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Inside The Rangers Mailbag From Surprise: Spring Training, Greg Bird, and More Astros

The latest edition of the Inside The Rangers mailbag comes from a very wet Surprise, Arizona.

SURPRISE, Ariz. – The Rangers had a game scheduled against the Brewers on Saturday, February 22nd. Unfortunately, a lengthy downpour of precipitation has nixed any baseball in northwest Phoenix. 

With the extra time, this seems like a great opportunity to answer your questions. 

[Greg] Bird demonstrated his power in NY despite his plague of injuries. Are there any real expectations that he can significantly contribute to this team throughout the season?
-Sean D., Maud, TX

Obviously, the biggest question with Greg Bird is his health. I had a chance to talk to him earlier this week and he is adamant that he is healthy. He's looked good in batting practice, as well as live BP's, but it's very early in the spring.

Ronald Guzman has a leg up on everyone competing for his job. If he can prove he's made strides with the bat, Guzman will win the job outright. If not and Bird has a strong spring and stays healthy, he could give Rangers management their most difficult decision of the spring. 

Greg Bird is a non-roster invitee, so in order for him to make the roster, the Rangers would have to make a subsequent move to make room on the 40-man roster. 

Are there any Rangers players who stand out in camp?
-Jim G., Oklahoma City, OK

I've liked what I've seen from Greg Bird, Taylor Hearn, Ronald Guzman. Obviously, Bird and Guzman are fighting for the job at first base and both have come to camp ready to compete. 

Taylor Hearn is someone who impresses me with the way he's carrying himself coming off a lost season. With Hearn also having an impressive debut on Friday against the Royals, that has opened up not just my eyes, but some in the Rangers' organization as well. 

Taylor Guerreri is interesting as well. On Saturday, Chris Woodward praised Guerreri's curveball, calling it the "best in baseball." As the spring rolls on, he's a name to watch as a vast number of arms compete for a spot in the bullpen.

Do you see Rangers keeping Mathis as the 40-man backup catcher rather than giving it someone at this point?
-Kathy R., McKinney, TX

Jeff Mathis is the number two catcher right now behind Robinson Chirinos. Yes, Mathis had a poor season with the bat. He also worked very well with the pitching staff last season and has had a very positive impact in camp so far with the new pitchers and even the other catchers. 

Mathis was overused last season. His body wore down, plain and simple. With the reduced role and the new retractable-roof stadium, Mathis should produce better offensively. 

We know the top 3 starters are. How many starts and innings are they going to have in Spring Training? And how many starts do you see with the other starters competing for #4,5 getting?
Jeff H., Spring, TX

First, the starting rotation is set, barring any injuries. The top three are obviously Minor, Lynn, and Kluber. Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles are the fourth and fifth starters. The order is yet to be determined, but those five are in the rotation. It's about as close to concrete as it can get. 

Early on, don't expect the rotation guys to get into games much. They're throwing live BP's at this point in spring. They probably won't get into game until the second week of spring training. Manager Chris Woodward even told us that Lance Lynn's first outing of the spring will likely be four innings. It's hard to put a number on how many starts each one will make, but they are all going through their normal programs at this time of the spring. 

The younger guys will be given plenty of opportunities. Kolby Allard, Joe Palumbo, Jonathan Hernandez, and Taylor Hearn will all get an inning here, two innings there. Maybe they get more later into the spring. Brock Burke is still in his rehab program and will likely not be ready for the start of the season at this point. 

How do you think this Astros thing will play out? Not what you want to happen, but how you think it WILL play out? Any further punishments, or just let the current level of noise dissipate?
-Joe S., Garland, TX

If I had to bet, I'd go with the latter. I think it would be very difficult for the commissioner to discipline anyone any further, especially the players. There would be ramifications from the Players Association that I highly doubt Rob Manfred would want to deal with as the season rapidly approaches. 

The only logical discipline I could possibly see Manfred actually do is strip the Astros of their 2017 World Series championship. However, I think that is highly unlikely. Maybe if the players don't shut up about it throughout the course of the season, maybe Manfred mulls it over and does it after the season ends. Again, I wouldn't bet on it. I think he just hopes it will eventually go away. 

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