Rangers Announce Spring Training Roster
stadiumreport.bbn February 22nd, 2020
There is some excitement around camp this year again as the
Rangers look to play more like they did last August, and hope that their offseason turned out to be a productive one. According to MLB America, they lost 3.2WAR in the process of the offseason, but GM Max Gerlach is still optimistic. "We have a bunch of young players at our disposal, improved our defense, and improved our pitching dramatically compared to a year ago," he told ESPN's Buster Olney on his Baseball Tonight Podcast last week.
Starting Pitching:
Albert Abreu(24, R),
A.J. Alexy(21, R),
Adbert Alzolay(24, R),
Seranthony Dominguez(25, R),
Ariel Jurado(24, R),
Justus Sheffield(23, L),
Thomas Szapucki(23, L),
Cory Taylor(26, R),
Jake J. Thompson(24, R)
Going into 2020, the
Rangers have a lot of depth and decent talent, but still lack a #1 upside arm here.
Cory Taylor is a nice addition, but at 26, how much will he develop here. Adding a decent lefty in
Sheffield could help out tremendously, but the 23-year old also is a flyball-oriented pitcher, something that does not bode that well in
Texas.
Prediction:
Taylor,
Thompson,
Sheffield,
Alzolay,
Abreu + someone.
Relief Pitching:
Jake Brentz(25,L),
Kevin Chapman(32,LR),
Victor R. Diaz(25, R),
Brady M. Feigl(29, L),
Riley Ferrell(26, R),
Aaron Loup(32, L),
Frankie Montas(26, R),
Gerson Moreno(24, R),
Trevor Rosenthal(29, R),
Trey Wingenter(25, R),
Tony Zych(29, R), CL
Alex Claudio(28, L)
Another area that looks stronger than last year... if
Montas is going to be as good as the front office hopes.
Rosenthal should be a great addition if he can live with being a setup man, and there are some additional lefty options now with
Jake Brentz in the mix.
Catcher:
Danny Jansen(24, R),
Josh Morgan(24, R),
Matt Whatley(24, R)
Danny Jansen hit .349 in 20 games after the trade deadline and should be on the inside track as the everyday catcher, and with a defensive oriented mind,
Matt Whatley is the likely candidate for the #2 sport. Solid.
Infield:
1B
Bobby Bradley(23, L), 1B/OF
Willie Calhoun(25, L), 2B
Jorge Castellanos(23, R), IF
Chris Seise(21, R), 3B
Joey Gallo(26, L), 3B
Anderson A. Tejeda(21, R), SS
Thairo Estrada(23, R), SS
Royce Lewis(20, R)
The post-
Odor era has begun in
Texas and according to Joe Girardi, it will be a straight-up fight between
Jorge Castellanos and
Chris Seise with
Castellanos having the advantage of a.) becoming a free agent if not on the 40-man by May, and b.)
Chris Seise being a newcomer to second base, and only 21.
Bobby Bradley will get an extended look again this season after struggling with batting average last year, while 3B and SS are set with
Gallo and
Lewis on long-term deals.
Outfield:
LF
Billy McKinney(25, L), CF
Cole Brannen(21, R), CF
Julio Pablo Martinez(22, L), CF
Ricky Eusebio(26, R), RF
Daniel Johnson Jr.(24, L), RF
Nomar Mazara(24, L), RF/LF
Yanio Perez(24, R), RF
Justin Williams(24, L)
Basically the same group as last year.
Billy McKinney picked up pace with the bat late last year and won a precious Gold Glove,
Julio Pablo Martinez produced triples like they were going out of style, and
Mazara and
Williams did a lot of work with the bat.
New addition
Ricky Eusebio is the likely backup for now as he is a right-handed hitter with good defense, and
Cole Brannen will get a little free sniff at the MLB level, but is not expected to make the 40-man, let alone the Opening Day Roster.