Texas Rangers: What are the plans at first base for 2020?

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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 15: Ronald Guzman #11 of the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington on September 15, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

2019 Recap

The 2019 campaign was a rocky one for first base within the Texas Rangers organization as they continued to search for a long-term answer. Through the year, Texas utilized five different players at first base to varied results. Ronald Guzman, Danny Santana, Logan Forsythe, Scott Heineman and Patrick Wisdom all got time at first base for the Rangers with some slash lines more impressive than others…

Ronald Guzman – 77 G – .221/.306/.422/.728
Danny Santana – 44 G – .271/.313/.497/.810
Logan Forsythe – 42 G – .212/.314/.292/.606
Scott Heineman – 4 G – .133/.188/.267/.454
Patrick Wisdom – 4 G – .071/.071/.071/.142

As a group, the Texas Rangers saw their 2019 first baseman .228 with a .704 OPS which is underwhelming for a position that is valued for its offensive production. Only Danny Santana met those positional expectations at the plate with an OPS over .800 and nine home runs. Defensively though, Santana was a -11.5 UZR/150 at first base which raises questions over his actual fit at the spot. Plus, Santana is likely to be the Rangers starting center fielder at this point which opens the door for Ronald Guzman. Guzman defensively is a stellar first baseman which adds value despite his poor stats at the plate last year. With plenty of questions to be answered, first base was a position that was a possibility to see an upgrade this offseason.

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