A spring-training primer as Texas Rangers camp begins

Six weeks in the desert are in front of the Texas Rangers, whose pitchers and catchers start spring training this morning. It’s time to hurry up and wait.

SURPRISE, Ariz. — Whenever the local football team stinks or the local basketball team implodes, Texas Rangers spring training is never far away to rescue beleaguered sports fans.

The Rangers’ first spring workout is today as pitchers and catchers start ramping up for the regular season. Their feet aren’t on the gas, at least not yet, with Opening Day six weeks away.

Spring training can be a grind for all involved, especially the third and fourth weeks, but pitchers need the time to build their arms for 30 starts in the rotation or 60 appearances from the bullpen.

Camp is all about the pitchers, until a position player comes up gimpy or slumps. Pitchers can ache or not perform well, too.

Much can and will happen during the course of a spring training.

First things first

Pitchers and catchers will work out on their own through Monday, when position players join for the first full-squad workout. Some are already at the Surprise Recreation Campus, and more and more of them will be arriving as Monday approaches.

Until then, expect short but busy days. Pitchers will log two bullpen sessions before advancing to live batting practice once position players arrive. Pitchers will go through fielding practice each day, something that pitching coach Mike Maddux stresses.

Pitchers are urged to not go all out at this stage in camp. No one is going to make the Opening Day roster on Day One, but someone can miss it by getting hurt.

Jacob deGrom and Kumar Rocker are of most interest this spring, but don’t forget about Tyler Mahle. He also returned last season from Tommy John surgery, actually beating deGrom and Rocker back, and with a $16.5 million contract for 2025, will very likely be in the season-opening rotation.

Don’t panic

All sorts of ailments can arise during spring training, and the hope is that anything serious happens early. When something minor pops up, don’t freak out.

Remember deGrom’s first camp in 2023? He showed up to pitch on the first day and was scratched with soreness in his side. Nathan Eovaldi and Jon Gray both had something flare up a little later in camp and were also scratched.

All three were on the Opening Day roster.

There was one spring when second baseman Rougned Odor needed to have his wisdom teeth removed. No problem. He was ready for the season opener.

Adrian Beltre was pretty much always dealing the a calf or groin “injury.” Guess what? He posted on Opening Day, too, despite missing time in spring training.

Something like that will happen again over the next six weeks. Don’t panic when it does.

Also don’t panic …

Wins and losses absolutely, 100 percent do not matter in spring training. Games are frequently decided after the regulars leave the game, and pitchers aren’t remotely dialed in early on.

If, for instance, deGrom has a 6.77 ERA in spring training, don’t panic. Every starter has a process for getting ready, and for one start might throw only fastballs — and, as a result — get knocked around — as he tries to dial in his command.

Flyballs in Arizona that ordinarily would be flyouts can carry for home runs. Ground balls get chopped off the hard Arizona infield for hits that ordinarily would be outs. There are a lot of pitching pitfalls in the Cactus League, so don’t panic.

If a star hitter doesn’t connect for a home run until late in spring training or bats only .222, don’t panic. A hitter also has a process, and some players need the weather to warm up for their bats to heat up. It’s a real thing.

Conversely …

One of the hardest times to evaluate a player is during spring training, especially in the hitter-friendly elements in the Cactus League. Pitchers, as noted above, aren’t working with their A stuff, and hitters might bolster their stats when facing a pitcher backing up from minor-league camp.

Look back no further than to last season. Who was the star of Rangers camp? Wyatt Langford, who led the team in homers and RBIs. That was the same Langford who didn’t hit a ball over the fence during the regular season until late May.

Things turned out well for Langford, but his production early in the season didn’t match the hype he generated during spring training. Something like that happens just about every spring.

The same can be true of a young reliever who appears to be having a breakout spring. If he’s pitching late in games, after the regulars have exited, he might be putting up zeroes against players with zero chance of making the Opening Day roster.

The true test will come when that thriving young pitcher works earlier in a game against star hitters. Something like that happens just about every spring.

Don’t blink

Spring training is a gradual ramp-up for position players, too, and nothing is more indicative of that than the first few weeks of spring games. The Rangers open Cactus League play Feb. 21 against the Royals at Surprise Stadium.

If you come to Arizona early in the schedule hoping to see Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Langford, you better not miss first pitch. Lineup regulars will see two or three at-bats per game for a few weeks and will likely be long gone by the fifth inning.

Starting pitchers are usually gone by the third inning the first two times through the rotation.

As for road games, especially those to the East Valley, don’t expect a lot of star power.

The offshoot is that top prospects and other minor-leaguers will get ample time in front of manager Bruce Bochy and his staff, and that’s never a bad thing. The early and frequent substitutions create a good opportunity to get to know what’s on the farm.

Where to go

For those headed to Rangers camp, the best way to see the players up close is during morning workouts on the back fields. There are six back fields at the Surprise Recreation Campus and a half-field for infield drills, and the Rangers are usually working by 10 a.m.

Security guards will help fans mind their Ps and Qs, and areas are roped off for players to make their way from field to field. But they will stop and sign autographs and engage with fans in a way they can’t do during the regular season.

To access the Rangers’ back fields, use the entrance on Bullard Avenue to the south of Surprise Stadium. Best of all is that it’s free.

But heed this advice: It is chilly here in the morning. Dress accordingly.

Roster matters

Let’s be honest: The Rangers’ Opening Day roster is pretty much set, barring injuries. All that’s up for grabs is maybe one bench spot, maybe a bullpen spot and maybe three bullpen spots.

That’s it.

But a team always needs additional players during the course of a season, and every team casts an especially wide net with massive rosters. The depth pieces get sorted out during spring training.

The first wave of roster cuts usually arrives just before the start of minor-league camp. The time coincides with starting pitchers and lineup regulars going deeper in games and cutting into innings and at-bats that had been going to non-roster invitees.

Players who aren’t going to make the Opening Day roster will join the minor-leaguers to get into their routines.

Additional cuts typically come after a team off day. Executives and coaches aren’t off on those days. Instead, they pile into a meeting room to evaluate the roster and make some decisions.

The final game in Arizona is March 22. The roster might not be set depending as the team waits out an injury (Travis Jankowski made the roster two days before the 2023 season opener because Leody Taveras was injured) and the contract status of some players.

Those on the 40-man roster have an edge over non-roster players, who would have to be added to the 40-man. Occasionally, non-roster players can leverage their way onto the roster if they have outs in their deals.

Things can get tricky at the end of camp.

Jeff Wilson, jwilson@alldlls.com