The Sunday Read: Will Josh Jung be Texas Rangers' Opening Day third baseman? It's not a sure thing.
The team's No. 2 prospect was impressive in 2021 at the top two levels of the minors, but he must beat out Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
The thing that intrigues Josh Jung the most about Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, his future Texas Rangers teammates, isn’t what they do on the field but the reputation they bring with them as leaders.
They have pedigree, especially Seager with his World Series MVP, and know how to raise up a team with young players like Jung and so many others who are expected to fill out the Rangers’ roster in 2022.
“That excites me because as a young pup coming up, you're going to turn and look at somebody, and it's like, now we have these guys that have been there, that have literally done everything I want to achieve my career,” Jung said Friday. “Now we can build off their success and their experience and try to run with it. It’ll be a lot of fun.”
And, yes, Jung fully expects to be their teammate in 2022. His goal is to be a major-league baseball player as soon a possible. The soonest would be March 31, Opening Day, assuming the lockout doesn’t alter the schedule.
But there is no guaranteeing that Jung will at third base to start the season.
Really? Really.