This story was excerpted from Kennedi Landry’s Rangers Beat publication. To learn the complete publication, click on right here. And subscribe to get it often in your inbox.

CINCINNATI -- Josh Jung hasn’t been on the forefront of the early American League Rookie of the Year dialog this season, however perhaps he needs to be. Anthony Volpe and Gunnar Henderson -- two prime 10 prospects, per MLB Pipeline -- dominated the dialog in Spring Training, however Jung has finished greater than sufficient to place himself in place to be thought of. 

Lost in Monday’s collection opener towards the Reds was Jung’s two-homer recreation that ought to have been the story of the day had the Rangers not fallen, 7-6, on a walk-off. It was the second two-homer recreation of his profession, the primary coming Sept. 27, 2022, when he went yard twice towards the Mariners in Seattle.

It was the most recent instance why the rookie needs to be within the nationwide dialog. In 22 video games this season, Jung has slashed  .281/.326/.494 with a 127 OPS+. Entering Wednesday, he leads certified AL rookies in hits (25), dwelling runs (5), runs scored (15), whole bases (44) and extra-base hits (9), ranks second in OPS (.820) and slugging and fourth in batting common.

He reached base in 18 of the 21 video games he’s performed this season, batting within the coronary heart of the lineup every time (fourth as soon as, and fifth 20 instances).  

“I think you should be asking what I don’t like about his play,” mentioned supervisor Bruce Bochy. “He has played great, great baseball. He’s been a lot of fun to watch. I knew he was a really good talent when I got here. If you look at what he's done right now, it’s maybe right to say he’s exceeded my expectations. You hate saying it, it's like selling this kid short. But he's gonna be a really, really good player. Great player. I think this is just the beginning.”

Bochy added that as a result of Jung missed a lot time with damage, he wasn’t totally positive how the third baseman would absolutely modify on each side of the sphere. 

For Jung, being absolutely wholesome was the largest distinction in changing into the participant he knew he could possibly be at this stage.

“I guess really it was just getting healthy,” he mentioned. “That was the biggest thing, just making sure that the body is healthy. It’s like so much more of my focus is now on preparation to play the game, instead of prepping my shoulder to get ready to play the game. I think that plays a big difference. ... More time to do homework, more time in the cage, less time in the training room getting the shoulder stuff right. It’s a relief.”

From the surface, Jung simply appears far more comfy in each facet of the sport than he did in his 26-game cup of espresso on the finish of final season. And he feels it too. 

He is aware of massive league pitchers will make an adjustment to him finally. He is aware of he’ll need to make his personal changes to these changes. But he is assured in his capability to mentally deal with the challenges that the massive leagues convey him. 

“It's a chess game and it always is going to be a chess game,” Jung mentioned. “But it’s about who doesn't overthink their opponent, almost because you can really get into the nitty gritty and start overthinking this game and make it way more complicated than it is. You can also go up there and just be like, ‘You know what? I'm going to take the balls and hit the strikes and see if it works out in my favor.’ So it's that simple sometimes.”

On the opposite aspect of the ball, neither defensive metric appears to favor Jung at third base. He has -2 defensive runs saved (seventeenth amongst certified third baseman) and -1 outs above common (twenty second). 

But by the attention check, Jung has been regular. He’s received simply two errors in 194 innings, good for a .964 fielding share (seventh amongst certified AL third basemen). Bochy has praised Jung’s defensive work in Spring Training and into the season as he’s labored to enhance what was perceived because the weakest a part of his recreation. 

Both Bochy and infield coordination/third base coach Tony Beasley really feel greater than happy along with his defensive improvement. 

“I went back to watch games, and I thought he looked good at third, but he's even better over there,” Bochy mentioned. “Not that I didn't think he was good at third base, but he’s been really good. His range is even better than I thought, both the backhand and forehand. Coming in on the ball, he’s really good.” 

So about that Rookie of the Year dialog? 

“No, I’m not really thinking about it,” Jung mentioned with a chuckle. “I'm just trying to help the team win the best I can and truly hold my spot in the lineup down.”

Content Source: www.mlb.com