Rangers Opening Day Roster Projection 1.0: Infield 'Locked In'? Matt Carpenter Fit?
Cactus League action is underway in Arizona, and the Texas Rangers have a lot to figure out in a short amount of time. Not only did the 99-day lockout force a quick ramp up prior to the start of the spring schedule, the team now has 18 Cactus League games instead of the originally scheduled 32 (30 in Arizona, two at Globe Life Field).
That means hitters won't get the number of at-bats they want and pitchers won't get the innings they need. It's also put management in a difficult position of how to properly construct the 26-man roster that will travel north of the border to face the Toronto Blue Jays when the season opens on April 8.
"It's difficult to make the decision we probably would want to with the most information possible," said manager Chris Woodward. "We can't. We know that. We told the players that [when camp opened]. It's impossible for us, based on innings and at-bats."
Woodward painted this scenario: If a pitcher goes out and gives up a three-run home run in one inning of work, but then pitches three perfect innings in his next three outings, he'll still have a 6.75 ERA.
Taking into account some of the things Woodward talked about last week, here is our first stab at the Opening Day roster. ... below, The Infield ...
Infield (6): Nathaniel Lowe, Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, Andy Ibáñez, Yonny Hernandez, Charlie Culberson*
*- minor league contract
Nathaniel Lowe, Marcus Semien and Corey Seager are locked into their positions. There are 500 million reasons for Semien and Seager, and Lowe did enough last year to earn regular playing time in 2022. In addition, Woodward said he has very high expectations for Lowe.
Andy Ibáñez will be given "some runway" at third base, but could still bounce around to other positions. The Rangers love the bat and want to see if he can capitalize on a solid performance in 2021. Yonny Hernandez is on the 40-man roster and provides versatility in the field and as a switch-hitter.
Charlie Culberson was one of the most liked players in the clubhouse last season. He also mashed left-handed pitching, slashing .346/.376/.556/.932 in 133 at-bats.
If there's someone who can potentially push for an infield roster spot, it's Matt Carpenter. Like Culberson, he's in camp on a minor league deal, which means someone has to be removed from the 40-man roster to add him.
Ben Ludeman / Courtesy of the Texas Rangers
Ben Ludeman / Courtesy of the Texas Rangers
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Carpenter came into camp late and has yet to get into Cactus League games. He may need some extra time to get ready for the season. Woodward sounded a bit skeptical of Carpenter making the Opening Day roster. It doesn't mean he can't. Obviously, a lot can happen over the next two and a half weeks. But if the team is healthy heading into the season, it sounds like the Rangers would like Carpenter to start in Triple A and see if the adjustments he's made to his swing plays out in games.
Of course, he could derail those plans if he taps into the MVP-caliber player he was several years ago.
"If he gives us any indication that he's the Matt Carpenter of the past, we'd be fools not to have him," Woodward said. "I don't know what that means as far as Opening Day goes. ... It's going to be a short camp. It's hard to know how well we're going to be able to evaluate him."
