Rangers catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia remembers the disappointment he felt when he was sent to Triple-A at the end of spring training last year.
That's why "Salty" is taking nothing for granted this spring, even though he's now the presumptive starter and seemingly has reason to relax a bit.
During the last week of camp a year ago, Saltalamacchia found out he was headed to Triple-A Oklahoma after a prolonged battle with incumbent Gerald Laird. The Rangers kept Adam Melhuse as the backup, but he broke a bone in his hand in late April and Saltalamacchia was recalled.
Now, Laird is with the Detroit Tigers after an off-season trade.
The switch-hitting Saltalamacchia came to Texas in the July 2007 trade that sent Mark Teixeira to Atlanta. Salty hit .253 with three homers and 26 RBIs in 61 games last season before missing the month of the season with a right forearm injury.
Now, Taylor Teagarden is in the spot Salty was in last year. Teagarden hit .319 over 16 games as a rookie catcher last season. He's now considered No. 2 on the catching depth chart, with Max Ramirez and Melhuse also in camp.
