Rangers Righty Cal Quantrill Eyeing WBC Stage
Texas Rangers right-hander Cal Quantrill wasn’t thrilled with his latest Cactus League outing, but he’s not sounding any alarms with the World Baseball Classic on deck.
“Obviously, it’s not good enough yet,” Quantrill said after his start. “It’s February. I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’ll be ready to go when it’s time to go. But, yeah, we need to improve. I need to execute at a higher rate, throw better pitches in my leverage counts, and make some adjustments.”
After he surrendered six runs on eight hits across 2 2/3 innings against the Athletics Thursday, Quantrill said he’s comfortable with the game plan but dissatisfied with how it’s playing out right now.
“I think the plan, the course of action, is good,” he said. “But the execution and the outcomes are not what they need to be yet.”
Looking Ahead to the World Baseball Classic
Quantrill is scheduled for one more outing before he leaves to join Team Canada for the World Baseball Classic next week. Despite the uneven results so far, he sounded confident about where he’ll be when the games start to matter.
“Yeah, I’ve got another outing before we get going there. And it’s early — I’ll be ready to go,” Quantrill said. “In those competitive environments is when I think I’m at my best. So, hopefully, I’ll get some of these tougher ones out of the way and be ready to send it.”
Family Ties Motivate Cal Quantrill on Team Canada
One of the main storylines for Quantrill this spring is the opportunity to play for his country and for his father, longtime big leaguer and pitching coach Paul Quantrill, who is on Canada’s staff.
“Yeah, it’s cool. Second time we’ve got to do it,” Quantrill said. “It’s rare that you get to, on a professional level, compete with family. We’ve definitely got some Canadian family ties, for sure. The Naylors will all be there. And, yeah, it’ll be good. It’ll be exciting.”
Reuniting with Denzel Clarke and the Naylor Brothers
Those family ties run deep. Quantrill will share the clubhouse with Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor and his brother, Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor. He will also share the clubhouse with their cousin, Athletics center fielder Denzel Clarke. Clarke wore a pitch in the back from Quantrill in this outing on a breaking ball that never found the zone.
Asked if Clarke might give him a hard time about the errant pitch when they’re teammates for Canada, Quantrill grinned.
“I think it was 79,” he said, “and he’s a big, strong boy, so he’ll be okay.”
For Quantrill, the WBC is both a competitive target and a family reunion — one that he expects will bring out his best once the lights are a little brighter and the stakes a little higher.
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