Texas confident despite injury-racked spring

The Rangers entered Friday with a Spring Training record of 12-9 and positional battles still brewing across the field.

Texas is clearly committed to its youth movement, but that hasn’t stopped it from giving veterans -- like Rougned Odor and David Dahl -- a chance to prove themselves on the field. A few injuries have blown holes in the original plans, but manager Chris Woodward and general manager Chris Young are both confident in the group they will put on the field Thursday in Kansas City against the Royals.

Best development: Joey Gallo looks to be back; Isiah Kiner-Falefa solid

Gallo, an American League All-Star in 2019, has dealt with injuries (left oblique strain and right wrist surgery) and struggled mightily in ‘20, but this has been one of his best spring showings since his first big league camp in '13. He hit home runs in five of his first six games and owns a .286/.390/.829 slash line entering Friday.

Similarly, Kiner-Falefa has been quietly one of the Rangers' best players. He is so consistent at the plate that it almost goes under the radar. The club showed it believes in him and his leadership by moving him from third base -- where he won a Gold Glove Award in 2020 -- to shortstop this season, and he’s been up to the challenge.

Through 14 games, he’s hit .371/.450/.571 and has even shown speed on the basepaths with two triples. After three hits against the Angels on Tuesday, he's now 10-for-22 over his last seven games. He was the Rangers' Player of the Year in 2020, as voted on by the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, but he could have an even better year in ‘21.

Unfortunate event: Injuries galore

The bullpen has probably taken the biggest hit this spring, with injuries to closer candidates José Leclerc and Jonathan Hernández, along with the delayed starts of Demarcus Evans and Joely Rodríguez.

Without a set closer, the Rangers will likely rely on a non-roster pitcher to step into the role, like Matt Bush or Ian Kennedy. The first month of the season could be a “closer by committee,” Woodward said.

And while No.1 prospect Josh Jung’s left foot fracture shouldn't hinder his development too much, Willie Calhoun’s groin strain and Khris Davis’ quad strain have significant effects at designated hitter. With both out, the Rangers are left looking for another power bat to take their place. That could go to Adolis Garcia, one of Nate Lowe or Ronald Guzmán, or a number of other options.

Player who opened eyes: Ronald Guzmán

This is the clear answer. Rangers fans and coaches alike have understandably been frustrated with Guzmán’s production at the plate over the years -- the club even traded for Nathaniel Lowe this offseason with the hopes he would grab a hold of the starting first-base spot.

But while Lowe has proven himself to be serviceable competition, Guzmán has taken his game to another level after winning the Dominican Winter League MVP Award. He got off to a hot start in Spring Training and has hits in six of his last seven games and in 11 of 14 overall . It’s yet to be seen if he makes the Opening Day roster, as he and Lowe are neck and neck for the starting spot at first.

Wow moment: Gallo driving a home run in his first Spring Training at-bat

While he’s become a well-rounded player defensively -- winning a Gold Glove Award in right field in 2020 -- Gallo has always been a home run hitter, and he’s making sure nobody forgets.

He launched a towering 430-foot, two-run home run off Kansas City’s Ervin Santana in his first at-bat of the spring. The homer ended up being the first of five Gallo homers this spring entering Friday.

In case you missed it: Kiner-Falefa's offseason workouts

One of the most entertaining Zooms of Spring Training was Kiner-Falefa explaining that his dad, who is a tree trimmer, brought home wood for him to chop as a workout. He was initially hesitant, but figured it would help him build “controlled power” at the plate.

• Axe-swinging Kiner-Falefa

The Hawaii native led the team with a .280 batting average in 2020, but he wanted to work on decreasing his ground-ball rate. He felt the axe-swinging helped with both his launch angle and muscle memory.