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Five Things Worth Watching in Surprise

Weird feeling, walking into spring training three weeks after pitchers and catchers reported. I feel a little like Manny Ramirez. Man, that’s a scary feeling. But a man’s got to catch up on what a man’s got to catch up on, so here are five things I’ll be paying close attention to now that my little feet have hit the dirt in Surprise:

1. A hard-working but seemingly effortless Kevin Millwood. Any hope the Rangers have of surprising in the AL West this year hinges on improvement from the starting rotation. Last year, Millwood was simply awful. He had a soft spring, was hurt early, and never really recovered. The enduring image of him from the season is of him laboring through a sweat-soaked uni in the fourth or fifth inning of (insert game here).

Nolan Ryan essentially threatened Millwood last September to lose 20 pounds and go through a full spring, which meant a full slate of “A” games. Not sure whether the threat could have been carried through, but so far, Millwood made both of his scheduled starts, and, according to those I’ve spoken to in Arizona, he’s been smooth and effortless off the mound. In two outings, he’s had five scoreless innings, including three on Wednesday. I’ll have to wait until early next week to see Millwood in a game, but make no mistake, no player’s spring performance is more important than his.

2. Smooth fielding. Over the two years that Ron Washington has led the team, the club has committed 256 errors, the most in baseball (no team in the AL is within 30). That’s led to an MLB-worst 196 unearned runs. Simply unacceptable. The promotion of Elvis Andrus to shortstop and the move of Michael Young to third base was intended to help lock down the left side of the infield, but overall fielding improvement is absolutely necessary.

3. Elvis Andrus’ work ethic. I don’t need to see Andrus make a single sensational play this spring. His talent speaks for itself. Everybody who has ever seen him understands he’s got terrific athletic talent, but what will translate into making him a big league star is how smart he works.

I’ve been told Michael Young and Ian Kinsler can’t shake the kid in drills — not that there is anything wrong with that. In fact, it’s exactly what I’d like to see. Having Andrus follow those two around will only help accelerate his ability to adjust to the majors. Spoke with both Young and Kinsler this week and both of them offered the same kind of raves about Andrus that they did about Chris Davis last year. That’s a good thing.

4. Strikes. This could just as easily be No. 1 or 2 on the list. It’s that important. The Rangers have allowed 51 runs in their first seven spring games. While this trend could put a real dent into my happy hours and my ability to make the Early Bird dinner special in Surprise, it is otherwise meaningless. First, everybody allows runs in the Arizona air. Second, if it means the Rangers are learning to throw strikes, it’s time well spent. The Rangers threw 24,986 pitches in 2008, most in the majors by 200 and most in the AL by 600. It leads to tired arms, disinterested fielders, big innings and big losses.

In a way, the Rangers and yours truly both have the same goal this spring: to make the InsideCorner a very popular place. If they spend the first two or three weeks of camp getting re-acquainted with that spot (and it’s buddy the OutsideCorner), that is a huge step forward.

5. An organized, efficient Ron Washington. There is no denying manager Ron Washington’s enthusiasm or his confidence, but it hasn’t translated into a solid start in either of his two seasons in Texas. Aside from some pitchers having soft springs the past two years, I can’t say there has been anything that’s stood out as “inefficient” about camp, but it’s quite clear the Rangers have to get something more out of camp this season. A third consecutive disastrous start is likely to mean you’ll be reading about a managerial change here at The Corner.

The addition of pitching coach Mike Maddux and bench coach Jackie Moore were designed to help Washington get more from his pitching staff and to be better prepared at game time. If there is a chemistry issue to address in spring, it’s not between players, but between manager and key coaches. They’ve got to get to know one another, get comfortable and trust one another. Considering that the only coach on Washington’s staff who was truly the manager’s choice is first base coach/outfield instructor Gary Pettis, getting this staff to blend together is not an issue to be taken lightly.

OK, just a couple of more quick hits:

Prospect I’m most curious to see: Left-hander Derek Holland. Had I ranked my top Rangers prospects this winter, Holland would have been first and Neftali Feliz second (Baseball America has the duo in inverse order). Holland is a touch older and is that rarest of things, a power lefty. He was apparently dealing on Wednesday against San Diego. He won’t make this team out of spring training, but might put himself in line to be the first callup. And if you’ve followed Rangers pitching exploits of the past, you know the first callup often comes before Tax Day.

Prospect I’m least curious to see: 1B Justin Smoak. After he crushed a ball last night, somebody raved to me that he’s the long-term replacement for Mark Teixeira. He might be, but let’s remember that Smoak has 56 professional at-bats to this point and that the guy currently playing first base for the Rangers (Chris Davis) is only nine months older than Smoak. I’m not disrespecting the kid’s talent at all, but this year should just be about playing and getting better and without the burden of expectations. When he’s ready for the majors, the Rangers will address whatever they need to address. For now, I’m eager for him to get on the back fields and start sinking into a bit of comfortable anonymity.