Texas Rangers: First 26-man roster projection of spring training

The Texas Rangers haven’t even played their first spring training game of 2021, but questions about the roster and who will make it are already abounding.

For a rebuilding team, the Rangers will feature quite a decent amount of new faces heading into the new season, thanks in no small part to an active off-season.

Many positions will see drawn out competitions over the course of spring training, which makes it especially difficult to predict certain spots on the diamond.

Some semblance of a battle is expected to occur at catcher, first base, third base, in the rotation, and in the bullpen, especially as manager Chris Woodward declined to name a closer for the time being.

Just as a forewarning, this roster projection is mere conjecture at the moment. In all likelihood, this roster will look at least somewhat different by April 1st depending on how the various spring competitions pan out.

You can also check out a pre-spring Texas Rangers roster projection done here.

With all that being said, let’s get to work!

Texas Rangers roster projection: Infielders (6)

The infield is one of the tougher position groups to predict this early on, especially with unsettled competitions and vacancies, but here’s our best guess as of now:

1B: Nate Lowe

2B: Nick Solak

SS: Isiah Kiner-Falefa

3B: Brock Holt

Bench: Rougned Odor, Charlie Culberson

Ultimately, we believe Nate Lowe will win out over Ronald Guzman at first base, and Odor will have to be absorbed as a costly bench piece, barring something dramatic happening during spring training.

At second base, we knew Solak would be the starter, as we did with IKF at shortstop.

Brock Holt and Charlie Culberson are both incredibly useful and versatile veterans who will serve as leaders and fill-ins along the way. Teams can never have too many utility options these days.

Texas Rangers roster projection: Catchers (2)

This position group appears to be much more straightforward in terms of projecting how it will look come the regular season.

Starter- Jose Trevino

Backup- Jonah Heim

Trevino became the starter in Texas late last season and performed admirably in that capacity, meaning he should hold the edge in regards to retaining that role going into 2021.

As for Heim, he comes to Texas as a highly-touted catching prospect from Oakland, who acquired SS Elvis Andrus.

Heim will likely beat out fellow catching prospect Sam Huff for the backup position to begin the season, as Huff will be slated to begin the season in the minors.

That said, the Texas Rangers seem to be in great shape at this position now and going forward.

Texas Rangers roster projection: DH (1)

This position is intriguing, as the Rangers theoretically have two options for it in Willie Calhoun and recently acquired Khris Davis.

It feels like Texas would like to give Calhoun the best chance to seize the starting DH position, given that he’s talented, still young, and doesn’t have many other alternatives for playing other positions around the diamond.

However, we expect Davis to give a solid effort knowing that a change of scenery could help him get back to his old crushing ways.

Ultimately, I can only see the Rangers carrying one DH into the season, as it is somewhat of a luxury to carry two, particularly if you’re a rebuilding squad as well.

And I believe Willie Calhoun will be the one to emerge with the job.

Texas Rangers roster projection: Starting Pitchers (7)

No team can ever have too much pitching.

That’s why I’m awarding seven roster spots on the 26-man squad to starting pitchers.

The Texas Rangers don’t have many sure commodities within their starter group, and have even pondered the concept of a six-man rotation for the season.

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RHP Dane Dunning

RHP Kohei Arihara

RHP Kyle Gibson

RHP Jordan Lyles

RHP Mike Foltynewicz

RHP Kyle Cody

LHP Hyeon-Jong Yang

The first five names mentioned are virtual locks for the roster given how they were acquired and the contracts they possess, as well as their veteran status (in some cases).

The last two names are more intriguing.

Cody proved he could handle the rigors of starting duty at the big league level in a small sample size in 2020, and there’s no reason to believe he can’t continue his success in 2021.

As for Yang, he is perhaps the most unproven name on this list, but the Rangers lack a starting left-hander, and with other uninspiring options in-house such as Wes Benjamin, Kolby Allard and Joe Palumbo, why not take the risk with Yang as a lefty assuming he pitches well and proves he can make the transition.

Texas Rangers roster projection: Relief Pitchers (7)

The other really crowded field within the Texas Rangers’ roster this season will undoubtedly be the bullpen.

With manager Chris Woodward declining to name a closer at the moment, all the roles within the unit are wide open.

Texas also has a weak rotation that will likely need to be supplemented by a bullpen that can close out games, as well as go for extended periods of time in relief.

This position projection reflects those conditions.

RHP Jonathan Hernandez

RHP Jose Leclerc

RHP Brett De Geus

RHP Josh Sborz

RHP Ian Kennedy

LHP Taylor Hearn

LHP Joely Rodriguez

The usual suspects of Hernandez and Leclerc can expect to find themselves pitching in high leverage situations for the Rangers this season, while De Geus is a Rule-5 pick, meaning he’ll need to remain on the roster for the full season.

As for Sborz and Kennedy, the Rangers could use two veteran long men to eat up innings in case the rotation inevitably has nights where they fail to give length. Both Sborz and Kennedy have experience in that role.

Every bullpen also needs its southpaws, and lefties Taylor Hearn and Joely Rodriguez each pitched very well in 2020, meaning they’ve likely secured their spots on this roster once again in 2021.

So there you have it, our first spring training roster projection of 2021!