Rangers Need to Inject Real Competition Into Their Next Spring Training

Whenever the Texas Rangers get to convene in Surprise for spring training, don’t be surprised if more players are looking over their shoulders.

Texas Rangers center fielder Evan Carter. Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As the Texas Rangers conducted their autopsy of the 2026 season, something became abundantly clear — they didn’t have enough depth.

That became an issue midway through the season as injuries hampered Corey Seager, Wyatt Langford and Danny Jansen. Texas had to augment the losses with free agent signings like catcher Elias Diaz and infielder Nicky Lopez. Both worked out well for the Rangers.

But Texas would not have had to work the waiver wire if it had more depth. But depth comes with competition. As Rangers leadership traced the season, they found there simply wasn’t enough in spring training. It sounds like that’s going to change next year in Surprise.

“I think I think that brings out the best in the player, and that's why I think this offseason is going to be big for a lot of guys coming into spring training to fight for a position,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said.

Rangers Competition Coming?

Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker. Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

At spring training last February, the Rangers had more than 70 players at Major League spring training. But the reality is there were only two true competitions for the starting lineup. One was second base, where several players competed to replace Marcus Semien, who was traded in the offseason to the New York Mets. The other was for the fifth starter spot in the rotation between Kumar Rocker and Jacob Latz.

Rocker won the fifth spot and Latz ended up becoming an All-Star closer.

Otherwise, the starting lineup was baked in. Most of the depth the Rangers brought into “compete” ended up in Triple-A Round Rock, with most of them opting to hit free agency to find a new home.

The lack of depth hurt in areas where the Rangers underperformed offensively, including center field, where Evan Carter was healthy most of the season but batted under .200. Late in the season the Rangers resorted to using Ezequiel Duran there against left-handed pitching. Texas also had few options when first baseman Jake Burger struggled.

Texas lucked into a backstop when Jack Leiter went on the injured list and Cal Quantrill took his place. But the Rangers had no options to give Rocker a break when he struggled as the fifth starter.

Both Schumaker and Young said they want a more competitive spring training. They want competition that can take jobs this time around. They want players looking over their shoulder in a way they weren’t in 2026. Both hope that leads to a better lineup and better results in 2027.

“When you have multiple guys fighting for one spot, I think that is really, really healthy, and you're in a really good spot as an organization,” Schumaker said.

After baking in a lineup that didn’t work right in 2026, it would appear the Rangers are ready to make bigger changes in 2027 with real competition.