Texas Rangers: Taylor Hearn is forcing his way into the starting rotation

Taylor Hearn has made it clear he’d like to join the Texas Rangers rotation in 2021.

And based on the way “Rodeo” is pitching this spring, he’s got every right to shoot for the stars.

The 26-year-old lefty started Thursday’s exhibition game against the Oakland A’s and performed exceptionally well, tossing 2.1 shutout innings and allowing no baserunners as he extended his spring training scoreless streak to 5.1 innings,.

Taylor Hearn has been lights out for the Texas Rangers this spring.

Skipper Chris Woodward even made sure to mention that his young southpaw’s stuff looked “dominant” during the outing vs. the A’s, a testament to how far Hearn has come in his development.

The Royse City, Texas native made his MLB debut in 2019 but really begun to establish himself in 2020 coming out of the Texas Rangers’ bullpen.

In 17.1 innings pitched during the pandemic-shortened, 60-game campaign, the lefty cowboy racked up a 3.63 ERA (4.11 FIP), 23 strikeouts and a 1.39 WHIP over 14 relief outings.

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Still a small sample size, but way fairer to evaluate than say, his 2019, in which Hearn posted an astronomical 108.0 ERA in 0.1 innings pitched.

I think it’s safe to say we’re getting a version of Taylor Hearn that more closely resembles the 2020 one!

In any case, the Texas Rangers have a ton of uncertainty when it comes to the starting rotation for 2021, which would seem to bolster Hearn’s case for a starter role when camp breaks at the end of March.

In the limited innings we’ve seen Hearn toss this spring, his fastball has looked crisp, touching the mid-to-upper 90’s consistently.

He’s been pairing that heater with a changeup he’s been perfecting as well.

Taylor Hearn is making his case to start in 2021.

I mean, just look at the way Hearn confidently struts off the mound. It’s like he knows he’s got this.

It’s pretty evident that Hearn has the pure stuff and alpha-male demeanor to be a sturdy rotation piece.

Now it’s about the Texas Rangers being willing to give “Rodeo” a chance to start.

If he pitches well in his next outing, whenever that will be, the Rangers might not have a say in the matter.