The 2023 Texas Rangers Spring Training Thread

[saddles]

Don't sleep on Spencer Howard, who has some fans on the coaching staff.

Those coaches should be fired on the spot.

 

[Duane1952]

From Jeff Wilson:

Right-hander Dane Dunning, though, took his normal turn on the mound and allowed one hit in five shutout innings. He is pitching well enough to force the Rangers to consider him for a role in the bullpen.

There was one multi-inning role available to open the season, but now there are two. Right-hander Jake Odorizzi won't be ready to start the season as he deals with arm fatigue, manager Bruce Bochy saod, and the Rangers are going to need another with Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi short on innings to start the season.

Dunning is pitching well enough to fill one of those roles. So is Cole Ragans. A third candidate is Glenn Otto, whose results suggest he isn't pitching well.

But it's spring training, and pitchers are working on things. Otto didn't have a great spring last year but was pretty good when called upon early in the regular season.

Don't sleep on Spencer Howard, who has some fans on the coaching staff.

That group also represents the Rangers' first line of defense in case of an injury in the rotation. Every contending team has rotation depth, and the Rangers need to preserve it.

They also want their 13 best pitchers, and right now Dunning and Ragans are among that group.

Decisions, decisions, and only 14 days to go until Opening Day.

Those coaches and Howard need to go.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Exactly why I would never want any of my big name players to participate in this.

 

[Nightcrawler]

It has been fun to occasionally watch a few innings and get to root for mike trout for once.

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

 

[True Rangers Fan]

we're not approving that Jung nickname, FYI

 

[saddles]

we're not approving that Jung nickname, FYI

 

[Bmurph]

Garver not looking particularly well this ST

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

Garver not looking particularly well this ST

I am afraid he is going to disappoint a lot of folks this year.

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

Looks like Smith has healed up.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

 

[saddles]

From Jeff Wilson:

Walcott is the prize of the current international free-agent class, a shortstop from the Bahamas who signed with the Rangers for $3.2 million. He’s 6-foot-4 and might end up at 6-foot-6 and around 250 pounds.

That’s a big shortstop. That’s a big anything.

He’s not as thick as, say, Justin Foscue or Davis Wendzel, but that’s coming.

But it’s going to be a while, Walcott turned 17 on Tuesday. He’s going to open this season in the Dominican Summer League, and might get back to the United States this summer for the Arizona Complex League.

That reality, though, doesn’t mean that the Rangers aren’t allowing themselves to be excited about their newest prospect after watching him so far this spring. Walcott homered in his first instrasquad game on a 97-mph fastball with 105-mph exit velocity. His single earlier in the game came off the bat at 107 mph.

“It’s hard to temper enthusiasm with what he’s capable of doing and what he’s doing here,” said Rangers vice president Ross Fenstermaker, who oversees player development.

“I was talking to our hitting guys yesterday. Imagine if you just grabbed some super talented high school sophomore and put him in the middle of a professional camp and he’s hitting 107-mph singles and 105-mph home runs off of guys throwing 97. And he probably hasn’t seen a whole lot of 97 in his life. It’s hard not to be excited.”

 

[saddles]

More from Jeff Wilson on Sebastian Walcott:

“My goal is to dominate the Dominican and come over Arizona midseason and dominate Arizona and possibly do so good this year that they want to start me in Low A next year,” he said.

That would be the same path outfielder Anthony Gutierrez is on. Gutierrez was the prize of the 2022 international class, went to spring training and played in the DSL and ACL last summer.

Walcott is fine with that, and he’s happy to be with the Rangers.

“I wanted to be part of that because they wanted me badly,” he said. “If you show the effort that you want and you show strong interest, it just made me want to pick the Rangers.”

Gutierrez and Walcott are roommates this spring. That’s $6 million of hope, and two big bodies.

Both love to hit and are known for their bats, but Walcott said his focus this spring has been his defense. He hears the talk that he might outgrow his position and have to move. His 80-grade arm could definitely handle a move to third base.

“Everybody thinks I’m going to move to third base, but I want to stick at shortstop,” Walcott said. “So, I’m going to put in the extra work to get better and better every day so I can stay at shortstop and possibly be the shortstop of the Rangers in the future.”

Fenstermaker said that Walcott is a bit “colt-ish” on the field, meaning he’s raw but can become a thoroughbred after a few years in the system. It wouldn’t be unheard of for a bigger player to be an MLB shortstop, as the 6-foot-7 Oneil Cruz is attempting to do with Pittsburgh.

It’s not like Rangers shortstop Corey Seager, who is 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, is small.

But time will tell, and it will likely be some time until the Rangers know what they have. They aren’t going to skip any steps no matter how well Walcott is doing this spring.

“He looks great, but I think we’re going to have to check every box along the way,” Fenstermaker said.

 

[saddles]

The thinking is that Perez will get the Opening Day start and deGrom will start the next game. That way they most likely get two sellouts.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

The thinking is that Perez will get the Opening Day start and deGrom will start the next game. That way they most likely get two sellouts.

who is thinking that

 

[saddles]

who is thinking that

I have read it a couple of times and heard someone on the radio mention it as well. They seemed to think the main reason was to give a nod to Martin for how he pitched last year, but also added what it could do for the attendance at that second game.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

I have read it a couple of times and heard someone on the radio mention it as well. They seemed to think the main reason was to give a nod to Martin for how he pitched last year, but also added what it could do for the attendance at that second game.

oh, so just chatter. i mean, if they're not going to give JdG Opening Day (I would be shocked if they didn't), then they might as well give him Sunday night, which is a nationally televised game.