Texas Rangers Veteran States Early Case for Starting Rotation Spot

Jon Gray made his first spring start of the year for the Texas Rangers, facing the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz.

Gray was given a 9-0 lead in the first inning, and as any good pitcher would, he focused on throwing strikes and keeping the opposing team off the scoreboard. He looked sharp, primarily using two pitches: his four-seam fastball and his slider. His location was solid, and he pitched aggressively, without the need for a pitch clock.

Overall, Gray pitched two innings, facing six batters and retiring all of them on 26 pitches. Of those 26 pitches, 15 were fastballs, nine were sliders, and one was a curveball. Nineteen of the 26 pitches were strikes or put in play, compared to only seven that were out of the zone. Gray reached a top velocity of 94.7 mph, though his lone strikeout was more a result of pitch movement than velocity.

In a post-game press conference, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required) asked Gray about throwing just one curveball.

“It was my fault with the curveball," he said. "The shape was good with it but I just never threw it in the zone enough to keep using it.”

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy was also impressedw with Gray's outing.

“I thought it was really good,” Bochy said. “He looked sharp, didn’t he? Slider was good, fastball, good two innings from him.”

In the first inning, Gray faced the top of the White Sox lineup: right-fielder Michael Tauchmann, center fielder Luis Robert Jr., and third baseman Miguel Vargas. Gray was aggressive and throwing strikes. Tauchmann ambushed his first 92.2 mph four-seamer and lined it to left with an exit velocity of 102.0 mph. However, Rangers left-fielder Dustin Harris made a good play, tracking down the slicing line drive for the first out.

Gray retired Robert Jr. with a well-placed slider on the outside corner, forcing Robert Jr. to roll over and hit the ball to third base. Gray ended the inning by striking out Vargas on a four-seamer with good movement.

The second inning was much the same. Gray faced first-baseman Joey Gallo, designated hitter Brandon Drury and catcher Omar Narvaez. After falling behind Gallo, Gray threw a 93 mph four-seamer that caught too much of the plate. The pitch had enough run on it to miss the barrel and Gallo lined softly to newly positioned center fielder Josh Smith for the first out.

Gray closed out the inning with another solid outside corner slider that Drury hooked to the left of third baseman Jonathan Ornelas, who made a nice play for a groundout. Narvaez made loud contact, but Gray managed to get the pitch enough inside, resulting in either a broken bat or a foul ball. On an 0-2 count, Gray threw a 93.2 mph fastball that was in off the plate, causing Narvaez to weakly dribble the ball to second base for an easy groundout.

Gray’s sharp performance this early in the spring is an excellent sign. His location was solid, and his slider looked effective. He consistently achieved good movement on his fastball, effectively challenging Narvaez, who was hitting left-handed.

The performance is a positive indication for Gray as he looks to build on it. Expect him to focus on his curveball and changeup to develop a reliable third pitch.

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