SURPRISE, Ariz. — The Texas Rangers will play their 15th spring exhibition Friday against the Seattle Mariners at Surprise Stadium. They’ll have 14 left to play in the desert before they shuttle back to Globe Life Field for a two-game warmup at home.
Welcome to the midpoint of camp at its most meaningful, or as Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Thursday morning, welcome to the stage of spring where regulars begin to play more, starting pitchers get built up and bullpen roles begin to take shape.
“We’re going to kind of ramp up a little bit more now,” Schumaker said. “We’re going to try to get guys to the finish line where they feel really good about playing nine innings.”
That means there’s no better time to dish out some camp superlatives from the first half of games.
Rangers
Biggest eye-opener at the plate
Infielder Cam Cauley’s hot start: It wouldn’t truly be spring if a precocious prospect didn’t take the Cactus League by storm and force conversations about whether he has a legitimate chance to help the major league roster sooner than expected.
Cauley, the club’s third-round pick five years ago, is the runaway winner.
The 23-year-old infielder has slashed .333/.360/.625 with five extra-base hits in nine Cactus League games. That doesn’t include the 104.6 mph home run he hit vs. Team Brazil in a pre-World Baseball Classic exhibition Wednesday afternoon. He’s put 20 balls into play at an average exit velocity of 96.29 mph. For reference: Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz led baseball with an average exit velocity of 95.8 mph last season.
This isn’t to say Cauley profiles as one of baseball’s hardest hitters. It is to say that his spring success hasn’t inherently been a byproduct of his ability to beat out softly hit grounders with his exceptional speed. He has that too, though, and an ability to play above average-to-plus defense at shortstop and in center field.
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It’s now a question of whether Cauley, who went unprotected in this winter’s Rule 5 draft, has done enough this spring or last season (when he had a career-best .773 OPS at Double-A Frisco) to crack the opening day roster. The Rangers still may prefer a veteran bat, like outfielder Mark Canha or utility man Tyler Wade, off the bench early. But Cauley has at the very least put himself on the radar to help the Rangers this season as outfielder Alejandro Osuna did last spring.
“He’s doing all the little things like he should as a utility type of player to make a team and help us out now or later,” Schumaker said. “You want a guy that opens your eyes enough that he’s on the front of your mind in case anything happens. He’s definitely making a name for himself.”
Biggest eye-opener on the mound
RHP Carter Baumler’s roster status: Baumler, a Rule 5 draftee, has been among the most impressive young pitchers in camp. He’s yet to allow a run in 3⅔ innings out of the bullpen. He’s fared well against big league hitters — like Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte and Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker — in limited reps. His curveball, which has generated nine total called strikes or whiffs, has drawn rave reviews from the big leaguers in camp. He, according to Schumaker, has “stuff that we don’t really have in the mix of the potential bullpen construction.”
Here’s the catch: Baumler must be added to the opening day roster if the Rangers want to keep him in the organization. He’d be sent back to the Baltimore Orioles if he isn’t because of Rule 5 draft rules.
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Here’s the other catch: Baumler, 24, has yet to pitch above the Double-A level largely because of injuries. The Rangers have tried to pitch Baumler earlier in games this spring to see how he performs against major leaguers. Can he show enough in those settings for the Rangers to justify his expedited big league arrival? Or will they choose a veteran with less pure stuff over an unproven arm?
Most competitive position battle
The fifth starter: It may have the most significant impact on the rest of the roster, too, dependent on how the Rangers plan to use right-hander Kumar Rocker and left-hander Jacob Latz if one of them doesn’t land in the rotation.
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Latz has started twice and allowed two earned runs in five innings (both of which came on a home run in his second start against the Seattle Mariners) as he jockeys for the job. Rocker has started three times, once against Team Brazil, and has attempted to balance competition with his need to make tweaks to his arsenal.
The Rangers may look favorably on Rocker despite a lack of results if significant progress is made to his approach and pitch diversity. Plus, if he wins the fifth starter gig, Latz has real upside as a multi-inning, high-leverage reliever in the bullpen. The Rangers are also clearly in win-now mode, though, and can only afford so much time for development at the big league level. Consider this decision one of the club’s biggest priorities in the last two weeks of camp.
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Least competitive position battle
The second base job: Have the Rangers publicly announced who’ll replace Marcus Semien at second base full time? No. Have they continued to tout the multiple options they have to handle the position? Yes. Has Schumaker expressed the importance of competition within a spring training? For sure.
Does it seem like Josh Smith is the odds-on favorite?
Without a doubt.
Smith, the club’s super utility man in each of the last two seasons, has garnered the lion’s share of starts at second base in Cactus League play and fared fine in limited opportunities defensively. The injury to infielder Cody Freeman, who will miss most of spring training with a stress reaction in his lower back, does impact the competition and may have cleared the way for Smith to capture it with ease. Even still, Smith’s offensive track record (his .716 OPS is third to only shortstop Corey Seager and outfielder Wyatt Langford over the last two seasons), his ability to handle a multitude of defensive assignments and his work ethic, which Schumaker has praised, should have him in a safe position for the job.
Pitcher we need to see more out of
RHP Alexis Diaz: Specifically, as it pertains to the former All-Star closer, the Rangers need to see his velocity remain consistent in the 93-94 mph range and potentially tick up as camp continues. Diaz has major upside in the back end of the Texas bullpen if his velocity can rebound after a down season split between the Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers in which he had an 8.15 ERA in 15 games. If it doesn’t, Diaz may start the season at Triple-A Round Rock because he has minor league options to burn.
Hitter we need to see more out of
INF Ezequiel Duran: Duran is in contention for one of the team’s bench roles (and, technically, the second base position) but must hit. He’s slashed .200/.400/.200 with five strikeouts in seven Cactus League games. The big question? Can he rediscover the pop in his bat that made him such a valuable substitute in the 2023 season. The Rangers like the defensive versatility he provides, but if he can’t swing the bat at a consistent rate, they may be inclined to pick one of the veteran utility options in camp. Duran has just a .587 OPS in 503 plate appearances since the start of the 2024 season. It’s difficult to justify further opportunities if signs of growth aren’t shown.
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