First base was even a bigger carousel
than catcher for the Rangers in 2014. Nothing is more indicative of
this than the fact that Prince Fielder's 39 games at the position
were enough to qualify him as the most-used first baseman on the
team. After Fielder left the stage with season-ending neck surgery,
the ride started. It included appearances by Mitch Moreland, Brad Snyder, Carlos
Pena, Mike Carp, Ryan Rua, J.P. Arencibia, and Adam Rosales.
Snyder and Pena are no longer with the
team. Since neither made any significant impact I am going to take a
pass on examining their seasons.
Prince Fielder, shown here on card 132 in the 2014 Topps Opening Day set, came to Texas in the Ian Kinsler trade during the off-season. Fans and
management alike held high hopes for the established slugger. Didn't
take long to determine something was wrong. In 42 games, Fielder hit
an un-Prince like .247 with a dismal .360 slugging percentage. The
three long balls indicated a problem. There was one and Fielder
underwent season-ending neck surgery to repair a herniated disc.
That gave Mitch Moreland a chance to
re-claim his former role as the everyday first baseman. Mitch had
been relegated to a Designated Hitter role with Fielder's arrival in
town. Mitch made 184 plate appearances over 54 games before his
season ended with ankle reconstruction surgery. He put together a
.246 batting average with a .297 on-base percentage. He also hit nine
doubles, one triple, and two home runs. In 22 games at first he
compiled a .989 fielding percentage in 193.2 innings. That's just
under the league average.
Following Moreland's surgery, the
madness really began with various players tried here and there. None
seemed to be a long-term solution. Snyder and Pena were first and hardly hung around
long enough to make any noise.
Mike Carp's defense was below average
but acceptable over the 79.2 innings he played first. Mike's problem
was his bat. In his time with the Rangers, Carp came up to the plate
46 times and batted just .125. His on-base percentage was .217 with
no extra base hits. He got designated for assignment on August 31st
and finished the year in the minors.
Adam Rosales started the season as a
utility infielder but ended it by playing first base every day. He
batted .262 over 181 plate appearances in 56 games. He also tallied a
.328 on-base percentage but didn't hit for much power with a slugging
percentage of just .378. Seven doubles and four home runs. Adam was
the second most used player at first base with 252 innings played
there over 32 games. His above average defense was a pleasant
surprise coming from a player who hasn't regularly played first in
the past.
J.P. Arencibia moved over to first
after he lost out on the catching job. He ended up playing just as
many games at first base as he did behind the plate. His offensive
struggles were outlined previously. In the 22 games he played at
first he logged 179.1 innings in the field and compiled a .987
fielding percentage. That's five points below the league average but
it must be kept in mind that Arencibia has never played first base in
his professional career and was trying to learn the position on the
fly.
Ryan Rua did his part to fill the
breach by playing 77 flawless innings in nine games. Since he is
primarily an outfielder his offensive production will be covered in that post.
If everything goes according to plan,
the Rangers will see Prince Fielder back at first base in 2015. For
him to regain something close to his old form and reliability would
be the best scenario. Mitch Moreland could fill in from time to time
if needed and serve as a DH some of the rest of the time. Barring
more disasters, I don't see Mike Carp returning to Arlington. Adam
Rosales will likely be in Spring Training with a chance to make the
team as a utility player. Arencibia might polish his skills at first
over the off-season to increase his versatility and value. It
might get him a second look if the competition behind the plate is
intense. Ryan Rua will be looking to make the team as an outfielder and is likely hoping his time at first base is in the past.
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