Rangers' Mitch Garver: Ramping up catching
Garver is expected to catch back-to-back games this week for first time this spring, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.
Garver is slowly ramping up his time behind the plate. He played seven innings in a game last week, then a full nine two days later. He also thwarted a stolen-base attempt apiece in each game, which is more outs than he had in the limited time he caught in 2022. "I was pretty excited," Garver said. "I got into a good position. I made a good throw. It felt good. It has felt good all spring." Despite the promising results, Garver is expected to get fewer starts at catcher than Jonah Heim, per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. That's partially due to Garver coming off forearm surgery, but Heim possesses a quicker release, stronger arm and quicker pop time, skills that will be handy for an expected increase in attempted steals in 2023. When not behind the plate, Garver is expected to rotate in at designated hitter.
