5 Texas Baseball Players to Watch This Season
These five Texas baseball players have what it takes to make an impact this season. Watch them dominate on the diamond.
Outfielders
There are a lot of great young talents throughout the Texas Rangers organization. Here are five outfielders in the Rangers farm system that baseball fans should keep an eye on this season.
1. Leody Taveras – The 20-year-old top prospect in the Rangers organization is expected to start the season with the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders. After a solid 2017 campaign split between Single-A Hickory and High-A Down East, in which he hit a combined .287/.346/.393 with seven home runs 61 RBIs, and 24 stolen bases Taveras is primed for a breakout season in 2018 as he continues to climb up the Rangers farm system ladder.
2. Bubba Thompson – The 19-year-old first-round pick from last year’s MLB Draft is expected to start the season with the Low-A Hickory Crawdads. In his first taste of professional baseball last season with the short-season Single-A Spokane Indians Thompson hit .248/.329/.374 with four home runs and 17 RBIs in 42 games. Thompson has plus speed and should be an exciting player to watch on the base paths this season as he looks to continue his ascent through the Rangers farm system.
3. Eric Jenkins – The 22-year-old speedster is expected to start the season with the Triple-A Round Rock Express. Jenkins had a solid 2017 campaign split between Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock, hitting a combined .265/.353/.406 with eight Home Runs 45 RBIs, and 34 stolen bases. Jenkins’ speed makes him a threat on both Offense and defense and he should be an exciting player to watch at all levels of the Rangers farm system this season.
4. Scott Heineman – The 25-year old Heineman is coming off of a solid 2017 campaign in which he hit .302/.397/.491 with 12 home runs and 58 RBIs between Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock. Heineman figures to see time at all three field positions this season and could be one of the first players called up to the big leagues if there are injuries at any point during the season.
5. Drew Robinson – The 25-year old Robinson is coming off of a down year in 2017 in which he hit just .247/.341/.433 with 15 home runs and 49 RBIs between Triple-A Round Rock and the Big League club. Robinson will start the 2018 season back at Triple-A but could see time in Texas at some point during the year if he can return to his 2016 form when he hit .241/.321/.484 with 26 home runs and 77 RBIs between Double–A Frisco and Triple–A Round Rock
Infielders
1. Josh Jung, Texas Tech Red Raiders
Jung was named the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year and is one of the best all-around infielders in college baseball The junior third baseman is a two-time All-Big 12 selection and was named a Freshman All-American in 2017. He’s a career .328 hitter with 16 home runs and 92 RBIs.
2. Davis Wendzel, Baylor Bears
Wendzel is a redshirt junior third baseman who was named the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year. He transferred to Baylor after two years at Hillsboro junior college where he hit .361 with 15 home runs and 55 RBIs. He was also named a preseason All-American by perfect game
3. Nick Lodolo, TCU Horned Frogs
Lodolo is a sophomore left-handed pitcher who was the 41st overall pick in the 2019 MLB draft by the Cincinnati Reds He’s considered one of the top pitching prospects in college baseball and has the potential to be a first-round pick again in 2020. He went 6-6 with a 3.34 ERA last season and struck out 103 batters in 101 innings pitched
4. Shea Langeliers, Baylor Bears
Langeliers is a junior catcher who was named a preseason All-American by multiple outlets including Baseball America D1Baseball, and perfect game He’s considered one of the best defensive catchers in college baseball and threw out 17 runners last season while only allowing four stolen bases. He’s also an excellent hitter, batting .308 with 10 home runs and 37 RBIs last season.
5. Asa Lacy Texas A&M Aggies
Lacy is a sophomore left-handed pitcher who has already drawn comparisons to Houston Astros ace Dallas Keuchel. He had an outstanding freshman season, going 7-4 with a 2.13 ERA while striking out 131 batters in 86 innings pitched.
Catchers
Infielders are not the only players on a baseball team that need to be able to field their position well. Catchers are perhaps even more important, as they need to be able to catch hard-thrown balls and stop them from going back up the middle. They also need to have a good arm, as they are often called upon to throw out runners who are trying to steal bases.
Texas has produced some great catchers over the years, and this season is no different. Here are five catchers from Texas who you should keep an eye on this season:
1. Jonathan Lucroy – Lucroy was born in Euless, Texas and played his college ball at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. He was drafted in the third round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers Lucroy made his Major League debut with the Brewers in 2010 and has been their starting catcher ever since. He is a two-time All-Star (2014, 2016) and was named an NL Silver Slugger in 2014. Lucroy is a career .277 hitter with 92 home runs and 417 RBIs.
2. Robinson Chirinos – Chirinos was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico but grew up in Houston, Texas. He was drafted by the Rangers in the ninth round of the 2009 MLB Draft out of Florida International University Chirinos made his Major League debut with the Rangers in 2013 and has been their starting catcher since 2016. He is a career .254 hitter with 58 home runs and 222 RBIs.
3. Curt Casali – Casali was born in Bradenton, Florida but grew up in Southlake, Texas. He played his college ball at Vanderbilt University before being drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 11th round of the 2011 MLB Draft Casali made his Major League debut with the Rays in 2014 and was traded to the Cincinnati Reds prior to the 2018 season. He is a career .237 hitter with 15 home runs and 81 RBIs over parts of five seasons at the Major League level.
4,. Max Stassi – Stassi was born inuzzi World Order
Pitchers
The Texas Rangers are in a rebuilding phase, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any players worth watching on the team. Here are five pitchers who could have breakout seasons in 2019.
1. Shelby Miller – After missing all of 2018 with elbow surgery, Miller is healthy and ready to reclaim his spot in the Rangers’ rotation. He’s a former All-Star with plenty of potential, and if he can stay healthy, he could be a big factor in the team’s success this season.
2. Mike Minor – Minor was solid in his first season with the Rangers, posting a 3.59 ERA in 31 starts. He’s expected to be the team’s Opening Day starter, and he could be in line for another solid campaign in 2019.
3. Lance Lynn – Lynn was signed by the Rangers this offseason after spending 2018 with the Minnesota Twins He’s a veteran pitcher who has had success at the Major League level, and he could be a key cog in the Rangers’ rotation this season.
4. Drew Smyly – Smyly missed all of 2018 due to Tommy John surgery but he’s expected to be ready to go for the start of the 2019 season. He’s a left-handed pitcher with plenty of experience, and he could be a sleeper candidate to have a big year for the Rangers.
5. Jesse Chavez – Chavez is another veteran pitcher who was signed by the Rangers this offseason. He’s coming off a solid 2018 campaign with the Chicago Cubs and he could provide some stability to the back end of the Rangers’ rotation this season.
Designated Hitters
In baseball, the designated hitter (DH) is a player who does not play in the field, but instead bats in place of the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11, and was adopted by MLB in 1973.
With seven players in the batting lineup instead of the traditional nine (the pitcher bats eighth in the National League), the designated hitter provides teams with a chance to add another powerful bat to their lineup.Designated hitters are typically better hitters than the pitchers they replace, but they do not play defense
In interleague play, the DH rule is used only if both teams agree to its use before the game starts. In Major League Baseball teams are not required to use a DH, and may choose to have their pitchers bat.
The following are five Texas baseball players to Watch This Season who will be designated hitters:
1. Willie Calhoun – Texas Rangers
2. Joey Gallo – Texas Rangers
3. Shin-Soo Choo – Texas Rangers
4. Hunter Pence – San Francisco Giants
5. Nelson Cruz – Minnesota Twins
