The Texas Rangers haven’t announced their plans for left field. Not officially anyway.
But Robbie Grossman made his sixth start in left field on Sunday, by far the most of any player this spring so far.
One can connect the dots, even as Spring Training isn’t quite halfway done.
Grossman’s bat has been on fire in a small sample size this spring, hitting .364 (4-for-11) with a home run — in his first at-bat — and seven RBI.
He’s clearly comfortable playing for the Rangers and being back with a Texas-based team. He played for the Houston Astros from 2013-15.
“Luckily I’ve played with a lot of the guys in this clubhouse and they’ve welcomed me with open arms,” Grossman said.
When he signed, the switch-hitting Grossman’s calling card was his batting average from the right side against left-handed pitching. He batted more than .300 in that situation last season. But his average from the left side was under .200.
Those splits haven’t always been as stark. For his career, Grossman is batting .279 as a right-handed hitter against left-handers and batting .232 with left on right.
Those are the splits the Rangers are hoping for this season, especially if Grossman ends up starting in left field.
He’s also been the type of hitter that can draw walks and get on base. He had a career-high 98 with the Detroit Tigers in 2021. He had just 56 a year ago.
The key, Grossman said, is his plan at the plate.
“Just having a plan every time I go to bat, trying to get a good pitch to hit, knowing what the guy on the mound is trying to do to you and just have a quality at-bat and have an at-bat for the guy behind you,” Grossman said.
On Sunday, Grossman hit seventh for the Rangers. The first four positions in the batting order are locked in — Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, Nathaniel Lowe and Adolis García.
After that, the Rangers are mixing and matching during Spring Training. For instance, on Sunday the Rangers put starting catcher Jonah Heim at designated hitter and batted him fifth. Mitch Garver batted sixth and was behind the plate. Then it fell to Grossman.
Bochy has spoken like the top four hitters in the order could be one of the best combinations in baseball this year. That bodes well for players like Grossman, who will be further down the order and will be counting on that group for good at-bats in front of him.
It makes a difference.
“If the guy in front of me has a good at-bat then there’s a better chance for me to have a good at-bat and a better chance for the guy behind me to have a good at-bat, and that helps you have success as an offense,” Grossman said.
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