Nate Lowe did notice a distinct difference about his first spring training in Arizona, now that the young first baseman is in camp with the Texas Rangers.

"There's no grains in the green, the ball doesn't really hold the fairway all that well," Lowe said Wednesday. "An extra 10% on your long irons ... that's something that I had to factor into my game."

Lowe then chuckled, and made it clear he was just joking. His focus isn't on the golf course, but rather trying to become a starter for the rebuilding Rangers, who viewed him as an upgrade at first base when they acquired him from Tampa Bay in December.