What happened to Jared Walsh? He finished seventh in Rookie of the Year voting in 2020 while with the Angels. His numbers were pretty impressive, too. He batted .293, had an elite .971 OPS, and an OPS+ of 157. To put that into perspective, only Corey Seager and Evan Carter had a higher OPS+ last year for the Rangers.
The left-handed hitting first baseman followed that up with an All-Star season, slugging twenty-nine home runs and driving in ninety-eight. He hit .277 in 2021, with an OPS of .850, and an OPS+ of 127.
Then, just like that, it all seemed to slip away from him. In 2022, he batted just .215, his OPS slipping all the way to .642. And last year was even worse. He hit .125.
In fact, when the Angels brought him up, it was a two-way player. He played first and pitched in relief, appearing in five games, an inning per game, in 2019, putting up an impressive 1.80 ERA. He did, however, walk more than he struck out. But he injured his throwing arm in 2020, limiting him to just playing first. When his arm healed, the Angels decided one two-way player was enough with Shohei Ohtani and Walsh didn’t pitch again. But he hit so well in 2020 and 2021, they released Albert Pujols to make room for Walsh.
It turned out, though, that his struggles in 2022 were the result of thoracic outlet syndrome, causing his power to vanish and forcing surgery in September of 2022.
His 2023 season was riddled with neurological issues like headaches and insomnia. His offense suffered so much, the Angels released him in July. Nobody claimed him and he finished the season on their Triple-A team.
Quite a fall for a player once described as a breakout player and a bright spot in the Angels future.
When the Angels removed Walsh from their forty-man roster this offseason, he elected for free agency and the Rangers signed him to a minor league contract.
Signing Jared Walsh could be a brilliant move. Or, it could end up being just another story of a guy trying to find his former self and not being able to. But it’s a risk worth taking. Especially when you consider the Rangers didn’t really have a backup for Nathanial Lowe at first last year, and they lost their DH in the offseason.
If Jared Walsh can overcome his injuries and his disorders, the Rangers could have caught lightning in a bottle in an under-the-radar transaction.
For what it’s worth, and it’s really not worth much, so far Walsh is batting .400 in the spring after going 1-for-3 in yesterday’s 4-2 win over the White Sox.
Here’s hoping the Rangers get the Jared Walsh that seemed destined for stardom.
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TODAY’S GAME:
Texas vs Arizona, 2:10