Slow start theory. 1108 comments


After seeing how the Rangers have turned around their season from a dismal April to a nearly mirror image May, I had a thought about why the slow start. It was further strengthened by something Nick Martinez said on MLB Radio.

A reporter asked Martinez about the Rangers turnaround and he said, “As a team we are coming together slowly but surely.”

Wasn’t that what spring training was supposed to be for?

What has been nagging at me is this idea that the Rangers spring training was sort of wasted on a whole lot of minor leaguers getting far more playing time than is usual, and far more playing time than they should have been getting.

This spring saw way too many minor leaguers playing a lot of innings much too late in camp. Spring trainings, in the past, have consisted of a couple of weeks of getting the young guys in there, guys who will not have a chance to make the big club, guys whose only real affiliation with the Rangers is that they are wearing the uniform. You let them show their stuff, be evaluated by the staff, and see if there are any hidden gems.

The real starting lineup gets an at bat of two every couple of games early on. Then, as the last two weeks take shape,they get more and more innings, so that by the time that last week to ten days come around, they are playing pretty much for keeps.

It wasn’t like that this year, though. For the most part, the Rangers spring training was really a tour de force of minor leaguers. The regulars got in a couple at bats a game, every other game.

When the season started, the bats didn’t.

This year, most Rangers position players got about twenty fewer at bats than they have in the past, some half as many. The idea was to keep them fresh for the season.

What if it kept them unprepared for the season?

Just a thought. Your opinions may vary.

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