The 2023 Texas Rangers Spring Training Thread

[saddles]

my only guess re: Moore is that the Rangers possibly saw 2022 as an outlier, performance-wise.

They sure didn't seem to think that at last year's trade deadline or even when they were asked about Moore back when the offseason began.

The fact that they didn't sign any reliever makes me think they decided at some point that they didn't see a need to spend much on one.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

They sure didn't seem to think that at last year's trade deadline or even when they were asked about Moore back when the offseason began.

The fact that they didn't sign any reliever makes me think they decided at some point that they didn't see a need to spend much on one.

I mean, it's not like they're going to say that publicly.

 

[saddles]

I mean, it's not like they're going to say that publicly.

I think if they knew he wouldn't be asked back they would have traded him at the deadline. Now, if they are in contention this year, they are going to be looking to acquire a guy like him at the deadline.

Everything just seemed to point in the direction of them intending to re-sign him all the way through October. Maybe, the acquisition of Odorizzi changed their mind or at least let them think they could either go cheap or stand pat.

 

[Duane1952]

Relievers grow on trees, don't you know, so why spend on them.

Better cut down that tree that Howard grew on.

 

[saddles]

I guess CY has a tremendous amount of faith in the combination of Leclerc, Hernandez and Barlow.

 

[Kelleyman]

I guess CY has a tremendous amount of faith in the combination of Leclerc, Hernandez and Barlow.

Maybe he has Burke in that mix. They seem to be big on Church and Kent

 

[Duane1952]

I guess CY has a tremendous amount of faith in the combination of Leclerc, Hernandez and Barlow.

Glad he does.

 

[saddles]

CBS Sports released a top 30 2023 draft prospects list. This is their top 10:

1. Dylan Crews, OF, LSU
2. Chase Dollander, RHP, Tennessee
3. Wyatt Langford, CF, Florida
4. Jacob Gonzalez, SS, Mississippi
5. Max Clark, CF, Franklin Community HS (IN)
6. Walker Jenkins, OF, South Brunswick HS (SC)
7. Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Florida
8. Arjun Nimmala, SS, Strawberry Crest HS (FL)
9. Rhett Lowder, RHP, Wake Forest
10. Enrique Bradfield, CF, Vanderbilt

 

[saddles]

This is Opening Day for college baseball so I guess the mock drafts will begin to show up a little more frequently.

 

[DT LUNA]

Tim Mc Carver died at age 81. RIP

 

[True Rangers Fan]

 

[DTC]

Rangers Have Had Talks With Robbie Grossman

The Rangers, still without a clear left fielder, have held talks with free agent outfielder Robbie Grossman. Read more at MLB Trade Rumors.

www.mlbtraderumors.com

 

[Duane1952]

Rangers Have Had Talks With Robbie Grossman

The Rangers, still without a clear left fielder, have held talks with free agent outfielder Robbie Grossman. Read more at MLB Trade Rumors.

www.mlbtraderumors.com

At this point I’d rather go with whoever wins the job between Smith, Duran and Thompson.

 

[saddles]

Rangers Have Had Talks With Robbie Grossman

The Rangers, still without a clear left fielder, have held talks with free agent outfielder Robbie Grossman. Read more at MLB Trade Rumors.

www.mlbtraderumors.com

I told someone earlier that a lot of folks seem to want ADWB or any different warm body.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

I am not going to brush this under the rug. I am not happy about the fact that we did not resign him and he went to a team within our division based on his performance last year. Even if he stinks the place up this year I think he was a guy we should have rolled the dice on again.

 

[saddles]

I am not going to brush this under the rug. I am not happy about the fact that we did not resign him and he went to a team within our division based on his performance last year. Even if he stinks the place up this year I think he was a guy we should have rolled the dice on again.

Yeah, either he should have been signed or someone as good as him should have been, or both.

 

[saddles]

Great stuff today from Jeff Wilson about Cole Winn:

Veteran players know all too well something that all young players need to learn.

Cole Winn learned it last year.

Baseball can humble a player, quickly and without remorse, and it can take time to get back in its good graces.

Winn was the 2021 Rangers Minor League Pitcher of the Year after dominating the Texas League with Double A Frisco. He finished with two strong starts at Triple A Round Rock, and with all the uncertainty with the Rangers' rotation entering 2022, it was all but certain that Winn would make his MLB debut around June or July.

"He just thought Triple A would be a check of the box and off to the major leagues," minor-league pitching coordinator Jordan Tiegs said. "Why would he not think that?"

It didn't happen, and it didn't come close to happening.

But the dismal campaign produced valuable lessons and an urgency to get things corrected. The work started in-season and continued this offseason into big-league spring training.

For those who are down on his future, the Rangers aren't. He and the club are pleased with the changes he's made and what they will allow him to do going forward.

"Right now I feel like I'm in a good spot," Winn said. "As much as we all look at results, the results aren't where we wanted them to be. And then we looked through the pitch metrics, and from 2021 to 2022 everything was a little bit different. So then we dove into arm slot and arm path and everything."

He means everything. Winn has made changes to his delivery, has implemented a shorter throwing stroke and has toyed with his repertoire.

He steps to the side now in the full windup, which he thinks gives him more momentum. The shorter arm path helps him be on time and in the strike zone more consistently. He has added a cutter and has switched to a sweeping slider.

Tiegs helped Winn tackle those issues and another. He also needed to jolt of confidence.

"He got a rude awakening in the beginning, and when he struggled, I don't think he knew what to do," Tiegs said. "He was 22 years old and had yet to fail ... . It was a learning curve for sure. I told him that if you're going to fail you have to learn from it. Otherwise, you're just going to keep on failing."

The biggest issue was that Winn, the 15th overall pick in the 2018 draft, could not throw strikes as he had in the past. He walked 87 in 121 2/3 innings and put himself in bad counts against hitters the best hitters he had ever faced. They made him pay.

Throw in that the Pacific Coast League is a brutal place to pitch, with several teams playing at elevation, and Winn was doomed. He finished with a 6.51 ERA, but he turned in some of his pitching to end the season.

"We had to figure out how not to be afraid of the zone anymore," Tiegs said. "It was a lot, but he was 22. We tried to do some things during the season. That got us off and running on the right foot. The velocity was back up. The strikes were back up. He kind of road that into the offseason."

For every spot Winn dropped in industry prospect rankings, be mindful that he didn't drop in the Rangers' rankings. They never reconsidered adding him to the 40-man roster, and despite the infusion of pitching talent in the past three drafts, the Rangers still place Winn in their top tier of pitching prospects.

 

[Kelleyman]

Great stuff today from Jeff Wilson about Cole Winn:

Veteran players know all too well something that all young players need to learn.

Cole Winn learned it last year.

Baseball can humble a player, quickly and without remorse, and it can take time to get back in its good graces.

Winn was the 2021 Rangers Minor League Pitcher of the Year after dominating the Texas League with Double A Frisco. He finished with two strong starts at Triple A Round Rock, and with all the uncertainty with the Rangers' rotation entering 2022, it was all but certain that Winn would make his MLB debut around June or July.

"He just thought Triple A would be a check of the box and off to the major leagues," minor-league pitching coordinator Jordan Tiegs said. "Why would he not think that?"

It didn't happen, and it didn't come close to happening.

But the dismal campaign produced valuable lessons and an urgency to get things corrected. The work started in-season and continued this offseason into big-league spring training.

For those who are down on his future, the Rangers aren't. He and the club are pleased with the changes he's made and what they will allow him to do going forward.

"Right now I feel like I'm in a good spot," Winn said. "As much as we all look at results, the results aren't where we wanted them to be. And then we looked through the pitch metrics, and from 2021 to 2022 everything was a little bit different. So then we dove into arm slot and arm path and everything."

He means everything. Winn has made changes to his delivery, has implemented a shorter throwing stroke and has toyed with his repertoire.

He steps to the side now in the full windup, which he thinks gives him more momentum. The shorter arm path helps him be on time and in the strike zone more consistently. He has added a cutter and has switched to a sweeping slider.

Tiegs helped Winn tackle those issues and another. He also needed to jolt of confidence.

"He got a rude awakening in the beginning, and when he struggled, I don't think he knew what to do," Tiegs said. "He was 22 years old and had yet to fail ... . It was a learning curve for sure. I told him that if you're going to fail you have to learn from it. Otherwise, you're just going to keep on failing."

The biggest issue was that Winn, the 15th overall pick in the 2018 draft, could not throw strikes as he had in the past. He walked 87 in 121 2/3 innings and put himself in bad counts against hitters the best hitters he had ever faced. They made him pay.

Throw in that the Pacific Coast League is a brutal place to pitch, with several teams playing at elevation, and Winn was doomed. He finished with a 6.51 ERA, but he turned in some of his pitching to end the season.

"We had to figure out how not to be afraid of the zone anymore," Tiegs said. "It was a lot, but he was 22. We tried to do some things during the season. That got us off and running on the right foot. The velocity was back up. The strikes were back up. He kind of road that into the offseason."

For every spot Winn dropped in industry prospect rankings, be mindful that he didn't drop in the Rangers' rankings. They never reconsidered adding him to the 40-man roster, and despite the infusion of pitching talent in the past three drafts, the Rangers still place Winn in their top tier of pitching prospects.

Great article

 

[DTC]

Rangers Sign Robbie Grossman

The Rangers announced agreement with veteran outfielder Robbie Grossman on a one-year major league contract. The deal will reportedly guarantee him …

www.mlbtraderumors.com

 

[Kelleyman]

Rangers Sign Robbie Grossman

The Rangers announced agreement with veteran outfielder Robbie Grossman on a one-year major league contract. The deal will reportedly guarantee him …

www.mlbtraderumors.com

Looks like a platoon in LF with Grossmans and TBA likely Miller. Move does not bode well with Smith and Duran. They may get more grooming in AAA