3 Rangers' pitchers who have taken full advantage of spring training opportunities

The Texas Rangers did their due diligence this spring going out and handing out a handful of minor league contracts to veteran pitchers that are looking to restore their career. By doing so, Texas might have found a few diamonds in the rough to enter the 2025 regular season with.

Every team needs critical pieces to their roster that can provide depth and there is really no more important positional depth on a baseball team than pitchers. While some of those additions during the offseason haven't paid off, a handful of them have seen a high rate of success in the opportunities they have been given.

With the recent injuries to Cody Bradford and Jon Gray, it will likely give some of the names on this list an additional boost to finish the season strong and find themselves a roster spot.

3 Rangers' pitchers that have taken full advantage of spring training opportunities

Robert Garcia, LHP

Texas is counting on Robert Garcia to be a critical part of their bullpen this season. The 28-year-old left hander came over to Texas from the Washington Nationals in a trade this offseason that sent Nathaniel Lowe the other way.

Garcia was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 2017 but since then has never really found his footing in professional baseball. In over 303 innings in the minors he has a nearly 5.00 ERA and his short stint in MLB hasn't been much different. But what the Rangers acquired him for was his advanced metrics light up red all over the place.

After dealing with an injury that sidelined him to start the spring, he returned to action and is yet to give up a run in four innings of work. While the sample size is small and there is still a lot left in his development, Bochy has to be happy about the early returns they are seeing from Garcia.

Adrian Houser, RHP

Perhaps the biggest acquisition that has given Bruce Bochy a lot to think about if veteran right-hander Adrian Houser. The former starter with the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets signed a minor league deal with Texas in December and halfway into spring he has pitched 10.2 innings only giving up two runs and holding opposing hitters to a .171 batting average.

Houser, 32, is in desperate need of a career resurgence as his success has greatly declined over the last three years. A career starter, Houser was transitioned to a bullpen role last season with the mets, only starting seven of 23 games.

His biggest competition is Dane Dunning, who is on a resurgence path of his own after a devastating 2024 season. He has a tough hill to climb to move past Dunning but the recent injuries to Bradford and Gray likely give them both a chance to make the Opening Day roster.

Patrick Murphy, RHP

It might be time for Rangers' fans to get to know the name Patrick Murphy. The 29-year-old right-hander from Arizona was a 2013 third round pick out of high school by the Toronto blue Jays and more or less has been a career minor leaguer, only appearing in 35 career games in the big leagues.

Murphy spent the 2024 season overseas in Japan with the Nippon-Ham Fighters. While there he appeared in 40 games, compiling a 3.26 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 38.2 innings. He signed a minor league contract with the Rangers in December, which included an invite to big league spring training.

And so far so good for Murphy, throwing 10 scoreless innings and nine strikeouts spread out over six games. Right now he is looking at starting the season in Triple-A Round Rock as a potential callup early in the season when needed. But he could be a benefit from a few projected bullpen arms getting pushed into the starting rotation.