PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Texas manager Jerry Narron finally made it official. Rookie third baseman Hank Blalock has won the starting job.

"He'll be on the field April 1," Narron said. "I believe Hank came in here from the first day and believed that he was going to be the Opening Day third baseman. He has done a great job."

Blalock, who has never played above the Double-A level, unseated incumbent starter Mike Lamb, who is likely in for a position change and a return to the minor leagues.

Blalock was the Rangers' minor league player of the year, hitting .352 with 18 homers and 108 RBI in 131 games split almost equally between Class A Charlotte and Double A Tulsa last season. He hit .344 in the Arizona Fall League, with 11 homers and a .713 slugging percentage, both league records.

Lamb, the organization's minor league player of the year in 1999, hit .288 in 214 major league games the past two seasons. But he's struggled defensively.

After making 51 errors in 209 games at third base the past two seasons, including a major-league high 33 as a rookie, Lamb had four errors in his first nine games this spring. He also had several other misplays that didn't officially count as errors.

Blalock, 21, has proven himself as a defensive player and a solid hitter. In Saturday's 5-4 loss to Pittsburgh, Blalock fielded a sharp grounder to his left and started a double play that ended the fifth inning and kept the game tied.

At the plate, Blalock hit .403 (25-for-62) his previous 17 games before Sunday.

"When I came into camp, I wanted to play as well as I could," said Blalock, who has been the primary starter at third for most of the past two weeks.

"It would be the best thing that happened to me," he said of getting to the majors. "It's been my goal since I was a kid. The real key is not just getting there, but staying there."

With Blalock in as the starter at third base, the Rangers have to decide what to do with Lamb.

Lamb, who was a catcher for one of his four seasons at Cal State-Fullerton, played in a minor league game as a catcher over the weekend. Lamb has also played first base in a game and worked out at second base for the Rangers.

The likely option will be to send Lamb to Triple-A Oklahoma and transform him into a catcher. That would also make some other roster decisions easier for Narron.

Texas has considered having 13 pitchers to start the season, which would leave Narron just three players on the bench.

Herbert Perry can play third or first base and has seen time in the outfield this spring. Gabe Kapler can play all three outfield positions and Frank Catalanotto, a .330 hitter last season, will split time in the outfield and at second base, and can also play first. Rusty Greer will be the primary DH, and could also see time in left and at first.