Taylor Teagarden added to Texas Rangers line up
The Texas Rangers recently announced their plans to include Taylor Teagarden in their line up, following concerns that the existing squad would be unable to handle diverse roles without facing imminent injuries.
The doubts came up in the catching department, which is currently marshalled by Yorvit Torrealba.
While Mike Napoli acts as a replacement catcher, his main role is in the designated position. Nevertheless, with back to back games, there is the risk for the player to expose himself injury, which is exactly the reason why Teagarden is in the mix now. He
will be going in to the line up with Brett Tomko, who will join the pitching squad.
Mason Tobin and Michael Kirkman are the two players, who will be heading out of the 40-man squad. While Tobin is on a 60-days disabled list, Kirkman will be heading to Triple-A Round Rock after a dismal performance against the Angels.
The new catcher has been posting a batting average above .350 in the minor league and he looks ripe for the task at hand. He was also impressive in the Cactus League during spring training.
"I really have played well defensively since the spring and I've been getting some knocks", Teagarden said.
On the other hand, the Angels look good on the batting front, as they have been pulling off good hits and runs off their bat. Maicer Izturis has been performing well with the Halos as a leadoff hitter and his home run against Colby Lewis on April 19, 2011,
in the fifth inning provided a glimmer of hope for the non-hitting contingent in the line up. At the same time, prospects are pulling good numbers.
Peter Bourjos is one example, who is not only brilliant in the outfield, but is amazing to watch with the bat.
"We're hitting the ball to all parts of the field", Angels manager, Mike Scioscia said. "That was absolutely a breakout offensive night. Peter got tentative in his first at-bat, but after that he was on it. He's got some pop. It's not, however, the main
feature of his game.
"He's about as fast as anyone I've seen".
With the Angels gaining form and the Rangers losing players to injury, the American League West looks to be going for the Halos early on.
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