The Texas Rangers will take aim at bigger and better things after winning the American League West in each of the last two seasons. The Rangers went in to each of the last two postseasons on a high note but fell short with consecutive losses to the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Division Series. Texas lost a number of key veteran players in the offseason and that could make things even more difficult this coming season. However, the Rangers are still loaded with talent and nobody will be surprised if they are once again among the AL World Series contenders in 2017.
Key Additions: DH/1B Mike Napoli, SP Andrew Cashner, RP Tyson Ross, 1B James Loney, OF Josh Hamilton
Key Losses: OF Ian Desmond, 1B Mitch Moreland, OF Carlos Beltran, SP Derek Holland, SP Colby Lewis
Strengths
Cole Hamels is a potential Cy Young contender when healthy while Yu Darvish showed glimpses of his old self in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. Texas needs Hamels and Darvish to perform at an elite level in order to contend this season. The Rangers lost Derek Holland but signed Andrew Cashner to a one-year deal with the hope that he could outperform Martin Perez and A.J. Griffin to steal the No. 3 spot in the rotation. Meanwhile, Sam Dyson will open the season as the closer but he isn’t the only bright spot with Tony Barnette coming off a strong year and Jeremy Jeffress added at last year’s deadline to solidify a fairly strong bullpen group. Texas lost Ian Desmond, Mitch Moreland and Carlos Beltran in free agency but they added Mike Napoli and will be able to lean more heavily on their young stars including Jurickson Profar and Nomar Mazara. Mazara is coming off a strong rookie season and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he took another major step forward this coming year. The Rangers added Jonathan Lucroy at last year’s trade deadline and if he stays healthy he could be in line for a monster season.
Weaknesses
Texas lost some veteran pieces but they still have a strong veteran group led by Adrian Beltre, Rougned Odor and Elvis Andrus. The key will be the development of their young players as they come together as a group. Andrus, in particular, had a strong year in 2016 so the Rangers have to hope he has another big season. He had never batted over .300 for an entire season but he did that in 2016; his previous best was .286 back in 2012.
The back end of the rotation isn’t elite so Texas will rely heavily on Hamels and Darvish to lead the way. If either of them struggle or get injured, the Rangers will have toe rely on their bats to carry the load. The bullpen also dealt with its share of concerns a year ago and there is no guarantee they don’t stumble at times this coming season. They look like the team weakness.
2017 Texas Rangers Depth Chart
| Catcher | Jonathan Lucroy | Robinson Chirinos | Brett Nicholas | ||
| First Base | Mike Napoli | James Loney | Jurickson Profar | Joey Gallo | |
| Second Base | Rougned Odor | Jurickson Profar | Hanser Alberto | ||
| Third Base | Adrian Beltre | Jurickson Profar | Hanser Alberto | Joey Gallo | |
| Shortstop | Elvis Andrus | Jurickson Profar | Hanser Alberto | ||
| Left Field | Ryan Rua | Delino DeShields | Jurickson Profar | Joey Gallo | |
| Center Field | Carlos Gomez | Delino DeShields | |||
| Right Field | Nomar Mazara | Shin-Soo Choo | Ryan Rua | ||
| Designated Hitter | Shin-Soo Choo | Mike Napoli | Joey Gallo | ||
| Starting Pitcher | Cole Hamels | Yu Darvish | Martin Perez | Andrew Cashner | A.J. Griffin |
| Relief Pitcher | Matt Bush | Jeremy Jeffress | Keone Kela | Tony Barnette | Alex Claudio |
| Closer | Sam Dyson |
Projected Win Total: 92.5
World Series Odds: +2000
Outlook
The Rangers have won the AL West title in back-to-back seasons and there is no reason to think they won’t be able to contend for a third in a row this season. Texas lost some veteran pieces but they can replace them with some dynamic young talent that is ready to take a step forward this season. The Rangers enter the 2017 season with World Series potential and their season will once again be graded on their ability to get over the top and finally win a championship.
Prediction: 94-68
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