New Rangers Reliever Up for Any Role

ARLINGTON, Texas — Chris Stratton knows the Texas Rangers coaching staff well.

After all, not everyone gets to play for both manager Bruce Bochy and pitching coach Mike Maddux.

Stratton has had that singular experience.

“Both of those guys know how to win,” Stratton said Tuesday.

He and starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery were dealt to the Rangers for two Top 30 prospects — infielder Thomas Saggese and pitcher Tekoah Roby — and relief pitcher John King.

On Wednesday, Stratton got his feet wet, getting the final four outs in the Rangers’ 11-1 win over the Chicago White Sox. It was a low-leverage situation to say the least. He gave up one hit and struck out one.

It’s likely not reflective of the role the Rangers have for him, but after the game he said his role didn’t seem to matter to him.

“I’ve come in in the fifth inning, the sixth inning, I have a save this year,” Stratton said. “I’ve literally done it all. I don’t know how many innings I have this year, but I’m out there often and that’s how I like it.”

After Wednesday he has 55 innings with a 1-1 record and a 4.25 ERA. He has 60 strikeouts.

Stratton has played in eight Major League seasons since breaking in with the San Francisco Giants in 2016. He’s been both a starter and a reliever, and with the Giants he was primarily a starter. His best season came in 2018, where he went 10-10 with a 5.09 ERA in 28 games (26 starts).

He ended his three-year stint with the Giants with a 15-14 record. He got an education working under Bochy, who was the Giants manager and led the franchise to three World Series titles.

Stratton, 32, said he and Bochy are both a little older and a little wiser. But he learned plenty of lessons from the future Hall-of-Fame manager.

“All the manager wants to know is what he’s gonna get out of you every night and consistency is the big thing,” Stratton said.

After leaving San Francisco, he ended up with the Los Angeles Angels to start the 2019 season and was then moved to the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he remained until last year’s trade deadline, when he was dealt to St. Louis.

With the Cardinals, he got a crash course in "Mad Dog," which is Maddux’s nickname. Stratton went 5-0 with a 2.78 ERA with the Cardinals, part of a 10-4 season.

Stratton is looking forward to working with Maddux again.

“He has that old-school mentality and I think the way the game is headed with analytics, I think it’s been big to have that old-school mentality to fall back on,” he said.

Stratton has a 36-24 career record with a 4.50 ERA in 280 career games.