The Texas Rangers open the 2023 season at home against the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday afternoon as the Bruce Bochy era officially opens.
Newly signed ace Jacob deGrom will take the mound against a familiar foe, having competed in the same division as Philadelphia as a member of the New York Mets for the last nine years.
DeGrom is 9-1 in 20 career appearances against the Phillies.
The Rangers are just 2-7 on Opening Day since 2014 and last won in 2020 against the Colorado Rockies.
The game will be played at Arlington’s Globe Life Field at 3:05 p.m. CT and open a three-game series, with games two and three on Saturday and Sunday.
The Rangers will look to improve after six consecutive losing seasons, including a 64-98 record last season and the dismissal of manager Chris Woodward.
Here is what to keep an eye on during the 2023 season.
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New Coaching Staff
Bochy comes in with high expectations thanks to his track record and a couple of offseasons that involved adding highly-touted free agents.
Corey Seager and Marcus Semien needed a couple of months to adapt their playing styles to their new squad last season, and some of the new players and coaches this season may experience the same thing.
The return of pitching coach Mike Maddux has the organization buzzing, especially with the outlook of the pitching staff this season. Maddux was the Rangers’ pitching coach from 2009 through 2015 and was the engineer of the best statistical pitching performances the team has seen in at least a decade.
Maddux is also the brother of MLB legend Greg Maddux, who has also been helping Texas pitchers in camp.
“He’s obviously been the most successful coach in Rangers history, in my opinion, and I think that all of his attributes and skills are going to serve us extremely well,” general manager Chris Young said when Maddux returned to the team in November.
The new staff also includes former major league players Bobby Wilson, Will Venable, Donnie Ecker, Tim Hyers, and Brett Hayes.
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Development of Young Players
The Rangers have stockpiled young talent in recent years, and some of those players have begun to reach the big leagues.
This year’s roster features five position players age 25 or younger.
Third baseman Josh Jung, a first-round pick in 2019, made his major league debut last summer and appears ready to take over the hot corner after hitting .321 with three home runs and six RBIs in spring training.
Ezequiel Duran is another young position player to watch. After hitting .236 in his first 208 major league at-bats, Duran had a strong spring and won a roster spot. Balancing both third basemen’s playing time this season could be crucial to their development.
Outfielder Bubba Thompson is also part of the major league roster on Opening Day. The 24-year-old is known for his speed and stole 18 bases after a late-season call-up in 2022.
Centerfielder Leody Taveras will begin the season on the injured list. Taveras hit .261 and stole 11 bases last season. Continuing to improve those numbers when he is healthy can only help the Rangers.
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CatcherÂ
Jonah Heim had a career year as the Rangers’ catcher in 2022 with 16 home runs and 48 RBIs. While his batting average was still low, those numbers should improve in a better lineup, and he had a good spring.
However, where can the Rangers turn if the numbers do not improve?
Mitch Garver is expected to be the team’s designated hitter, but he is also the backup catcher and provides power at the plate. He missed most of last season with an injury, so his performance may depend on his health.
If all else fails, the team may have to turn to a minor league prospect like Sam Huff or a veteran on a minor league deal like Sandy Leon.
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Veteran Outfield Presence
The Rangers added more experience to the roster when they signed outfielder Robbie Grossman at the start of spring training.
Grossman is a switch hitter with some power and average speed who can play the corner outfield spots. He has never been a superstar in the major leagues, but he has been a steady and mostly consistent player throughout his career. The Rangers’ lineup becomes more potent if he can rediscover his 2021 form.
Grossman is expected to begin the season as the Rangers’ starting left fielder to start the season.
Utilityman Brad Miller also brings the veteran mindset and the versatility to play several positions, while outfielder Adolis Garcia looks to build off consecutive career-best seasons after struggling as a young player.
The veteran presence is particularly important with so many young players in the outfield, but Nathaniel Lowe, Seager, and Semien can do the same for the infield.
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Spring Carryover
After a slow start to the 2022 season, Corey Seager picked up his play as the season wore on, and he continued that this spring. Seager hit .400 with four home runs and nine RBIs in 55 at-bats, which included a 15-game hitting streak. He also had the third-most hits in the majors in spring training.
Ezequiel Duran also had an impressive spring, hitting .357 and finishing fourth in the MLB with 18 RBIs.
Grossman and Josh Jung also hit over .300 during spring training.
Jon Gray, deGrom, and Martin Perez also impressed, allowing a combined five runs between them.
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Pitching Rotation and Bullpen
After an offseason full of free agent additions and trades, the Rangers’ pitching rotation is set. DeGrom gets the nod on Opening Day, and he’ll be followed by Martin Perez, Jon Gray, and Andrew Heaney. Nathan Eovaldi will round out the rotation, while former starters Dan Dunning and Cole Ragans will join the bullpen.
Moving to the bullpen is not always easy; for someone like Ragans, who has had Tommy John surgery twice, load management could be crucial to his success.
“I mean you have to be a little bit concerned,” Bochy told the media when discussing the change last week. “You’re talking about a starter; it’s a big adjustment. So it’ll be up to us to watch his workload and just make sure we don’t overwork him.”
“It’s a different game — relieving and starting,” Bochy continued. “If you haven’t done it, bouncing back is just different. It doesn’t mean he can’t do it. It means we have to work him into the role cautiously.”
Texas will also have an interesting decision to make when Jake Odorizzi is ready to play.
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Injuries
Odorizzi is one of several Rangers dealing with injuries to start the season.
Fellow pitchers Glenn Otto and Brett Martin are expected to miss significant time, according to the team website, and projected starting centerfielder Leody Taveras will start the season on the 10-day IL.
While it certainly could be worse, and injuries are part of the wear and tear of the baseball season, having four key contributors unavailable to start the season is less than ideal.
Plus, players like deGrom and Eovaldi, who are supposed to be significant parts of the Rangers’ success, have dealt with injuries on and off all spring, so much so that deGrom will be on a pitch count Thursday.
