Three Things the Texas Rangers Need to Improve This Season
The Texas Rangers have a lot of upside, but there are concerns this team could fall flat, as they have in the past two years following their World Series win in 2023.
These are some factors that they need to go their way if they want to make it back to postseason contention.
1) Gore and Leiter Need to Hold Down the Middle of the Rotation
This could be the Rangers’ biggest advantage, or their demise. On paper, they have a very impressive rotation, with aces Nathan Eovaldi and Jacob deGrom leading it. This is where Gore and Leiter slot in, holding down the third and fourth spots.
They boast immense talent, but both have been plagued by inconsistency. They have both had months where they have posted ERAs of 2.18 and 2.63 while also having months with 5.47 and 6.75.
Gore earned an All-Star nod with a 4.17 ERA in 159.2 innings with 185 strikeouts against 64 walks. Those don’t look too impressive on the surface, but it was a tale of two halves for him.
He posted a 3.02 ERA in 110.1 innings with 11.3 strikeouts per nine and 2.9 walks per nine. He struggled mightily in the second half with a 6.57 ERA. The Rangers will hope that Gore can be his first-half self over the course of an entire season, and they will need to help anchor the lineup.
Leiter has not had the highs Gore has, but last year was about proving he belonged in the big leagues. The former second overall pick was thrust into the starting rotation due to injuries. He delivered with a 3.86 ERA in 151.2 innings with 148 strikeouts and 67 walks.
If the two of them can play up to their potential, then the Rangers could boast the best 1-4 in baseball, and they could lead them back to the promised land.
2) Someone Needs to Grab the Closer Role
For the past few years, the Rangers have brought in a number of bullpen arms and have had them fight it out for the closer spot. Sometimes it has worked, like with Kirby Yates and Shawn Armstrong, while other times it has not, like Luke Jackson and Robert Garcia.
The Rangers will be looking for someone to grab the closer job, and it seems like it is down to two guys. Robert Garcia and Chris Martin seem like the most likely options, and both of them have reasons for why they should and shouldn’t.
Garcia had chances to be the closer for the Rangers last year and struggled when he did. He had nine saves and blew seven saves. That’s not great to see up close, as he is not a reliable option to close out the game.
Digging deeper into the stats shows how much he really struggles in the ninth. In the seventh inning, he had a 3 ERA in 15 innings; in the eighth inning, he was at his best with a 1.47 ERA in 18.1 innings. Then things went downhill in the ninth inning, where he posted a 4.09 ERA in 22 innings.
Garcia could be the perfect setup man, and that is where he thrives, as it seems like the moment gets too big for him, and his nerves could get the better of him.
However, he does have the best stuff from the bullpen with a chase rate in the 85th percentile, whiff rate in the 75th percentile, and a strikeout percentage in the 71st percentile, all well above the league average.
Moving on to Martin, he posted a 2.98 ERA with 43 strikeouts and 8 walks in 42.1 innings and two saves. He blew three saves, so he blew more games than he saved, but he is a good veteran option that the Rangers could turn to if they need someone steady.
His veteran status is a double-edged sword as it limited him to only 42.1 innings. He is 39 years old, and there is a chance that he misses time with injuries due to his age. The Rangers will look to get big innings from one of them or maybe someone else who will step up.
3) Production From the Cleanup Spot
The Rangers’ offense struggled slightly last year, and a big reason was the lack of production from the fourth spot in the lineup. They ranked 25th in the league last season with a .232 batting average and were right around the middle of the league at 16th with 24 home runs.
They tried to get production from a number of players in the cleanup role with Adolis Garcia, Joc Pederson, and Jake Burger. None of them managed to produce from that spot in the lineup as the highest batting average among the three was .236, and none of them hit more than 20 home runs.
Pederson is still struggling right now in Spring Training, and Garcia is off the team, but it seems like Burger might be the guy who could fill the hole in the lineup. He has posted a slash line of .297/.381/.541 with three home runs and eight RBIs.
He has been doing this out of the cleanup role throughout Spring Training, so it seems like it is Burger’s spot to lose. If he struggles to hit from the spot, then the Rangers will have a short leash on him since the cleanup is one of the most pivotal in the lineup.
Conclusion
These are factors that could either keep the Rangers out of the playoffs for a third year in a row or bring them back to the promised land.
This is an exciting time for the Rangers, with the strength and upside of the rotation and moves that could lead to a bounce-back year for the lineup.
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