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Weekend Reader: Texas Rangers Are Making A Fashion Statement In The A.L. West With Higher Quality Leather

ARLINGTON - As the Rangers peer down from high atop the A.L. West, note that they are among the major league leaders in “defensive efficiency” according to the minds at Baseball Prospectus. And for that, Rangers fans should provide a round of applause to Bud Selig.

The commissioner has been the driving force behind the establishment of the World Baseball Classic. Squeezing chapter two of the event this March led to spring training being extended by almost another week to enable participating players to get acclimated to their teams after playing for love of country.

“It was perfect for us,” said Dave Anderson, the Rangers’ new first lieutenant of infield play. “A young shortstop. A new third baseman. Basically a second-year player at first base in his first full season. It was great.”

For an explanation for defensive efficiency, try this. For a more traditional gauge, the Rangers are tied for fourth in the league in fielding percentage after finishing last in each of manager Ron Washington’s previous two seasons. After the club committed 15 errors in April, only four halfway through May.

Much of the discussion centers around the need to consistently make routine plays. Then plays like the Friday night’s DP – in which Ian Kinsler shoveled the ball to second and Elvis Andrus caught it with his bare hand and fired to first – make it difficult to ignore the spectacular.

“Our defense, in my opinion, may be the biggest improvement on the club,” general manager Jon Daniels said. “The pitching, of course, but it goes hand in hand.”

Washington, who came to Arlington with a veritable master’s in infield instruction, readily admitted much of the credit for the club’s improved fielding prowess should be directed 60 feet, 6 inches from the plate.

“We’re more efficient because our pitchers are more efficient in the strike zone,” he said. “The ball is being put in play quickly.” (Speaking of pitchers, they collectively committed 21 errors last season and have two in ‘09.)

And the more you talk to Rangers personnel about improved glove work, the more they cite fancy footwork. Particularly Andrus applying tips from 11-time Gold Glover shortstop Omar Vizquel and Chris Davis getting to hone lessons that he was taught back in Bakersfield.

“How many hits have the guys turned into outs?” Daniels said. “How many balls has salty blocked? We may be better at all four infield spots and behind the plate.”

Washington couldn’t restrain his praise for Jarrod Saltamacchia’s play follow the 11-inning rally to beat Seattle on Wednesday night, when his catcher looked like a hockey goalie in keeping C.J. Wilson’s short pitches in front of him.

“Here’s the winning run sitting on third base, C.J. bouncing the ball,” Washington said. “That was the best I’ve ever seen. He saved that game for us, kept the team spirit up. He worked hard this spring, and it’s showing up. Everything you can think of, he was put through – all the catchers were put through. One thing I told him from last year I wanted to stop was him running to the backstop.”

The extended spring, Anderson said, wasn’t as useful in Michael Young’s move to third as it might have been.

“I think he saw only five ground balls the whole time,” Anderson said.

Said Washington: “He’s beginning to figure out when to come in, when to back up, where to play, how to move.”

Young is living what he already knew. There’s less time to react, and he must re-learn how much time to take to try to turn a double play on various runners.

“It’s just the small things. Like understanding that the clock in my head is still kind of getting better,” Young said. “I’m not where I want to be, but that’s something experience will take care of.”

After his previous relocation, from second to short to accommodate Alfonso Soriano in 2004, he developed into a Gold Glover. Vizquel, who turned 42 a few weeks ago, said he doesn’t think the average fan appreciates the difficulty of changing positions, even within the same side of the infield.

“When I go play a different position, I feel kind of lost,” said Vizquel, who made his debut as a third baseman in April, in his 21^st season. “You’ve still got a lot of situations that you’re not familiar with, and you have to think about it before the play happens. Third baseman is a position where, sometimes the ball forces you to be in front of it without even moving your feet. It’s a reaction position, and you have to have quick reflexes.”

Davis on Young: “He’s got a strong arm, but he doesn’t always have to use it. He’s real good about getting the ball and getting rid of it real quick. His ball tends to carry. There were a few thorws that he made, I wasn’t sure how the ball was going to break. I feel like he’s made some really tough plays lately and had made some really strong throws, and I kind of have an idea what it’s going to do.”

Said Young: “Everything’s going exactly the way I thought it would at this point.”

Early last season, the Ben Broussard experiment at first base ended in a hurry and folks like Frank Cattalanotto and Chris Shelton held down the fort until Davis was promoted in June.

He was drafted as a first baseman out of Navarro College in 2006, reported to Spokane and was promptly directed to left field. The Rangers wanted to look at Chris Kemp, just signed after five years at the University of Tennessee, at first. When Kemp was promoted to Clinton, Davis was waved back in to first, then over to third base.

“They said my arm would be wasted at first,” Davis recalled.

But he soon returned to first while at Bakersfield, where manager Carlos Subero taught him about footwork and where to position his hands. He has been primarily a first baseman since, though there was last season’s Arlington shuttle between first and third in conjunction with Hank Blalock’s arm problems.

“Moving positions helps me out,” Davis said. “I took some grounders at third this year in Baltimore just in case something happens.”

That shouldn’t be necessary, especially with Vizquel able to slide over. Davis instead should be able to get used to the new left side of the infield.

“I played with Elvis in Double-A, and I played with Mike and Kins up here last year,” he said. “We know each other’s range. I know what to expect from those guys as far as getting the balls and how they’re going to throw it and what their ball’s going to do.”

Kinsler said the get-acquainted period with Andrus is long completed. “That happened by the end of spring training,” he said.

“We really connected to everything,” Andrus said, “have a really good communication during the game during DPs and everything. Eighty percent is coming from him. He’ll always be open for me, trying to help me.”

Anderson, as a roving instructor in the organization last season, said he probably saw Andrus play 30 games last season at Frisco. He saw dazzlers like those that have wowed Rangers fans these first few weeks but, like Washington, said it’s Andrus’ consistency in making routine plays that is more important.

Andrus committed 32 errors with the RoughRiders; Washington said he won’t make that many this season.

Daniels said evaluations from the scouts and coaches that Andrus was ready to jump in without a year at Triple-A were dead on.

“On the talent side but maybe more so on the makeup – his ability to keep a level head regardless of whether he’s gone 0-for-4 or 4-for-4. While the Gold Glove voting typically looks a lot at errors and reputation, I’d be surprised if he’s not in the discussion if he stays healthy.”

The majority of Andrus’ seven errors to date have been related to making throws, which he told Vizquel during spring training. And that’s where Vizquel has become a huge influence on improving and emphasizing footwork. Andrus said that while Vizquel is constantly critiquing his work, he doesn’t jump right in after Andrus has committed an error.

“He knows how it feels to make an error. He just kind of lets me cool down,” Andrus said. “Sometimes I just go to him and talk to him about it.”

Vizquel said the interaction with the 20-year-old helps keep him in the game.

“I’ve been working on moving his feet to the ball so you’ve got a little bit of momentum when you’re throwing the ball to first base,” he said. “I think it’s working out good. Every play that he makes, we kind of talk a little bit about it. It gives him some thoughts about making different plays from different angles.”

Said Washington: “Now, if you notice, he catches the ball and he always gets control before he throws. Now he has a better chance to use his arm.”

And, Washington added, Andrus has successfully balanced being a confident rookie who hasn’t come across to teammates as cocky.

“He’s surrounded by guys that are relaxing him; there’s nobody jealous of him,” Washington said. “They want him to help us win. They trust him. They believe in him. When he makes mistakes, he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder.”

An over-the-shoulder catch? Maybe that’s next.