Fansided

4 Texas Rangers minor leaguers who should be eligible for the postseason

Texas is in a strong position currently to make the postseason and so we need to look at who needs to be added to the 40-man to be postseason eligible.

By Michael Sanders |
Philadelphia Phillies v Oakland Athletics
Philadelphia Phillies v Oakland Athletics / Michael Zagaris/GettyImages
1 of 2
Next

Expect the unexpected is the theme for CBS' reality show Big Brother, but it also should reign supreme in September and October for a major league baseball team. We are quickly closing in on August 31st; the deadline for a player to be added to the 40-man roster and be postseason eligible.

It has been a few years since Texas has made the postseason. A reminder come the start of the postseason every team will have a 26-man roster that they will name before every round. If a player gets injured in a series, he can only be replaced by someone that was on the 40-man roster at the August 31st deadline. It is very important to have depth on the active roster and usable depth on the 40-man roster. A good GM has to expect the unexpected and be ready to replace anybody between rounds. I want to look at four players that I believe could serve a role in the postseason and should be added to the 40-man roster.

One glove several positions player Josh Harrison

He was the most recent add to the minor leagues when he was signed on August 15th. Stephen Francis wrote about why the Rangers signed Harrison. I think he will be added to the active roster by the end of this month and Brad Miller will be DFA'd. Harrison is someone that can play multiple defensive positions and also someone that can be a late-game pinch hitter.

Harrison has been in the majors for 12 years going back to 2011. He was in the playoffs with the Pirates from 2013-2015. The offensive production has not been great this season. He has a .204 batting average on the season. He has a history of being a good offensive player as recently as two years ago when he hit .294. In the postseason a team never knows what situations might arise and a manager has to have a roster ready for any situation. Harrison would give Bochy that flexible player who can be played anywhere and also has postseason experience.

The bench right now is Josh Smith, Austin Hedges, and Robbie Grossman or J.P. Martinez. Two lefties, a righty, and a switch hitter. Harrison would give Bochy another right-handed hitter on the bench. I do not think Texas carries three catchers in the postseason. Harrison can easily replace Hedges on the roster. Experience and flexibility are the reasons why Harrison needs to be added to the 40-man roster.

Dominator of left-handed pitchers Davis Wendzel

It has been kind of an up and down season for Wendzel in 2023, but one positive for the former Baylor Bear is that he has been able to remain healthy. He has struggled with health issues throughout his career since being drafted in 2019. He has been at Round Rock all season and has good numbers. He also faces potentially being chosen in the Rule 5 draft if not added to the 40-man roster by December. I do think Texas will add him to the roster for a few reasons, but there are two that really stick out in Wendzel's favor. He like Harrison can play both the infield and outfield and he crushes left-handed pitching.

Wendzel since being drafted has played games at second, third, shortstop, and left field. He has proven adept at playing each of those positions. It is not his glove that they would be adding him for. It is his bat and primarily the way he dominates left-handed pitching. He has always hit left-handed pitching better than he does right-handed pitching. This season though Wendzel has taken it to a much-higher level. Wendzel in 2023 has a .337 batting average against lefties. He has 1.242 OPS against lefties as well as 11 home runs, 20 RBIs, and 21 walks. Specialized skills like this certainly help out a roster be ready for a variety of situations that could arise in the playoffs.

I do not know if Wendzel will find a spot on the roster in every round. Having that ability to call upon a hitter who excels against lefties would be good to have in a postseason series.

Thunder from down under Chase Lee

The 2021 sixth round pick was initially thought to be someone that would move quickly through the system. He was a good reliever for the University of Alabama and had pitched in the SEC. He made his professional debut not long after being drafted in 2021, he then was moved quickly to Frisco that same season and then was promoted over a year ago to Round Rock. He has become stuck there. Lee continues to put up solid numbers for the Express, but just has not been given an opportunity in the major yet.

The side arming right-handed Lee for the year has a 3.04 ERA for the season, has pitched in 40 games, and has four saves. He has been good enough to stay at Round Rock, but not good enough to warrant a major-league promotion. When it comes to the playoffs though a team is looking for someone that is somewhat of a specialist and can play a role in a bullpen. Lee's specialty is getting out right-handed batters. He excels at that to the tune of .212 batting average against, and 59 strikeouts to just 11 walks allowed.

Lee does not throw hard, but the arm angle he pitches from is really difficult on right-handed batters. He absolutely could be used situationally in a tight playoff game and a tough right-handed batter in the box. Bochy could call upon Lee to get an important out and get out of the inning.

Currently the bullpen options on the 40-man roster that are not already in the majors are Cody Bradford, Glenn Otto, Zak Kent, Owen White, Jonathan Hernandez, Alex Speas, Yerry Rodriguez, and Cole Winn. I would like to see Lee replace Rodriguez on the 40-man. I think in a playoff series it would be more valuable to have someone who throws from a different angle and velocity than someone who throws hard but with inconsistent control.

Windy city lefty Antoine Kelly

This one may be a stretch, since he has not pitched above the Double-A level in his career and to go from Frisco to being an option for the major-league roster would be a big jump. Kelly is left-handed, throws hard, and has exhibited much better command in the second half of the season. He also has just stopped allowing runs to be scored. Kelly on the season has a 2.27 ERA, with nine saves in 38 games pitched. The one issue with Kelly that forced him to be moved to the bullpen full-time was control. He had major issues with issuing walks.

Kelly was moved to the bullpen early on in the season and walks still were plauging him. He had 16 walks in the first two months of the season. He has completely cut that out since June 1st. He has four walks in the last two-plus months. He also has stopped allowing runs to score. He allowed four runs to score in an appearance on June 9th. Since that game he has allowed just one earned run in 22 2/3 innings pitched. The fact that he has not received a promotion even after the trade deadline is puzzling.

The Rangers bullpen does have left-handed pitchers in the bullpen both in the majors and minors with Martin Perez, Brock Burke, Aroldis Chapman, and Will Smith. On the 40-man roster, Bradford is currently the only left-handed pitcher not already in the majors. They could replace Jonathan Hernandez on the 40-man with Kelly. If they did that they could also promote Kelly to Triple-A Round Rock and allow him to spend the last few weeks of the season pitching against advanced competition in case he is called upon for a potential playoff series in October.

The goal with the 40-man roster should be to have a roster full of players that a team would feel comfortable calling upon if the unexpected happened. For the most part the Rangers rosters is there. If they added these four players the team would be in a much stronger position heading to October and would give Bruce Bochy more players to choose from when assembling his roster.

Next

Schedule