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ARLINGTON (KFDX/KJTL) — Opening Day in Major League Baseball is less than three weeks away.
The defending World Series champion Texas Rangers will open their title defense on March 28th against the Chicago Cubs at Globe Life Field.
But until then, spring training continues.
Sports Director Tobin McDuff will be live all week from Surprise, Arizona to help you prepare for the 2024 season.
The Rangers will play a road game against the Angels in Tempe on March 11.
The team officially began its defense of the World Series title with a surprise performance on February 14th. The Rangers won 90 games in the regular season and won the first World Series championship in franchise history.
Coach Bruce Bochy returns for his second season leading the team.
“You know, I have an even deeper appreciation for what they do. This year has been a great year with ups and downs,” Bochy said. “They were just relentless. They were just [found] How to get it done. And they didn’t care how it was done, only that it was done. ”
During the offseason, the Rangers were less aggressive in the free agent market than in previous years, instead focusing on re-signing players.
But they added relievers David Robertson and Kirby Yates, and catcher Andrew Knizner.
“The important thing for me is to keep practicing with them, keep catching balls, keep working with them as much as I can to speed up the learning curve,” Knizner said.
Relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman, who signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, is gone. Mitch Garber, a backup catcher and designated hitter who signed a two-year contract with the Seattle Mariners, also left.
And although he looks great in a Pittsburgh Pirates uniform, pitcher Martin Perez has also left the team.
Excitement builds as two of the Rangers’ top prospects take the field unexpectedly. Evan Carter is likely to be key to the Opening Day roster.
Last season, he played in 23 games and had a batting average of .306, five home runs, and 12 RBIs. Most oddsmakers have Carter as the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year.
We have to play well to win,” Carter said. “So if that comes with it, that’s great for me.”
Carter could compete with teammate Wyatt Langford once he gets to Arlington this season.
The Rangers enter the season with the fifth-best odds of winning the 2024 World Series, according to FanDuel.
They are the first to win back-to-back titles since 2000, when the Yankees won three in a row.
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