SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Nick Solak’s first start in a Cactus League game is scheduled for Saturday against the Brewers, and it will see him playing a relatively new position.
Solak will be playing center field for the Rangers. That’s going to be his position early in games, as manager Chris Woodward wants to get a quick idea if Solak can handle the position.
“I just want to get him out there as much as I can, let the comfort factor take shape,” Woodward said. “I would like to see him on the infield a little bit, but mostly center early.”
Danny Santana is the Rangers' projected center fielder and will play there on Friday against the Royals, but the club seems infatuated with the idea of Santana remaining a utility player -- a role he excelled in last year -- and finding a spot for Solak in the lineup.
Solak’s best position is second base, a spot that is currently occupied by veteran Rougned Odor. Solak got a crash course in center field two springs ago from former Rays coach and current Twins manager Rocco Baldelli but has played just 20 games there in the Minor Leagues.
“He is really diligent … trying to gain a lot of experience in a short amount of time,” Woodward said. “I’m just looking for the comfort he has out there, the routes he runs. Is he smooth? Can he make adjustments on the run? This is a really tough place to play outfield.”
Spring Training in Arizona offers a “high sky,” which means blues skies, bright sunshine and no clouds.
“To read the balls here is probably going to be more difficult than anything he is going to face in the season,” Woodward said. “The route efficiency, how he gets off the ball. Can he put his head down and run to a spot? Those are things he has been working hard at. From what I have seen so far, he’s got pretty good hands, he runs good routes, he’s obviously really fast. It seems to play well, but we’ll see in the games.”
Solak will also get work at third base with Todd Frazier moving to first base if needed.
Jones emerges as pitcher
The Rangers notice a difference in left-hander James Jones this spring: He looks like a pitcher.
“Before, he looked like a position player pitching,” Woodward said. “Now, he actually has the makeup and the presence of a pitcher. He has a chance to take a big step forward. I’m looking forward to see what he’s got.”
Jones was an outfielder with the Mariners in 2014-15, but switched to pitching in 2016 after the Rangers acquired him. He had to overcome Tommy John surgery, but he had a 2.67 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP and 10 strikeouts per nine innings in 45 games for Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Nashville last season.
Jones is convinced he made the right decision switching to pitching, even though he was the Mariners' starting center fielder in 2014.
“I’m a different person as a pitcher,” Jones said. “I’ve learned a lot about myself and become a better person. Yeah, coming up in the Mariners' organization, I was always worried about other people’s opinions and what people were saying about me. Since I became a pitcher, I don’t worry about that. I understand who I am and what I want to be. It’s freed me from worrying about not living up to people’s expectations.”
He said it
“I think he looked good, especially this early in camp. His breaking ball was sharp, both of them. His changeup was good, he threw a lot of them. All in all, he was pretty good.” -- catcher Jeff Mathis, after catching Corey Kluber in live batting practice Tuesday
Rangers beat
• Kluber is only the third two-time Cy Young Award winner to be in a Rangers Spring Training camp. The others were Tim Lincecum last season and Gaylord Perry in 1980.
• Left-hander Taylor Hearn, who missed almost all of last season with a strained left elbow, threw live batting practice on Tuesday and is at full strength. The Rangers are torn between possibly using Hearn as a middle reliever or continuing his development in the Minor Leagues as a starting pitcher.
• Bullard Ave. runs beyond the left-field fence on Field No. 2 at the back of the Rangers' spring complex. Rookie catcher Sam Huff has been a menace to traffic with his long home runs in batting practice.