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Texas Rangers could use a little more of Jared Hoying

By Stephen Francis

May 17, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers center fielder Jared Hoying (31) is doused with Powerade after the win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
May 17, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers center fielder Jared Hoying (31) is doused with Powerade after the win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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After a breakout performance Wednesday night, Jared Hoying might need to see a little more playing time this season with the Texas Rangers.

The Texas Rangers have been dealt a pretty terrible hand to start the season. Third baseman Adrian Beltre has missed the entire year and will still be out a while longer. Lefty starter Cole Hamels has another four weeks or so to go before he returns from an oblique injury. And outfielder Carlos Gomez became the most recent casualty with a hamstring strain this past weekend.

Injuries happen to everyone. No team finds themselves immune to the 162 game grind, and so it’s up to the team to respond and work past them. That’s why there could be a silver lining for the Rangers recent rash of injuries. How else would they have gotten to see the performance Jared Hoying put on Wednesday night against the Phillies?

Hoying in the minors

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If you followed Hoying through the minor leagues, you’re probably not too surprised by the power he flashed Wednesday. He had a fantastic year in 2014 with Round Rock, hitting 26 home runs and driving in 78 runs.

In fact, he proved himself as one of the Pacific Coast League’s best hitters that season. Hoying finished the 2014 season among the top ten in hits (138), home runs (26), RBIs (78), doubles (33), triples (7) and runs scored (86). Not to mention, he led the league in total bases with 263. The man was on a roll that year.

That obviously caught the attention of the Texas front office, who’d taken him in the 10th round of the 2010 draft. But, he wasn’t done.

He followed up his stellar 2014 AAA campaign with nearly equal solid play the next season. Although he didn’t rank as highly among the league leaders, he still turned in 23 homers with 60 RBIs and 66 runs. But, his batting average dipped nearly 60 points to .214 in 2015.

But Hoying bounced back in 2016 by posting an early season slash line of .319/.409/.550. Then, an injury to Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo earned him a call-up to Arlington to begin his big league career.

Hoying last season

Hoying struggled early with the Rangers in 2016. Of course, that’s pretty normal for a rookie of his caliber. He didn’t come in with the fanfare of a Nomar Mazara or even Joey Gallo. But, it did take him four games before he earned his first MLB hit.

Yet, he still did a decent job in his first couple of months, batting .241 before going back to the minors in late July. Although he only played 16 games in that timeframe, he’d proven that he can hit at the big league level. So, when September came around, it was only natural he’d get a call-up.

But September didn’t go so well. He batted just .176 in his return. But, Hoying didn’t see consistent action in the final month. He played in 22 games, but only started two. Thus, he ended the month with a mere 17 plate appearances. That’s hardly enough to really make a true impression.

Hoying this season

So, the Rangers kept Hoying around in the minors as a stop-gap in case of emergency. He got some hits and drew a few walks and proved that he can at least compete at the big league level. He further helped his case by slugging seven home runs in his first 36 AAA games this season. Thus, it seemed like a no-brainer to call the man up once again to play with Texas when Gomez went down.

Cue the show he put on Wednesday night. Never mind his oh-fer on Tuesday. In just his second game back at the MLB level, he went 4 for 4 with his first major league home run, a double, two RBIs and three runs scored. Had he gotten a triple, he’d have made history with just the 12th cycle in franchise history.

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But he didn’t need to. He still had four hits and he proved that he’s a great fit to stick around as the everyday center fielder. Granted, the job belongs to Gomez when he returns. But at the very least, he’s proven that the job is in good hands until that happens. And for the Texas Rangers, that could not come at a better time.

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