Texas Rangers: 3 up, 3 down, and 3 players to watch after Week 2 of Spring Training

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The Texas Rangers just finished their first full week of spring training games. That included split-squad games on Wednesday that were both rain-shortened. They played eight games overall on the week and went 4-4.

It was a really good week for the offense as the unit continued to score runs in bunches. The pitching looks solid. The veterans and youngster are making plays.

Martin Perez made two starts before getting on a plane to Miami to start preparng for the World Baseball Classic. Jacob deGrom continues to throw bullpens and is scheduled for a live batting practice session on Wednesday. If he comes through that healthy, the next step will be live-game action.

There's your quick summary of Week 1. Now let's jump into more specifics and what to watch as Week 2 is already under way.

3 UP

Cole Ragans

I have to start with Cole Ragans. If you want more details about changes he made this offseason then you can read my previous article here. He continues to impress the coaching staff. He made his first start on Sunday and went three innings, givng up one earned run on two hits and zero walks while striking out four. That followed up his one-inning performance on Wednesday against the Dodgers where he struck out two batters in that appearance. He's been absolutely lighting up the radar gun in a way that he didn't last season. He not only increased his velocity from 92 to 96 MPH, but he's also locating well. He's surprising some hitters with his ability to paint the corners. He has already survived the first round of demotions to the minor league camp that took place on Saturday. He's now trying to make it very hard for the Rangers to send him there at all.

Ezequiel Duran

Duran has been a fixture so far in that he's played in 10 of the Rangers 12 games through Monday's action. He has played both the infield and outfield, too. At the plate, he's producing. He's 7-22, with four RBI, two doubles, and only two strikeouts in those 21 at-bats. Last week when Will Smith signed, the Rangers designated Mark Mathias for assignment. Mathias and Duran were competing for the same role, and with the Rangers removing Mathias from the 40-man roster, it signaled a belief in Duran to potentially be that utility guy. He has shown progress at the plate and now just needs to prove he can handle all of the positions in the field that he will be asked to play. If he can do that well enough, then he likely will make the team.

Luisangel Acuna

I normally reserve this third spot for a prospect really making a name for himself, and Acuna is that player this week. He has done a really good job being the backup middle infield, normally coming in for Semien or Seager and playing the last few innings. He's taking advantage of the opportunities he's being given. This included his game-tying home run in the ninth against the White Sox on Saturday.

.@Rangers' prospect Luisangel Acuña (@ronaldacunajr24's younger brother) came up clutch in the 9th! pic.twitter.com/7wXV6oOgrd
— MLB (@MLB) March 5, 2023

Overall, he's 6-for-16, with five runs scored and a stolen base. He's not a threat to make this team or steal a job from Josh Smith or Duran, but he's still in major-league camp. If there are demotions this week, he may be among those sent to the minor league camp, but he's making a strong impression while he's here. He's showing the potential to eventually be part of this MLB roster.

3 Down

Starting Pitching Health

The Rangers have placed a lot of their hopes for success this season on the health of a fragile starting rotation. We are 12 games into camp and the members of that starting five have made six starts in those 12 games. It was announced last week that Nathan Eovaldi would be resting for a few days due to tightness in his left side. Jon Gray was set to make his second start on Saturday, but was pulled with back tightness. He's now scheduled to start on Wednesday. deGrom could see game action either later this week or early next week. There are about 3.5 weeks until Opening Day. The good thing about these injuries is that none of them are serious and all of the pitchers should be ready to go for the start of the season. This isn't going to be a year where the five members of the rotation make 30 starts each. For the Rangers, it's about making sure they stay cautious so that they do not have these players suffer an injury that will keep them out for a long period of time.

Josh Jung

I've been debating about whether to include Jung on the list. He's healthy, which cannot be said for everyone, but he's been struggling at the plate. He has played in seven games so far and is 4-17. The bright side is that he has two extra-base hits and only three strikeouts. He's having some good at-bats. He just isn't having as much success as I'm sure the Rangers were hoping for. The defense has been there, too. He made a good diving play on a ball at third base this past week. It's not all bad, and he has time to improve and really get ready for the season. I had to include him though because he's not exactly making an impression like many expected.

John King

King is in competition for a bullpen spot this spring. So far, it's not going well for the former Houston Cougar. He's entering his fourth major league season and is hoping to be on the Opening Day roster. His performances so far make that unlikely. Last week he made two appearances. He pitched against the Brewers on Thursday and gave up two runs on three hits. He followed that up with an appearance against the Angels on Sunday and proceeded to give up three runs on four hits in an inning. King needed a good spring to secure a roster spot. The Rangers signing Will Smith to a contract, and with the way Cole Ragans has performed, it seems likely that King will at least begin the season at Round Rock.

3 Players to Watch This Week

The first player is Bubba Thompson. It was announced Tuesday that Leody Tavares will be resting for the next 7-10 days as he's dealing with a minor left oblique strain. The focus shifts to Thompson. He's a natural center fielder defensively, but a fourth outfielder offensively. He will likely see more starts in center field these next two weeks to see if he can be relied upon if Tavares needs to start the season on the IL.

Thompson has tremendous speed and can use that to beat out ground balls and bunts. He has the ability to drive the ball, but he needs to show more of that as well as more of an ability to make contact. The strikeout rate of 30% is too high, and the lack of consistent hard contact is an issue as well. If Thompson cannot turn it around, the Rangers will likely move Adolis Garcia to center field and play Clint Frazier or Travis Jankowski in right field.

The next player is catcher Sam Huff. The Rangers seem to be looking to keep three catchers on the roster this season. Jonah Heim and Mitch Garver are the first two and then there's an ongoing competition between Huff and Sandy Leon. Huff is a better offensive catcher and is able to play first base as well. Leon is a veteran and is someone who will likely be content with only playing once or twice a week.

Huff has to go out there and show that he can do more with less. He's been working on shortening his swing. He has such a big frame that his swing can get long. If he can it through the zone quicker, the thought is that Huff will make more contract. And when he makes contact, it tends to be hard contact. He has an average exit velocity of 88.9 MPH and a maximum exit velocity of 112.9 MPH. He has the potential to be a 20-30 home run catcher, but he needs to continue to work on his mechanics. These next two weeks are when he really needs to separate himself and show that he is the best option for the third-string catcher role.

The final player is Martin Perez. He was on last week's list as well. He has now left camp and is in Miami to start getting ready for the World Baseball Classic. He finished his time in Surprise with consecutive three-inning appearances. He should be set up to go longer in those games. He will be pitching for Team Venezuela, who is in Pool D with the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Israel and Nicaragua.

Perez will be playing alongside players such as former Ranger Robinson Chirinos, Ronald Acuna Jr, and Miguel Cabrera. Venezuela is not as stacked as the Dominican Republic, but they would seem to be able to compete with the 2017 finalist Puerto Rico to come out of that pool. It will be a good experience for Perez to see how his stuff plays on that level against the best players in the world. They get started on Saturday against the Dominican Republic. It will be announced this week what game in pool play Perez will start.

It will be a busy week. The Rangers will play six games and have their first off day of the Cactus League on Thursday. There will likely be more demotions at some point. By Tuesday of next week we will have a better idea of the starting rotation health as Gray will have pitched at least once, if not twice. Hopefully, this week will see Eovaldi back on the mound either throwing bullpens or in a game. By the end of this week, we should have news on when deGrom will be making his first Cactus League start.

Here's to hoping for a much more entertaining third week.

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Texas Rangers: 3 up, 3 down, and 3 players to watch in Week 2 of Spring Training