No matter the sport, every team has their share of down years. This season, the Texas Rangers seem to have accepted their role of token cellar dwellers. With only a handful of games left on the 2020 slate and a record of 15-28, the Rangers are opting to use this time to get a glimpse of their future by giving some of their top rookies a shot at the Major League level. Let’s take a look at the Rangers 2020 rookie players.
Outfield Help
Centerfielder Leody Taveras has been a priority to watch for the Rangers in 2020. While he still has some things to improve on, front office executives should be pleased with his performance. For now, it seems as if Taveras is in the lineup for his glove rather than his bat. The 22-year old is only hitting .224 with two home runs, two RBI, and 11 runs scored. With time comes experience. Time is short, however, and so are opportunities for this year. Right now, Taveras isn’t getting enough at-bats to be successful. Hopefully, that will change in 2021.
On the Mound
The sample size is a big factor in baseball. Sometimes it’s unfair to judge a player based on how much playing time he gets, but it can also be encouraging as well. For Rangers starting pitcher Kyle Cody, it is a little bit of both. Cody has a record of 0-1 with an earned run average of 0.93. The pitching staff as a whole isn’t getting enough run support, and that goes especially for Cody. When your ERA is less than one, it just isn’t right to place all the blame on the pitcher for his record. Who knows? Cody could go 3-0 over his remaining starts, while barely allowing any runs. It’s not going to matter if his team can’t score him some runs. The Rangers will learn more about what he can do the more he pitches.
Behind the Plate
The Rangers like their catchers. They always have. Hall of Fame backstop Ivan Rodriguez can attest to that. This year, the Rangers have utilized several catchers from Robinson Chirinos, who was traded to the New York Mets at the deadline, to Jose Trevino. Now they have rookie Sam Huff at their disposal. He is ranked as the second-best prospect in the Rangers farm system. Manager Chris Woodward said that Huff will get playing time while he is on the active roster. He will make his first start behind the dish this evening as the Rangers open a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics.
Help for the Veteran Players
Rookies are also depended on to provide help for the older guys who have either been injured or just need some rest. Catcher Jose Trevino suffered a sprained left wrist in Wednesday’s 7-3 over the Los Angeles Angels. It was at that point that the Rangers decided to promote Sam Huff to the Major Leagues. “We’re excited about it,” Manager Chris Woodward said. “I didn’t want to see Trevino go down for any time period. But if it meant getting Sam here for that reason, I think we were all kind of on board with that. He’s obviously put a ton of work in on the other side, just in his game-calling and thought process in games and how he would handle it if he got called up.”
The Rangers may be out of the playoff hunt, but they still have plenty to be excited about. While we have seen some of the Rangers rookie players in 2020, Texas still has some big talent on the horizon.
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