Greg Bird is Looking to Shed the Health Stigma in Opportunity With Rangers
The Rangers have themselves a competition at first base. And that wasn't an accident.
The Rangers brought in Greg Bird to compete for the first base job with Ronald Guzman. So far in spring training games, the two have alternated every other day. But before we dive more into that, let's rewind to the beginning of the offseason.
When Jon Daniels was putting together his roster for 2020, the mindset was to pivot away from the previous three-year rebuild, retool, or whatever label you want to slap on it. The goal from the outset of the offseason was to shift toward contending for a playoff spot. The strongest indication of that was the increase of payroll from ownership, which has increased to a projected $145.5 million. As with anything else in life, if more money is invested, there should be an expected return on that investment.
Something else to be considered, the Rangers didn't build a new ballpark with the expectation to be mediocre. If they did, they pulled off a heist of gargantuan proportions, stealing $500 million from the citizens of Arlington, all for a shiny new home with air conditioning. After all, there's still a sect of the fanbase that was just fine sweating their tails off in the scorching North Texas summers. Globe Life Park was and is still a beautiful gem of a ballpark that hosted the most successful run in franchise history.
The Rangers went out this winter to get Anthony Rendon. That was their guy. They knew if they landed him, they've got their third baseman for the next several years, along with a face of the franchise heading into a new era of Rangers baseball. However, they were outbid by their rivals in Southern California, and now Rendon will dress in Angels' red and white.
Despite what you may or may not have read on Twitter, the world didn't end when Rendon went to the Angels. The Rangers were never "all in" on 2020, but signing a marquee superstar player would have helped escalate the process towards World Series contention.
Jon Daniels quickly pivoted from the Rendon loss and upgraded the starting rotation, making that the overwhelming strength of the 2020 Texas Rangers. But with nearly nobody left in free agency at positions of need in the field, throwing a ton of money at someone who isn't worth it is a useless endeavor.
So, Daniels had to be creative.
The Rangers have a good amount of talent within the organization right now. Some of those players are only a step or two away from becoming what the organization envisioned them to be. However, the stigma surrounding the Rangers is they can't develop their own talent, or at least don't do it well, especially on the pitching side. So, with a new ballpark and a new era of Rangers baseball, there couldn't be a better time to break that stigma.
Daniels has brought in a vast number of non-roster invitees into camp this year, creating a number of internal competitions. Bringing in quality, established Major League talent who are hungry for another chance can hopefully push the younger guys. Or maybe, they find another Danny Santana or Hunter Pence. It's a low-risk move that could pay serious dividends as it did for the Rangers in 2019.
Now, let's fast forward back to the first base competition.
Rangers' incumbent first baseman Ronald Guzman has shown Rangers management that he can handle the glove at first base. That's almost never been the question with him. The concern has been about his bat and if he can consistently produce at the Major League level.
After being slightly better than replacement level at the plate in 2018, Guzman took a substantial step backward in 2019. Guzman slashed .219/.308/.414 with 10 home runs and 36 RBI's in 87 games. Even if he won a Gold Glove for his defense, those are unacceptable numbers from a first baseman.
Guzman isn't going down without a fight. He worked hard this offseason, including working with former-Ranger Nelson Cruz in the Dominican Republic.
One of the most intriguing non-roster signings Jon Daniels made this winter was bringing in former-Yankee Greg Bird, who broke onto the scene in 2015, hitting 11 home runs in 46 games.
Bird was a part of a trio of young Yankees prospects that included Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez. The Yankees spent a good amount of time acquiring these players and developing them with the intention of making them the next young, exciting core in the Bronx.
Injuries derailed Bird's career, including a torn labrum that kept him out for all of 2016. A slew of foot injuries minimized his availability and playing time for the next three seasons.
Seemingly out of nowhere, the Rangers came calling and gave Bird a non-roster invite and a chance to compete for the first base job with Texas.
"I was surprised, to be honest," Bird said. "Pieces fall, everyone's got their boards of who they want and where everyone fits...These guys popped up. I had no idea."
After playing in the Dominican Winter League, Bird came to Rangers camp a week early to start working out. Now with games underway, Bird has showed that he's still the same guy that impressed so many in 2015.
"I've seen a lot of what I expected," Rangers manager Chris Woodward said of Bird. "Coming in, I talked to a lot of people about him. He's obviously got tremendous power and he controls the strike zone. He's kind of a quiet, yet really cool personality. I didn't really know that."
Woodward was excited to see what Bird brought to the table, not just with the strengths in his game, but with his overall approach.
"The way he controls the strike zone, even in batting practice and in his training, it shows," Woodward said. "Everything that people told me, his numbers match and align with that. He values it. He openly talked to me and we had a long conversation about it. He even said, 'That's how you win championships. You control the strike zone, you force that guy to come into the strike zone and when he doesn't, you let it go.' It was everything that we preach. So, it was cool to have that conversation with him."
Bird had one of the most unlucky 0-for-3 days in a game against Seattle this past Sunday afternoon in Peoria. He lined a shot to first base, only to be snagged by a diving Evan White. He also hit a hard line drive to the left-center field wall, only for Mallex Smith to snare it right before smacking into the wall.
Despite the 0-for-3, Bird was amped to be back in a Major League game again.
"Good swings, good first day," Bird said with a smile. "It's just baseball. I loved it, I'm not going to lie."
Bird has also shown that he is capable to handle the position with his glove. If Ronald Guzman had any leg up on Bird, it was going to be his health and his glove. But if Bird can show he can play well defensively at first base, that only helps his cause for a roster spot.
"I was surprised with him defensively. I heard he was better than advertised, and that's true," Woodward said. "He's really committed to his footwork, especially being a right-handed first baseman. He works hard at the position."
When the Rangers came calling, the natural question with Bird wasn't about his ability, but about his health. Since he's healthy now, the characteristics that made him a fifth-round pick and a top-prospect for the Yankees have been on display in Surprise. But, when someone has dealt with injuries for four years, it's justified to be concerned about his health. Bird wasn't shy when we asked him about it.
"I'm feeling great, normal," Bird said. "It's a broken record, honestly. I know you got to ask, but I hate hearing it, I'm not going to lie to you. That's where everything starts with me – 'If you're healthy.' I hate it. It's not anyone's fault. You guys have to ask it, I have to answer it. It's just how this works. So, I get it. But, it will be fine."
That "it will be fine" was said with a smile. If anything, I respect Bird for showing us that side of him. After four years of injury after injury after injury, it's more than understandable for someone to want to shed the stigma that's been attached to them – fairly or unfairly.
Does that sound familiar? Shedding a stigma? Maybe Bird and the Rangers are destined for each other after all.
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