Texas Rangers Spring Training Preview

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Spring Training is well under way now and the first training game is well under way. These early games will show fans of the Texas Rangers very little other than just about every player on the roster seeing playing time and hitting. It will be a chance to see live baseball for the first time for the Rangers since the disaster in October. It is the first real step in healing.

By the end of Spring Training all of the answers about the Rangers will be answered. From the questions that have been filling up the minds of fans all offseason such as the rotation, who will be in the bullpen as a left handed pitcher, who will roam in center field, and what about first base. But also, those questions that will change a lot of lives like where will Jurickson Profar start, what will be the end game for Tanner Scheppers and will Leonys Martin bounce back in Round Rock. In short it will answer every question we have, one way or another.

As a fan, but also as someone who looks a lot at talent I put little stock in spring training games. They are fun to watch and the players take them seriously but there is usually something else going on in their work that changes how they should be taken. Such as, does the pitcher have a 30 or 50 pitch count limit, is the batter being told to not take anything unless it’s in the bleachers or the dirt, or has the pitcher been told to only throw one type of pitch.

If you have the opportunity to be in Surprise and you want to see games that will count then wait a couple of weeks until minor league camp starts. In the minor league games the players show off improvements and from there are selected to what level they will begin the season. There are other facts that go into the placement of a player like 2011 production, scouting reports, team needs, and players’ ability. But you may also see a glimpse into the future of the Rangers with situations like Kevin Matthews and Matt West being caught by Kellin Deglan. Which I think is a good possibility to be common place in RBiA in 4 years.

Don’t expect that Spring Training will solve every question but it may help to put some issues out of the limelight and into a place where they can be resolved like the Josh Hamilton issue. Since the offseason, he has been dragging on. Other issues have popped up that need to be taken care of by Jon Daniels and Nolan Ryan like Koji Uehara, Mitch Moreland and of course Josh Hamilton. These are issues that if left unsettled could wind up hurting the Rangers later this season.

The best that we can do as fans is to hope that no one gets injured, pray that another team decides to let a player go that the Rangers really need and want, and above all trust in JD and Nolan. They’ve been able to do as much as they have incredibly quickly, with the right moves they can do so much more.

Go Rangers!

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