Woodward’s Dilemma At Catcher

The first of two exhibitions game between the Rangers and Rockies was something fans have been craving for many months now.

While everyone is glad to have baseball back, there was one thing that has stood out throughout this Summer Camp.

Robinson Chirinos suffered an injury on July 13th that took him out of action for a small period of time. Many believed he wouldn’t be able to make his return until after Opening Day had passed. However, Chirinos is a tough willed person and made all efforts possible to make his return in the first exhibition game against the Rockies.

In his debut against Colorado, Robby managed to play for 5 innings before being taken out of the game by Chris Woodward. During this period of time, he stepped up to the plate twice. His first go-around ended in a strikeout in what was a short second inning. The next time we had a chance to see Chirinos was in the 4th inning. This time he walked to first after Chi Chi Gonzalez failed to strike him out.

During both of his at-bats, Robby seemed to still be getting into the swing of things. It still shows that he isn’t back to 100% of his old self. The Rangers are hoping he can return to what he was in 2019 when Robby was hitting .238/.347/.443 with 17 home runs and 58 RBIs.

However, there are also two very determined catchers hiding in the shadow of Robinson, whom was sought out by the Rangers this off-season.  Jose Trevino and Jeff Mathis have both displayed the ability to be good catchers in the league.

Jeff Mathis

Jeff Mathis‘ defensive abilities are what keep him fighting for a spot on this team. After 15 years of playing in the big leagues, Mathis knows what is expected of him in order to remain on the roster.

In 2019 Mathis had a good role for the team, but is looking for a larger role in this upcoming season. Granted it’ll be a much shorter season, but Mathis wants to continue to add to his resume.

Jose Trevino

Jose Trevino continues to show improvements throughout camp. His rookie season last year flashed offensive potential in only 40 games. This off-season he’s been putting in extra work in to improve on the defensive side. If that side of the ball comes together with his skills on offensive, Trevino could be making plenty of noise this year.

Both of these guys want to play, and they’ll surely get their shot considering Chirinos’ injury. The problem for Woodward will be to try and find a balance between these three guys in order to get the best output.

While many want to roll out Robinson every game, it just won’t work out that way. Woodward knows that he’ll have to rely on his other catchers throughout the season.

The Rangers will have all three of them on the roster come opening day, and maybe even a fourth catcher. However, someone will be cut short on time during the season, and all we can do is wait and see who it will be.

Hopefully everyone can stay healthy, but if something goes wrong. It’ll be good to know that the depth at catcher should suffice.

Featured Image: Smiley N. Pool / Dallas Morning News