Rangers Spring Training Storylines

Left field, designated hitter and the closer role are just a few of the things the Rangers are trying to figure out in Surprise.

The Texas Rangers are headed to Surprise, Ariz., for Spring Training. Here are four storylines to watch as the Rangers prepare for the 2023 season.

Left Field

Left field promises to be one of the most interesting competitions in Spring Training. The Rangers have three young candidates to look at. Bubba Thompson is the incumbent and in two months last season he hit well, showed flashes of the speed that made him a hot minor-league prospect with a quality glove.

Josh Smith played a smattering of games at left field last year, while Ezequiel Duran played outfield in the minor leagues and the winter Dominican League.

The Rangers could also turn to Brad Miller here in spot duty, while top 10 prospect Dustin Harris will probably get some turns there in Surprise. The Rangers say they're keeping an open mind about potential trade options, and some fans would love to see them spend some of their minor-league prospects on a player like Pittsburgh's Brian Reynolds.

The Rangers seem committed to seeing what they can find internally first. Expect a lot of at-bats and consistent opportunities for all of those players. The competition is most important to Smith and Duran, both of which are converted middle infielders vying for what appears to be the only up-for-grabs everyday spot in the field.

Designated Hitter

The Rangers haven't committed to one player at DH. Both manager Bruce Bochy and general manager Chris Young say they like having flexibility at that spot. Still, there are players that could be good fits there.

The Rangers tried to allow Mitch Garver to grind through being an everyday DH after his flexor tendon injury last season, but he couldn’t do it. He’s healthy and the Rangers want him to compete at catcher, where Jonah Heim is considered the front-line option.

Miller is another option, but he didn't have a good year at the plate in 2022. Young catching prospect Sam Huff is in that same competition with Garver, but he has yet to grow into a consistent everyday hitter.

The Rangers could also use DH as a chance to give a day of rest to players like Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Adolis García.

The catcher competition seems like an ancillary part of this storyline. It’s Heim’s job to lose, but the Rangers expect Garver to be a factor. In December, Bochy said he had no issues carrying a third catcher. That would require Huff to have a solid spring. If all three hit well and are healthy, the Rangers have an interesting problem — but also an elegant solution with the DH slot open.

Closer

The Rangers have three candidates, but the inside track belongs to José Leclerc, who will spend part of his spring pitching for the Dominican Republic at the World Baseball Classic. He ended last season as the closer after returning from Tommy John surgery and rehab in June. His back half of the season was one of the better stretches of his career.

Leclerc’s fastball and "slambio" make him a prime candidate to be the closer. His problem has always been consistent, and his absence at camp allows the Rangers more time to look at Joe Barlow and Jonathan Hernández in the spot. The ideal scenario would be for one of them to win the job outright instead of resorting to a closer-by-committee approach.

Keeping the Starters Healthy

The Rangers have nearly $100 million in 2023 salary paid out to the six veteran starters on the roster. The club wants to get all six to Opening Day healthy. Both Bochy and Young know it’s the cornerstone to getting this team in contention now, but there are also uncontrollable factors. The fact is five of these pitchers missed at least a month due to injury in 2022. Both trust that pitching coach Mike Maddux can put together a plan to make sure each get their work and doesn’t get overworked.

The opportunity also exists for a six-man rotation once the regular-season begins. The Rangers haven’t made it a priority, but by finding a way to keep Jacob deGrom, Jon Gray, Martín Pérez, Andrew Heaney, Jake Odorizzi and Nathan Eovaldi healthy this spring, they give the team options it didn’t have last year.

If the Rangers can get all six to the finish line in Surprise and healthy, I have a hard time seeing how the Rangers justify pitching just five of them. It would be a good problem to have.

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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