The Texas Rangers signed Tennessee catcher Cal Stark to an undrafted free agent deal on Monday, KnoxNews Mike Wilson first reported and Stark confirmed to RTI
Stark was already out of eligibility after playing his first two college seasons at Weatherford Community College in Texas and his final two seasons at Tennessee. Stark started 89 games behind the plate in two seasons with Tennessee. He battled for the starting job both early in the 2023 and 2024 seasons and won the competition both times.
The backstop played his high school baseball in Knoxville but spent most of his childhood in Arlington, a suburb of Dallas where the Rangers’ stadium is located. When Tennessee played its season opening weekend at Globe Life Field in Arlington it was a homecoming for Dallas. Now he is with the very same franchise that plays there.
Stark is a fantastic defensive catcher who won the Vols’ starting catching job because of how much Tennessee pitchers liked working with him. Along with first baseman Blake Burke, Stark was elite at back picking runners totaling seven pick offs during the 2024 season.
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Those back picks got Tennessee out of a handful of huge spots last season including a bases loaded jam in the SEC Tournament Championship against LSU and a two-on with two-out in game two of the College World Series finals against Texas A&M.
Stark struggled at the plate badly in his first year in Knoxville, hitting .180 with five home runs in 111 at-bats. He still wasn’t great the plate in his senior season but Stark did take clear steps forward as he hit .212 with 11 home runs, six doubles and 30 RBIs.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound catcher’s biggest home run of the season came in game two of the College World Series finals when his two-run homer extended Tennessee’s lead to 4-1 in the eighth inning. It ended a bad slump at the plate and was Stark’s first hit of the College World Series.
One Response
I think, no not think, Cal will be successful for the Rangers.