Texas Rangers 2017 preseason profile: Andrew Cashner
Right-handed pitcher Andrew Cashner is one of the newest members of the Texas Rangers. Here’s a little look at what he brings to the table this season.
The Texas Rangers signed Andrew Cashner to a one year, $10M contract in the offseason. While some questioned paying that much money for a guy slated to be a number three starter at best, he could be worth the risk.
Born in Conroe, Texas, he’s a Texan through and through. He played his junior year of college ball at TCU, right before they became a college baseball powerhouse. During his time as a Horned Frog, he honed his fastball and struck out 80 hitters in just 54 1/3 innings of work. That summer, the Chicago Cubs drafted him in the first round and gave him an offer he couldn’t refuse. He left school early to go pro and within two years made his MLB debut.
He began his big league career as a reliever, which was his role in college. His career numbers show that either role has suited him about the same. In relief, opponents have batted .245 with a .350 on base percentage against him, while the numbers are .257/.317 as a starter. So it would seem, that he has allowed more hits as a starter, but has allowed more men on base as a reliever.
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Overall, opposing players have batted .255 against him with an on base of .321. But, he gets a fair amount of strikeouts, having averaged 7.5 for every nine innings. In a hitter-friendly park like Globe Life Park, that’s a good habit to have.
Last season was a little tough for Cashner, finishing 5-11 with a 5.25 earned run average. Pitching in Miami certainly didn’t do him any favors, either.
Once traded by the Padres to the Marlins, his numbers went up and he was a less-effective pitcher. The Texas Rangers front office is banking on a move home to help him improve, too.
At just 30 years old, Cashner has a lot left in the tank. At one point, he had what was rated the fifth-fastest fastball among MLB pitchers. The “stuff” is there, and perhaps working with pitching coach Doug Brocail, manager Jeff Banister and the very pitcher-friendly catcher Jonathan Lucroy will improve his game even more.
Texas boasts a lineup that can make his life even easier. So, he doesn’t have to be stellar. He just has to be effective and efficient with his pitches. In 2016, he averaged 17.92 pitches per inning. An average like that can ruin an outing quickly, so he’ll have to do better.
Next: Rangers preseason preview: Yu Darvish
The keys will be three-fold: his health, his pitch count and his ability to get strikeouts. So, Rangers fans can expect a win-loss record in of about 13-10. That is, if he stays healthy. He’s a decent option for the number three rotation slot and anything over .500 for him with 10-plus wins would be stellar. He’ll have an earned run average around 4.50 but he’ll miss a few bats and get about 130 strikeouts. If he does all that, the contract will pay off and he might get a decent multi-year offer in December.