Whenever you see a player tearing it up in the spring, just remember back a couple of years to Michael Choice.
That's all you need to know when trying to evaluate spring hitting performances in an Arizona climate that is conducive to smacking baseballs around.
But Ryan Rua isn't Michael Choice. Rua has had success at the big-league level, even if it was a small sample size in September 2014. Choice never had that.
Rua is also super versatile with the ability to play both corner outfield spots while also dabbling in the infield, making him a perfect candidate for what is likely to be one of three bench spots with the Rangers expected to take an eighth reliever for the Opening Day roster.
Spring doubts aside, Rua is absolutely raking at the plate this spring and continued the tear on Tuesday with another double — his team-high eighth extra-base hit of the spring. In all, Rua is 18-for-39 at the plate (.462) and seems like more and more of a lock to make the roster after he was the team's Opening Day left fielder a year ago before suffering an injury in the Rangers' home opener and never really getting back into the swing of things.
Rua would be nothing more than a bench bat assuming everyone is healthy, but his versatility would allow him to spell several different players on off-days.
