Uncustomed Heroes of 2025: Rangers

 

You'd think that something could have gotten done.

The 2023 Rangers was the foundation of a terrific team, with a burgeoning young core, a lot of great contracts of prime performers, the managerial eye of Bruce Bochy, and proof of October success. Yet now the 2023 season feels like an anomaly, as every subsequent year the Rangers' luck has failed to persist long enough to ensure a fighting chance. In 2024, the Rangers were close to competing but trailed off in September. And in 2025, the Rangers went from potential sellers to July buyers, brought on a ton more talent yet still couldn't match up to the Mariners, or even the Astros. So at season's end, Bochy left, Garcia, Heim and Semien were gone, Seager is being shopped, and the dream, as it was in 2023, is over.

That doesn't mean this team still won't compete. A lot of prime pieces are still young, including Wyatt Langford, Jack Leiter, Evan Carter and Kumar Rocker, and enough people have stayed around to ensure that the team probably won't fall to last in 2026. But the damage seems to be done, and what remains may not be enough to fully chase the top this year.

Josh Jung, after a rookie success in 2023, met with an injury a week into the 2024 season and was still slightly limited in 2025. His path to A-list greatness has been rerouted it seems, as he's now a .250 hitter, who only had 61 RBIs and 14 homers in 131 games. Defensively he's slightly below average. He'll be 28 next year, meaning he either figures it out or alludes to the fact that this is all he can do.

2026 Prediction: Closer to his 2023 numbers, but he may lose even more playing time to Josh Smith.

Jonah Heim also saw his stock drop from 2023. The 95-RBI season of 2023 may have been a very strong fluke, as offensively Heim took another step back this year, hitting .213 with 11 homers and 43 RBIs in 124 games. With a better catcher on the roster, one with a better power bat, it's no wonder Heim was cut after the season.

2026 Prediction: Needs the Carson Kelly path. Might need to backup somebody this year only to catch fire down the road. He just needs to trust the process.

Evan Carter, the rookie hero of the 2023 postseason, still has yet to play a full season in the majors. Both 2024 and 2025 were cut short by injuries, though this season was a fuller and more satisfying picture of his talents. In 63 games he hit .248 with 5 homers and 25 RBIs, plus a .728 OPS. Carter will be 23 next year, and still has a relatively high ceiling.

2026 Prediction: Huge breakout, with an ASG nod and some MVP votes. 

As Heim struggled, new pickup Kyle Higashioka, the former Yankee backup who made a name for himself as a flashy choice in San Diego, did exactly what he was signed to do: give backstop security while also helping out for some clutch power moments. Higgy had his best statistical season to date this year, in addition to crossing 300 at-bats for the first time. In 94 games he hit .241, with 11 home runs and a career high of 47 RBIs. The idea is that Higgy will be the starter next year, which is pretty huge.

2026 Prediction: Not quite as much of an exclamation point as this year, seeing as it's very likely he'll be losing playing time to Danny Jansen, but with some excellent clutch moments and more of the power hitting he's known for.

After several seasons of being a well-loved power bat with the occasional contact streak, Joc Pederson had his first true gutter ball since the heat of his LA days, in a season with the Rangers. In 96 games, Pederson could only muster a .181 average, 9 homers and 26 RBIs. It just was not happening with Pedey at the plate this year, which is a shame, cause he's been on a nice run since 2021.

2026 Prediction: Bounces back with enough leverage to be a deadline bait.

Similarly, sly offseason trade Jake Burger had an up and down year in Arlington, going from a .228 first half average, complete with time spent in the minors, to a sudden surge midyear, hitting .262 in 28 second half games, with 5 homers and 18 RBIs. I genuinely think Burger, like Josh Bell before him, only gets truly hot in August and September, and teams should use this to their advantage.

2026 Prediction: Much better year. 30 homers again. 

Miraculously, though thought dead and picked up just to see if he had anything left, Patrick Corbin actually put in some halfway-decent work for the Rangers this year after burning the Nats contract. He started 30 games, went 7-11 with a 4.40 ERA and 131 Ks. Curiously, his WHIP of 1.365 was his best since 2019, his last truly great season. The Rangers needed an innings-eating, big game guy, and despite many of them getting hurt, Corbin persisted and gave this team something halfway decent. 

2026 Prediction: The Minnesota Twins come calling and he gives them the most innings of the rotation. Are they good innings? Not really.

Kumar Rocker, in between injuries to other pitchers and rotation vacancies, had more of a sample size this year after a rookie cameo last year. People are still trying to figure out where Rocker fits into this team, especially considering that his Vandy teammate Jack Leiter has already proven more MLB staying power. Rocker's results this year were disappointing, with a 5.74 ERA in 14 starts, despite 56 Ks. 

2026 Prediction: So next year, the Rangers will likely have much more rotation room, with DeGrom, Eovaldi and Leiter being the only non-negotiables. Rocker will likely be an Opening Day rotation member, but only if his arm is in decent shape this spring. If he can get a full season of MLB level work then the Rangers will finally be vindicated in picking him up.

Similarly, Jacob Latz was not initially thought of as a rotation option this year, as he began the season in the bullpen, but, as it tends to in Arlington, duty calls. In 8 starts, Latz had a 2.72 ERA, with 34 Ks and a 1.084 WHIP. He wasn't bad as a reliever either, with a 2.93 ERA in 46 innings of mostly long work.

2026 Prediction: Best case for him, begins the year as the fifth starter and works his way up as the year goes on with good results. However there might also be a prospect heir apparent that comes up and relegates Latz to a swing position in later months.

Finally, Michael Helman's age-29 season was the most prosperous one for the career minor leaguer. Despite playing 10 games for the Twins last season, Helman got caught in a game of waiver tag in 2025 that got him on 4 different rosters over the course of the season. It eventually got him to Texas, where help in the outfield was needed, and he made a pretty decent impression, with 5 homers and 20 RBIs in 38 games, plus some decent defensive work in the outfield. Not sure how much longevity it'll give Helman, but it was a good use of an opportunity.

2026 Prediction: Fun backup bench piece, mostly replacement level.

Coming Tomorrow- A few last remnants of an unassuming Rays team. 

Heim and a Half

 

A couple of years ago they did a season of Hard Knocks during the regular season, and they did it with the Arizona Cardinals, who were supposed to be a great team that year with Kyler Murray and J.J. Watt and all, and then...that team ended up being really bad, and so the last couple episodes of the season of television were like '...shit, what other storylines do we have left here?'

That's kinda what it feels like for the Rangers this year. They're coming off a World Series win, they just hosted the All-Star Game, and their season's basically over already. They're well under .500 with no shot at the wild card race, and they just have a month to like...do what they can. Y'know, not the season we thought we'd be getting, but there's still more to do, so...here we are.

So here are some loose storylines you might see from the Rangers during the last month of the season-

-Corey Seager looking to set a new career single-season home run record. One more and he's at his third 30+ home run season in a row, but five more and he's at a new career high for him. A 35+ homer year for Seager is well within reach, and will continue to light the path of Seager's excellent run in Arlington.

-David Robertson slowly makes his way up the relief strikeouts list. The other night he passed Mariano Rivera, and is now at 1,137 career Ks. 6 more and he beats Francisco Rodriguez for the #11 spot on the list, then he's 23 away from topping Lindy McDaniel to make his way into the top 10. With no certainty that he'll be returning next year, Robertson is making every appearance count. 

-The return of Jack Leiter, now back up in the majors upon the opening of a rotation spot. His first start back was decent, he only gave up 2 earned runs and struck out 4, but he's gonna need more than that to bring his ERA down and start pitching like the scouts said he would.

-Whether Max Scherzer or Jacob deGrom will have any more input this season. deGrom seemed close not too long ago, and we haven't heard a thing from him this year. Scherzer looked so good midyear and is now once again fighting injuries to get back.

-The platoon of Jonah Heim and Carson Kelly. Heim has been pretty strong, if not at 2023 levels, this year, with 11 homers and 50 RBIs, but since coming over from Detroit, Kelly's been hitting .300. True, his old team's doing better right now, but Kelly's been well utilized for the Rangers, and may be a decent perennial backup for this team. 

Other than that, there may not be much else for Rangers fans. Luckily, there's another sports team in the Arlington area to disappoint these people starting from next weekend.

Coming Tonight: If it weren't for that pesky thumb injury he'd be...hitting, uh...MORE than .300. Which he is currently hitting. 

Championship Series' Day Eight: Catchers & Co.

 

It may be hard to remember in the wake of Adolis Garcia's incredible grand slam, but ultimately two catchers kept the Rangers alive last night. Their starter, Jonah Heim, and their backup, Mitch Garver. 

The two of them were responsible for the entirety of the Texas points against the Rangers in the first eight innings. It also just proves how good these guys have been this year. Heim has been versatile, providing great power, great defense and great overall presence. Garver, with more time at DH, has become a proven power bat, rivaling even his Twins numbers, and might be more valuable here than he was on the 2019 team. Heim has already been really good this postseason, but that two run homer in the fourth was the deciding move last night. Even after the grand slam, the Astros couldn't come near this team, thanks mainly to Nate Eovaldi and friends keeping the pitching down.

This type of performance is exactly what I'd hoped for when I saw the Rangers were facing elimination. They needed a solid, swift defeat of the unpredictable Astros, and that's exactly what this was. Adolis did make it a flashier win than I previously thought was needed, but I'm fine with an exclamation point.

And so today could be the day we find out our World Series matchup. The Rangers will probably be putting up Max Scherzer, who is hopefully in better shape than he was during Game 3, while the Astros will likely be putting up Cristian Javier, who's been dangerous this postseason. I am really hoping something clicks with Scherzer, or if Dunning or somebody can provide the cover the Rangers need to pull this out. It would be amazing to see someone new take the World Series, and thereby confirm that this year's winner will be someone who hasn't won in at least 15 years, or even ever. 

I'm hoping for good things for the Rangers, and for the Phillies. May this supposedly super-cool WS matchup come to fruition by any means necessary.

Heim to Pretend

 

There were two division leads that immediately worried me going into the second half, as I worried they'd be snapped at by oncoming competitors. One of them has, the Reds have been stuffed back to 2nd thanks to this series with the Brewers. The other one was the AL West, I was worried the Astros would lap the Rangers and that would be the season, but not the case. The Astros had a somewhat close series with Anaheim, while the Rangers swept the Guardians and cemented their 3 game lead. 

Oh yeah and also the Rays' lead over the AL East, but like...I'm fine if the O's keep inching up. You know, that one doesn't bother me as much for some reason..

The Rangers' pure outscoring has calmed itself a bit since May, but they've still put up 10 or more points four times in the last month, including right at the beginning of the second half. They still have 7 guys with 40 or more RBIs, including Adolis Garcia, who currently has 80 of them, which is honestly pretty insane. It's incredible to me that Jonah Heim has 60 RBIs, and has become such a confident, formidable hitting catcher. I initially didn't think he'd warranted the ASG start, but with the season he's having, and the way he's come into his own, I completely get it. On a team that's bought many of its biggest performers, Heim was developed post-trade, a lot like Garcia, Duran and Lowe. It's a little ironic that Heim was traded from Oakland with the knowledge he'd be backing up Sean Murphy, only for Murphy to be traded himself and start an ASG against him. 

I think the main issue this team's been facing lately is the trailing off of rotation depth, which is ironic considering how the rotation looked entering the season. Right now behind Eovaldi, Dunning and Gray there's a steep drop-off, as Andrew Heaney and Martin Perez are doing just okay. Both healthy, yes, which can't be said for Odorizzi or deGrom, but both with ERAs over 4. Then there is this Cody Bradford character, who's done well enough but is still wet behind the ears as a starter, whenever he's been given that opportunity. Heaney and Perez are decent enough but not perfect this year. That may be where people are catching up.

But at the same time, the Rangers have to play the Rays this week, and the Rays have arguably had even worse troubles with the back half of their rotation. They are gaining Shane McClanahan again, but will this be the same guy who felt unstoppable in the first half [I am writing this Monday night and, uh, yeah probably]. But they still have to pitch Taj Bradley and a lesser Tyler Glasnow, and are just trying to salvage Zach Eflin's season after people have begun to hit him. It's an evenly matched series, even if the Rays seem to have an advantage as I write this.

I still think the Rangers have a lot to work with this season, but they need to still stay ahead in these tough series' up ahead, or else we'll have yet another Astros bye year, and I don't wanna go through that again.

Coming Tonight: Another All-Star guy I didn't do before the break.

Days Are Gone

 

[hey wow, that cheeky music thing I do with Christian Yelich posts I can also do with Jonah Heim posts]

You see, now this all makes sense. I thought the Rangers weren't good enough for 2nd place, and now I think they're perfectly good enough for 3rd. Thanks Mariners for righting the ship there.

The funny thing about this team is that even if the Mariners have lapped them, they're still looking more full and realized than they have all season. Their lineup consists entirely of people with over 10 home runs, with the exception of 3rd base, which is platooned, and oddly enough Brad Miller. That means people like Nate Lowe, the now-injured Mitch Garver, and even perennial backup Jonah Heim, who's gotten a much-deserved showcase at backstop, are hitting pretty well this year, or at least hitting a lot of home runs. That also means that the contracts that came off to a slow start, like Kole Calhoun and Marcus Semien, are getting more done now as well.

And keep in mind, the Detroit Tigers currently don't have anyone with 10 home runs. So for the Rangers to have 7 is pretty great.

What's more, this lineup seems to have learned from how 2021 works, and is building around Adolis Garcia, who's in great form this year, while also giving Corey Seager time to be a hero. And they're still trying things out. Steven Duggar is off to a decent start in his first few games, and I'm still convinced that Josh Smith is gonna be THE guy at 3rd [besides, it's a tradition for a Rangers third baseman to have an entirely boring name]. 

Even the starting pitching is sort of shaping up, and I trust the trio of Martin Perez, Dane Dunning and Jon Gray. I do think that they need to wait for Glenn Otto to figure stuff out, and they need to figure out if Spencer Howard is worth sticking out for at all, but they're on the right track, and I feel better about the rotation than I did at the start of the season. Bullpen's still kicking ass, too.

So while the Rangers maybe were too under qualified to be in 2nd, I think they're better off as a spoiler in 3rd, keeping down the teams that want to compete but aren't polished enough. I don't think a playoff run is in the cards for them this year, but I think it'll end up being a season they'll at least be proud of.

Coming Tomorrow: I might just do the All-Star reaction post I usually do tomorrow morning, as I'm in transit today. 

2020 Topps Final Edition: Cards #298-306

 We reach the last true hero number of the set, hurdle the last 100th post, and begin to head towards the home stretch of this 2020 Final Edition set. Some big guns here, and a few who've already been DFA'd in 2021

On we go...

Card #298- Yu Darvish ASG, Chicago Cubs

By the point in the 2020 season that, if simmed correctly, would have been accounting for an All Star break, Yu Darvish was the best, most dominant pitcher in the NL, and was off to one of the best starts of his career. Though he lost traction to Trevor Bauer as the season went on, Darvish definitely would have been the starting pitcher for the NL ASG team had the season played out at a normal pace, and nobody would have argued with it. At 34, Darvish is still one of the more consistent pitchers in the bigs, and may go down as one of the greatest Japanese pitchers ever to cross over. 

Card #299- Kenta Maeda ASG, Minnesota Twins

Speaking of Japanese players that had incredible 2020s, Kenta Maeda, who, it's very hard to believe, is a year younger than Darvish, would have qualified for his first ever ASG nod, thanks in part to his blistering August with 6 beautiful starts, a 2.39 ERA and 42 Ks. Maeda had control like he hadn't since his rookie year in the states, and led the Twins to great heights. Unfortunately, his follow-up season in Minneapolis hasn't been as celebrated.

Card #300- Sixto Sanchez, Miami Marlins

Yeah, I think Sixto was a pretty obvious pick for a hero card as well. Going into 2020, Sixto Sanchez was one of the biggest prospects in baseball, and was already a steal for the Marlins having been traded there from Philadelphia in exchange for J.T. Realmuto. Sanchez was called upon to supplant the rotation in August, and was undeniably one of the factors that led the Marlins to the postseason, with a 3.46 ERA and 33 Ks in 7 starts, plus a shutout start against the Cubs during the postseason [despite getting roughed up by Atlanta in the next round]. With Sixto's excellent 2020, it's a saddening factor that injuries and rotation capacity have led the Marlins to keep Sanchez down in 2021. Hopefully he'll be back to his old tricks soon.

Card #301- Jonah Heim, Oakland Athletics

Despite Sean Murphy's strong season behind the plate for the A's, the A's were lacking in strong backups at that position last year. So after the trade deadline, they brought up Jonah Heim, a catching prospect, and he was decent in 13 games, with good defensive numbers despite a .211 average. Heim was one of the pieces dealt in the trade that sent Elvis Andrus to Oakland, and Heim, unlike fellow trade package-mate Khris Davis, is still on the Rangers, albeit hitting sub-.200

Card #302- Jon Jay, Arizona Diamondbacks

Jon Jay has been with a different team every season since 2016. The former Cardinals outfielder has become a designated defensive outfield replacement who can hit for average if possible. Last season, Jay spent the summer with the Arizona Diamondbacks, a team he'd been with before in 2018. Unlike his last tenure with the D-Backs, Jay struggled off the bench, with a .160 average in 18 games. Jay actually did pretty well with Anaheim this year before being DFA'd and later demoted to the minors.

Card #303- Antonio Senzatela ASG, Colorado Rockies

Yes, surprisingly, the best starter in Colorado last year was not German Marquez, nor Jon Gray, nor Kyle Freeland, but their fellow battery partner Antonio Senzatela, who'd struggled in the years since his 2017 callup. Senza's 2020 would have definitely been worthy of an ASG nod, with consistency in the face of injury, and a 3.44 ERA in a snakebitten Rockies climate. He's a bit shakier in 2021, but his 2020 should have been commemorated.

Card #304- Tyler Matzek, Atlanta Braves

Talk about another feel-good comeback story from 2020, the season of many. Tyler Matzek was a former Rockies starting piece who struggled in his first two seasons, then spent a good 5 years in the minors, fighting to come back. After a nice minor league year with the 2019 D-Backs, he was signed by Atlanta, impressed in relief in the minors, and was brought to the majors for 2020. Matzek's 2020 was an excellent one, with a 2.79 ERA in 29 innings, with 43 Ks as well. Matzek also had a 1.09 postseason ERA with 14 more Ks, and a winning outcome against the Dodgers! So far he's dealing similar stuff for the Braves, which will hopefully get nastier as the Braves do.

Card #305- Cameron Maybin, Chicago Cubs 

Maybin, like Jay, has also changed teams multiple times since 2015. Mostly, because Cameron Maybin often signs with lower-market teams, has great seasons with them, and always is traded to competitors. It happens. EVERY. YEAR. Maybin began the 2020 season with the Tigers, did an excellent job in a starting OF role, and was subsequently traded to the Cubs. In Chicago, he hit .250 with 5 RBIs, and didn't get much done in his 2 postseason at-bats. Maybin did his best in a run with the Mets, but barely got any hits at all. Not sure what's next for the veteran.

Card #306- Nick Anderson ASG, Tampa Bay Rays

Undeniably one of the best relievers of last year, Nick Anderson definitely would have been called upon by A.J. Hinch as a relief asset for the AL ASG team in a 2020 scenario. Anderson came to prominence as one of the hardest-throwing relievers in Miami before getting dealt to the Rays, getting playoff time, and then having a HUGE 2020 with a 0.55 ERA and 26 Ks in 16 innings, as well as a strong first two postseason series before getting chewed up by the Astros and Dodgers. Anderson's out for the majority of the season, but will hopefully be a strong asset when he returns. 

Monday we get the next 9 cards in this set, the third-to-last post of this project. Can confirm 2 big rookies and 1 big traded player.