Texas Rangers add speedy Ben Revere to the outfield mix

The Texas Rangers have agreed with outfielder Ben Revere on a minor league deal. Revere will compete for the utility outfield role this spring.

Pending a physical, 8-year MLB outfielder Ben Revere will sign with the Texas Rangers on a minor league contract. Revere spent 2018 at Triple-A with the Angels’ organization. In 40 games, he hit .277 with a .319 OBP. His last major league action was in 2017 with the Angels, in which he swiped 21 bags and hit .275 over 109 games.

Revere is known for his abilities in the outfield. He can chase fly balls with the best of them and is responsible for some of the most impressive defensive plays this decade.

The 30-year-old will compete for big league playing time like so many other outfielders at Rangers camp. Though, according to insider Evan Grant, Revere is more of a depth option at Triple-A than he is in the bigs, at least for now.

Regardless of expectations and assumptions, he’ll have a fighting change once he begins workouts and game play this spring. The Texas Rangers’ center field situation is open to many possibilities, as is the 4th outfielder situation. Revere’s glove makes him an obvious 4th outfielder candidate. He would be a high-quality defensive replacement and he has the potential to cause havoc on the basepaths as a pinch runner.

You may be sick of our constant diagnosis of the Rangers’ outfield. It was already confusing with the bunch they had in place at the beginning of the offseason. Now, the signings of Hunter Pence and Ben Revere make it even more confusing. We’re simply trying to make sense of it all.

It’s never bad to have too many options. Spring training games haven’t even started yet. As the upcoming weeks unfold, the outfield confusion will certainly clear up. Come March 28th, the Rangers will probably go with the trio they know best: Joey Gallo, Delino DeShields, Nomar Mazara.

As for the fourth outfielder, a case can be made for a number of players. Ben Revere and Carlos Tocci are reliable utility options, while Willie Calhoun and Hunter Pence have the offensive potential to earn legitimate playing time.

Who is most likely to be the team’s fourth outfielder on opening day? I’ll give the best chance to worst chance for all four:

1. Willie Calhoun
2. Carlos Tocci
3. Hunter Pence
4. Ben Revere