SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Rangers manager Skip Schumaker made sure to acknowledge that one game doesn’t make or break a player’s roster chances.
That statement mattered even more after Jacob Latz’s final start of spring, when he allowed nine runs (seven earned) on eight hits and two walks across three innings against the Brewers on Thursday night.
“Again, you don't make or break a team or a position on the last day of spring, or last couple days of spring,” Schumaker said of Latz. “He's a really good pitcher. He was a really good pitcher last year, he'll be a really good pitcher this year. He's going to be really good throughout the season. He's healthy. That's encouraging. I think, overall, the bulk of this Spring Training was really good.”
Latz, Kumar Rocker and a pair of non-roster veterans in Cal Quantrill and Austin Gomber have been locked into the fifth-starter competition all spring. Another veteran, Ryan Brasier, was granted his release on Saturday, the Rangers’ final day in Surprise.
LHP Jacob Latz
2025 stats: 2.84 ERA in 85 2/3 innings (33 games, eight starts)
Spring Training stats: 14 earned runs in 15 1/3 innings (8.22 ERA)
Latz’s spring hasn’t quite been smooth sailing as he looked to become a full-time starter for the first time since 2022. The results haven’t been exactly where he’s wanted them, but he’s constantly emphasized how happy he’s been with the process.
“I mean, I definitely wish I had better results,” Latz said. “I’ve definitely got a good base underneath me. I don't think I could get more stressed from a workload standpoint than I did this spring, so that'll hopefully serve me well. The stuff still plays, so that gives me enough confidence to keep attacking. It’s not what I expected coming into camp, but again, the season's right there, and I feel really good about where I am. Honestly, I do. As weird as it is, this camp has more positives than negatives to me.”
RHP Kumar Rocker
2025 stats: 5.74 ERA in 64 1/3 innings (14 starts)
Spring Training stats: Six earned runs in 12 2/3 innings (4.26 ERA)
For Rocker, the results have been better, but that doesn’t always mean the process is where it needs to be.
Rocker’s 2025 was messy, and included multiple demotions back to Triple-A Round Rock to fix both mental and mechanical issues. In camp, he seemingly fixed some of the mechanical issues with his delivery becoming more repeatable, with the fastball riding at 97-99 mph throughout the game.
But the mental aspects, such as the diversification of his arsenal and controlling the run game, continue to be a work in progress.
"There's some good and some stuff that he still needs to work on, right?” Schumacher said. “The changeup still hasn't been thrown a ton, there’s probably some more opportunities where he should have thrown it. That pitch still needs to develop. There's guys that are in the league that have two good pitches that are very successful starters, but that third pitch might be the separator. The run game has to continue to get better.
"There were times that were really good, and there were times that were not acceptable. I think he's still trying to figure out how to do that consistently. I think once he puts it all together, this guy's going to be one of the best starters in the league -- I think he's really close to being that.”
Camp has come to an end and every pitcher in the competition for the final rotation spot has put their best foot forward. Now it’s just up to the Rangers to decide the best course of action to help them win games in the regular season.
“I don't want to lose sight of what the fifth-starter role is,” said president of baseball operations Chris Young. “We're not looking for a Jacob deGrom-level performance. It's easy to get lost in the weeds. We want them to just keep us in the game, give us 15 outs and let us turn it over the ‘pen. … They've all put themselves in a position where we could choose any one of them and feel very good about it.”