The defending world champion Texas Rangers officially began their quest for another World Series title as pitchers and catchers reported to spring training on Wednesday.
While the offseason seemed short, and the rest of the team will not report to the Surprise, Arizona facility until early next week, those who have arrived in camp are eager to get started on another journey.
“It’s just exciting to see everyone,” pitcher Dane Dunning, who filled starting and relief roles for Texas last season, told the media on Wednesday. “That’s one of my favorite parts of spring. We spend such a long season together — 200-plus days — that the offseason is kind of a time to get away from your teammates. But once spring training comes around, you’re excited to see everyone and excited to talk to people and get back to work together.”
While last season’s run to the club’s first-ever World Series championship still resonates with everyone, they all agree it’s time to turn the page.
“It was amazing what we did, but now it’s the new season,” Dunning said. “Everything’s wiped clean, and we’ll hunt the title again.”
Pitching was a vital element of the Rangers’ playoff run after becoming the primary focus of last offseason, as players emerged out of the bullpen, and others filled in admirably for injured starters at various points of the season.
The team will be without guys like Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom for the early parts of the 2024 season, but, in the meantime, manager Bruce Bochy and general manager Chris Young have plenty of confidence in the players trying to fill those spots.
“Until we get those guys back, we’ve got to find a way to keep these guys healthy and keep the depth,” Bochy explained. “But, we do have some guys here that we think will give us that depth.”
According to Young, deGrom is progressing well and began playing catch for the first time on Wednesday.
“It was a great day,” Young elaborated. “Jacob said he felt great, the training staff said he looked great, and I think, medically, everything has been on track and checking out, so we’re very excited. It’s a big step for him. A long way to go, but picking up a baseball and playing catch for the first time is significant. It’s a major hurdle that we’ve cleared. Many more to come, but we’re on the right path.”
Young added that the team is targeting a deGrom return in August, a Scherzer return in June, and a return for free-agent addition Tyler Mahle in July, but also stressed that none has a firm timetable.
In the meantime, Texas will likely turn to Dunning, Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney, and a yet-to-be-determined fifth starter unless the team makes another move before the season.
