ARLINGTON — Kumar Rocker won the final spot in the Rangers rotation like a reliever: He closed well.
Over his final two starts in spring training, Rocker allowed three runs over eight innings while striking out 11 and walking just two.
President of Baseball Operations Chris Young and manager Skip Schumaker both emphasized that Jake Latz, the other leading candidate for the spot, pitched well in spring, but the Rangers value his versatility in the bullpen more. One other thing: Latz had some trouble maintaining velocity the deeper he got into games, which had been a concern for the Rangers when spring training began.
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“Roster construction really played the part in this thing,” Schumaker said. “Jacob Latz is arguably one of the most valuable pieces in our bullpen, and potentially, in the rotation down the road. I don’t know what’s going to happen; this thing is opening day, but things can change quickly. The fact that Latz can do both and do it at a high level and also in high-leverage situations is extremely attractive.
“But as far as Rocker, there’s a lot of things that he checked off. I mean, more strikes. The command, obviously, was better.”
The Rangers also informed non-roster invitees Cal Quantrill and Austin Gomber they would not make the club.
Though the Rangers have a scheduled off day between Thursday’s season opener and Saturday’s second game, they aren’t likely to skip the fifth starter initially. It means Rocker will likely debut on March 31 at Baltimore. The Rangers could, however, use some later off days in April to manipulate the rotation slightly, where the No. 5 starter could only be needed on six occasions, meaning he could be used out of the bullpen on occasion.
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