Texas Rangers Outfielder Leody Taveras Took Big Steps in 2023
The Texas Rangers are in the midst of trying to make the postseason for the first time since they won the American League West in 2016. Along the way, they’ve seen incredible contributions from both established stars and young players.
Marcus Semien and Corey Seager have taken the headlines, thanks to their incredible offensive seasons. But bottom-of-the-order production has been just as critical, and it’s come from several different sources this season.
Leody Taveras has locked down center field for Texas.
Ezequiel Duran — who re-fashioned himself into a utility man this season — is one of them. MLB.com recently analyzed every team and selected one player for each team that took a big step forward this season.
The site’s selection wasn’t Duran. It was, however, outfielder Leody Taveras.
Per MLB.com:
Earlier this season, it seemed like the real Taveras -- the one who was once the Rangers' top prospect in 2020 -- had finally arrived at the big league level. Through the end of May, he was hitting .310/.369/.434 with a .803 OPS (123 OPS+) in 41 games. He was unable to sustain that pace, and even struggled to a .194 average in August, but he’s held his own in a powerful Rangers lineup.
Taveras has found his bat again in September, as he hit .375 in his first 11 games of the month. The call-up of Evan Carter hasn’t impacted his playing time nor is approach at the plate.
As Taveras remains a bottom-of-the-order option, he is closing in on a regular season in which he could hit better than .270 — assuming he can get over the sore hand that has kept him out of the lineup for two games this week.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
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