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.

Range But True

 

All those games where the Astros were getting butchered, the Rangers were losing games to Cleveland. Then, right when the Rangers get hot again and have a classic 10+ run output, the Astros win anyway. Meaning that the AL West race is still as tight as ever, with the Astros a half-game ahead. The Mariners and Rangers are still deadlocked in a tie for second, the Astros' lead has shrunk, and there's less than two weeks remaining on the season. Things are about to get insane.

The NL Wild Card race is similarly crazy, the four-man lunge for those last two spots is gonna make some tense baseball in the coming weeks, but the AL West race is even more crucial. The Rangers, Astros and Mariners have all had great seasons, and all three have huge postseason cases. There's two available AL Wild Card spots, and the Blue Jays are currently ahead of the pack for one of them. Meaning winning the AL West is crucial, and any way of getting out of the even tighter wild card race is preferable. Only problem is the Astros are still looking at that first place spot, and even if the Mariners and Rangers have had more time at 1st this year, Houston is still the team to beat.

Which is why a surge like today's Rangers rout of Boston is a step in the right direction for the Arlington squad. All of the team heroes of 2023 were on display; Josh Jung reestablished his ROY case, Seager and Semien did their usual contact bonanzas, Heim and Garver had RBIs, Garcia notched RBI #102, unsung guys like Leody Taveras and Evan Carter joined the fun, and Martin Perez redeemed himself slightly by quelling the fire that Jon Gray couldn't put out. The ensemble mentality, and production from all over the lineup, was reminiscent of the Rangers that felt so unstoppable in May, and became a league talent with 5 ASG starters. 

But is this something they can produce consistently again? Baseball is a game of momentum, and the Rangers have gone through multiple long losing streaks since mid-August. They've also lost big pieces like Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom, even if the rotation was able to withstand it. The Astros and Mariners famously come into momentum late in the season, and the Rangers, for the second year running, seem to have peaked midyear.

Ultimately, what will decide the fate of the divisional race is that 7 of the Rangers' remaining 10 games are against the Mariners. Not the Astros, who conveniently have to play easier teams, but the nearest division rival. It's looking like either both teams even the stretch and hope the Astros collapse [which, as they're back against the Royals this weekend, could happen], or one is going to triumph and send the other packing. I hope the Rangers have enough in the tank to make it happen, but given their late-year habits, it may be difficult to fully seal the deal.

Coming Tomorrow- A rookie pitcher helping out a team with a TON of starting vacancies.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2022: Rangers

 

The 2022 Rangers were further along than any recent Rangers team, with a solid core of Adolis Garcia, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Nate Lowe ruling the team, a pretty solid four-man rotation of Perez-Dunning-Otto-Gray, and a lot of really sneaky players in the bullpen and infield that seemed to foreshadow future greatness. Granted, from August 27th to the end of the year they only won 10 games and flushed themselves out of a wild card race in time for the rise of the Mariners, but...help is coming. DeGrom, Heaney and, I assume, Josh Jung are on the way.

With DeGrom, Heaney and Odo factoring into the rotation, and Dunning, Perez and Gray fixtures at the moment, it begs the question of what's going to happen to Glenn Otto, who's now lowest on this depth chart and will likely be relieving if he doesn't do well in the Spring. Otto started 27 games this year, with a 4.64 ERA and 107 strikeouts. He had the most unspectacular year of any of the starters, so if anyone's gonna get demoted it'll likely be him, but he's a strong innings eater. Maybe he'll be a long man. Hell, if deGrom gets injured like he usually does, maybe he WILL start.

2023 Prediction: At least 5 starts, but a 4ish ERA in relief.

Leody Taveras, in an outfield where only really Adolis Garcia is pinned down right now, is one of the surer bets the Rangers have right now. In 99 games, Taveras hit .261 with 34 RBIs and 81 hits. He seems like a handy guy to have around, and can be a useful outfield bat. Knowing the Rangers, they may eventually look for an upgrade, but I think he's coming into his own.

2023 Prediction: Starts all year, gets the fans on his side, 150 hits.

Though several young kids are in the running for a 3rd base job in Arlington, including Josh Smith and heir apparent Josh Jung, Ezequiel Duran, who the Rangers got for Joey Gallo, had a pretty interesting audition himself. Duran hit .236 in 58 games, with 25 RBIs and 5 homers. He got the most reps of any of the kids, and the Rangers might have confidence in him.

2023 Prediction: I think they're gonna go with Duran to start the season and he may lose the starting 3rd base job to Jung if he really blossoms, which I think he will.

Eli White's injury and Kole Calhoun's struggles led to a hole in the outfield, which paved the way for Bubba Thompson, a 2017 1st rounder that the Rangers had been waiting one for a while. Thompson hit .265 in 55 games, with 9 RBIs and 18 steals. Useful player, even if he did seem to blossom more in the back half.

2023 Prediction: I guess he'll be a bench/depth outfield piece? I don't know if he's a starter for this team.

...because Mark Mathias might give him a run for his money. Mathias was dealt to the Rangers in the Matt Bush deal, and Mathias was clearly the better piece of the trade, hitting .277 with 16 RBIs and 5 homers in 24 games, a huge statement even as the team was falling off. If Mathias can replicate that going forward, he'll be very useful for Texas.

2023 Prediction: Mark will be the new Brock Holt/Charlie Culberson type. Versatile, can play multiple places, and can take off at the plate whenever he wants.

Tomorrow, a surprisingly slim number of Tampa Bay Rays.

2020 Topps Final Edition: Cards #19-27

 As the material for 2021 customs begins to trickle in, and I reckon some of those will start appearing on here in the next week or so, I still have a backlog of stuff to produce for 2020 Topps Final Edition. What I might start doing is doing Final Edition posts on Mondays and Fridays, cause there's a lot to get through.

Onto the next nine cards. Expect a lot of relievers.

Card #019- Ryan Tepera, Chicago Cubs

Fun fact- due to a tactical error on the part of a sportswriter, Ryan Tepera got exactly one MVP vote last year. It was a foresight by someone trying to vote for Fernando Tatis and missed. Honestly, it's kind of a cool stat, as Ryan Tepera did have a decent enough season in relief for Chicago. In 21 games, he had a 3.92 ERA and 33 strikeouts, and, yes, came 18th in MVP voting. Sadly, Tepera is still a free agent. 

Card #020- Alejandro Kirk, Toronto Blue Jays

Despite the platoon at catcher of Danny Jansen and Reese McGuire that continued in Toronto this year, the Jays still had time to throw rookie Alejandro Kirk into the mix. Kirk, a big, strong, hulking 22-year-old, took a massive swat at the 2021 catching race, and hit .375 in 9 games, including 9 hits and 3 RBIs. Heck, he even had a postseason hit during the Rays series. It'll be interesting to see if the Jays have any use for him this year, as he's clearly a nice asset for any team trying to rebuild. 

Card #021- Brian Anderson ASG, Miami Marlins

If the 2020 season had gone ahead as planned, Brian Anderson would have been the sole Marlin to make the team, as the big points of success [Starling, Sixto, lapping the Phils] would happen after the midpoint that I'm basing these ASG sims from. He would be a backup, and relieve Manny Machado at third as well as getting in an at-bat. With Anderson's strong season, making him just as crucial to the Marlins core as other infielders like Miguel Rojas, it would have been a well-deserved nomination.

Card #022- Kyle Zimmer, Kansas City Royals

The Royals, despite having another okay-at-best year in the AL Central, were able to sneakily build a relatively good bullpen without anyone looking. Kyle Zimmer was one of the assets that KC was able to build off of, with a 1.57 ERA in 16 games, with 22 Ks. Zimmer and the other up-and-comers combined with veterans like Trevor Rosenthal and Greg Holland to provide some bullpen strength that deserved a better team. 

Card #023- Darin Ruf, San Francisco Giants

It's always interesting when a player goes to international markets and returns to the US as a star. It hurts, though, when said player came up with your team. Darin Ruf was a Phillies prospect, was blocked behind Ryan Howard and struggled in the majors, and only found contact success when playing with the Samsung Lions from 2017-2019, hitting 30 home runs in each and finding the success he SHOULD HAVE in Philly. Then, he signs a deal with the Giants as a bench option in 2020, and gets off to a hot start, and hits .276 in 40 games. Yes, only 5 homers, but 18 RBIs. He wasn't starting every day, because...I mean, Yaz-Dubon-Dickerson is a strong enough outfield. But he was a crucial bench bat that helped a postseason effort, started at DH more often than not, and has a chance of factoring into the 2021 lineup. So he's finding success in the majors...with a team that isn't Philly, because of course.

Card #024- Tyler Thornburg, Cincinnati Reds

Before this season, Tyler Thornburg was best known for being traded for Travis Shaw [and Mauricio Dubon] and immediately getting injured for Boston. This was his first productive season since then, as he only had 7 games but still had a 3.86 ERA with 10 Ks. He's currently a free agent, but as a relief specialist he still has a lot of use left.

Card #025- Jeremy Jeffress, Chicago Cubs

This was one of my most disappointing omissions from the initial Topps Update set. Jeremy Jeffress had a Brewers card in flagship, he was on the Cubs for Spring Training, and yet Topps decided that Jharel Cotton and Josh Phegley needed Update issues instead. Jeremy Jeffress had one of the best seasons of any reliever in 2020. In 22 games, he hit a 1.54 ERA, then managed to steal the closing gig away from a struggling Craig Kimbrel and had 8 saves. The Nationals just picked him up for 2020, probably for setup work, and I hope he keeps it up.

Card #026: Willy Adames, Tampa Bay Rays

Like Anderson, Willy Adames wouldn't be used as a starter for the potential 2020 All Star Game, but he'd be a decent substitute at shortstop. With the season Adames had, especially with his surging Rays, he would have deserved an ASG nod. Considering that there's a major SS prospect waiting to come up in Tampa, I'm not sure if Adames will even get an ASG nod as a Ray at this point, but it'd have be nice if he got one in this season.

#027- Leody Taveras RC, Texas Rangers

One of the many Rangers prospects that saw playing time in 2020, Leody Taveras, whose cousin Willy also found success in Texan markets, had a 33-game call-up with the Rangers, hit .227 with 8 steals and 27 hits, and had a modest enough audition for the outfield spot next year, which he will likely get. As the Rangers reform back into a rebuilding contender, it'll be interesting to see how speedy contact guys like Taveras and Robinson Tejeda factor into things.

Friday I'll post 9 more. A few more decent relief picks and a good traded player. 

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.