T.R.'s Memoirs: Aside from starting pitching, this position has frequently flummoxed the Texas Rangers
There have been plenty of names and lots of hope, but no one who has emerged a a long-term solution.
T.R. Sullivan covered the Texas Rangers over 32 years for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and MLB.com and is sharing his “memoirs” with this newsletter.
In this installment, Sullivan reviews 50 years of trials and tribulations surrounding the Rangers and their search for a center fielder. It may have been the toughest position for the Rangers to field during their club history.
The Rangers optioned outfielder Leody Taveras, once their No. 1 prospect, to the minor leagues last week after he went 0-for-8 in four Cactus League games.
Taveras was the Opening Day center fielder last season, but didn’t even last the first month. He was demoted after playing in 15 games and going 4-for-46 at the plate.
Taveras is considered a potentially elite center fielder at a premium defensive position. He was recalled Aug. 24 and given another shot in center. This time he hit .188 in 34 games.
Bubba Thompson, the Rangers’ No. 1 pick in 2017, was also sent down last week even though he was 4-for-9 with two home runs in seven games. Thompson is also coming off a strong season in Double A Frisco — .274/.325/.483 in 104 games — but struck out 121 times in 429 at-bats.
The Rangers feel he could use more offensive development at Triple A Round Rock along with Taveras. That leaves Adolis Garcia, a surprising All-Star last year, in center even though he is considered more of an elite right fielder.
Unless Eli White can force his way into center.
White is an excellent athlete with terrific speed and the ability to play elite defense in center. He seemed on the verge of establishing himself in the big leagues in the spring of 2020 until the pandemic shutdown knocked him off kilter. He is a .179 hitter in 83 big-league games over the past two years.
So, there you have it.
The Rangers have three terrific young athletes to play center, but they aren’t going to play there regularly until they show they can at least contribute something offensively.
Which brings up the obvious question …
Haven’t the Rangers been through this before?
The answer is a resounding yes. Many, many times.
Too many times over and over again going back to the beginning of the franchise.
The Rangers’ pitching issues are certainly well documented. Beyond that, no other position has flummoxed and bedeviled the Rangers so much as center field through the years.
No doubt there have been times they have done it right. You don’t win seven division titles and two American League pennants without a strong option in center field. But even in those situations, it didn’t last a long time.
Sooner rather than later, the Rangers ended up scratching their heads and trying to figure out what to do in center field.
It's been a long 50 years at the position, and it began right from the first day when the Rangers arrived in Arlington.