Thursday Newsletter time: Jake Latz 'looked like a big-leaguer' in MLB debut, but will he get another start?
The left-hander allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings Wednesday as an emergency starter as the Texas Rangers navigate a COVID outbreak.
Raise your hand if you want to see Jake Latz start again next week for the Texas Rangers.
Ah, it looks like we have a majority.
The left-hander made his MLB debut Wednesday night as an emergency starter as COVID-19 hits the Rangers’ roster, and he did well considering the rush from Triple A Round Rock and all the right-handed hitters in the Cleveland Indians’ lineup.
Latz attacked from the start. His fastball sat 92-94 mph. He threw three different off-speed pitches, though with some command issues. He didn’t seem the least bit intimidated on the big stage.
“He looked like a big-leaguer,” manager Chris Woodward said.
But will he stay a big-leaguer? That’s not an easy answer, not with three starting pitchers on the COVID injured list possibly ready to return before Latz’s spot is needed again Monday.
Non-vaccinated players on the COVID IL must stay there a minimum of seven days if deemed in close contact with a positive or a minimum of 10 days if positive. Vaccinated players can return sooner.
If the Rangers need a starter Monday, why not Latz? He is eligible for the Rule 5 draft in the offseason, and it seems like the Rangers would want to protect him. They can do that now by keeping him on the 40-man roster rather than taking advantage of a COVID rule that would allow them to take him off without exposing him to waivers.
Latz impressed with his pitching, too. He was undone by three solo home runs and couldn’t get out of the fifth inning, falling an out short, but allowed only five hits, struck out four and didn’t walk anyone.
He was tagged with the loss as the Indians pulled away for a 7-2 victory. Latz learned along the way that he can’t get away with the same misses he did this season, mostly at Double A Frisco.
In one of his last starts there, Latz threw to rehabbing catcher Jose Trevino. Latz’s catcher Wednesday? Jose Trevino.
“I thought that was huge,” said Latz, who threw 84 pitches.
His first big-league pitch was a strike. He worked with tempo and kept attacking after each long ball. He could hear his parents and the many friends who drove from his native Illinois or from Kent State to see him.
There were reasons for Latz to be overwhelmed, but he never was.
“The anxiety was there a little bit,” he said. “I kept saying to all my friends and family that I just wanted to be as focused as I possibly could, and I feel like that was huge for me to lock on Jose’s glove and not get caught up in my surroundings.”
The performance deserves an encore.
Ballpark happenings
A few things worth your attention that are going down at Globe Life Field and Globe Life Park.
Make that the former Globe Life Park. It’s now Choctaw Stadium after a naming-rights deal was reached with Choctaw Casinos & Resorts. The Rangers and Choctaw have had a relationship since 2010, and Choctaw has been the official casino of the Rangers since 2019.
Also announced Wednesday was the first wave of high school and college football games to be played there. Nineteen have been scheduled through early November, with the first coming Thursday night as Lakeview Centennial plays Arlington Sam Houston.
Across the street at the new place, Stadium Links is returning Oct. 8-9. Tee times in groups of two or four are now available here.
ICYMI …
I get it. You were busy to start the week. That’s fine. Here’s what we’ve been doing at the Texas Rangers Newsletter in case you missed it.
T.R.’s Memoirs: Johnny Oates. Part I. Part II. (Part III comes today).
Nick Snyder throws really hard, and strikes, too.
Doggy video!
The big dog speaketh … powerfully. Enjoy. See you Friday.
His mound presence was the most noticeable. He had an attitude of “come get yours”, not a deer in the headlights like some of our starters this year. Some have a follow through that looks like “ hope it’s going to not be hit”. Not him! 👍 Definitely need more of him and less of some known ineffective pitching.
The 3 solo HRs were all up in the zone. Rookie mistakes. He really looked good for his first big league start. I vote for several more starts to allow him to get used to the bigs.