Uncustomed Heroes of 2021: Rangers

 

2021 was the year that the Texas Rangers pretty much expressly did business with teams I root for. Joely Rodriguez and Joey Gallo to the Yankees. Kyle Gibson and Ian Kennedy to the Phillies. Rougned Odor to NY as well. And what remained in Arlington was technically considered a baseball club. A lot of younger players coming up late to help, and also a lot of roster rejects like DJ Peters and Jason Martin getting playing time when they could.

For the umpteenth year in a row, former Dodgers prospect Willie Calhoun has absolutely refused to make an impact on the Rangers. He's a 26-year old DH with occasional outfield capabilities but negative fielding numbers. 75 injury-limited games and he hits .250 with 6 homers. I don't know what else the Rangers are expecting to happen with this guy.

2022 Prediction: The Rangers cut him at some point.

One of the few holdovers from the botched rotation plan was Kolby Allard, former Braves prospect. Due to lack of consistent rotation options, he only started 17 games, but continued his recent malaise, with a 5.41 ERA and 12 losses.

2022 Prediction: Eventually gets moved to the bullpen full time.

The Rangers' starting catcher this year was Jose Trevino, going back to their 2015-Chirinos era of just having a catcher that no one's heard of start. Trevino hit .239 with 30 RBIs in 89 games. Not much going on here offensively.

2022 Prediction: The Rangers will trade for/sign someone that makes Trevino a backup. And he does alright then.

Matt Harvey in Baltimore we've already discussed. Almost as much of a debacle was Mike Foltynewicz in Arlington. Like Harvey, he was a trusted innings-eater, starting 24 games. But...Folty went 2-12 with a 5.44 ERA and 97 Ks. He seems to have lost what made him so great in 2018, sadly. Not sure what else he has left to give the Rangers.

2022 Prediction: Japan?

Brock Holt spent the year with the Rangers as a utility backup, and had some great defensive numbers filling in at third. However, he pulled a -13 batting figure, and hit .209 in 76 games. Not a full win for the former Boston favorite.

2022 Prediction: Minor league deal somewhere, takes some bench reps. Nothing huge.

The primary third baseman for the last half of the season was rookie Yonny Hernandez, whose defensive numbers were an improvement despite only hitting .217 with 31 hits in 43 games. He seems like a nice young piece for the Rangers.

2022 Prediction: Mostly backup/utility work but will make a name for himself as the team grows its depth.

Near the end of the season, the Rangers brought up two arms that intrigued me. One was A.J. Alexy, who was scoreless in his first 2 starts and finished with a 3-1 record and 17 Ks in 5 games. Alexy seems consistent, trustworthy, and capable of big games.

2022 Prediction: Will begin the season in the rotation and will do decently.

The other one was Glenn Otto. While he was a lethal strikeout artist, with 28 in 6 games, and while he also went scoreless in his first appearance, the return for Joey Gallo still got clobbered this year, with 3 losses and a 9.26 ERA. While he and Alexy are kind of in tandem right now, he's still shown more flaws at the big league level.

2022 Prediction: Doesn't start the year in the rotation, or the majors, but makes it back and has some huge starts in July.

Tomorrow, we still have some big pieces of this year's Rays team. 

Uncustomed Heroes of 2020: Rangers

 

It looked like a runaway.

The Texas Rangers using the offseason to assemble Corey Kluber, Kyle Gibson, Jordan Lyles, Mike Minor, Lance Lynn and Kolby Allard into the same rotation felt like a challenge to Houston, and a statement that the Rangers would be competing in 2020. With Todd Frazier at third, Gallo, Andrus and Odor ready for prime seasons, and Woodward finally seeming confident, there was no way this team couldn't...have completely underwhelmed.

Kluber getting injured was the first sign of trouble. Then Gibson, Lyles and Minor kept getting killed on the mound. Then Joey Gallo gets hurt midseason, along with Danny Santana. Then Frazier gets traded to the Mets along with the only competent catcher. And by the end, the last-place Rangers basically limped to the finish line. Sad to see, but it illuminated that this team still has a ways to go before it's ready to compete, and signing a bunch of pitchers can't solve everything.

First of all, Corey Kluber, who excited everyone on his first summer camp trials as a Ranger, and looked to be a prime figure into the 2020 season. Then, one inning into his debut as a Ranger, he's pulled, and has an injury that requires him to miss the rest of the season. And just like that, the Rangers just traded a bunch of prospects for exactly one inning. To be fair, it was a good inning, and Corey Kluber still struck out a batter and didn't allow any earned runs. And, for a while, Kluber still had one of the higher ERAs on the team despite only pitching that one inning. But...it was a massive disappointment that started a season full of them for the Rangers.

2021 Prediction: Dear god I really hope somebody signs him. Let's not go for a Brandon Webb situation here, Kluber still has some stuff left. Somebody'll take a chance and he'll be back, albeit in limited form.

Kyle Gibson was coming off a number of strong seasons for the Twins, which made his slump back into mediocrity even more saddening. Despite pitching in 12 games, he still held a 5.35 ERA, with 58 strikeouts and a 2-6 record. Not a great run of things, sadly.

2021 Prediction: A few steps up, though it'll be tough for him to keep his ERA below 4.

Jordan Lyles, post-2019-breakout, sort of reverted back to his usual habits this year, and had a 7.02 ERA in 9 starts, hence a move to the bullpen for September. It was sad to see Lyles hold the highest WHIP of the rotation, with a 1.561.

2021 Prediction: An eventual permanent move to the bullpen, with sharper results.

And then there's Kolby Allard, poised for success after his 2019 debut, then saddled with a 7.75 ERA in 12 games, 8 of which were starts. In Allard's case, the move to the bullpen did help a bit, but...I really hope this is just sophomore slump talk happening, as Allard was so good last year and shouldn't flame out this early.

2021 Prediction: A full season of production, 10 wins and 150 strikeouts, and the respect he deserved in a normal year this year.

2020 was the last year of Shin-Soo Choo's mega-year contract in Arlington, and I'd say the Rangers got their money's worth out of Choo in that time. 7 seasons, nearly 800 games, 771 hits, 355 RBIs, 114 and a .260 average, plus an ASG gig in 2018. Not bad at all for a guy who struggled to make a name for himself in Cleveland. This last season was marred by injury, and he only hit .236 in 33 games, but he still left on a very high note.

2021 Prediction: I don't think anyone is gonna sign him, but if anyone does it'll be a victory lap year.

Ronald Guzman, basically be default at this point, continued to flaunt the starting 1st base position in Arlington. He was limited to 26 games due to injury, but hit .244 with 9 RBIs.

2021 Prediction: Healthier numbers, but will inevitably lose the starting spot to a younger, better player.

Okay, onto a batch of four rookies who made me think that good things might be on the way for the Rangers. The first is relief specialist Jonathan Hernandez, who led the bullpen in innings with 31, strikeouts with 31, and ERA with 2.90. Hernandez was absolutely solid in relief this year, and will be a big part in the 2021 Rangers bullpen.

2021 Prediction: His ERA will go down the second the Rangers foolishly hand him the ninth.

Meanwhile, Kyle Cody was a rare Rangers starter whose ERA didn't balloon. While he didn't kick in as a starter til the last month or so of the season, Cody was still very strong, with a 1.59 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 8 appearances, along with the largest WAR of any pitcher not named Lynn. Definitely a good start for him, even in a crowded, bloated city for starters.

2021 Prediction: Will begin the season in the rotation and keep the gig by keeping his ERA below 3. He and Allard are gonna be a fun tag-team.

Meanwhile, Leody Taveras sprung into the outfield in August and owned centerfield from then on, with a 6 in the fielding column making up for his negative batting numbers. Taveras is just what Texas needed, a speedy, durable defensive outfielder who can hit if pressed. 

2021 Prediction: The average goes up a bit, but those OF numbers are gonna keep him in consideration for a gold glove.

Meanwhile, as the Chirinos trade and injuries to Jose Trevino put the starting catching job in disarray [read: nearly given to Jeff Mathis], Sam Huff was called up. Huff definitely improved on the lack of offensive output, hitting .355 with 11 hits, 4 RBIs and 3 homers in just 10 games. It was a breath of fresh air that pointed towards great things next year.

2021 Prediction: The starting catching gig is his, as are 30 homers and a LARGE shot at Rookie of the Year.

And then, after the Reds cut him before the season...Derek Dietrich dropped into Globe Life Field for 25 games, hit .197 9 RBIs and 5 homers, and didn't do a great deal else because, at this rate, he's not much more than a glorified bench bat and clutch hitter. Again, not much nuance to his season, but the Rangers weren't looking for nuance when they signed him.

2021 Prediction: Similar random signing, similar bench numbers.

Coming Tomorrow- A few extra customs from the AL Champs.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2019: Rangers

 I feel like there was a theme of teams scraping up to third place despite not entirely deserving it. The Giants did it in the west, and the Rangers did it here.

This isn't to say that the Rangers weren't good enough or didn't have those big game moments. They just didn't have enough of them for me. And though they attempted usurping the A's in the standings on multiple occasions, third place is where they ended up. I am intrigued by the complete and total rotation overhaul that's gone on since the season ended, as Jordan Lyles, Corey Kluber and Kyle Gibson have all been added to the Lynn-Minor combo. But...will it undo some of the progress that's been done this year, especially with the outfield's depletion?

Rougned Odor did his usual thing. He struck out 178 times, hit .205, and still hit enough for power to still escape the hammer.
Why Him in 2019?: Led the team in home runs, RBIs and strikeouts.
2020 Prediction: Once he goes back below the Mendoza line, we think about a long-term replacement.

 Willie Calhoun fared better, and seeing as he's one of the few returning outfielders for 2020, he had better. He hit 21 home runs with a .269 average and some lackluster OF numbers.
Why Him in 2019?: Post-callup, he gave the team some clutch power, and hit .271 in 11 July games
2020 Prediction: A full season of work, and a full season of consistency. Expect some gradual shift to DH.

 After a brief comeback in Minnesota, Logan Forsythe continued his utility man goodwill, with 39 RBIs in 105 games. Yes, he did strike out 100 times, but for a non-starter, that's not to concerning.
Why Him in 2019?: Swung the infield after Cabrera left
2020 Prediction: Will start some games somewhere out of the question (Miami? Baltimore?)

 Asdrubal Cabrera had a strong finish to the season, but his start (first week notwithstanding) was relatively tame. In 93 games with Texas he hit .235 with 51 RBIs, which is more than a lot of full-year starters.
Why Him in 2019?: His first-half set the stage for a comeback with Washington
2020 Prediction: Will sign somewhere, though may not stay there the whole year.

 After getting next-to-no playing time in Atlanta, it took a trade for Chris Martin to get Kolby Allard the platform he needed. In 9 starts, he had a 4.96 ERA with 32 strikeouts, and had some nice big-game moments for the Rangers down the stretch. With the new rotation formation, one hopes he can still make a difference
Why Him in 2019?: Between him, Brock Burke, Adrian Sampson and Joe Palumbo, he had the best rookie pitching year
2020 Prediction: The Rangers will allow him some starts after May, and it'll prove to them how valuable he is.

And in the same vein, Nick Solak made a debut as a position player, and got some time at 3rd post-Cabrera. Solak was sharp at the plate, hitting .293 with 17 RBIs in 33 games, which is a nice, refreshing take for an older, rustier team.
Why Him in 2019?: Best rookie position player
2020 Prediction: Will get a starting position and raise some eyebrows early.

Coming Tomorrow- Two years running, one of the most fun teams to write about week-by-week, the Tampa Bay Rays.