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Lucroy making presence felt on Rangers
- Updated: August 18, 2016
ARLINGTON — It hasn’t taken Jonathan Lucroy long to make an impact offensively for the Rangers since being acquired from the Brewers on the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline. In 15 games, he’s hit seven home runs with 14 RBIs.
But Lucroy’s presence is being felt more than just at the plate. He’s learning how to work with a new pitching staff after being thrust into the middle of a pennant race. Manager Jeff Banister has said Lucroy has had an immediate impact in that area as well.
“He’s really honed his craft and it takes a while to learn that. … The fact is, is that our guys, in my opinion, have thrown well to him,” said Banister. “You can see some confidence in that regard.”
Lucroy said he has come to the perfect situation.
“It has nothing to do with me, it has everything to do with this clubhouse. They’ve been nothing but accepting of me,” Lucroy said. “It’s been pretty impressive how much these guys want to win and how hard they play every day.”
Before the acquisition of Lucroy, Bobby Wilson, Robinson Chirinos and Bryan Holaday had caught the bulk of the Rangers’ games. Wilson and Holaday were designated for assignment on Aug. 1 and Chirinos has moved to a backup role.
Lucroy’s preparation is something that has stood out to the Rangers’ pitchers. His locker in the clubhouse is in a corner away from most of the starting pitchers. But that hasn’t kept Lucroy from making his rounds as he continues to learn about his new teammates.
“He really does put in a lot of time to studying guys and having conversations with us to know how we tick and what our philosophy is in trying to get guys out,” said Cole Hamels. “That’s been nice to see that and to build on that.”
The time …
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