SI's Bri Amaranthus and Chris Halicke discuss the area where the Texas Rangers need to most improve.
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00:00 We may not have to wait much longer to find out when the delayed MLB opening day will be.
00:06 The Texas Rangers starting lineup is looking very strong, particularly on the mound, where they have some awesome options.
00:13 There are a few position battles going on though.
00:16 So Chris, when you look at the starting lineup, what is one flaw that the Rangers need to address before baseball gets roaring again?
00:23 Yeah, the Texas Rangers starting rotation is actually the strength of the team when the lineup is usually the strength of the team.
00:30 It's actually because of the lineup that people are a little, you know, not as optimistic about the Texas Rangers going into 2020.
00:37 I do believe, however, they have more strengths than people believe, but yes, they do have some flaws.
00:43 And I think the biggest area that they need to figure out is first base.
00:48 Now they have the incumbent Ronald Guzman, who's still young, who could still break out.
00:53 He's still a very young player.
00:55 But they brought in Greg Bird, who, you know, in 2015 with the Yankees, you know, broke out and looked like he was going to become a superstar type of player.
01:04 And then a myriad of injuries just completely derailed that.
01:08 And he was getting a second chance with the Rangers and, you know, looked pretty good in spring training, but didn't take the bull by the horns.
01:15 Really, neither guy took the bull by the horns.
01:18 And, you know, both guys can play the position defensively, and both guys have certain qualities about their offensive game.
01:26 You know, Guzman does have good power, but is it going to translate to the major league level?
01:31 And Greg Bird, also a guy with good power and has really quality at bats, makes the pitchers throw the ball into the strike zone.
01:38 However, can he make, you know, sufficient contact and consistent contact in order to become a legitimate major league hitter throughout the course of a season?
01:49 Now, this is a shortened season coming up.
01:51 If a baseball season is going to be played in 2020, it will be shortened.
01:55 So that is a good thing for either one of these guys.
01:58 The shorter sample size might end up paying off for them.
02:03 But definitely in the long run, the Rangers are going to have to look and see, you know, what they have at first base, if Roland Guzman or Greg Bird is going to be that answer,
02:11 or if it's going to have to be somebody else that they bring in eventually later.