Texas Rangers 2024 Year in Review
It was the best of times but also the worst of times.
The Texas Rangers started the season with the best of times, then went downhill.
The fans and players were ready for another competitive season after the franchise’s first-ever World Series Championship.
Injuries, setbacks, and underproduction are some of the main storylines for 2024. When the season began, everyone thought Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford would be the top two for Rookie of the Year.
Carter missed most of the season with injury, and Langford struggled early in the year—other injuries made for a rough start for the Texas Rangers.
The injuries began piling up, as Josh Jung went down with a broken wrist, and then they lost Cody Bradford. Corey Seager was on the IL several times, and Josh Sborz could not stay healthy.
The Rangers limped into the All-Star break with hopes that some of the injured players (Tyler Mahle, Jacob deGrom, Cody Bradford, Josh Jung) returning would give this team the spark they needed.
Of course, that did not happen, but the negative is not the whole story of 2024.
There are also positives.
Wyatt Langford
PHOTO: Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images
After his rough start, Wyatt Langford became what we hoped he would be. He started playing better defense and hitting the ball on average. Then, the home-run power came. Langford won the American League Player of the Month and Rookie of the Month in September. It’s been a while since someone pulled that feat off.
His growth and development over the 2024 season were obvious, and he will be a stud going forward. Langford seems as advertised.
I can’t wait to see his second full season in the majors.
Josh Smith
Smith had a good first half and a good season overall. He impressed many people in the Rangers organization and fans as well.
He had a career-high in batting average, home runs, and runs, and he played a great third base while Jung was out with an injury.
I enjoyed watching him play and hope he continues to be a productive player for this team.
Pitching
Bradford was really good before the injury, and he was also really good after he came off the injured list. He had a 3.54 ERA for the season.
People tend to forget he is a homegrown product. Cody was developed by the Rangers and has become a good starter at the major league level.
Hopefully, we will see him build off his good 2024 going forward.
deGrom looked good in his few starts coming off the IL. He posted a 1.69 ERA in his 10.2 innings pitched in 2024. More importantly, he is back and feels healthy. If he can stay healthy, he will be a big boost to the Rangers’ pitching staff.
Andrew Heaney was the bad luck pitcher of 2024. He pitched well all year, but the team could not score runs for him. The Rangers always seem to have that one guy they can’t score for.
Kirby Yates and David Robertson would be great on a contending team. Hopefully, the Rangers can bring at least one back in 2025.
Even though the season ended in disappointment, it was still enjoyable to watch nightly.
I hope they can get back on track in 2025!
PHOTO: Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images
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Categorized:Rangers The Ranger Report