How the late-offseason signing of Mike Foltynewicz could be a boon for Texas Rangers

Please excuse right-hander Mike Foltynewicz for getting a little emotional Sunday afternoon.

The right-hander made his first appearance in a Texas Rangers uniform and the first of spring training, and he doesn’t think it could have gone any better.

Foltynewicz threw two scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the first pitch he threw was the most important.

The Surprise Stadium radar gun read 95 mph, which before last summer wouldn’t have elicited a case of the feels. But the COVID-19 shutdown took a bite out of his velocity, and seeing 95 and later 96 and 97, with his wife and young kids in the stands, added up to a major dose of positive vibes.

“I told a couple guys I could cry right now,” Foltynewicz said.

He didn’t cry, for all the Jimmy Dugans out there, and he knows there’s along way to go.

So do the Rangers, who are cautiously optimistic about their offseason acquisition and not just for 2021. Foltynewicz signed a one-year, $2 million deal as a free agent after being non-tendered, but the Rangers will have him in 2022 for his final year of salary arbitration.

The signing has a chance to be a boon if Foltynewicz recaptures his All-Star form just as the Rangers are starting to open a window for contending for the postseason.

“That was part of the intrigue when we signed him if we could get him for pretty cheap, especially if we can get him anywhere near the form that he was in the past,” manager Chris Woodward said. “It’s almost a multi-year deal that we signed as a one-year deal. So it’s very intriguing. We’re excited about it.”

When Foltynewicz has been at his best, he has pitched at an elite level. He made the 2018 National League All-Star team with the Atlanta Braves and finished with career-bests in wins (13), ERA (2.85), starts (31), innings (183) and strikeouts (202).

The fastball is an easy 95 or 96, and the off-speed pitches are also no joke.

But things went wayward in 2019, though Foltynewicz saved his season with a strong finish. He felt like he was primed for a strong 2020 before COVID-19 hit and shut down the start of the season.

He threw plenty in Atlanta during the shutdown, but he didn’t have access to the same weight and nutrition program. He lost strength, and with that came a loss in velocity.

Even a couple miles per hour is a significant dip for a pitcher. Foltynewicz lost six, and made only one start for the pitching-depleted Braves before being exiled to the alternate camp site.

The ultimate banishment came in December, when the Braves did not tender Foltynewicz a 2021 contract in his second year of salary arbitration.

But slowly the velocity was returning. The Rangers watched him throw in January, when he was pumping his fastball in the lower 90s while not yet throwing with 100% effort.

The return of velocity, the recent track record, the need for innings and the contractual situation convinced the Rangers to pursue Foltynewicz. In turn, Foltynewicz found an environment that he could call home for longer than a season.

“I know everyone was just looking for those one-year deals, but I just want to be comfortable,” he said. “Once the front office and I talked to a little bit this offseason, that was kind of the place where I wanted to be. ...

“We’re going to be a pretty dang good ballclub this year and for years to come. I just hope this isn’t a one-year deal because the staff, the front office, all the players have treated me with nothing but respect. It’s been so nice ever since I got over here.”

Jordan Lyles is in the final year of his Rangers contract. Kyle Gibson and Kohei Arihara are under contract for 2022, and a bevy of young pitchers will have more mileage on their arms and be ready for a full workload.

There’s room for Foltynewicz, but he has to pitch well.

After two innings Sunday with his velocity back where it needs to be, he’s confident that will happen.

“I feel like a kid again out there,” Foltynewicz said. “I feel comfortable with this team just to be able to do what I need to do to get ready every day and just to be myself. If that translates out onto the mound, good things are bound to happen.”