Texas Rangers - The Covid-19 Years (2020-2029)

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2020

Decade

102

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Titles:

Top Rangers Players of the Twenty Twenties

2023 - Won WC (TB); Won ALDS (Balt); Won ALCS (Hou); Won WS (Arizona)

Pitchers:

BallPark:

Nathan Eovaldi (9.5) - 25

Arlington Stadium (2020)

Dane Dunning (4.18) - 17

Globe Life Field (2021-2023)

Martin Perez (5.77) - 14

Kirby Yates (3.3) - 11

Team Name:

Jacob deGrom (4.2) - 10

Rangers

Jordan Lyles (-1.16) - 9

Jon Gray (3.85) - 9

Owner:

Andrew Heaney (2.2) - 9

Consortium led by Bob Simpson & Ray Davis

Joe Barlow (0.96) - 7

Jack Leiter (-1.2) - 7

General Managers:

Jon Daniels (2020)

Catchers:

Chris Young (2021-2025)

Jonah Heim (6.97) - 22

Ross Fenstermaker (2025)

First Basemen:

Managers:

Nate Lowe (10.91) - 31

Chris Woodward (2020-2022)

Tony Beasley (2022)

Second Basemen:

Bruce Bochy (2023-2025)

Marcus Semien (20.69) - 29

Skip Schumaker (2025)

ShortStop:

No Hitters:

Corey Seager (21.91) - 47

None

Isiah Kiner-Falefa (5.66) - 13

Ezequiel Duran (1.45) - 6

Hall of Famers:

None

Third Base:

Josh Jung (4.45) - 11

Rookie of the Year:

Josh Smith (7.47) - 11

None

Outfield:

MVP:

Adolis Garcia (14.13) - 38

None

Leody Taveras (5.3) - 23

Wyatt Langford (9.5) - 17

Cy Young:

Joey Gallo (5.67) - 9

None

Notable Events:

2026 - The Rangers only finished at .500 last year while their run totals projected

2020 - A consortium led by Ray Davis and Bob Simpson have owned the club

a 90-72 mark which could have gotten them into the playoffs. Usually the culprit

since '10. Previous owner Tom Hicks had built a solid nucleus of a ballclub

when you underachieve runs wise like that is because you are losing the

before selling in '10 and the new owners were able to ride the wave of that

close ones due to a weak closer. Texas had a weak closer last year and will

talent thru '16. Now we'll get to see if they've got what it takes to build a

again this year. Ironically they gave up a whopping 116 runs less than the

winner.

league average last year, so while the overall pitching was excellent, the lack

of an elite closer absolutely sabotaged Texas. The other thing that hurt Texas

2020 - Jon Daniels was hired by Tom Hicks as GM in '06. He's proven that he

was a poor offense that scored 37 runs less than the league average.

has the chops to build a powerhouse club in Texas as he did it with the

They brought in OF Brandon Nimmo from the Mets and C Danny Jansen from

09 thru '16 clubs. Daniels was fired after the 2020 season.

Milwaukee which will not be anywhere near enough to lift the offense.

Six foot 10 inch former major league pitcher Chris Young was hired in Daniels'

And there isn't much hope for improvement from within.

place in 2021. He should know his pitching as he had an eighteen year big

league career. Young was kicked upstairs to Team President in 2025.

Starting Pitchers:

□ RHP Jacob deGrom, 38, '23 FA from Mets, '25 12-8 2.97

2020 - Chris Woodward was hired on as manager in '19. Woodward lasted in the

□ RHP Nathan Eovaldi, 36, '23 FA from Boston, '25 11-3 1.73

position into the '22 season when he was replaced by interim Tony Beasley.

□ RHP Jack Leiter, 26, '21 draft 2nd overall pick, ;25 10-10 3.86

Texas got serious in '23, naming Bruce Bochy as the new manager.

□ LHP MacKenzie Gore, 27, '26 Trade from Washington, '25 5 15 4.17

Bochy is one of those managers who can make a difference.

□ RHP Kumar Rocker, 26, '22 draft 3rd overall pick, '25 4-5 5.74

Unfortunately for Texas, Bochy didn't make a difference and was let go for

□ RHP Jose Corniell, 23, '21 Trade from Seattle, '25 0-1 16.20

Skip Schumaker in 2026.

□ LHP Cody Bradford, 28, '19 draft 6th round pick, '25 0-1 1.51

The Rangers staff had the best ERA in baseball last year. A large part of that

2023 - The Rangers sneak into the playoffs as a Wild Card with a 90-72

had to do with the starting rotation, particularly deGrom, Eovaldi and Mahle

mark and then get hot and win the World Series.

(who is now with the Giants). deGrom and Eovaldi are as good as any top

That's it. That's the only time they finish over .500 in the decade.

two in baseball. Leiter is improving all the time and could make it a big three this

Combined with the fact that they were under .500 the last three years of the

year. After that, question marks altho' Kumar is very high ceiling when healthy.

Teens, Texas has now gone eight of nine years of non winning records as of '26.

and has the talent to make it a Big Four.

The Rangers were carried in 2023 by their offense which scored a whopping

133 runs more than the league average.

Relief Pitchers:

□ LHP Robert Garcia, 30, '25 Trade from Washington, '25 4-8 2.95 9saves

2026 - It doesn't mean they can't do what they did in 2023 again.

□ RHP Chris Martin, 40, '26 FA from Boston, '25 2-6 2.98

You got deGrom and Eovaldi at the top of your rotation and add in

□ RHP Alexis Diaz, 29, '26 FA from Atlanta, '25 1-0 8.15

potentially a couple of up and coming studs in Leiter and Rocker and you

□ LHP Jacob Latz, 30, '17 draft 5th round pick, '25 2-0 2.84

are rolling. This time it would be the pitching that would have to carry them.

□ RHP Jakob Junis, 33, '26 FA from Cleveland, '25 4-1 2.97

□ RHP Cole Winn, 26, '18 draft 1st round pick, '25 0-1 1.51

2024 Hitting:

□ LHP Tyler Alexander, 31, '26 FA from White Sox, '25 5-14 4.98

There were a lot of teams that fell off a cliff offensively in '24.

Three guys who contributed to that low ERA last year are gone:

This was one of the worst offensive years in baseball since the Dead Ball era

Shawn Armstrong; Jacob Webb; and Merrill Kelly.

and the worst since 1969 when a bunch of rule changes had to be made

But there are still half a dozen guys who figure to pitch well out of the pen

to right the ship. Haven't seen any of that this off season. There were

this year altho' they may have to do closer by committee.

several teams that really got hammered offensively in 2024 for whatever

reason and the Rangers were certainly one of them. Texas dropped 198

Regulars:

runs which is one of the worst in history. It was the seventh biggest drop in history.

□ C Danny Jansen, 31, '26 FA from Milwaukee, '25 14 36 .215

The second biggest drop all-time was Tampa in '24 dropping 256 runs and the

□ 1B Jake Burger, 31, '25 Trade from Miami, '25 16 53 .236

fourth all-time was the Braves in '24 dropping 233 runs scored. So the Rangers

□ 2B Josh Smith, 28, '21 Trade from NYY, '25 10 35 .251

were not alone, but it was still really, really bad.

□ SS Corey Seager, 32, '22 FA from the Dodgers, '25 21 50 .271

Everyone in the lineup regressed to some degree. Some of them a lot, some of

□ 3B Josh Jung, 28, 1st Round Pick '19 draft (8th overall), '25 14 61 .251

them not so much.

□ OF Brandon Nimmo, 33, '26 Trade from Mets, '25 25 92 .262

□ OF Wyatt Langford, 24, '23 draft 4th overall pick, '25 22 62 .241 22sb

□ OF Evan Carter, 23, '20 draft 2nd round pick, '25 5 25 .247 14sb

□ DH Joc Pederson, 34, '25 FA from Arizona, '25 9 26 .181

□ C Kyle Higashioka, 36, '24 FA from SD, '25 11 47 .241

□ SS Sebastian Walcott, 20, '22 IFA, '25 AA 13 55 .259

□ SS Ezequiel Duran, 27, '21 trade from Yankees, '25 0 14 .224 11sb

□ OF Sam Haggerty, 32, '25 FA from Seattle, '25 2 13 .253

□ OF Michael Helman, 30, '25 FA from Pittsburgh, '25 5 20 .232

They need more hitting. Newcomers Nimmo and Jansen add some, but not

nearly enough. Youngsters Lanford and Carter are young enough to improve

but will they and by how much? Look for the offense to be something of an

anchor again this season.