Spring training has begun and only one position was guarenteed on the infield: shortstop. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will be the opening day shortstop. However, the rest of the infield is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Today we will look at the rest of that infield.
The Right Side
First base is where we are going to begin today. Two gentleman are vying for that position, but only one may win. Ronald Guzman and Nate Lowe. We talked about the position as well as many other positions with Chris Halicke on Monday’s podcast. Who has the leg up at the moment? Guzman had an amazing winter league, and was named MVP. His slash line was .360/.450/.523 with 131 plate appearances. Defensively he has been a plus player from the beginning. If his offense could turn around he would be a great first baseman.
Nate Lowe has accumulated 219 at bats over his two stints in the majors. The former Tampa Bay Ray his a slash line of .251/.322/.457 in 245 plate appearances. Lowe is considered the better offensive player. Guzman the better defender. I expect the Rangers to take a good look at both of them this spring and would not anticipate a decision until near the start of the season. My best guess: Lowe wins out.
Second base is going to go to Nick Solak unless Rougned Odor is the second coming of Ian Kinsler or Michael Young at second. Odor is not getting a lot of work there, so that is highly unlikely. If Solak has a terrible spring, someone else could be the second baseman. I don’t forsee that happening and I believe that Solak will win out.
The Left Side
Shortstop is decided. IKF will be the shortstop, and the hope is that it will last for a long time. I am not going to spend much time at all on this, instead we will move on to third base.
Brock Holt, Odor and Charlie Culberson will fight it out for third. The Rangers should get a good look at all three of them during camp. Odor is not only fighting for a spot on the field, but also a spot on the team. He needs to win the job to guarantee that he will be on the squad breaking camp. His struggles are well documented, so we will not break that down anymore.
Holt has been a major league player since 2012. and has a batting average of .268 during that run, He won a World Series with the Red Sox, and has played third base before. The Rangers brought Holt in as a low risk/high reward type if he pans out. If not, not harm done.
Culberson spent the past three seasons in Atlanta where he hit .265/.314/.464 and drove seventeen balls over the fence. Not the power numbers of Odor for sure. Again, he has played third. None of these guys are going to blow you socks off when it comes to talent, but one of them will win the job.
Up next we will talk about catcher and designated hitter.
