Texas Rangers fans should be excited about Jonah Heim

Jonah Heim, the young catcher Texas acquired in the Andrus-Davis trade, should garner excitement from Rangers fans.

When the Texas Rangers took on Khris Davis’ contract and opted to pay $13.5 million of Andrus’ deal, they were buying prospects.

We’ve seen the Rangers do this in the past, but none more intriguing than in this trade with Oakland.

Aside from Davis, catcher Jonah Heim and RHP Dane Acker were acquired in the deal.

Heim is a very intriguing prospect from the Texas Rangers’ perspective.

The switch-hitting catcher arrives to an organization that already has quite a bit of depth at the catching position.

Sam Huff, David Garcia and Matt Whatley are the three main catching prospects in the system, while Drew Butera and Jose Trevino are the veterans.

Heim presents an interesting case because some around the team believe he could steal the starting spot away from the Jose Trevino.

Jonah Heim could start at catcher for the Texas Rangers in 2021.

With that being said, we could have another interesting competition in Rangers camp this spring.

Jonah Heim is a 6’4 switch-hitting catcher that has always rated highly on the defensive side of the ball.

He is a good pitch receiver with great flexibility behind home plate. He has an above-average arm and has worked to release the ball much quicker and more accurately.

He has also grown as a leader and sharpened his leadership skills, which are crucial as a catcher.

Offensively, Heim was never a great bat, but he broke out in 2019.

At Triple-A Las Vegas, Heim hit .358 with four home runs and drove in 19 over 35 games.

He split the 2019 season between Double-A and Triple-A, posting career highs in batting average (.310), on-base percentage (.385) and slugging (.477).

The former fourth-rounder is under control through 2027, making him an even more appealing option for the Texas Rangers.

Just a month ago, there was no hesitation in naming Jose Trevino the starting catcher, but the acquisition of Heim may change that.

Trevino had his own breakout year in 2020, hitting .250 with two homers and 19 RBIs.

He has always been a great defensive catcher, winning several minor league Gold Gloves, but could be pushed a little harder this spring.

Regardless of who starts for the Texas Rangers, they will have a great defensive pairing with solid offensive potential between Trevino and Heim.

It will be an interesting scenario as the season begins to wind down, especially if the Rangers want to see more of Sam Huff in 2021.

Hypothetically, either one of Heim or Huff could see time at first, but I would bet against the Rangers carrying three catchers on their roster.

As it stands now, though, Heim and Trevino will share the catching duties during the 2021 season and will have to make room for Sam Huff later this season.

It will be a fun spring competition to keep track of, as we’ll see if Heim can prove himself capable of taking the reins of a youthful Texas Rangers pitching staff.