ARLINGTON, Texas — Outfield hasn’t been an area of strength for Texas in over a decade.
Sure, there might have been a few standouts in any given year, but, the last top shelf combination of outfielders came when Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, David Murphy and Craig Gentry were roaming the Globe Life Park field. That was 2011.
Last season, Texas began the year with one Rookie of the Year candidate from the year prior, a journeyman, and a former Rangers’ killer. Combined, the unit was one of the worst in the league. This year, it’s fair to question whether or not the outlook is any better.
- 2022 Opening Day Outfielders: Kole Calhoun, Adolis Garcia, Brad Miller, Eli White
- 2023 Projected Opening Day Outfielders: Adolis Garcia, Robbie Grossman, Bubba Thompson, Brad Miller
There is a caveat for the projected starters. This was supposed to be the beginning of the “Leody Taveras, Full Time Center Fielder” era in Texas. After playing in 99 games at the position last season, Taveras, who offered solid production of .261/.309/.366 as an excellent defender, was poised to be the starter in the middle of the outfield against the Philadelphia Phillies on Opening Day.
Unfortunately, an oblique injury suffered on March 3 has kept the 24-year old Dominican out of action and has deemed him unavailable for the season opener. He isn’t currently expected to miss more than a week or so at the start of the season, so expect to see Taveras back in the lineup early on with the hopes that he locks down the center field job while continuing to progress at the plate.
The most set position belongs to Adolis Garcia, who will likely man right field for much of the season. While he could play in center field in Taveras’ stead, the arm plays better at the corner. Garcia, who just turned 30, continued steadily as the dynamic player that exploded on the scene for the Rangers in 2021. His batting line improved ever so slightly in 2022 - .250/.300/.456, and he traded a few homers for doubles while driving in eleven more runs.
While he didn’t merit a second straight All-Star appearance, Garcia provides Texas with something it needs in the outfield – stability. Garcia proved that his rookie season wasn’t a fluke last season. Now with two straight years of similar production, he makes manager Bruce Bochy’s job easier – if you know what you’re getting from someone, it’s easier to slot him in where you need him.
Perhaps more importantly, Garcia has been working on his plate discipline, something for which he was greatly criticized for the past two seasons. If that improves in 2023, there could be an even bigger season in the cards for Garcia. Defensively, however, everyone already knows the arm is a plus.
Meanwhile, while Taveras rehabs, the door is open for former first-rounder Bubba Thompson to earn some playing time. The 26th overall selection by the Rangers in the 2017 Draft, is a speed demon on the bases and could benefit greatly from the larger bases in 2023 after stealing 67 bases between Triple-A and the majors last season.
While the 24-year old out of Mobile, Alabama didn’t make a lot of solid contact, his quick time out of the box to first base on infield singles helped push his on-base percentage to over .300 in the last two months of his debut season.
Thompson’s speed plays defensively, as well. Even though he got most of his reps in 2022 in left field, Bubba’s range factor in the outfield was quite a bit higher in center field than the corners. Until Taveras returns, Thompson could be penciled in but he might also stick around as a fourth outfielder, defensive replacement, and pinch runner specialist for Texas in the mold of Gentry from days gone by.
That leaves the problem child position for Texas. Left field was something of a black hole last season, but the Rangers are going to turn to another journeyman outfielder to help patch things up at that corner.
Thirty-three-year-old Robbie Grossman signed a very inexpensive deal of $2 million to try to hold down left field for the Rangers after they whiffed on bigger names in free agency. It’s a move highly reminiscent of the Jon Daniels era, with Grossman coming off of an injury-shortened season where he was traded to a contender mid-year and is likely at a point in his career where he is playing year-to-year.
Defensively, Grossman is easily the most tenured outfielder in camp, with his entire 10-year career coming from the grass. Offensively, the switch-hitting Grossman hasn’t been anything outstanding but is adept at working the count. Between Detroit and Atlanta last season, Grossman wasn’t anything to write home about at the plate, slashing a cumulative .209/.310/.311 and striking out about twice as much as he walked.
However, Grossman has potentially played himself out of a platoon and into a full-time job this spring.
Having made adjustments when swinging left-handed, Grossman wrapped up camp with a pretty nice line of .405/.500/.619 with 10 RBIs and three stolen bases to his name. He was on fire in Surprise, and while it’s probably not indicative of his performance in the regular season, it certainly gives the Rangers a little more hope that he can be more than just a cheap platoon guy.
The platoon partner for Grossman was expected to be holdover Brad Miller, who is now likely to serve more as a super-utility player who gets some at-bats as the designated hitter. Josh Smith, who saw 24 games in left field last year, could also get reps all over the field as a bench option.
Smith made his debut in late May and while he didn’t do much offensively during his time in the big leagues, he played some relatively clean ball in the outfield, making just one error in his 68 games, even though he is an infielder by nature. Smith had himself a pretty decent spring, slashing .350/.447/.450 in 16 games in Surprise and he even got a few looks in center field.
There’s room for the Rangers’ outfield to grow in 2023. A lot has to go right for them to reach their peak, and part of it begins with Taveras getting back and having a breakout season. But some encouraging Spring Training performances could result in the Rangers’ outfield being overlooked – not underrated, not a sleeper pick to be among the best in Major League baseball, but if things go right, maybe they’re not as bad as they look on paper.
Do you think the Rangers will get enough production from their outfield in 2023? Share your thoughts with Matt on Twitter @FisherWritesMLB.
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