Mookie Betts, Julio Rodríguez highlight Ben Verlander's team of the month
Ben Verlander's August team of the month includes several superstars playing to form — and a few young players whose names you need to know.SEPTEMBER 5, 2023
MITCH GARVER #18 - DESIGNATED HITTER - SEATTLE MARINERS
15 HR •
51 RBI •
.172 AVG
15 HR
51 RBI
.172 AVG
Rangers take on the Astros after Garver's 4-hit game
The Texas Rangers play the Houston Astros after Mitch Garver's four-hit game on SundaySEPTEMBER 4, 2023 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Lights up former team Garver went 4-for-4 with two homers, four RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 6-5 victory over Minnesota.
Impact Garver mashed against his former team, collecting his first four-hit game since April of 2019 as a member of the Twins. His three-run blast in the first put the Rangers on the board and he later added a solo shot in the seventh that helped Texas regain the lead. Garver has been on a power surge since the start of August with a .313 average, 10 homers, 20 RBI and 16 runs scored in 95 at-bats.
SEPTEMBER 4, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Power surge continues Garver went 1-for-2 with two walks, a solo home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Mets.
Impact All the scoring came late, as Garver broke open a scoreless tie by taking Drew Smith deep in the seventh inning before scoring what proved to be the winning run on an Ezequiel Duran single in the top of the ninth. Garver has gone yard four times in his last six games, all solo shots, and he's slashed a stellar .317/.404/.659 through 23 games in August with eight of his 13 homers on the year and 16 of his 36 RBI. Even with Jonah Heim healthy, the Rangers will continue finding room for Garver in the starting nine as long as he's locked in, either at catcher or DH.
AUGUST 30, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Mitch Garver, Andrew Heaney come up big as Rangers defeat New York Mets Texas has won three of four following a season-worst eight-game slide that helped drop them out of first place.
AUGUST 30, 2023 • DALLASNEWS.COM
Mitch Garver's homer helps Rangers edge Mets Mitch Garver homered leading off the seventh inning to snap a scoreless tie Tuesday night for the visiting Texas Rangers, who went on to bea...
AUGUST 30, 2023 • KANSASCITY.COM
Garver homers, Heaney throws shutout ball in the Rangers' 2-1 win over the Mets
Mitch Garver homered to snap a scoreless tie in the seventh inning and the Texas Rangers, finally emerging from a slump, beat the New York Mets 2-1AUGUST 30, 2023 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Gets rest day Garver is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets.
Impact Garver will get a maintenance day after he started each of the Rangers' last 12 games at either designated hitter or catcher. He produced a .954 OPS over that stretch, so Garver should be relatively secure in his role as Texas' preferred DH for the time being. Manager Bruce Bochy will give Grossman a look in the DH role Monday while Garver rests up.
AUGUST 28, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Launches 12th homer Garver went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Twins.
Impact This was Garver's third homer in his last four games, though they've all been solo shots and he has just one additional hit in that span. The 32-year-old is up to 12 homers, 35 RBI, 27 runs scored and 10 doubles while slashing .278/.361/.515 through 57 contests this season. With Jonah Heim slumping since returning from a wrist injury, Garver could push for more time behind the dish -- he played there Saturday for the first time since Sunday. In any case, Garver's power production should at least keep him favored for DH duties.
AUGUST 27, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Clubs homer Tuesday Garver went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Diamondbacks.
Impact Garver's strong stretch ended with a three-game slump in which he went 0-for-12, but he was back to bashing Tuesday. His homer was his fourth of the month and 10th of the season. The catcher is at a .277/.357/.495 slash line with 33 RBI, 25 runs scored and 10 doubles over 54 contests this year. Garver has seen most of his playing time at designated hitter since Jonah Heim returned from a wrist injury.
AUGUST 23, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Continues hot stretch Garver went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs scored in Friday's 9-8 loss against the Brewers.
Impact Garver's fourth-inning home run was his ninth of the season. Garver had been receiving consistent playing time while starting catcher Jonah Heim spent more than two weeks on the shelf with a wrist injury and is continuing to see a consistent role as the Rangers ease Heim back into the lineup. Garver has rewarded the Rangers by hitting safely in all but two of his last 17 starts with an on-base percentage of .458, four home runs and 12 RBI during that stretch.
AUGUST 19, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Here's how the Rangers plan to manage Jonah Heim and Mitch Garver behind the plate Jonah Heim is back off the injured list. Mitch Garver is raking. The Rangers will now work to keep both involved.
AUGUST 14, 2023 • DALLASNEWS.COM
Drives in three Saturday Garver went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 9-3 win over the Giants.
Impact Garver's RBI single in the fourth inning put the Rangers ahead 2-1, and he knocked in another pair of singles with another single in the ninth. Across his 13 games since Jonah Heim (wrist) went on the injured list, Garver has hit .348 (16-for-46) with three home runs and 10 RBI. He's up to a .282/.356/.487 slash line with eight homers, 30 RBI, 21 runs scored and eight doubles across 46 contests this season.
AUGUST 13, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Goes deep in win Garver went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 2-1 win over the Giants.
Impact Garver homered just one pitch after Nathaniel Lowe opened the scoring in the sixth inning. After a stretch where he hit safely in 12 of 13 games, Garver had gone 0-for-6 across his last two contests before snapping the mini-skid. The catcher is up to eight homers, 27 RBI, 20 runs scored, eight doubles and a .272/.349/.483 slash lie over 169 plate appearances this season. He continues to see a starting role while Jonah Heim (wrist) is out, though Garver could see more time at designated hitter once the Rangers' top backstop is back.
AUGUST 12, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
On bench Wednesday Garver is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game in Oakland.
Impact It's a day game after a night game after Garver had started 12 of the previous 13 contests, so it makes sense to give him a breather. Sam Huff will do the catching for Jordan Montgomery.
AUGUST 9, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Mitch Garver helps Rangers rally past A's Mitch Garver had three hits and two RBIs to help the Texas Rangers come from behind and record a 5-3 victory over the host Oakland Athletics...
AUGUST 8, 2023 • DEADSPIN.COM
Mitch Garver helps Rangers rally past A's Mitch Garver had three hits and two RBIs to help the Texas Rangers come from behind and record a 5-3 victory over the host Oakland Athletics...
AUGUST 8, 2023 • STAR-TELEGRAM.COM
Doubles twice in win Garver went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI in Monday's 5-3 win over the Athletics.
Impact Garver extended his hitting streak to eight games, a span in which he's gone 12-for-29 (.414) with five extra-base hits and six RBI. The catcher has taken over as the Rangers' No. 1 behind the dish with Jonah Heim (wrist) on the injured list. Garver's up to a .284/.365/.489 slash line with seven home runs, eight doubles, 26 RBI and 19 runs scored through 159 plate appearances this season.
AUGUST 8, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Takes seat Saturday Garver is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Marlins.
Impact Garver started the previous nine games and will receive a day off after he posted a 1.172 OPS with three homers during that stretch. Austin Hedges will take over behind the plate for Saturday's contest.
AUGUST 5, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Garver Can't Believe Record-Long Homer Run Mitch Garver couldn’t believe it at first. After hitting the Texas Rangers’ longest home run of the season – and the longest of his career –...
AUGUST 4, 2023 • STAR-TELEGRAM.COM
Hits long ball in win Garver started at catcher and went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Thursday's 5-3 win over the White Sox.
Impact Garver's fourth-inning home run traveled 457 feet at a rate of 111 mph, as the Rangers' fought back after falling in a 3-0 hole in the first inning. It was the longest homer of his career and the longest blast by any Ranger this season, per Jose Sanchez Cordova of the Dallas Morning News. It was the catcher's second homer of the series -- he hit a tie-breaking homer on Tuesday. Garver, who owns a modest five-game hit streak, has caught four of the six games since Jonah Heim (wrist) landed on the injured list.
AUGUST 4, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Goes deep in victory Garver went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 2-0 win over the White Sox.
Impact Garver got the scoring started in the fifth inning, smashing a solo shot off Jesse Scholtens to give Texas the lead. The 32-year-old has started each of the last seven games for the Rangers, going 6-for-18 with two homers, four RBI and four runs scored during that span. Garver should continue to see regular playing time with Jonah Heim on the injured list.
AUGUST 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Fills in for Heim Garver started at catcher and went 0-for-2 with a walk in Friday's 7-1 loss to the Padres.
Impact Garver is set to amp up his catching appearances after Jonah Heim suffered a wrist injury during Wednesday's game. Heim is hoping to put off surgery until the offseason with two-to-three weeks of rest, but even if he can, Garver should see a steady uptick in plate appearances in the short term. He's served mostly as a designated hitter in 2023, but Garver maintains he's more productive when catching, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. Evidence suggests he has a point. Garver has a career .856 OPS as a backstop and .673 as a DH. He and Sam Huff will share the role going forward, and the Rangers acquired Kevin Plawecki from San Diego on Friday and assigned him to Triple-A Round Rock.
JULY 29, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Launches late homer Garver went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Astros.
Impact The 32-year-old clubbed a two-run homer during the ninth inning off Houston closer Ryan Pressly, but Leody Taveres quickly followed with a lineout to end the game. It's the third straight game with a hit for Garver, though he's still just 3-for-16 since the All-Star break.
JULY 26, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
