Rangers Roster Projection: Six-Man Rotation?
The Texas Rangers are in Surprise for Spring Training, with pitchers and catchers getting in their first workouts on Wednesday. By Monday, there will be 70 players at the Rangers facility.
Then the race is on to finish the 26-man roster. There are plenty of storylines to consider, but by late March the Rangers will carry 26 players back to Arlington for Opening Day against Philadelphia.
With the Spring Training roster set, here is Inside the Rangers’ second roster projection of the offseason.
Starting Rotation (6): Jacob deGrom (RHP), Martín Pérez (LHP), Jon Gray (RHP), Nathan Eovaldi (RHP), Andrew Heaney (LHP), Jake Odorizzi (RHP)
In my first roster projection, I had the Rangers with a five-man rotation. The Rangers could decide to go with a six-man rotation if all six pitchers get to Opening Day healthy. The Rangers haven’t committed one way or another, but there are two good reasons to strongly consider a six-man rotation. First, it’s the near-$100 million committed to the six veteran starters. Second, all six are over 30 and five of them missed considerable time with injuries last season. Rangers general manager Chris Young knows that in some ways injuries are not controllable. But, I believe if all six can get to late March and healthy, the Rangers will give it a shot. That’s my gut talking right now and nothing the Rangers have said.
Bullpen (7): Brock Burke (LHP), Taylor Hearn (LHP), José Leclerc (RHP), Jonathan Hernández (RHP), Reyes Moronta (RHP), Joe Barlow (RHP), Glenn Otto (RHP)
So, if the Rangers have a six-man rotation, that means you will likely have seven in the bullpen. The changes here are Moronta for Brett Martin and Glenn Otto for John King. New managers like comfort food, and Moronta pitched for Bruce Bochy in San Francisco. As for Otto, the Rangers intend to treat both he and Dane Dunning as starters and pitch them that way this spring. But Otto seems like a better option as a multi-inning reliever from the right side. Hearn gives the Rangers that option from the left side. Burke is their best set-up man. Leclerc starts camp as the closer, with Barlow and Hernández in pursuit. If they don’t usurp him, they fall in as set-up men with closer experience. Two names to watch? Danny Duffy, a starter looking for a job after injuries derailed his 2022 season, and Ian Kennedy, a former Rangers closer returning as a non-roster invitee.
First Base (1): Nathaniel Lowe
Lowe’s spring training will be built around getting better defensively after becoming the Rangers’ first .300 hitter in a half-dozen seasons.
Second Base (1): Marcus Semien
Semien should be gearing everything he does in Surprise toward ensuring that he doesn’t have the same slow start as a year ago.
Shortstop (1): Corey Seager
Seager could hit .300 this year. He hasn’t done it since 2016. But the elimination of the shift may benefit him more than any player in baseball.
Third base (1): Josh Jung
It’s his job to lose. And the only way he loses it, realistically, is if he gets hurt.
Outfield (3): Bubba Thompson (left), Leody Taveras (center), Adolis García (right)
I haven’t changed my mind that Thompson is the best option in left field among the candidates that I outlined earlier this week. His glove, his base-stealing and his gap power could make him a leadoff hitter one day, though I don’t expect that to be in 2023. Taveras and García are the incumbent center and right fielder, respectively.
Catcher (2): Jonah Heim (starter), Mitch Garver
The Rangers won’t commit to keeping two or three catchers, and there’s flexibility for them to let all of this play out. I think the Rangers are committed to seeing if Garver can be the 1A to Heim’s No. 1. If he can, then he’ll dip in and out of catching and being the designated hitter. In my first projection, I had Garver as the full-time DH. This time around, I’m projecting just two catchers. But the Rangers will give Sam Huff a lot of playing time in Surprise.
Designated Hitter (1): Brad Miller
Miller was once a 30-home run hitter in Tampa Bay. Now the Rangers just want him to get his bat back on track. He’s a veteran on an expiring contract who won’t cost the Rangers much if a younger player proves more useful. Still, he could be one of those hitters that flips in and out of the DH spot. For now, I think his bat will bounce back enough to be projected here.
Utility (3): Josh Smith, Ezequiel Duran, Mark Mathias
I’m not convinced the Rangers have anyone on the roster that either has the talent to overtake these three or is close enough to earn a promotion from the minors. Dustin Harris is probably the closest. Smith can play infield or outfield, Duran is trying to get to a place where he can do both and Mathias can play just about anywhere. He might end up being the third catcher if Huff can’t make the roster.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard
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