The Rangers have also taken advantage of their middle-infield depth to bolster the thinner parts of the major-league team. This strategy appears to be bearing fruit, as a group of young pitchers selected in recent drafts have made strides toward contributing at the major-league level: Chi Chi Gonzalez, Keone Kela, Luke Jackson, Jerad Eickhoff, Alec Asher. If any pitcher is a lottery ticket, the Rangers can take more and more of those tickets, increasing the chance they’ll hit jackpot. One benefit of their middle-infield depth and scouting prowess is the freedom to take all those pitchers in the draft. While they potentially suffer from learning the ropes of a new position, the Rangers benefit from their newfound flexibility in the long term, either with the major-league team or in trade. Both Luis Sardinas and Leury Garcia were primarily shortstops before being promoted into a utility infield position. Jurickson Profar was a shortstop his entire stay in the minors, but played second, third, and left in his brief major-league sojourn. Though continuity at the position is definitely an asset, particularly with instability in the infield, this still leaves the Rangers molding talented shortstops and then moving them around the diamond as they become major-league ready. This willingness gives them a deep pool of athletic defensive talent to work with, meaning that only the best of the best shortstops get to stay at shortstop.Įven with this shortstop machine humming away at places like Frisco and Hickory, Texas signed Elvis Andrus to a massive extension prior to the 2013 season, making him an unlikely trade candidate. The Rangers gamble on players being able to develop hitting later in their career.
#Rangers shortstop professional#
2 The most athletic amateur talent is usually found either at shortstop or center field, and those players can be moved down the defensive spectrum as their shortcomings become apparent at the professional level. The development system plays a part in this, as well as the Rangers’ liking for athletic talent: Nick Williams, Jamie Jarmon, Jake Skole, Jordan Akins, Jameis Winston the list could go on. That stock of talent comes not from the draft, where the Rangers take a lower percentage of middle infielders (as calculated over the last five drafts) than the rest of the league, but from their successes in the Latin American 1 signing field: The Texas Rangers know the thing they’re good at, and it’s developing middle-infield talent, particularly at the shortstop position. Some teams are good at exploring new markets. Some teams are good at finding and using post-hype prospects.
Not every team can be good at developing or acquiring talent at every position. Total WARP: 24.7 (5.2 pitching, 19.5 non-pitching, including 0.0 from pitchers) Week 2 previews: Nationals | Tigers | Pirates | Mariners | Brewers | Indians | Marlins | Orioles | Diamondbacks | TwinsĪVG/OBP/SLG ( TAv). Week 1 previews: Giants | Royals | Dodgers | Rays | Padres | Astros | Rockies | Athletics | Mets | Yankees Today: the shortstop factories of the Braves and Rangers. Every day until Opening Day, Baseball Prospectus authors will preview two teams-one from the AL, one from the NL-identifying strategies those teams employ to gain an advantage.
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