Texas Rangers, LLC
Surprise, AZ
Attn: Chris Young, President
Dear Chris,
Rangers
Hoping this finds you well and in good spirits. Why not, right? I mean, it’s spring training. Hope springs eternal and all that. Everyone’s still in a good mood, anyway. Everyone except Angels fans. Did you see where Arte Moreno said “winning” doesn’t even rank among his fans’ top five priorities? Crazy. He might be right, though. Their first four priorities are a new owner. The other is freezing Mike Trout until they’re good again.
From everything Evan Grant and Shawn McFarland tell us, it’s going OK so far in your dirty neck of the desert. No one’s even gotten hurt yet. Practically a miracle with this bunch. Between your Rangers and the Mavs, it’s like watching “Chicago Med” every night.
Now that I think about it, I forgot about Sebastian Walcott. Five to six months? Bummer. I was really looking forward to seeing the kid play this spring. Everybody was.
Maybe not Josh Jung.
Speaking of which, it’s nice to see your third baseman off to a good start. Hitting the ball hard. Better than watching him whale away at pitches up and in. If he insists on that, he should get a bigger bat.
Or a paddle.
Texas Rangers infielder Sebastian Walcott (right) and third baseman Josh Jung participate in a fielding drill during a spring training workout at the team’s training facility on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Surprise, Ariz.
Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer
Seems like this should be a make-or-break year for Jung. Been three years since he was an All-Star. Considering where Kip Fagg drafted him, you’d think he’d be in a better place by now. I’m sure Kip prayed as much.
Of course, Jonah Heim was an All-Star in ‘23, too, and he was lucky to sign with the Braves. Did you see where Walt Weiss called it “great” to get “a guy with a winning pedigree”? Yeah, sure. Wait until the first pitch he misses and gets that look like someone just stole his lunch money.
Jonah’s a good guy, and I wish him the best, but he was sort of the poster boy for everything that’s gone wrong since the World Series, don’t you think? I mean, he was great, and then he was awful. He looked like he couldn’t have told what a pitcher was throwing if Carlos Beltran was banging a trash can at him.
Maybe the worst part, Chris, was that no one seemed too upset about the slide off of the parade truck. Except you, of course. Bruce Bochy said it’d been a long time since he’d turned over a table, and it didn’t go over well when he did. Maybe so. Just the same, you gotta do something.
Besides sending Jung down, I mean.
Not that I blame Bochy for any of this. I think you know my position on a Hall of Fame manager. In fact, I plan on visiting with him when I come out next week. Don’t worry, I don’t think he’s going to say anything bad.
Then again, you never know.
By all accounts, the new guy is doing a bang-up job on the culture, a subject that’s suddenly the rage across baseball. And here I thought the Rangers’ problem was that no one could hit.
Did you read that story in The Athletic about Brandon Nimmo? The part where the writer took a poll of anonymous Mets who said he tried too hard to lead? Shouldn’t be a problem in your clubhouse, where hardly anyone’s tried at all.
Here’s hoping Nimmo’s enthusiasm rubs off on his new teammates. Looks like he’s already had an influence on Corey Seager. Loved it when your shortstop, who’s as fun as a funeral director, drew a walk the other day and broke into a dead sprint for first. Just like Nimmo. Funny stuff.
Texas Rangers outfielder Brandon Nimmo (left) laughs with infielder Joc Pederson during a spring training workout at the team’s training facility on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Surprise, Ariz.
Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer
And the best part was he didn’t pull a hammy, am I right?
BTW: Congrats again on getting Nimmo for Marcus Semien. Seems to be a sentiment out there that the Mets got the better end of the deal, but I don’t know. Semien still plays a mean second base, but it doesn’t really matter if he can’t hit anymore.
Same with Joc Pederson. At least the hitting part, because he’s not doing anything else. He was supposed to be good for the clubhouse last year. But you’re only funny if you can play. Kevin Hart would get some laughs if you gave him an at-bat. But not if you gave him four.
The real problem with your clubhouse, Chris, is you’ve got too many potential candidates for Comeback Player of the Year.
The good news is, if the rotation stays healthy, it just might be championship caliber. MacKenzie Gore was another good add. The bullpen is always a work in progress, but it’s clear you know pitching. For most of your predecessors, pitching was like reading hieroglyphics.
Look forward to seeing you next week. I’d like to get to know Skip Schumaker better. Seems like a good guy. Loved that he had his players watch the men’s gold medal hockey game together. Hope it gave them some ideas.
Just one thing: If you buck the odds and win another World Series this year, promise me that you won’t let the FBI director into the clubhouse. At least keep him out of the liquor cabinet.
Twitter/X: @KSherringtonDMN
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