Texas Rangers Not Surprised by Josh Jung

Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy wanted to see the franchise's top prospect with his own eyes this spring.

Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy admits all he had to go on when it came to third baseman Josh Jung was tape.

What he saw on tape, he liked. But as with the rest of the roster, Bochy reserved judgment on what Jung might give the club in 2023 until he saw him live and up close.

With a little more than a week before Opening Day, Bochy isn’t announcing starters, but it’s clear Jung start the season at third base. Bochy also believes Jung can handle a full season there.

“He’s not a surprise when you talk about guys that really grab your attention,” Bochy said. “Defensive, offensive, man it was impressive [Sunday against Seattle]. He shanked a ball foul down the right-field line, the next pitch is up and not many hitters can catch up with that pitch. He hit it out.”

In that game against the Mariners, Jung went 1-for-3 and that home run to left was his third of the spring.

On Monday against Cleveland, Jung had a three hits, including a pair of doubles. He is now hitting .342 (13-38) with three home runs and six RBI.

Jung’s injury history is well-chronicled. Major injuries stopped him in spring training in both 2021 and 2022, with the latter preventing him from challenging to be the Opening Day third baseman. He’s made staying healthy a priority.

But he’s also made improving his fielding a priority, too. He’s worked with both Corey Ragsdale and Tony Beasley on that all spring. Jung wants to make his fielding “boring,” meaning routine.

Bochy also sees the improvement there. It’s another reason why Bochy believes Jung is ready for a full season at the hot corner.

“More importantly it’s what he’s doing defensively,” Bochy said. “He had an error the other day and I think it was the first one he’s had all spring. But he’s done a good job on slow rollers. He’s done a really good job. A good bounce back from the car accident, too.”

Jung was involved in a minor car accident on his way to a spring game Saturday. He was not hurt, but he was scratched. He returned to the lineup Sunday.

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