Salty

It's like playing Boggle

It was intimated yesterday in an article at the Texas Rangers website that Jarrod Saltalmacchia may not make it out of camp with the big-league team.

Today, T.R. Sullivan wrote that basically the starting catcher's spot is Gerald Laird's to lose.

Isn't this mildly shocking that Salty -- with all the hubbub surrounding that Teixeira trade last year, that he was ready for the majors -- may start out in Oklahoma City to begin the season?

The talk is that Salty could be kept on to DH as he's a switch hitter and a prospect known for his power. But he's poor against lefties and the Rangers would probably need to keep the likes of Jason Botts or Kevin Mench around for that purpose, which provides little flexibility off the bench.

Or there's the thought Salty could be seasoned (zing!) in the minors (he skipped Triple A) were he could play everyday.

For one, it's a mistake to try and for him to become a catcher. He's too tall and lumbering to catch and his defense sucks anyway. Moving him to first is logical, but what do you do with Chris Davis, who is set to probably play there switching from third? It's a good problem to have.

If anything, stick Salty in the outfield.

It's also silly to keep Salty as a backstop because it's the one position the Rangers have a surplus of. There's Laird, who is a fantastic defensive catcher. Then Chris Stewart is certainly capable although his offensive prowess ain't great. Going deeper into the system there's Taylor Teagarden, Max Ramirez (who probably won't make it up as a catcher ... and may not end the season in the Rangers organization) and Christian Santana.

Move Salty or Davis to the outfield. Stick with Laird and hopefully watch his value soar should he find his stroke and ship him by mid-June. Problem solved.