MESA, Ariz. — The first two-or-so weeks of camp have revealed a handful of the new manager’s go-to lines.
He’ll preface most comments with some declaration that each regular player’s health is the top priority over the next month. He’ll give an earnest apology when he can’t yet answer questions about how individuals will be used or deployed for certain once the regular season starts. He’ll offer reminders, often, that roster spots are not won or lost on [insert any early camp date you’d like here].
That third point, which Skip Schumaker turned to again Saturday morning when the topic of right-hander pitcher Kumar Rocker arose, is not wrong. It also isn’t devoid of nuance.
“You’re not going to make or not make a team from this outing — I promise you that,” Schumaker said. “But, you do want to see progress, and you want to test what you’ve been working on in the offseason.”
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Rocker, possibly as much or more than any player on the roster, is entrenched in show-us-what-you’ve-worked-on mode as he competes primarily with left-handed pitcher Jacob Latz for the club’s fifth starter job. The 26-year-old former first-round pick yielded a 5.74 ERA in his rookie season and was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock in the middle of it with a number of directives.
The Rangers have more that they need to see this spring, too, before his job can be won or lost. The list includes in no particular order a greater changeup usage, strong demeanor on the mound, attention to base runners and first-pitch strikes.
Saturday, in his Cactus League debut against the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park, Rocker allowed one run on two hits and a walk in two innings. He used his changeup twice, threw two first-strike pitches in nine plate appearances and saw two Cubs steals second base while he was on the mound.
The first-pitch strikes, Rocker said, “need to be better.” The first stolen base, courtesy of right fielder Matt Shaw in the first inning, came despite the fact that Rocker’s delivery time to home plate was one that Schumaker said he could “live with.” His time to home plate on the second steal, from third baseman Pedro Ramirez one inning later, was “probably a little longer.”
Schumaker ultimately believes that he saw Rocker display real intent to hold runners on. He liked that Rocker’s sinker worked and helped elicit groundballs. He though his slider was “really good.” He also won’t get too caught up in the results of an exhibition game that took place over a month before opening day in which Rocker threw all of 28 pitches.
“His whole arsenal is just tough to throw in two innings, right?” Schumaker said. “So, if you’re having a good feeling with one, you’re also trying to make a team.”
Rocker pitched a scoreless first inning against the Cubs and recorded all three outs on his slider. The most impressive was against left-handed-hitting outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, an All-Star last season, whom Rocker threw four different pitches to. He opened with a four-seamer for a ball, but then landed a curveball for a called strike, followed that with a changeup low-in-the-zone for a foul ball and got Crow-Armstrong to swing and miss at a slider away.
He threw his changeup just 6.1% of the time last season, and used it almost exclusively against left-handed hitters, but the belief is that effective usage of the pitch can “open up” his four-seam fastball. He threw two changeups Saturday and has previously stated that he needs to “own” the pitch.
“It felt good,” Rocker said of his changeup. “It’s feeling good, I’m getting good results from it, I just need to throw it more.”
He’ll have more chances to.
The roster decision won’t be made on Feb. 21 anyways.
“It’s hard as a young pitcher right now to work on stuff, also be successful, try to make a team,” Schumaker said. “There’s a lot going on for him. I think he did really well with the combination of all of those. [Nathan Eovaldi and Jacob deGrom] can work on stuff [in spring] and they’re probably going to be on the team, right? I’m proud of how he went about it.”
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