The Texas Rangers WILL Make it Back to the Postseason- Here's Why

Going into 2023, the expectations for the Rangers were high. In the offseason, the team had signed the best pitcher in baseball, Jacob deGrom, and also signed other former All-Stars in the form of SP Nathan Eovaldi and RP Will Smith. Despite not having deGrom for a majority of the season, the Rangers have exceeded their expectations, as they have cemented themselves as one of the best teams in baseball, with their AL West leading 34-19 record.

They have had a strong formula to follow to earn these wins, and in this article, I detail their formula and how they have gone from one of baseball’s worst teams, to one of the best.

Hitting:

The Rangers have been one of baseball’s best offenses this season. As a team, they have a .793 OPS, which is second in the league only behind the Rays, and have the 3rd most hits in baseball. A large part of their success has not only been getting guys on base, but also driving them in. The Rangers are one of baseball’s best teams with runners in scoring position, as they have a .336 AVG and .920 OPS. with men in scoring positions. They also rarely ground into the dreaded rally-killing double plays, as they only have 8 double plays this season with RISP, 2nd lowest behind only the Dodgers.

Even though they did not have key offensive players like Corey Seager for a majority of their games thus far, their offense has been spearheaded by All-Star Marcus Semien, who has posted a 138 WRC+, 22nd best in all of baseball. Despite only having one player in the top 40 of WRC+ leaders, the Rangers have still been able to produce runs, with key contributions from second-year 3rd Baseman Josh Jung (.836 OPS), Right Fielder Adolis Garcia (.823 OPS.) ,1st Baseman Nathaniel Lowe (.790 OPS), and many others.

Defense:

To go along with their elite offense, the Rangers have also been solid defensively. As a team, they rank 7th in Def, 6th in DRS, and 9th in OAA. The defense is led by some of the best defenders in baseball, in the form of Marcus Semien, Adolis Garcia, and Jonah Heim. Semien has not only been elite offensively, but also defensively, as he has the 15th highest Def (Defensive Runs Above Average) in the league. This statistic helps take into account a player’s defensive value in comparison to other players around the league by position. Heim has been one of the best catchers in baseball this year, especially defensively, as he ranks 2nd in the league in Def. Garcia has been one of baseball’s best outfielders this season, as he is 17th in DRS with 4 defensive runs saved, and leads the league with 8 outfield assists.

Pitching:

The Rangers starting pitching this season has been nothing short of elite. Despite missing the game’s best pitcher when healthy, Jacob deGrom, for a majority of this season, the Rangers starters are 5th in FIP, have the 6th lowest BABIP (Batting Average on Balls in Play), and the 6th lowest HR/9. On top of this, the Rangers starters have also logged the 2nd most amount of innings as a staff, at 296.1 IP, providing ample rest to their bullpen.

The bullpen has not been as nearly as elite as the starting pitching, but they have still put together a nice season. While their FIP ranks as the 12th worst in the league, their BB/9 and BABIP rank 11th best in the league. They also have the 2nd least amount of innings pitched (credit to the starting pitching), however. Thus, the sample size may not be enough to determine where the bullpen stands.

While it remains to be seen if the Rangers can sustain their success over a full 162 game season, they are certainly on a good track. With players such as Mitch Garver, Jacob deGrom, and other depth pieces returning soon from injury (and hopefully not getting injured again), the Rangers might finally be able to make it back to the postseason for the first time since 2016.