3 former Rangers who are struggling mightily this spring training

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With spring training nearing an end, some former Rangers have performed well. That includesMitch Garver, who his having an excellent spring showing with the Mariners, as well as Yu Darvish, who has had a successful spring with the Padres and will start their season in Seoul.

In contrast, other former Rangers have performed less than favorably with their current teams, and some may be in jeopardy of not being on a roster at all come Opening Day here in a few weeks.

3 Rangers alumni who are struggling mightily this spring training

Jurickson Profar

One player in particular who has struggled this spring is former Rangers infielder Jurickson Profar. Profar, who is now 31, was once regarded as the best prospect in the Rangers farm system. However, his career has taken a few unfortunate turns, and he is now going into his fourth season with the San Diego Padres, making a cameo with the Rockies in between. For the Padres, Profar has been a utility man, mainly playing in the outfield.

Since leaving the Rangers in 2018, Profar has struggled to remain healthy and has spent time with three different teams, mainly serving as an outfielder. He has been able to find some success with the Padres, though his batting has remained somewhat inconsistent. He currently has a .246 average through four years in San Diego.

So far this spring, Profar has had great struggles at the plate. He is currently below the Mendoza line with a .143 batting average in six games. Profar's days as a starter are most likely over, but if his batting does not improve by the time the Padres return from camp, there's always a chance he could be designated for assignment. Hopefully, Profar can quickly improve on the offensive side and remain a solid contributor to the Padres for the upcoming season.

Joey Gallo

Outfielder Joey Gallo is another former Rangers star who has been struggling on the offense side of things. Similar to Profar, Gallo was once regarded as one of the most promising prospects in baseball and even received comparisons to former NL MVP Bryce Harper. Unfortunately, Gallo has been unable to live up to the hype and has struggled offensively for the past several seasons.

Gallo spent the first six years of his career with the Rangers, found some success with the team, and was voted to two All-Star games, first in 2019 and again in 2021. He was traded to the New York Yankees at the 2021 trade deadline, and his career has deteriorated since. He has become somewhat of a journeyman since his tenure with the Yankees ended, and has been on three different teams in the past three seasons, including the Washington Nationals, who signed him this past winter.

Unfortunately, Gallo's offensive struggles at the plate have remained this spring. So far, through six games, he has an .059 batting average and has been on the receiving end of 11 strikeouts. If Gallo can't quickly turn things around, there is a good chance that he will not be on the Nationals' roster once the regular season begins.

Willie Calhoun

Another former Rangers outfielder who has been struggling so far this spring is Willie Calhoun. Calhoun signed a minor league contract with the Angels this past winter and has been having a difficult time so far this spring.

Calhoun came to Arlington in 2017 through the trade package the Dodgers sent the Rangers in exchange for Darvish. He spent two seasons in the minors before he was called up in 2019, appeared in 83 games, and was able to put up respectable numbers throughout his first season. He spent two more seasons with the Rangers as a reserve in the outfield until he was designated for assignment in June of 2022.

Since then, he spent a season playing for the San Fransisco Giants' Triple-A team, then was picked up by the Yankees for the 2023 season and appeared in 44 games.

He is now fighting to secure a roster spot going into the regular season, but has been struggling on the offensive side. So far, in nine games, he has an average of .182, which will not improve his chances of making the Angels roster. If Calhoun does not secure a roster spot with the Angels, his professional career could be nearing an end.

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3 Rangers alumni who are struggling mightily this spring training

Jurickson Profar

Joey Gallo

Willie Calhoun

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