Halfway

The Rangers are halfway through this year’s edition of Spring Training. As of today their record is 9-7. That means they have won 56% of their games, which projects to 91 wins in a 162 game season. That would almost certainly get them into the playoffs, so get the celebration banners ready, right? No, the record really doesn’t mean anything at this point. It’s always more fun to win, but they’re looking past the record as they prepare for Opening Day.

So if that’s the case, what have we learned about the 2026 Rangers? The starting pitchers seem to be on schedule. Barring injuries they are on track to again be a real strength of the team. The first four are set, with deGrom, Eovaldi, the newly acquired MacKenzie Gore, and Jack Leiter. The fifth slot is still up for grabs, with Kumar Rocker and Jacob Latz as the favorites. The club would like for Rocker to step up so they could use Latz as a multi-purpose reliever, but that hasn’t happened yet, so we'll wait and see what happens.

It’s way too early to figure out which of the cast of thousands are going to be in the bullpen, but it looks like they are going to mix and match since no one has emerged as a closer yet.

The infield roles were already decided, but the race is still open for the backups. The main candidates are Ezequiel Duran, Jonah Bride, and Tyler Wade, but Cam Cauley has been the team’s leading hitter so far, has great speed, and is an excellent defender as an infielder and in the outfield. The native Texan has not played above the AA level, so he probably won’t make the opening day roster, but watch for him later in the year if there is a need.

You knew coming in that the top three outfielders would be Langford, Carter, and Brandon Nimmo, but who would be the backups? Sam Haggerty has been another leading hitter this spring, and his overall versatility will probably help him have a role this year. Texas is continuing to look at Mark Canha, Michael Helman, and Alejandro Osuna as an additional outfielder, but also signed former All Star Andrew McCutchen this week, so that competition is still wide open.

The Rangers signed Danny Jensen to share catching duties with Kyle Higashioka. They have also been impressed with the defense of Willie MacIver, and his constant enthusiasm and attitude would be a positive in the clubhouse, so he may spend some time in Arlington if a third catcher is required.

So, again I ask, what have we learned? Not a lot. Still have many of the same questions there were when the team got to Surprise. So stay tuned for further developments.

That’s one man’s opinion - what’s yours?