What to know about the Texas Rangers before the start of spring training on Wednesday
The Texas Rangers will officially open defense of their World Series title on Wednesday when they begin spring training in Surprise, Ariz.
The Rangers won their first World Series championship after posting a regular-season record of 90-72.
Bruce Bochy enters his second year at the helm of the Texas Rangers. The Rangers were less busy in this offseason than they have been in the past, instead focusing on resigning existing players.
The Rangers enter the upcoming season with the fifth-best odds of winning the World Series title according to Fanduel.
Pitchers and catchers report for spring training on Wednesday with the first full team workout on Monday. The Rangers open spring training against the Kansas City Royals at 2:05 on Feb. 23 at Surprise Stadium.
Here’s what to look for as the Rangers prepare for spring training as the Ranger and prepare for their first-ever regular season title defense.
Key free-agent departures
The Rangers retained most of the key players from their title run, but did lose several key pieces including relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman who signed a one-year deal with the San Diego Padres.
The Rangers also lost backup catcher and designated hitter Mitch Garver, who signed a two-year contract with the Seattle Mariners, and pitcher, Martin Perez who signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Injury status for Rangers
Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer are both slated to miss the beginning of the regular season with an elbow injury and a lower back injury. The Rangers will also be without Jordan Montgomery who has not resigned, but remains a free agent. MLB insiders predict Montgomery will resign with the Rangers.
Free agent signing Tyler Mahle, who signed a two-year $22 Million contract, will recover from Tommy John surgery and most likely will not appear until closer to the all-star break.
World Series MVP Corey Seager received surgery for a sports hernia but is expected to be ready by opening day.
Young players to watch
The Rangers’ top two prospects, Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford, will participate in spring training. Carter is a lock for the regular-season roster after an impressive late-season debut when he batted .306 with five home runs and 12 RBIs. He is expected to be a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year.
Langford excelled at each level of the minor leagues in his first professional season. He hit .360 with 10 home runs and 30 RBIs while playing from Single-A to Triple-A ball. Langford is another favorite for Rookie of the Year according to MLB executives who picked him as the fourth most likely player to win the award.
40-man roster
Starting pitchers: Jose Corniell, Jacob deGrom, Dane Dunning, Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney, Antoine Kelly, Zak Kent, Jake Latz, Tyler Mahle, Max Scherzer, Cole Win
Relief pitchers: Gant Anderson, Cody Bradford, Brock Burke, Marc Church, Carson Coleman, Jonathan Hernández, José Leclerc, David Robertson, Yerry Rodríguez, Josh Sborz, Owen White, Kirby Yates
Catchers: Jonah Heim, Sam Huff, Andrew Knizner
Infielders: Ezequiel Duran (SS), Justin Foscue (2B), Josh Jung (3B), Nathaniel Lowe (1B), Jonathan Ornelas (3B), Corey Seager (SS), Marcus Semien (2B), Josh Smith (SS)
Outfielders: Evan Carter, AdolisGarcía, Dustin Harris, Travis Jankowski, Leody Taveras, OF
Non-roster Invitees
Starting pitchers: Danny Duffy, Jack Leiter, Emiliano Teodo, José Ureña, Grant Wolfram
Relief pitchers: Gerardo Carrillo, Diego Castillo, Shane Greene, Jonathan Holder, Austin Pruitt, Daniel Robert, Chasen Shreve, Blake Taylor, Jesús Tinoco
Catchers: José Godoy, Liam Hicks, Andrew Knapp, Matt Whatley
Infielders: Blaine Crim (1B), Matt Duffy (3B), Abimelec Ortiz (1B), Jared Walsh (1B), Davis Wendzel (SS)
Outfielders: Sandro Fabian, Elier Hernández, Derek Hill, Wyatt Langford, Aaron Zavala
