Tepesch Leading Internal Candidate For Rotation

When Derek Holland tripped over his dog and fell down the stairs, or whatever he did, it put the Texas Rangers in a bind in their starting rotation.

So far, they've yet to add anyone in free agency and seem to be closer and closer to sticking to their plan of staying within the organization to fill Holland's spot in the rotation with hopes he'll be back sometime around the all-star break in July.

And right now, it seems like second-year pitcher Nick Tepesch is the frontrunner for a rotation spot of the team's internal candidates, according to T.R. Sullivan of TexasRangers.com.

Tepesch, who's 25, went 4-6 with a 4.84 ERA last season and tailed off dramatically after a hot start to his rookie season, when he was a stop-gap after injuries decimated the Rangers' rotation early in the season last year.

Tepesch obviously wouldn't slide into Holland's projected No. 2 spot in the rotation, but instead would bump everyone else up and would slot into the No. 4 or No. 5 spot depending on who else opens the year in the rotation and everyone else's health, as well as if the Rangers decide to bring in a free agent such as Tommy Hanson or even a bigger-name starter like A.J. Burnett.

Copyright FREEL - NBC Local Media
Contact Us