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Texas Rangers five key questions out of spring training

By Stephen Francis

Sep 23, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; The Texas Rangers celebrate after the end of the game against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Coliseum the Texas Rangers defeated the Oakland Athletics 3 to 0. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 23, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; The Texas Rangers celebrate after the end of the game against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Coliseum the Texas Rangers defeated the Oakland Athletics 3 to 0. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Texas Rangers pitcher Mike Hauschild
Mar 12, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Texas Rangers relief pitcher Hauschild (49) pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

3 — Who will be the fifth starter?

We know that the first four starters for the Texas Rangers will be Darvish, Martin Perez, Hamels and A.J. Griffin. But they won’t really need a fifth starting pitcher until game 13 of the regular season on April 19. With Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner both currently on the mend, that opens up a window for another guy.

On the whole, Hauschild looks like the frontrunner for the gig. In eight games, he’s pitched 20 innings and has held opposing hitters to an average of just .240. Meanwhile, he has a spring earned run average of 2.70.

But, he’s only started three games this spring and has not done as well as expected in those starts. His better performances have come in relief. So there remains the possibility that he’s not quite cut out to start on a regular basis.

Enter Dillon Gee. He’s a guy with seven seasons on his resumé and has started over 120 MLB games. He has a lifetime earned run average of 4.13 and opposing hitters have batted .264 against him through his career.

Gee is a pretty typical back-of-the-rotation starter that will venture into trouble here and there but can get you some valuable innings as well. And then of course, there’s the gem he pitched Wednesday afternoon.

In the Rangers’ Cactus League finale, he went six scoreless innings and allowed just two hits on 67 pitches against the Royals. While the Rangers shouldn’t expect that kind of performance every day, it does show he’s capable of good starts.

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