The 2015 Texas Rangers will certainly have a flashback look to their lineup despite a change at the top.
New manager Jeff Banister, whose upbeat attitude was infectious in spring training, will get a chance to manage a Texas lineup that closely resembles what the club hoped the 2014 lineup was supposed to look like before injuries cost the Rangers more than 2,000 games lost to the disabled list.
Whether that lineup is good enough to keep the Rangers in the thick of the race in a deep American League West remains to be seen. Despite opening the year with a healthy batting order, the club has already lost ace Yu Darvish and prospect Jurickson Profar for the season.
Injuries won’t be an excuse for an organization that’s been to the postseason three times since 2010.
“I’m personally not taking the position, ‘Here we go again,’” general manager Jon Daniels said.
And with good reason. The Rangers are in better shape than they were last season because they have addressed their biggest concern in rotation depth. Despite the loss of Darvish, the Rangers still have newcomer Yovani Gallardo, a healthy Derek Holland, a healthy Colby Lewis and the newly acquired Ross Detwiler, who was obtained from Washington in the offseason.
The key could be a revamped bullpen that searched for a left-handed reliever all spring and will re-insert Neftali Feliz into the closer’s role that he had when the Rangers were going to consecutive World Series in 2010-2011. Tanner Scheppers, who missed most of 2014, is also back in the set-up man role he had in 2013.
“I’ve said all along you’re only as good as your bullpen but your bullpen’s only as good as your rotation,” pitching coach Mike Maddux said. “We can’t overwork those guys. To go out there and get six or seven good innings out of your starter you’ve got to be able to bring it open. I think we’re in a situation where we have guys that can shorten the game.”
As many pitching problems as the Rangers had last year they were still competitive until they lost key offensive contributors like Prince Fielder, Shin-Soo Choo and Mitch Moreland to injury. All three are healthy and will hit in key spots in the Texas lineup.
While the bullpen can bail out the rotation and vice versa, Texas knows if it is to compete with the likes of Seattle and Los Angeles in the West, the offense has to produce.
ROSTER REPORT
ROTATION:
1. RHP Yovani Gallardo
2. LHP Derek Holland
3. RHP Colby Lewis
4. LHP Ross Detwiler
5. RHP Nick Martinez
Losing ace RHP Yu Darvish after just one inning of Cactus League work was a huge blow to a team whose offseason focus was upgrading its rotation. The Darvish loss moved the other three rotation locks up a spot in the pecking order and secured a rotation spot for Detwiler.
Detwiler hasn’t started a regular-season game in the majors since 2013 but was one of the most effective starters the Rangers had in Arizona and would have won a rotation spot with his performance alone regardless of the Darvish injury.
It took until the final week of spring training for manager Jeff Banister to anoint Martinez as the No. 5 starter. He was the most impressive starter the Rangers had in spring, posting an 0.84 ERA in his first three outings. It’s the second consecutive spring he’s made the Opening Day rotation, having done so in 2014 despite not spending a day in big-league camp.
BULLPEN:
RHP Neftali Feliz (closer)
RHP Tanner Scheppers
RHP Shawn Tolleson
RHP Keone Kela
LHP Sam Freeman
RHP Kyuji Fujikawa
RHP Lisalverto Bonilla or Nick Tepesch
Feliz is back as the primary closer after spending most of the 2014 season in Triple-A. While his velocity is still a work in progress he was able to get outs in spring training.
There could still be plenty of moving pieces behind Feliz and set-up man Scheppers. Tolleson, the club’s most effective reliever last season, was playing catch-up at the end of camp because he was slowed by forearm stiffness.
The long-man role is still to be determined as both Bonilla and Tepesch lost out on a rotation bid. Bonilla may have the edge because of his ability to miss bats. There’s little experience in the group, though, as Kela has never pitched above Double-A. Kela didn’t allow a run in Arizona but has never pitched more than 49 innings in a professional season. Freeman was acquired on March 28 from St. Louis and provides some experience from the left side, having pitched in 81 games over the last three seasons for the Cardinals.
LINEUP:
1. CF Leonys Martin
2. SS Elvis Andrus
3. RF Shin-Soo Choo
4. 3B Adrian Beltre
5. 1B Prince Fielder
6. DH Mitch Moreland
7. C Robinson Chirinos
8. LF Ryan Rua
9. 2B Rougned Odor
The top of the order is the way many people envisioned the Rangers using their lineup in 2014 before injuries decimated the club. Texas as speed at the top as Martin has two seasons of at least 30 steals under his belt, and Andrus has four. Andrus was the club’s best hitter in spring, which is huge given his disappointing 2014 season (.263 average, 41 RBIs).
Manager Jeff Banister said he’ll mix things up with the heart of his order but that Choo, Beltre and Fielder would make it up. Fielder showed no ill effects of the neck issue that led to surgery and limited him to 42 games last season.
Moreland, who also had his season cut short last year because of surgery, had no issues with his surgically repaired left ankle. Rua won the lone position battle in spring, beating out Ryan Ludwick and Jake Smolinski for the spot in left. He has hit at every level he’s played, and he batted .295 in 28 games for Texas last year.
RESERVES:
C Carlos Corporan
2B/SS Adam Rosales
OF Jake Smolinski
OF Delino DeShields Jr.
Corporan has stepped in and worked with the staff well since being acquired from Houston in January and will provide a solid backup to Chirinos, who is in his first full season as the primary guy.
Rosales can play all four infield positions as well as the outfield, which helped him win the utility spot despite a less-than-spectacular spring at the plate.
Smolinksi, who hit better than .300 for the Rangers last season in limited time, pushed Ryan Rua for the starting spot in left but will have to settle for making an Opening Day roster for the first time in his career. DeShields Jr. won the final spot because of his ability to come off the bench late and steal a base and the fact the Rangers didn’t want to lose him because he was a Rule 5 pick last November. DeShields, who will be the backup in center, has had at least 50 steals in each of the last three seasons in the minors.
MEDICAL WATCH:
–LHP Martin Perez (Tommy John surgery in May of 2014) has started throwing off a mound as of March 30. He’s still on target to be a rotation candidate following the All-Star break.
–LHP Matt Harrison (spinal fusion surgery in June of 2014) has hit all his marks so far this spring. There’s still no timetable on a return for Harrison, who is attempting to be the first player to pitch in the majors after having the surgery.
–OF Antoan Richardson (herniated disc surgery March 27) will start the season on the DL and is expected to miss at least six weeks.
–2B Jurickson Profar (right labrum surgery in February of 2015) will start the season on the 60-day disabled list and has all but been ruled out for the entire 2015 season.
–RHP Yu Darvish (Tommy John surgery in March of 2015) will start the season on the 60-day disabled list and begin rehabbing his elbow in Arlington next month.