Anyone who has paid attention to The Ranger Report since January, or even since the beginning of his time as a podcaster, knows Ben Dieter loves predictions and lists – in that order.
I decided to humor him today, just in a different fashion. I’m going to go over what my roster predictions for 2022 would look like if the names remained as is, which we fully understand it won’t.
I’m hoping to give our readers and listeners an opportunity to see what they should expect, at least in terms of who will be battling for roster spots come Spring Training after the offseason dust settles.
This is what I predict the starting lineup would look like on Opening Day of 2022.
Catcher: Jose Trevino
Let’s be real here: Trevino and Jonah Heim are likely going to split the catching duties right down the middle, with manager Chris Woodward going with the hottest player at certain times. But Trevino has proven to be the most consistent to this point, and I have him penciled in as the starter.
“Hip-Hop Jose” started the 2021 campaign incredibly hot at the plate, hitting .341 through his first 11 games. He ended the season with a .239/.267/.340 slash line with just five home runs and 30 RBIs.
Trevino had a freak forearm injury that occurred off the field toward the end of June, and it shelved him on the IL till July 24. Both Trevino and Heim are excellent behind the plate, and Heim actually has a higher ceiling with the bat. I actually expect to see even more good things from both next season.
First Base: Nathaniel Lowe
Lowe was both pleasant and frustrating to watch at times, and that’s to be expected from a player getting his first full-time action as a big-leaguer. All in all, Lowe showed exactly why the Rangers traded for him last winter.
He has very good plate discipline, can hit the ball to all fields and was consistent for the majority of the season. The Rangers want him to hit the ball in the air more and, if he does, is a candidate to hit 25-30 home runs annually, especially if he improves his .264 season average – which most expect him to do.
The big concern with him is his defense, where he committed 11 errors in 2021. For a guy that doesn’t have a tendency to turn some hits and possible throwing errors into outs at first, Lowe must be more consistent with the glove moving forward.
There’s also a scenario where I could see Ronald Guzman as your primary first baseman, but I’ll get into that further down this article.
Second Base: Andy Ibanez
Ibanez might have developed into the Rangers’ best all-around hitter in 2021. While he didn’t “wow” at the plate for the first few months, he finished the season incredibly strong in the batter’s box.
Ibanez hit .310 in August and .357 in September with an .865 and .948 OPS in both months, respectively. Not known for his defense, Ibanez actually played solidly in the field at second, third and first base, and he was – dare I say – flashy at times. No matter how the offseason shakes out in terms of acquisitions, Ibanez has earned the right to play a lot in 2022.
Third Base: Josh Jung
Shocker here, I know. Despite being shelved on the IL till June 15 with a leg injury, the eighth overall pick in the 2018 amateur draft oohed and awed between Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock in 2020 – hitting .326 with 19 homers, 61 RBIs and a .990 OPS overall.
Jung is ready, point blank, and Rangers fans have rightfully been anxiously waiting to see the uber-talented 23-year old in the big-league lineup. They’ll undoubtedly get their chance to start next season.
Shortstop: Isiah Kiner-Falefa
Obviously, this is a no-brainer. Despite about a two-month swoon in the middle of the season, IKF did what IKF does – play Gold Glove-caliber defense and put the ball in play consistently.
You can argue that Kiner-Falefa should be drawing more walks, especially if he’s going to hit leadoff. But there was a time, at the end of May, where it looked like he might be the first Rangers player to reach 200 hits in a season since Michael Young back in 2011.
I’d like to see IKF in a position where he is protected in the lineup by the hitters in front and behind him, but that might be awhile – if ever.
Left Field: Willie Calhoun
No one on the Rangers roster has had more bad luck than Willie Calhoun. For whatever reason, he has been a magnet for baseballs when he’s at the plate, and evidence is him being hit by pitches in the face and in the arm – in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
While his last two seasons have been marred by freak injuries on the diamond, he hasn’t actually lit it up when he has been available, either. Hopefully, with some consistent playing time, Willie will come into his own and show that he is the pure hitter everyone believes he can be.
This is likely his last chance to do so.
Against left-handed pitching, I see DJ Peters manning left. I have him in the lineup only against lefties – or unless Calhoun needs an extra day off, obviously – because his bat has severely lacked consistency.
Peters became a fan favorite after he was acquired via waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers and introduced to the big-league club in August. He has a big bat, plays very good defense and shows second-to-none effort; the dude plays like his long, flowing hair is on fire.
But it takes more than that to get into the lineup on a daily basis. I want to see him do it on a part-time basis first next season.
Center Field: Leody Tavares
I banged the table when Leody was sent down at the end of April, I banged it again when he was brought back up at the end of August, and I’ll bang it again now.
The player you saw start the season – the one that looked lost, like he didn’t belong and like the game was too big for him – by hitting a measly .087 is not the player Tavares is. The one you saw in September is more like it.
Leody has the ability to change the outcome of any game at any time. As we saw in September, if he’s playing with confidence, he can single-handedly make the opponent’s head spin. When he’s not playing with confidence, you have what you saw in Spring Training and in April.
He will get that chance again to start 2022, and it’s ultimately up to him as to whether Rangers management poops or gets off the pot in regard to his future in Texas.
Right Field: Adolis Garcia
We barely even knew who “El Bombi’ was at this time last year. Now, the entire baseball world knows.
I don’t even have to explain my reasoning as to why you can pencil Garcia in as your starting right fielder. I would simply be repeating the same things you’ve all seen and heard, and continue to see and hear, about Adolis’ 2021 campaign.
I will, however, ask that you heed this warning moving forward: Don’t you dare think he’s the long-term answer in right field.
Outside of May, which saw him pulverize opposing pitching to the tune of a .312 average, 11 long balls and 27 RBIs, Adolis only hit .221. The homers and RBIs were still there, however, as he finished with 31 and 90, respectively – both Rangers rookie records – and his defense was impeccable.
My point is Garcia has only awarded himself another season as the starting right fielder. He still has to prove, in 2022, that he’s going to be a player to move forward with.
Designated Hitter: Ronald Guzman
No one wanted to see what happened to “The Condor” on April 12, when he tore a meniscus while manning left field – a trial attempt to see if the team could get him into the lineup on a more regular basis outside of playing first and DH’ing.
“Guzzy” was coming off a fantastic offseason. He not only competed in the Dominican Winter League, but was awarded the league’s MVP award after enjoying a slash line of .360/.450/.523 with 58 total bases in just 30 games. The hope was a new swing he developed in the offseason would translate to big-league success at the plate, but we never really got a good chance to see it.
Guzman is arbitration eligible in 2022 and is out of minor-league options, so the writing is on the wall. I could see a scenario where he is the everyday starting first baseman against RHP, with Nate Lowe in the lineup at DH – Guzman’s defense is far superior to that of Lowe. But I believe the Rangers will give Lowe as many chances in the field as possible considering the investment they have already made in him.
I see Calhoun or Yohel Pozo DH’ing against lefties, with Peters obviously playing left field in that scenario.
Despite hitting left-handed himself, Calhoun’s career OBP is virtually the same against Southpaws as it is against righties. Pozo flat-out owned Triple-A pitching last year and showed that he can do the same in the majors. He hit .337 with 23 home runs and 74 RBIs for Round Rock, and he also was .284 at the plate with a homer and nine RBIs for the parent club in 2021.
Bench Players
Jonah Heim
DJ Peters
Nick Solak
Yohel Pozo
