HOUSTON – This whole thing doesn’t work without the other guys.
During the Rangers’ postseason run, the spotlight has understandably fallen on their valuable 2022 free agent signings or the exciting rookies on their roster. But Texas’ success – in October and in the regular season – was also due to a trio of unheralded players: Mitch Garver, Jonah Heim and Nathaniel Lowe.
“I [know] How cliché it is, the whole ‘team effort’ thing, but it really is,” manager Bruce Bochy said Saturday at Minute Maid Park. “… It’s different every day which part of the order contributed a lot to producing print runs for us. These guys are key for us.
“Sure, you’ll hear about the Seagers and Marcus and those guys, but basically it was everyone. And that’s exactly what made it work for us.”
There’s good reason to hear about Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, the All-Star midfield pair whose signings marked the start of a new era of competition for the Rangers. Add in young players like Josh Jung and Evan Carter and you have one of the most entertaining lineups in Major League Baseball.
However, turning fun into a win requires a little more strategy, and that’s where GM Chris Young and his front office went to work.
Garver came to Texas around the same time as Semien and Seager and was traded from the Twins in March 2022. Heim arrived in a trade with the A’s the year before, while Lowe played with the Rays for two seasons before being acquired by the Rangers in December 2021.
These may not be the flashiest names, but they played a key role in making the lineup leave a strong impression.
“We get production from everyone,” Bochy said, “[including] the guys under the radar that you don’t hear much about.”
It was pretty hard to ignore them though.
Garver has been a prime example of this lately, driving in seven runs – including a grand slam – in the last two games while finishing third behind Seager.
A former Silver Slugger and seven-year major league veteran, Garver has historically been a tough opponent for left-handed pitchers. His placement in the lineup makes it more difficult for opposing teams to use a left-handed hitter against Seager, and the shortstop’s high on-base percentage pairs well with Garver’s ability to hit with runners on base.
Case in point: his grand slam in the Rangers’ 11-8 win over the Orioles in Game 2 of the AL Division Series in Baltimore.
“I want to say this is the best I’ve ever felt [at the plate]Garver said. “…I think the more you play in your career, the more you become in tune with the hitter you are and you can embrace yourself and feel more comfortable in your everyday life.”
That’s something a guy like Heim, Garver’s fellow catcher, also learns. Heim, the AL’s starting catcher in the 2023 All-Star Game, was slow to return to form after a stint on the IL with a strained tendon in his left wrist in late July. The power isn’t there yet in October, but the versatile home has scored in each of its five postseason games.
But it was on the other side of the ball that he really shined.
“He’s great,” said Game 1 starter Jordan Montgomery. “I mean, when you have a catcher that plays like he does every day, you feel really comfortable throwing to him. He has an idea of what you want to throw, how you like to work, and how fast you want to work. He’s just a really talented player.
“He’s constantly throwing people out at second. He has a really good pop, a strong arm and is really good defensively behind the plate. Really good catcher all around.”
Behind Heim in the lineup is Lowe, who hit his first postseason home run on Tuesday. A Silver Slugger in 2022, the left-handed hitting Lowe hasn’t seen the same power on the field this season, but he could very well become an X-factor in his own right against a right-leaning pitcher from Houston.