SURPRISE, Ariz. — Freshly cut grass...and freshly cut hair.
Everyone likes to look their best on the first day.
"I think the first day sets the tone for the whole camp," said Texas Rangers outfielder Delino DeShields, showing off his bright blue-dyed hair.
The Rangers held their first team workout of Spring Training in Surprise, Ariz., on Monday.
As the 2019 season draws close, players hope it's nothing like 2018.
"We were last place [in the division] last year, so we have a lot to prove," outfielder/first-baseman Joey Gallo said. "The only thing we can do is go up from here."
"A lot of people on the outside are counting us out, saying we're not gonna be very good," DeShields said. "I think we're going to surprise a lot of people."
A lot of people have changed, since the last time the Rangers played a game – including the hiring of new manager and former Dodgers 3rd-base coach Chris Woodward.
"Woody is awesome," Gallo said. "He's a great communicator. He's so player-friendly. He listens to us and what we have to say."
"He's a player's coach," DeShields said. "He played for a long time. He gets it. It's just a different kind of energy."
"He feels like one of us," outfielder Willie Calhoun said. "He's relaxed and that's what we like. For him being able to connect with us, that's huge."
One voice missing from the Woodward praise is Adrian Beltre.
The former Rangers third baseman retired in November, and his personality is noticeably absent in the clubhouse.
"His energy is contagious," DeShields said. "He walks into the clubhouse and everybody stops what they're doing."
"He's always going to be in our hearts for sure," Gallo said. "He's all over the walls in the clubhouse, but it's a little bit different. Got to get used to that."
The Rangers resume team workouts on Tuesday, as they gear up for their Cactus League opener against the Kansas City Royals on Saturday.