ARLINGTON, Texas — Right-hander Roy Oswalt thinks he's found the ideal fit in the Texas Rangers to resume his big league career.
Oswalt, who agreed to terms with the Rangers on Tuesday, will be in Arlington on Thursday and make a minor league start for Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday.
Oswalt, 34, is eager to get things going.
"I love Texas," Oswalt said Wednesday in a conference call. "I got to play there for 9 1/2 years with the Astros. It's just a great place."
Oswalt said signing with Texas because of its proximity to his home in Mississippi was not a forgone conclusion. Other teams were in the picture, including the Los Angeles Dodgers.
But Texas just felt like the right fit for Oswalt for several reasons. Team president Nolan Ryan was one of them. Bench coach Jackie Moore and pitching coach Mike Maddux also played roles. Moore was Oswalt's manager during his breakout season for then-Double-A Round Rock in 2000 and Maddux was the pitching coach.
"A lot of it was Nolan," Oswalt said. "He pretty much started my career from the Houston Astros in Double A. I've got a lot of respect for Nolan. He's kind of an idol of mine. A guy who stands behind you means a lot."
Oswalt did his due diligence before signing with the Rangers. He talked with former Texas pitcher Cliff Lee, who liked the clubhouse chemistry he saw with the Rangers in 2010. He said he also likes the guys on the team and talked about the respect he had for Michael Young.
While Oswalt's first minor league start is Saturday, he's been busy keeping in shape this season. He's thrown bullpen sessions three times a week, and those sessions are normally 65 to 85 pitches. A bothersome back, which led to two disabled-list stints last year when he was with Philadelphia, also is feeling good.
Oswalt, who will have his physical Thursday, believes he'll need four starts before he can be ready to pitch for the Rangers. Maddux isn't pushing the issue and expects Oswalt to throw two or three innings Saturday.
"I'm looking very forward to having him, but it might be a while," Maddux said. "We've got to go through the spring training process. I spoke with him today, and we're going to go with the edge of caution and get ready one time. If we push the envelope, we don't want the risk of having any setbacks. All the hard work we've done to this point goes out the window. He's OK with that."
The Rangers met with right-hander Neftali Feliz on Wednesday. Oswalt likely will move into the rotation spot that Feliz occupied until he went on the disabled list last week with a right elbow sprain.
Texas manager Ron Washington told Feliz his primary goal should be getting healthy and not worrying about how the Oswalt signing impacts his rotation spot.
Feliz, who won't start throwing a baseball for at least another three weeks, understands that.
"I know that every player coming to the team is coming to help and that's what he (Oswalt) is here for," Feliz said.
