showing when I say the best is Kole Calhoun using "The Next Episode" by Dr. Dre, featuring Snoop Dogg, Kurupt and Nate Dogg. It's just so good, and it never ages. I mean, look at the overall reception of the Super Bowl halftime show. 

It's hard for this millennial not to go with the D-R-E.