SURPRISE, Ariz. -- There is a lot that’s new lately for Rangers catcher Mitch Garver: faces, names, weather, and, most important, dad life.

“It brings a whole new perspective to my life,” explained Garver about being a first-time father. “I tell everybody, ‘I used to be a baseball player,’ like that was my identity, and now I just play baseball for a living. It’s fun to be home with my son and my family and watch them grow every day.”

While Garver’s family grew by one with the addition of his son last summer, the Rangers’ order has multiplied at an accelerated rate. The significant financial commitments to free agents Corey Seager and Marcus Semien gave the group not only star power, but accomplished production atop the order. With Garver now in the mix, the unit as a whole boasts the look of a deep and potent starting nine.

“It’s a pretty intimidating top three when you’re going up against that,” manager Chris Woodward said. “It lengthens your lineup out.”

Count former Rangers ace Lance Lynn as one of the first challengers for figuring out how to navigate the powerful triumvirate. During Texas’ 14-5 victory over the White Sox on Wednesday, Seager and Garver socked back-to-back solo home runs in the first off the right-hander. Lynn, who placed third in American League Cy Young Award voting last season, was unable to figure out Garver, who blasted off for a second straight plate appearance in the third.

“Obviously [we’re] led by Corey [Seager] and Marcus [Semien], those are our headliners and they’re great leaders,” Garver said. “But this lineup is deep and I think it’s going to be special.”

Garver, 31, knows about being a member of an offense that can slug from top to bottom. During his Silver Slugger Award-winning campaign in 2019, Garver aided the Twins in setting the Major League record for home runs by a club in a single season with 307. The ‘22 iteration of the Rangers has yet to even jog on the field for Opening Day introductions, but the backstop is feeling a familiar vibe from his teammates.

“Very similar,” Garver remarked. “We have a few new hitting coaches [Tim Hyers and Seth Conner], and the mentality is changing a little bit. I think these guys have a real opportunity to do something cool. [There is] a lot of talent in here.”

After ascending to breakout status, Garver scuffled through the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He got back to mashing for stretches in ‘21, but he was limited to just 68 games with stints on the injured list due to a groin contusion and lower back tightness.

Garver’s 2019 season is the level of production he is looking to reclaim. His 311 at-bats remain a career high, as do his 31 home runs, 67 RBIs, .630 slugging percentage and 157 OPS+.

“It’s pretty impressive what he’s done up to this point,” said Woodward of Garver. “He’s got this calmness about him that he knows he’s good.”

Statistically speaking, throwing Garver a fastball should come complete with its own ‘Caution’ warning. His .735 xSLG against heaters from 2021 is indicative of the damage that he can do; the fact that 41 of his 53 career homers have come against fastballs spells it out.

“I’m always looking for the fastball and trying to stay in the big part of the field, adjusting to offspeed pitches,” Garver explained. “The more times I face people, I can go for different pitches or see different locations; I get a little bit more comfortable that way. Coming over to a new team, it should be fun to try and make that adjustment as well.”

Even as he continues to work through offspeed offerings, Garver’s fastball destruction has made his bat a can’t miss commodity. Of the balls that he put into play last season, 53.4% were of the hard-hit variety, a mark that would have tied him with the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani for the eighth-highest rate in the Majors.

The physical demands of the catching position make it unlikely that Garver could hold that spot on an everyday basis. But while regular-season lineup plans remain very much in flux, Woodward has been receptive early in camp to the idea of Garver serving as the designated hitter when not behind the plate.

Ultimately, with that much power packed in his bat, Garver stands to be a fixture of Texas lineup cards throughout the 2022 season.