Texas Rangers: 3 key positions for the off-season
The Texas Rangers must decide the direction of their offseason. They have three positions at which they may or may not have to go shopping.
The worst thing that can happen to a franchise is mediocrity. Winning is obviously its own reward. Rebuilding is difficult but promises future success. Teams stuck in between are sort of rudderless, such as the Texas Rangers.
The Texas Rangers finished 78-84 in 2017, the very definition of mediocre. Making matters worse, they play in a division (and state) with the Houston Astros, a powerhouse in the regular season and reigning champion. The climb towards playoff contention is steep.
The roster is composed of several aging veterans, such as Adrian Beltre and Shin-Soo Choo, as well as promising youngsters, including Nomar Mazara and Joey Gallo. Even Rougned Odor is not yet 24 years-old. However, there are three spots in the lineup for which they must decide if they have an in-house candidate or if they must look elsewhere for help.
Watching their in-state rivals and divisional foes, the Houston Astros, raise that Commissioner’s Trophy and celebrate in style should be enough incentive for the team to be active in free agency and bounce back in 2018.
Catcher
When the Rangers traded for Jonathan Lucroy in 2016, they hoped they had a star catcher offensively and defensively. Instead, he slumped badly through the first half of 2017 and had only a .297 OBP when they traded him to Colorado at the deadline. Instead of an extension candidate, they were left with a hole to fill behind the plate.
Longtime backup catcher Robinson Chirinos defaulted into the starting job after the trade. By the time the season ended, he established himself as an on-base and power threat. His 11% walk rate is nice, but add 10 HBP in only 309 PA to his .255 BA and out comes a healthy .360 OBP. 17 HR drove his SLG up to .506 as well.
However, not many catchers become starters for the first time at age 33. Chirinos has never played more than 93 games in a season. He also comes with defensive question marks. He’s been a below average pitch framer is entire career according to Baseball Prospectus’ Framing Runs Above Average.
The Rangers must decide if Chirinos is worthy of the starting catching gig in 2018. Top free agents Alex Avila, Wellington Castillo, and Lucroy himself might not present better options. If they want to upgrade the position they may have to go the trade route.
Left Field
No one started more than 57 games in left field for the Texas Rangers in 2017. Delino Deshields, Nomar Mazara, Joey Gallo, Ryan Rua, Jurickson Profar, and others all spent time at the position. Sorting through the mess has to be an off-season priority.
The favorite to win the job might be Willie Calhoun, a prospect acquired from the Dodgers in the Yu Darvish trade. Calhoun is listed at 5’8, 187 lb., but is likely shorter and heftier. He’s spent most of his minor league career at second base, but few scouts think he could ever stick at an up-the-middle position. What he CAN do is hit. In AAA he slashed .300/.355/.572 with 31 HR, earning a brief call to the majors.
The Texas Rangers must determine if he’s ready for the big leagues on a permanent basis, especially defensively. If not, there are plenty of outfielders in the free agent market. As things stand currently the team might rotate Calhoun, Mazara, and Shin-Soo Choo between LF, RF, and DH.
Joey Gallo is a curious case, a player who can mash, but really doesn’t accomplish much else — except for striking out. He is best served as a DH or even an off the bench power threat.
Center Field
Delino DeShields was a steal of the Rule V draft in 2014. Most players chosen in Rule V either can’t stick as major leaguers and get returned to their original team or struggle badly often losing a year of development.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
DeShields posted a 95 wRC+ in 2015, the year after he was selected, with great base running and lighting speed that portended well for the outfield. The future looked bright.
A few years have passed since then and DeShields has yet to take the next step as a player. He was roughly a league average player at age 25. His hitting is sub-par (decent OBP of .347 but no power whatsoever), but he’s carried by baserunning and defense.
In many ways, DeShields marks the difference between mediocrity and success. He’s a perfectly nice player. He has a unique skill set that any team would value. The great teams have players like him on their bench, such as Cameron Maybin on the Astros, while the mediocre teams rely on such players to start, like Jarrod Dyson on the Mariners.
Next: Nationals: Taylor pros and cons
Are the Texas Rangers satisfied with DeShields in center? In the coming months, we’ll learn the answer, as well as how badly they want to rise up from mediocrity.