In a bit of a surprise earlier this month, Texas Rangers GM Jon Daniels made the announcement that Mike Olt would start the baseball season in Triple-A Round Rock, as would the club's top prospect Jurickson Profar.
Many folks had just assumed that Profar, especially, would start the season in the bigs after making such a splash last season — home run in his first at-bat and all. But with the infield crowded with superstars and no one being moved this offseason, there is just no room for those two with guys like Adrian Beltre, Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler in the infield and Mitch Moreland getting seemingly one last shot to win the first base job.
Hall of Fame pitcher and Rangers' team president Nolan Ryan didn't go as far as to say they wouldn't start the season in Arlington, speaking to the Amarillo Globe-News in Amarillo as part of the Rangers' Winter Caravan.
“You have to see how spring training goes and how they perform and what your needs are,” Ryan said. “If there’s a place for them to play pretty much on a regular basis, they would be on the ballclub. If not, then I would expect them to be in Triple-A, because they’re at the point in their development where you don’t have the luxury of putting them on the bench and being a role player.”
The latter seems to likely be the case, unless Kinsler is moved to the outfield for whatever reason, or there's an injury. You never know what could happen but it sure is nice to have that option.
