As the Rangers prepare for the heart of the offseason shopping season and the bazaar known as the Winter Meetings in early December, we take a look around the roster at where they are and where they might be going.
Right field
Likely starter: Adolis García
On the bench: Bubba Thompson
What happened in 2022: Adolis García answered any lingering questions about whether his 2021 season was a fluke by showing tangible success in just about every area. He lowered his strikeout rate and raised his walk rate. After a second-half swoon in 2021, he was more prepared for the workload, the grind and the approach and posted an .802 second-half OPS in 2022. When the year was done, García had slashed .253/.300/.456/.756. It represented across-the-board improvement. He also hit 27 homers, stole 25 bases and drove in 101 runs. He was the first Ranger since Alfonso Soriano in 2005 to go 25-25-100. He’s proven himself an everyday asset.
By the numbers: 26 – Outfield assists for García over the last two years, the second most in baseball. Teams really should stop running on him. Also, he’s a +19 in defensive runs saved, tied for fourth. He has an exceptional arm and freakish athletic abilities.
Surveying the market: If the Rangers decide to move García to left to fill that hole, Michael Conforto might be the most attractive big bat out there, but he did miss all of 2021 and isn’t expected to take much of a discount because of it. Whether the Rangers are able to pay at that level is largely dependent on how they allocate pitching dollars. Andrew Benintendi might be more reliable with a bit less upside, which might make him more reasonable. And then there is the always tempting reunion with Joey Gallo, who should benefit some from the elimination of shifts. But it also can’t be overlooked that he swung and missed at 117 fastballs in the strike zone last year, which ranked 15th highest in baseball. The Rangers had two guys higher on that list (García at 127 and Nathaniel Lowe at 126). That would create a lot of potential for swing and miss in the middle of the lineup.
On the farm: Take the center field prospects, Evan Carter and Aaron Zavala, and one of them could eventually play right without issue. Want to dive a little deeper? Here’s a name that hasn’t been discussed a ton: Alejandro Osuna, who split 2022 between the two Class A teams as a 19-year-old. He slashed .302/.378/.427/.805 with 34 steals and struck out just 68 times in 409 plate appearances. He did have a high average on batted balls in play, suggesting some fortunate breaks, but he’s got speed and good plate discipline.
The outlook: If García can continue to hone his approach at the plate, an .800 OPS is not out of the question. Perhaps the next big step for him should be considered fairly easy: He needs to take better advantage of left-handed pitching. The right-handed hitter has reverse splits for his first two years in the majors. The overall gap is fairly significant (.759 OPS vs. right-handers, .698 vs. lefties), but there was progress in 2021. Finally given the chance to play in 2021, García is showing the signs of being a late bloomer along the lines of Nelson Cruz. Cruz really started to hit his stride at age 30; Garcia turns 30 in March.
Rangers’ position series
C/DH: Jonah Heim/Mitch Garver
1B: Nathaniel Lowe
2B: Marcus Semien
SS: Corey Seager
3B: Josh Jung
LF: Bubba Thompson
CF: Leody Taveras
RF: Adolis García
More coming soon...
Find more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
