Marlon Byrd with my wife, Kiley

Ron Washington and Jon Daniels have many tough questions to answer this spring. In my opinion, the toughest is, “Who do they keep to patrol the outfield in Arlington?”

Josh Hamilton, David Murphy, Nelson Cruz and Marlon Byrd are locks.

Then there’s Brandon Boggs, Frank Catalanotto and Andruw Jones.

• Boggs has been the best of the three in camp this spring, and he probably has the highest ceiling.
• Cat provides a solid bat that could prove beneficial in pinch hitting situations, but he struggles defensively.
• If Andruw Jones can return to his Gold Glove form, he would be a no-brainer. However, he struggled to hit at the beginning of camp (he has since improved) and his defense has been anything but impressive.
• The fourth option is to keep only 4 outfielders (those listed above).

Boggs will most likely join Julio Borbon and Greg Golson in Oklahoma City to form the best outfield in the minors, even though he is probably the most deserving candidate to make the big league squad.

Cat can’t be happy with the situation. He wants to play, and he feels his bat is strong enough to contribute. I have to believe Jon Daniels would accept almost any trade offer that comes across his desk for Cat.

Andruw Jones is perplexing. If he can return to the level he played at a few years ago, he would be a huge pick-up. If not, then he inhibits the progress of talented youngsters who could benefit from big league at bats. I’m not concerned about his hitting (or lack there of) this spring. What worries me is how poorly he has played defense. I realize that there is still a lot of spring left, or at least another week before he can opt out of his contract with the Rangers if they fail to add him to the 40 man roster. But if I had to make a decision right now, I would release him.

Another option I’ve heard people kicking around is to keep Jones and trade Byrd. Sure, if you get a great offer. But it had better be  great offer, and Jones had better prove he can still play. Byrd is a leader in the locker room (not to mention a heck of a center fielder). He gets along well with the guys, and he seems to give the team a needed spark of enthusiasm when it’s needed during the season. This team has great chemistry, and that is not something you want to mess with.

So, if I had to make my decision right now, my outfield would consist of Hamilton, Murphy and Cruz as the starters, with Byrd as the fourth. I’d keep Cat on the bench to pinch hit, at least until I could trade him. If Murphy or Cruz go down with an injury, Boggs takes their place. If Hamilton goes out, Byrd or Cruz would slide over to center.

Who would you keep?