Texas Rangers Pitcher Otto Making Strides for Opening Day Roster
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Glenn Otto is on the cusp of making the 2023 MLB Opening Day roster. In 2022 Otto was third on the club in starts, threw 135.0 innings, and had a WAR of 0.6.
Otto tied Jon Gray on the Rangers with eight quality starts a year ago. Still, he's in stiff competition with fellow starters Dane Dunning, Cole Ragans, Taylor Hearn, and possibly Jake Odorizzi, as potential long relievers for the season.
Two weeks into camp, Otto says he's in a good spot.
"[I'm] trying to get the bumps and bruises out of the way. Overall feel like the process is coming along and feeling healthy and strong," Otto told Inside the Rangers. "[I'm] looking to carry that forward into the season. Accumulate as many innings as possible."
Otto talked multiple times last season about trusting his stuff. He entered Spring Training in 2022 talking about how that was the one thing he learned throughout the offseason.
"With more experience, you definitely grow in that aspect," Otto said. "You just have to go out and do it. As much as I've talked about it, it's time to go out and actually do it and prioritize attacking and making it easy."
In three Spring Training appearances Otto allowed five runs, four hits, nine strikeouts, and five walks. In his last outing, Otto threw three scoreless innings but walked two and hit a batter.
Otto received help from his defense in the first inning on a line drive double play started by first baseman Nathaniel Lowe. After the first inning, Otto was in cruise control, allowing one baserunner in seven batters faced.
"First inning was a little shaky, [but] got out of the jam," he said. "[The] second and third inning was [about] attacking the zone a lot better. [It's] giving myself more of a chance [and] simplifying. [The] third inning was quick [and the] second inning was quick. Twenty-eight pitches in three innings, you can't ask for better than that."
The walks became an issue for Otto last season. His 62 walks were second on the club, just Martín Pérez who threw 61.0 innings more than Otto.
Staying away from the walks was a point of emphasis from Rangers manager Bruce Bochy this spring.
Bochy mentioned he liked the bounce back in the two following innings but acknowledged Otto looked off in the first inning.
"Pitching is easy when you make it easy, but when you're falling behind 2-0, 3-0, 3-1, everything is in a hitter's favor. They get a lot more comfortable," Otto said. "There's going to be some stuff that needs to be cleaned up, but that's why we are in Spring Training. [I'm] just trying to simplify, put pressure on [the hitters], and execute each pitch one pitch at a time."
You can find Alex Plinck on Twitter @aplinckTX.
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