Texas Rangers Must Choose Between Two Pitchers for Final Opening Day Rotation Spot

The Texas Rangers might have a shutdown starting three, but they're going to have to decide who gets the last rotation spot to round it out.

Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker (55) checks his lineup card. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers, having missed the playoffs three seasons in a row following their first-ever World Series title, spent the majority of the offseason prioritizing pitching. Several new faces will head to Texas and look to help get this franchise back to the playoffs.

One of the biggest moves this offseason for the Rangers was the trade to acquire starting pitcher Mackenzie Gore from the Washington Nationals. Sure, they had to give up a haul to get him, but the move instantly gives the Rangers one of the best rotations in Major League Baseball.

The one-two-three punch of Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Gore is a lineup no team would want to see in a playoff series. But before they think about the playoffs, they need to get things right in the regular season, and they are going to need help from their fourth starter, Jack Leiter.

But with Leiter as the fourth, the Rangers find themselves needing to fill one more spot, and the answer might not be as clear as the others. According to MLB.com's Kennedi Landry, the Rangers will decide between Jacob Latz and Kumar Rocker.

Jacob Latz's Case

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Jacob Latz (67) throws a pitch | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

Latz has been with the franchise for four seasons, and last year was by far his best. Finishing with a 1.4 WAR and an ERA of 2.84 in 33 games of action, including eight starts, he has a case to hold the last rotation spot.

Putting Latz in the rotation would mean that the Rangers would have two southpaws, which could easily work to their favor. According to Landry, Latz held a 2.72 ERA as a starter and a 2.93 ERA as a reliever, something that the Rangers can't overlook given their surplus of depth signings.

Kumar Rocker's Case

Texas Rangers pitcher Kumar Rocker during media day. | Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images

Rocker didn't have as much success as Latz did last season, but he was serviceable for Texas. His 5.74 ERA and -1.0 WAR aren't the kind of numbers that make you stand out for earning a starting role. This spring training hasn't gotten any better.

So far this spring, Rocker has pitched in 4.2 innings and has been hit hard. Allowing seven hits, three runs, and a WHIP of 1.714 has earned him an ERA of 5.79. The case for Rocker compared to Latz is that he allows the Rangers to have another right-hander in the mix, making that a 4-1 ratio.

The rotation that includes Latz along with deGrom, Eovaldi, Gore and Leiter seems more threatening than one with Rocker, compared to last year and this spring.