Friday on the Farm: Texas Rangers' top catching prospect continues searching for ways to make himself better
Sam Huff has taken a deep dive into the fuel that power his body in addition to continuing to strengthen his knee.
Sam Huff isn’t a full-fledged Texan and probably never will be as a proud son of Arizona.
But he was drafted by the Texas Rangers, is dating a Texas girl, and has lived in Fort Worth the past two offseasons. He likes barbecue, but he’s not to the point where he can crush it every day.
Maybe that will come in time, but not any time soon. His girlfriend, Katie, has turned Huff’s diet around and, as a beach volleyball player, convinced him that what he puts in his stomach is more important than putting what he wants in his stomach.
Chipotle, he has learned, isn’t the health food he thought it was. He never knew until this offseason that he is allergic to dairy, though it explains why he feels like crap after eating it.
So, cheeseburgers and fries are only on cheat days, and that’s fine by Huff.
He wants to be the Rangers’ everyday catcher, as soon as humanly possible, and believes that putting premium fuel in his body is another way for him to accomplish that goal.
Keeping his right knee strong and stable is, too, as is making more contact to ensure that his elite raw power translates from the minor leagues to the majors. He’s worked on it all this offseason at various locations in the Metroplex.
Huff is the Rangers’ top catching prospect, and it’s not even close. The Rangers’ next best prospects haven’t played above A ball. Two more haven’t made it out of Arizona yet.
But if Huff realizes his potential, the lack of organizational depth behind the plate won’t be an immediate problem.
He wants to get going. Now.
“I'm scheduled to be ready for spring,” Huff said. “I feel great.”