Kluber K's Four in Spring Debut; Rangers Defeat Dodgers 8-6

The Rangers improved to 5-4 in Cactus League play with an 8-6 win over the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. Today's game was highlighted by Corey Kluber's Rangers debut, which is a great place to start in our three takeaways from today's win.

Corey Kluber's Rangers Debut

Corey Kluber's much anticipated debut as a Texas Ranger didn't go as flawless as fans may have hoped, but some of the traits that won Kluber two Cy Young awards were on display on Sunday.

Kluber pitched three innings, allowed two hits, two runs, two walks, hit a batter, and struck out four. He struggled with his command a bit in the first inning. He got into a bases-load, nobody-out jam, allowing a ground ball single then walked the next two batters. He was able to strike out Enrique Hernandez, then allowed two soft grounders, one of which the baserunner from third scored on.

Kluber was much better 2nd inning. After hitting Luke Raley with a pitch, he struck out the next three batters in order. In the third inning, Kluber got two quick groundouts, but then served up a solo home run to Enrique Hernandez. He then got another soft groundout to end the inning.

With it being the first outing of spring training, the results aren't nearly as important as the eye test, which Kluber passed. His pitches looked sharp, especially the curveball, which buckled a few knees. The velocity of his fastball sat in the low-90's, hitting 92 more than once. Kluber was never a guy that would blow people away, but it's good to see his velocity there along with the sharp movement on his pitches.

As Kluber continues to get work in this spring, we'll want to keep a close eye on how those pitches continue to look, along with how well he commands them. If he can command pitches the way he did when he won two Cy Young awards in 2014 and 2017, the Rangers could benefit greatly and have a bonafide ace atop their rotation.

Joey Gallo and Sam Huff Go Yard

Joey Gallo finally hit his first home run of the spring. It wasn't hit far, but it was a low laser that went over the right field wall. Results in spring training aren't everything, but seeing Gallo get a nice swing on a pitch like that is always nice to see.

Rangers catching prospect Sam Huff had the home run of the day. He hit a mammoth shot that nearly cleared the batters eye in straightaway center field, which is 410 feet away. Camelback Ranch isn't equipped with Statcast, so we didn't get an official distance on it, but it was substantial.

Slam Huff nearly clearing the batter's eye!

No. 74 on our list of #MLB's Top 100 prospects: https://t.co/jEPN6X6ay8

And the #Rangers' representative on our list of each @MLB organization's top power prospect: https://t.co/PWzBvP151T pic.twitter.com/BQh6I4MZp3
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 1, 2020

Huff won't make the team out of camp and will probably start the year in Double-A Frisco, but he is the Rangers catcher of the future. He's got a high ceiling as a rare two-way catcher that has solid defense with a strong arm coupled with a power bat. He's got some things to clean up with his swing and approach before he's Major League ready, but he showcased that raw power in Glendale today.

Luke Farrell Continues to Impress

Luke Farrell has had a solid spring. He continued that today with a scoreless inning. He walked two, but struck out one and most importantly, posted a zero in the top of the 4th inning. His pitches continued to look sharp today.

The Rangers have a decision to make with Farrell. He could be transitioned to a relief role, in which he becomes a potential finalist for a spot in the Rangers bullpen from the start of the season. If the Rangers keep him as a starter, he'll almost certainly start the season at Triple-A Nashville, unless injuries cripple the starting rotation in the next three weeks.

Farrell is one of several young Rangers pitchers who have looked sharp this spring. This is obviously a sight fans want to see. There's a lot of skepticism on how well the Rangers develop their own pitchers. Seeing guys like Farrell, Jonathan Hernandez, and Taylor Hearn look good in spring training is one of the better developments from Rangers camp this spring.

The Rangers travel back to Surprise to play the Cleveland Indians on Monday afternoon at Surprise Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 PM CT.

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