Rangers Trio Finding Their Stride At The Plate
In just over a week's time, the Texas Rangers will begin playing games that matter.
No more six-inning games. No more rolled over innings. No more re-entry rules.
Just ... baseball — and with fans!
There aren't many people who expect much from the Rangers this season. They are a young and hungry team, but they lack experience and — for some people — enough talent to compete with the rest of the American League West or the big boys in the AL East or NL West.
But if we've learned anything from the Rangers this spring, they won't go down without a fight. They definitely won't be easy to play against. How that results in wins and losses remains to be seen.
What can help get more notches in the win column is more production from the lineup. As the spring comes to a close, three different hitters are beginning to turn it on.
Nick Solak
Some players take a few weeks to get their timing down during spring training. After starting off without a lot of results in Cactus League play, things are beginning to click for Nick Solak.
Over the last week, Solak has produced a lot of results at the plate. Now, he's second on the team in home runs (4) and RBI (9) this spring, and has a .324/.342/.676 slash line.
All four of his home runs have been hit to the opposite field. Rangers manager Chris Woodward wouldn't quite give away whether or not Solak has the second base job wrapped up, but he's done enough to be in the lineup every day.
"He's done a good job," Woodward said after Monday's loss to Colorado. "It's good to see him turning around fastballs. He's been really hitting the ball well lately."
Nate Lowe
Ronald Guzmán has pushed hard to win the job at first base. However, offseason acquisition Nate Lowe has also had a strong spring.
If you were to look at his numbers (.207/.294/.414 with one home run and eight RBI), you probably wouldn't be blown away. But like Solak, Lowe has begun to get his timing down.
“I know he hasn't had a ton of results, but it's just the way this guy works and carries himself. I felt it was kind of a matter of time,” Woodward said. “He's really calm when he takes his at-bats, and I know early when he was punching out looking, he just said, ‘I'm gonna stick with it.’ He knows the strike zone. It's nice to see him get some results today.”
Lowe hit his lone home run of the spring on Saturday, and added two walks and a run scored hitting out of the three-hole in Monday's loss to Colorado.
It's still unclear who will be manning first base on Opening Day. But Lowe has shown the Rangers exactly why they traded for him this past winter.
Khris Davis
The Rangers need thump in the middle of their lineup. Preferably right-handed, and preferably behind Joey Gallo. Khris Davis checks off all the boxes.
However, Davis didn't look anything like the guy that hit 40-plus home runs from 2016-2018 and terrorized the Rangers for so long for the first few weeks of camp.
Over the past week, Davis has hit three home runs (two in "A" games, one in a "B" game), made hard contact much more often, and is even excited about drawing walks.
“He was excited, he threw his bat over our dugout and he kind of gave a nod,” Woodward said after Davis sparked a rally in Saturday's game. “I think when you get a guy to buy into understanding how important that walk is, you're just setting up that entire inning. Maybe we don't score there, but something we've been heavily pressing is getting that guy on, and we set up the scoring after that. It's just constant pressure.”
It appears Davis sidestepped a landmine after being struck in the shoulder and head by a 96-mph fastball on Monday. The Rangers need his impact in the middle of the order. It could help unlock the rest of the Texas lineup.
Promo photo: Kelly Gavin / Courtesy of the Texas Rangers
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Chris Halicke covers the Texas Rangers for InsideTheRangers.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisHalicke.
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