Jung, Older

 

This is now the third season that's elapsed since the Texas Rangers won the World Series. Mind you, they won it with a young team of a ton of rookies and budding young stalemates. Josh Jung, Evan Carter, Jonah Heim, Wyatt Langford, Cody Bradford, Josh Smith to a degree, and eventually Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter. This would be their core going forward.

It's been three years. They have been to the playoffs zero years since. They've lost multiple big pieces, and others have spent time on the IL. Jacob deGrom, Corey Seager, Nate Eovaldi, and ultimately Langford, Carter and Jung, have lost time to injuries. And so here we are, 2026, the Rangers attempting to resume progress and fight the fact that time has passed. With the exception of Carter and Langford, this isn't an especially young team anymore, and people can see this.

Josh Jung, thought of as one of the first big pieces of the next dynasty upon his call-up in late 2022, is now 28 years old. Since his all-star 2023, he's spent one season nursing an injury, and the next season playing very okay, fine-but-unspectacular baseball. And now here he is again, hitting .300 and excelling once again. He's got 5 homers and 20 RBIs already, and is tied with Evan Carter for WAR lead of the lineup. Especially in a year where Corey Seager's gone deathly cold, a healthy, powerful Josh Jung [and Evan Carter honestly] s a very good thing. Behind him follow another great power-friendly Jake Burger performance, Brandon Nimmo making the Mets regret another one of their choices, Ezequiel Duran hitting .300 as a fill-in for Josh Smith, and Alejandro Osuna quietly drawing eyes while filling in for Langford. 

It's not the ideal incarnation of this team, but it's getting the job done to a degree. They're in 2nd place, behind Sacramento, and are hoping to fend off the Mariners as they continue to ascend to their promised spot in the standings. The A's and Mariners have their strengths and their lifelines, but they're both without a key player right now. The Mariners just lost Cal Raleigh to an injury, and the A's are now without Jacob Wilson for a bit. The Rangers' biggest omission right now is Langford, and they have Eovaldi and deGrom healthy and working. deGrom's certainly looking like his old self, with a 2.62 ERA and 57 Ks. 

So honestly, even given the Rangers' faults, I can't exactly count them out of a year like this. They're good enough to not go quietly, and have a different kind of fuel behind them than the Bochy-tradition-backed 2020s teams. So we'll see how this goes. 

Coming Tonight: One of two ex-Yankee starters finding success in San Diego right now.

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. 

Uncustomed Heroes of 2024: Rangers

 

Virtually everything the Texas Rangers did this season can be rooted back to injuries. The two big rookies from last year, and the big rookie from this year, were limited by injuries. The majority of the rotation missed time with injuries, and most of them were actually doing really well before hitting the IL. One of the best offensive performers of the year wouldn't have happened without a big injury. And a season that was once again looking like an MVP caliber one from the team's star was cut short due to an injury. Regardless of the talent this team compiled to follow up their first ever World Series win, and regardless of how many were playing well, nobody could stay healthy. And so when it was up to the b-team, nothing was gonna happen.

Josh Jung's season began so happily, with a cheerful mic-ing up on ESPN during one of the first games of the season. The Rangers' 3rd baseman had such a great 2023 three that all eyes were on him for a satisfying follow-up. Ultimately, Jung's season would be cut short soon into April, resulting in Josh Smith taking 3rd for the majority of the season. Jung would return by the end of the season, but it'd be too late. In 46 games he hit .264 with 7 homers and 16 RBIs. Good while he was there, but he wasn't there for long.

2024 Prediction: Another All-Star season.

Meanwhile, Evan Carter, who had an incredible postseason last year, was primed for an equally satisfying full season of work. He'd already broken so many records for rookie performers in the postseason, now it was his turn to go all year. Except...like Jung, he didn't make it all year, and when he wasn't injured he only hit .188 with 5 homers and 15 RBIs in 45 games. Clearly this wasn't the season Carter wanted, and at 21 you can tell he's still got a lot more to prove.

2025 Prediction: Starts with a .280 average, proves this was just an early-career fluke.

With Gray, Bradford, Scherzer and deGrom all hurt, the next-nearest veteran at the helm of the Rangers this season was Andrew Heaney, who, admittedly, has been much better recently as a lower-tier starter. Heaney succeeded last year because he had coverage from Eovaldi, Scherzer and Montgomery. So this season, when the eyes were on him for 32 healthy games, he went 5-14 with a 4.28 ERA and 159 Ks, less than some of Eovaldi's numbers [and he missed 3 starts]. 

2025 Prediction: I think people are gonna learn the wrong lesson and a team with a majority youth rotation is gonna sign him to lead it. And I don't think it's gonna go very well for Heaney.

Leody Taveras, with Carter and Langford out for a bit, got a ton more opportunity to start this year. The 25-year-old, at best, is handy--he doesn't have to be the focal point of the lineup but he can give you some good plays and some good hits. This year he hit .229 with 44 RBIs and 110 hits, but more importantly he led the team in stolen bases with 23. He's still very useful, but I reckon once Carter and Langford can play everyday, and come into their own as they head into their 20s, Taveras will have less of a presence here.

2025 Prediction: Still has some contact and speed moments but, yeah, won't be starting by the end of the year.

The Rangers' bullpen surprised people, as their strategy of bringing on veterans actually worked. Kirby Yates had a comeback year, and David Robertson, now 39, had an extremely strong year staying in Arlington and doing his thing. In 68 games he had a 3.00 ERA, 99 strikeouts and a 1.7 WAR. He was the fourth-oldest player in the league this year, yet he can still get things done like he has all 16 years.

2025 Prediction: One more season, somewhere he hasn't played. It's halfway decent. And then he hangs it up.

As the starters fell, the Rangers decided to turn to their top prospect, former #2 overall pick Jack Leiter. Leiter had been developing for a few years but hadn't seemed to completely excel as he did at Vanderbilt. In 9 games in the majors this year, Leiter struggled, walking away with an 8.83 ERA, 3 losses, 31 Ks and a -1.6 WAR. Not a great start, but it took his father a bit to come into his own as well.

2025 Prediction: Some improved starts, but given that more people will be healthy next year and his Vandy teammate has lapped him in the depth chart, I don't know how many chances he'll get.

Much like his former Tigers teammate Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, on the way to definite Cooperstown enshrinement, was limited this year thanks to injuries. Though, per the theme, when he was healthy he was still peak Scherzer, which Rangers fans did appreciate. In 9 starts, Scherzer had a 3.95 ERA and 40 Ks, despite a 2-4 record. The big moment for Scherz came when he lapped Greg Maddux on the all-time strikeouts list, moving into 11th overall. He's 100 away from lapping Walter Johnson, for the record, and JV still has Scherzer beat by 9 Ks.

2025 Prediction: 2025, no matter who signs him, will be the last great season of Scherzer's career. He'll have gotten the injury issues out of his system, he'll have some truly great starts, and he'll be in position to retire on a high note.

I dunno, man, ever since leaving the Reds Tyler Mahle has had such troubles staying healthy. He barely was a factor with the Twins, he was signed by the Rangers knowing he'd miss half the season, and he made 3 starts for Texas before getting injured again. His line wasn't great, he had a 4.97 ERA, 10 Ks and a 0-1 record. And thus the reclamation project continues.

2025 Prediction: 20+ starts, and they're good. Unfortunately the majority of them won't be for the team that trades for him at the deadline. But for Pittsburgh or whoever has him the first half...*chef's kiss*

The Rangers knicked 2 different players from the Detroit Tigers right before the Tigers became huge without them. First their primary catcher, Carson Kelly, was added as an alternative to Jonah Heim. Kelly was passable in 31 games, hitting .235 with 8 RBIs and 2 homers. Andrew Chafin was also brought on to strengthen the veteran-led bullpen, which made this Chafin's eighth different MLB team since 2020, seven if you want to count the Tigers twice. Chafin was traded at the 2023 deadline as well, and the Brewers got the worse end of it. 2024 was somewhat similar, as the Tigers got the better season from Chafin; the Rangers got a 4.19 ERA and a 1.655 WHIP in 21 games. 
2025 Prediction: With the Rangers getting Higgy, Kelly will be headed somewhere else. I honestly think he'll be a nice piece for the Cubs, and possibly will outdo Amaya in some areas [UPDATE 12/13: Not too shabby!!]. As for Chafin, give it up for team #9, and possibly #10 if these trends continue. My guess is Toronto. 

And these last two pitchers were the 'well, what are you gonna do?' late season activations. Jacob deGrom, after already missing the World Series, missed 5 more months this year, and showed up in September after the season had already been lost. At the very least, deGrom's stuff was still incredible; in 3 games, he had a 1.69 ERA and 14 strikeouts. He hasn't lost his mojo by any stretch, it's just those injuries that have lessened his appeal. 

2025 Prediction: At long last consistent health, and a return to glory for the Rangers.

And then you have Jack Leiter's former Vandy teammate Kumar Rocker, initially drafted by the Mets, not signed, and then slyly brought over to the Rangers. Waiting for Rocker and Leiter to come up seems to have been more exciting than the reality of having them both in the majors, but Kumar Rocker did give the Rangers something to be excited about in 2025. In 3 starts he had a 3.86 ERA, with 14 strikeouts. Ultimately his control isn't there yet, and those 2 losses do speak to the quality of the 2024 Rangers. But he's definitely got a lot of time to come into his own.

2025 Prediction: Kumar Rocker will be getting Rookie of the Year votes. Lots of them.

Coming Tomorrow- The last remains of a Rays team I really couldn't find much to say about this year.

Because You're Jung

 

The Texas Rangers swept my team a week ago and I'm still not entirely over it.

The Phils are fine. They're doing better. They're a little more evenly matched against the Reds [odd statement is odd], and have managed to stay on top of things without completely imploding around the 4th inning. But to have the first series of the season be a miserable sweep carried out by, of all people, the Texas Rangers, with a human deGrom, a human Eovaldi and a lot of young guys trying to figure shit out...that's odd. Especially if you're coming off an NL Championship year.

The Rangers may go on to become a mediocre team this year, and I think they probably will be, but I don't know if anything's gonna take the sting out of this for me. First of all, I have seen the Rangers sweep Philly before, in this incarnation, and I was there for one of the games, last year. It was exhausting. Every single XBH went right to Adolis Garcia [as did a few during the opening series this year], and the one Castellanos ball that made it over the fence was idiotically called a double by some umps that are walking proponents from an automated umping system that Manfred would never employ because, I assume, the unions are beginning to scare him. 

What made it even more exhausting was how avoidable it was. Martin Perez was excellent the night I saw them, but there were Rangers pitchers that weren't Martin Perez, and Phils hitters that weren't awful, and nothing happened. This series, it wasn't that the Phils weren't hitting, as they did a lot of that, but the Rangers were getting the better of our pitching in a bigger way. The hitting is gonna be good this season, but if the pitching's shite, and if both Gregory Soto and Craig Kimbrel can't keep runs down, what's the point?

The Rangers, so far, are starting out very similarly to their 2022 counterparts- it's taking a little longer for the big contractual pieces [Seager, Semien, now deGrom] to heat up, Nate Lowe's already on a tear, and the smaller, younger pieces, like Mitch Garver, Bubba Thompson, Josh Jung and, somehow, Will Smith, are carrying the load. This isn't full overdrive yet, and while deGrom's last start was definitely an improvement, he's not quite at the level the Rangers were picturing when they signed him yet [which is something I worried about last season, even]. 

All the while, the first season of Bochy ball in Arlington is going decently so far, though it could be better. It's still early, and there's still times for the Rangers to find other ways to infuriate me in other places in the league. 

Coming Tomorrow [?]: One of the ground floor ex-gaijin fireballers that have reestablished themselves in an even bigger way since coming back to the States.

Jung Folks

 Earlier this month, the Texas Rangers called up one of their biggest prospects, third-baseman Josh Jung. 

...y'know, months after the Rangers called up third base prospect Josh Smith and third base prospect Ezequiel Duran, and that went so well for them.

Anyway Jung's hitting .182 with 3 homers and 6 RBIs in 14 games. Not terrible, but clearly not what the Rangers asked for. After Smith and Duran already faltered around the early .200s. Which just...makes clear the Rangers' prospect issue.

Like, it's not just theirs, it's the big ones they get from other teams that are supposed to be good for them and somehow aren't. The Rangers got Kolby Allard as the biggest piece in the trade that brought Chris Martin to Atlanta, and Allard has responded by handing over some subpar seasons and being held down in the minors this year. The Rangers got Nick Solak in exchange for Pete Fairbanks, and Solak, while good for a little, has been injured for most of the year. The Rangers got Willie Calhoun from the Dodgers in exchange for Yu Darvish, and Calhoun refused to hit for average and is now basically out of a job. Really, one of the few good prospects the Rangers got flipped was Dane Dunning, even if he's had an ERA around 4.50 all year.

As much as fans should be excited about Josh Jung, there's still this recent streak of failure that makes it very difficult. Jung could come back next year and hit 25 homers and make his mark on Arlington, but he could also do what Jarred Kelenic has been doing and take forever to develop in the majors. The Rangers, even with decent guys like Jonah Heim, Nate Lowe, and the imports like Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, need a real homegrown cornerstone to rest on [cause all of those guys came from other markets]. And yes, I am aware that in 3 or so years the Rangers are going to have Jack Leiter [and probably Kumar Rocker] up and hopefully they'll be worth it, but...I'd think that, ideally, they'd have something going by that point.

Even if Jung doesn't do much the rest of this season, I hope he can figure things out for next season, because he's a sharp hitting piece that the Rangers must be glad to have, and I know that this season's lack of competition must have burned them a bit. Maybe he's the key?

Coming Tonight: Yet another awesome rookie for the D-Backs.