Josh Smith Busy in Rangers Spring Training
Want to know where Josh Smith is going to play for the Texas Rangers this season?
Well, that’s quite the question. One reporter posed it to Rangers manager Bruce Bochy on Wednesday and, well, there’s a list.
“Geez, I don’t know,” Bochy said. “I think we’ll look at him everywhere in the infield, left field too.”
Bochy said that he and his coaching staff started going over where they want to see players on the field on Wednesday, in anticipation of the first Spring Training game against Kansas City on Friday.
Smith is one of the more intriguing players in camp. Smith made his Major-League debut last May and playing in 73 games. He started at third base, but after an injury and short rehab assignment, he returned and played left field for a while.
The Rangers later sent him back down to the minors and when he returned for the season’s final month, Smith played, well, wherever he was needed.
Smith played four different positions last season for Texas — two games at second base, 36 games at third base, six games and shortstop and 24 games in left field. He gave the Rangers quality defense no matter where he played, as he was charged with just one error in 152 total chances.
His bat wasn’t quite there, though. He hit .197/.307/.249/.556 with 23 runs, five doubles, two home runs (one was inside-the-park) and 16 RBI. He also drew 28 walks and struck out 50 times.
While Smith could carve out a role with the Rangers as a super-utility player, he is also considered a candidate in left field, the one position that is certainly wide open in camp.
Fellow rookie Bubba Thompson is the incumbent, based on last season. But the pair have plenty of company, including Ezequiel Duran, Brad Miller, Robbie Grossman and Mark Mathias.
Mathias and Duran are also candidates for that super-utility role.
Defense may play a role in which three or four backup players the Rangers keep when they break camp. And it may not just be skill either. It could be due to the rules changes for 2023. Most notably, the elimination of the defensive shift.
Smith’s speed and range in the infield and in left field could give him a nudge above the other competitors at the position. To know that, Bochy and his staff will need to see him in action.
But he’s cognizant of how that rule could influence whether Smith gets a roster spot or not.
“They want to see the athleticism from these infielders,” Bochy said. “It’s a different game now that you can’t have the shift. It’s going to be important for these guys to have some range to cover areas they didn’t have to before.”
Especially players like Smith who could end up being role players.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard
Catch up with Inside the Rangers on Facebook and Twitter.
Need to catch up on the Rangers? Check out our Texas Rangers Offseason Central Page!
Need to get ready for Spring Training? Check out our Rangers Spring Training Tracker
