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Woo hoo! Texas Rangers Mailbag is back in business.
I’m sure you’re just as excited as I am. I’m not joking. This my job.
The plan is to do this weekly once the regular seasons begin. Questions were a little slow to trickle in for the 2021 maiden voyage, but that’s fine. Things will pick up once Opening Day arrives in, oh, two weeks?
How did that happen?
It’s happening. That’s the good news after that disaster in 2020.
And the first question digs a little deeper into what happened with a fan favorite
Why did manager Chris Woodward sour on Elvis Andrus? The Rangers seemed to have more problems at other positions, but Woodward never really seemed to have confidence in Andrus. —Edward S., Plano
An interesting observation, but not one that I would entirely place on Woodward.
If you look at the best teams in baseball, most of them have a shortstop who is more productive than Andrus ever was, even in his best season in 2017. I’m pretty sure a shortstop, Corey Seager, was MVP of the World Series.
Many in the Rangers organization felt like they needed more from that position, especially at the price ($15 million) Andrus was being paid. Don’t think that didn’t play into the decision to trade him to the Oakland A’s, either.
I would agree, Edward, that Andrus’ 2019 season was good by his standards. He hit 12 home runs, second only to the 20 he hit in 2017. He stole 31 bases that season, too.
That was also his first year as the No. 1 clubhouse leader, following the retirement of Adrian Beltre. Andrus admitted it was bumpy, and maybe that also weighed on the club’s opinion of him.
He also wasn’t the Iron Man he was before his arm was broken in 2018. Just look at his 2020 campaign, which was hampered from the start by a bad back.
Are they going to be better without Andrus? That’s debatable, at least offensively. But they have moved on, regardless of who instigated the change in direction.
With the departure of Elvis, whom do you see as a presence in locker room or in dugout to help team remain cohesive? —Bud P., Gold River, California
Bud, good to hear from you. It appears as if Isiah Kiner-Falefa has already taken a big slice of the void left by Andrus, though it would be unfair to not mention the void created by the departure of Shin-Soo Choo.
Kiner-Falefa, Woodward said, isn’t afraid to speak up or say what’s on his mind, but not in a crazy Zack Greinke kind of way. It’s pretty remarkable for a player who turns 26 next week and is in only his first year as an arbitration-eligible player.
Woodward reports that right fielder Joey Gallo is also a leader, and veteran Kyle Gibson has taken the reins of the pitching staff. Gibson also is the ringleader of the team NCAA Tournament bracket contests and whatever other contests might be held this next three weeks.
Whom do you think from all the names that are generally unknown to the average fan will have the biggest leap forward in 2021? —Joe S., Garland
If the Rangers are among the league leaders in anything, it’s players not known to the average fan.
Think about that. Who is the Rangers’ biggest star? Gallo, right? A lot of baseball fans, not just Rangers fans, would say that.
But who’s next?
For this exercise, we’ll apply “unknown” to the Rangers fan base. Conveniently, that allows me to list Mike Foltynewicz.
Having listened to him after all of his spring appearances, it’s like he’s found the fountain of youth at the age of 29. His fastball velocity is like it was way back when he was 26 and a National League All-Star in 2018.
He’s pumping fastballs at as high as 97 mph, which makes his off-speed pitches that much more effective. It’s a result of renewed strength and confidence, and a fresh start after a rocky 2020 with Atlanta.
From a the prospect ranks, keep an eye on first baseman Curtis Terry. He was not among the initial wave of roster cuts, with Josh Jung and crew. A right-handed hitter, Terry could wiggle into a platoon this season if Ronald Guzman or Nate Lowe falters.
Woodward says there isn’t a pitch Terry can’t hit, and Rangers minor-league folks think he can handle MLB pitching now.
From what I can tell from this distance, this is going to be same song, second verse with Rougie, isn’t it? All that talk of earning his position was just talk, again, wasn’t it? —B. Waits, Cleburne
I find myself in the unusual position of defending Rougned Odor, at least partially. He has made a valiant effort to learn third base and is serviceable enough there to get a chance to be in the Opening Day lineup again. He’s probably not a better option defensively than Brock Holt or Josh Jung.
But will Odor have earned it if he is, indeed, the starting third baseman? Not entirely. As much as the Rangers want to say his contract isn’t a factor in his status on the team, it absolutely still is. He’s no longer the second baseman, but he’s still going to get a chance to earn his $12.33 million salary.
We’ll know after a month if he’s changed at the plate, and that’s really all that matters, isn’t it?
What is media access like this season for Rangers beat writers? —Jocelyn R., Mead, Colorado
Much like last year, media is not allowed in the clubhouse or on the field, hence all those lousy iPhone pictures and videos from spring training. The Rangers are providing daily Zoom access to Woodward and assorted players, and have been helpful in arranging phone calls upon request.
The hope is that things will return to normal late in the season, once players are vaccinated against COVID-19.
But judging by how much money is at stake in the postseason, team owners will do all that they can to avoid COVID outbreaks. The media, which has not been offered any testing by MLB, would seem to be an easy sacrifice.
As I always say, media should not feel entitled to anything. There’s still a job to do, even if it’s not as easy as it was before March 12, 2020.
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