5 keys to the Rangers' bullpen in 2020

SURPRISE, Ariz. – The Rangers have a set starting rotation, but still have decisions to make in the bullpen. That’s standard operating procedure for Spring Training.

What’s clear is the Rangers need a better bullpen than what they had last season. Their relievers had a combined 4.66 ERA, fifth lowest in the American League. Their 1.44 WHIP was the fourth lowest as was their 1.50 home runs per nine innings.

Here are five keys to the Rangers' bullpen:

1) Leclerc keep emotions in check

José Leclerc is the closer and the Rangers believe he has the talent to be one of the best in the game. They want him to keep his emotions under control and not be so hard on himself when things go bad.

“We talked a little bit last year about controlling his emotions,” veteran pitcher Edinson Vólquez said. “Don’t let anything get to your head. Stay under control. Don’t show your emotions if something happens -- blown save or whatever -- just go home, enjoy your time with the family and come back the next day.”

2) Lefties must emerge

Rangers left-handed relievers combined for a 5.79 ERA last season and Brett Martin and Jeffrey Springs were the only ones to throw more than 30 innings. The Rangers gave Joely Rodríguez a two-year deal out of Japan to help rectify the situation.

Rodriguez’s 10-year career in the United States was going nowhere until he went to Japan and became a dominating reliever. Last year he had a 1.64 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings for the Chunichi Dragons. Rodríguez said he learned in Japan to be a pitcher rather than a thrower. Now he has to show it in the Major Leagues.

“Will it translate from Japan to here?” manager Chris Woodward said. “We believe so. We obviously did a lot of research on him to see if he was convinced he had solved all of his issues. Now we are seeing it.”

Martin made a successful transition to reliever last season after being a starter for most of his Minor League career. He works 94-95 mph with offspeed stuff to go with it. The Rangers are eager to see him after a year of experience and an offseason spent working out with Mike Minor.

3) Full seasons from Goody, Montero

The Rangers have a good track record of claiming pitchers off waivers and having them fill big roles in the bullpen. Darren O’Day and Shawn Tolleson are among their best success stories.

“Let’s hope we can keep that going,” said right-hander Nick Goody, who was claimed off waivers from the Indians this past offseason.

Goody was excellent for the Indians in 2017 with a 2.80 ERA in 56 games. Opponents hit .198 off him and he had an 11.85 K/9. His fastball sits in the low 90’s, but he has a swing-and-miss slider. An elbow injury limited him to 12 games in 2018 and he split last season between Cleveland and Triple-A.

Rafael Montero was another Rangers scouting success story. He was signed as a Minor League free agent after missing the 2018 season with the Mets while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Mets saw him as a starter, but the Rangers turned him into a reliever. In 22 games late last season, he had a 2.48 ERA while opponents hit .217 off him. He walked five and struck out 34 in 29 innings.

“My goal now is to do it for a full season,” Montero said.

4) Here come the kids

Right-hander Jonathan Hernández has separated himself from the other bullpen candidates, according to pitching coach Julio Rangel. Left-hander Taylor Hearn, who struck out three and allowed one run in two frames during Saturday's 11-2 win over the Brewers, has also been impressive.

The Rangers keep saying both have long-term futures as starters, but both throw in the upper 90s with swing-and-miss breaking pitches. If they continue to pitch well in Spring Training, both are going to be tough to keep out of the bullpen.

Hard-throwing right-handers Demarcus Evans, who threw a scoreless inning Saturday, and Joe Barlow are rising stars in the system but are more midseason reinforcements rather than making the club out of Spring Training.

5) Which veterans make it?

Jesse Chavez is one. He is valuable as a reliever who can handle any role without letting it faze him. Right-hander Luke Farrell threw two scoreless innings Saturday against the Brewers and is also making a case for a middle-relief role.

Veteran right-handers Juan Nicasio, Luis Garcia, Jimmy Herget and Derek Law, and left-handers James Jones and Brian Flynn all remain in the mix. Jones allowed one run on three hits in one inning against the Crew. Then there are Cody Allen and Vólquez.

Allen had a sore forearm early in camp before throwing a scoreless inning against the Cubs on Thursday. The Rangers want to see the dominating reliever who was the Indians' closer from 2013-17.

And Vólquez?

“He was 96 [mph] the other day,” Rangel said. “The stuff is legit.”