Top 10 Texas Rangers players right now: #7 Jonah Heim/Jose Trevino

Hey, the MLB lockout was finally lifted! And while that’s great news for the Texas Rangers and the rest of the league, we’re going to continue our rankings of current players on the roster.

To recap the rankings so far:

10. Dane Dunning

9.    Taylor Hearn

8.     Joe Barlow

Now, we move on to No. 7. For this ranking, we took a bit of a cop out, opting to simultaneously rank two players who play the same position. They would be the catching tandem of Jonah Heim and Jose Trevino.

Top 10 Texas Rangers players right now

#7: Jonah Heim/Jose Trevino

Heim and Trevino are both defensive-minded backstops, so they have similar skillsets. Trevino is probably the better all-around hitter, but Heim has some sneaky pop in his bat. Because they’re so similar, they complement each other well. Heim also hits from the left side, while Trevino does so from the right side, effectively a platoon.

Together, the two form a solid tandem. It’s always important to have good catchers, as they often set the tone for the pitching staff, and on a Texas Rangers team with a young staff, that fact only becomes more important. Being crafty with the glove and saving a few passed balls/containing wild pitches, along with pitch framing and calling a good game, are all things Heim and Trevino are good at. Those aspects of baseball are never given the credit they deserve.

It’s also true, however, that the Rangers could upgrade from Heim and Trevino. Certainly, if a player like Willson Contreras ever becomes available, for example, you make that move. Or even someone just below Contreras’ level, say someone like a Sean Murphy of the Oakland A’s. Someone who can hit a tad more while also providing that high-caliber defense behind the plate.

For now, though, Jonah Heim and Jose Trevino are more than adequate as a tandem behind the plate, and are two of the Rangers’ more important players right now.