Manager Skip Schumaker said that he wanted to give Carter Baumler a moment he would never forget in welcoming him to the big leagues and Texas Rangers ' roster.
ARLINGTON —Going viral isn't always a good thing for professional athletes, and it's unusual for a viral moment to happen at the pitcher's mound during a Texas Rangers exhibition game. But manager Skip Schumaker pulled it off, in a very good way, Monday night in a meeting with Carter Baumler.
Schumaker used a mound visit during Baumler's appearance at Globe Life Field to inform the rookie that he had made the Texas Rangers' Opening Day roster. Baumler's teammates congratulated him in real time, and he responded with an inning-ending strikeout after Schumaker returned to the dugout.
Schumaker had no intentions of going viral. He simply wanted to give Baumler a moment he would never forget, in a moment he had been dreaming of for years. Less than 24 hours later, the video of the moment was making the rounds on social media and blowing up phones in the Rangers' clubhouse.
"I'm on social media, but I don't do it a ton, so I'm glad he got his moment that was really good for him," Schumaker said. "I don't do stuff for things to become viral or not. Hopefully, when stuff becomes viral, it's a good thing. So that part, I guess, is good.
"But other than that, I'm just really happy his parents got to see it, really happy his brother, who goes to TCU, got to see it, and that's what it's all about. He got to share that moment with his teammates. That was the goal, and he was grateful for it."
Baumler said that he heard from his family and friends in a barrage of messages after the moment hit social media. He was on the bubble to make the roster, despite a splendid spring and a place on the 40-man roster as a Rule 5 player, but edged out Luis Curvelo and Josh Sborz .
Baumler wasn't sure what the moment would be like when he finally was told that he was going to the majors, but how it happened was beyond his imagination.
"Somebody called me and was like, 'It's all over Twitter.' And I was like, 'Cool,'" Baumler said. "It was just a cool moment for myself and the family and extended family, and it was really cool to be able to share it with the other teammates. I'm just so grateful that Skip did it that way. I couldn't have dreamed of a better way to have that happen."
Baumler didn't allow a run in spring training to secure his spot. The Rangers like his velocity and love his curveball, and he will have to pitch multiple innings effectively to hold his spot.
As a Rule 5 player, Baumler must remain on the active roster all season in order to stay in the organization. Otherwise, he would have to be designated for assignment and offered back to the team that lost him if he cleared. If that happened, the Rangers and Orioles could work out a trade for the former TCU commit whose brother, Trever, is a sophomore pitcher on the TCU baseball team .
Baumler was the last member of the 26-man opening roster after a bevy of other moves Monday before the game. None of those who received the good roster news got it like Baumer did.
"Little things go a long way, right?" shortstop Corey Seager said. "A little moment like that is a big moment for the whole team. We have a lot of guys with a lot of experience who have never seen that before. So it's something memorable for that kid. It's something to excite the team around him. We saw the embrace he got in the dugout. We saw the uptick in his velo, too."
Jeff Wilson, jwilson@alldlls.com
