The Texas Rangers won 90 regular season games in 2023 and reached the World Series. Last season, injuries led them to regress to 78 wins. Nevertheless, in an otherwise lost season, the Rangers did get to play some of their young players. In 2025, the hope is those injured stars will stay healthy and mix with the young players, and produce another trip to the World Series. The Seattle Mariners are very good and in the way in their division, but Texas should win more than the 78 games they won last season. Do you believe the Rangers will stay healthy this season?
Texas Rangers Starting Rotation
The Rangers could have the best starting rotation in baseball. Jacob DeGrom may be the best pitcher in the world. He is ace number 1 on this staff. Although DeGrom underwent Tommy John Surgery, he looked like himself when he returned last season. Ace number 2 on the Texas staff is Nathan Eovaldi. The hard thrower signed a three-year contract in the offseason and will be 38 years old when the contract expires. He has posted an earned run average under 4.00 in five consecutive seasons.
John Gray is the third starting pitcher on the Rangers. He threw only 103 innings last year and hopes for a bounce back this season. Since his multiple injuries last year were all lower body injuries, he should run this spring. Cody Bradford will man the fourth spot in the rotation. The lefty has quality fastball and changeup and excellent control. Tyler Mahle rounds out the Texas rotation. He may not have recovered from Tommy John Surgery because when he got back last year, before injuring his shoulder, he showed a big drop in velocity. Prospects Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter provide depth.
Texas Rangers Bullpen
The top three bullpen options for Texas all left in free agency in the offseason. Former Baltimore Oriole Jacob Webb, therefore, was an important addition. Chris Martin may emerge from the pack to assume the closer role. Shawn Armstrong, Luke Jackson, Luis Curvelo, Dane Dunning, and Hoby Miller are additional options out of the Rangers bullpen. However, so many pitchers left via free agency there will be jobs open in the bullpen for a pitcher who can throw hard like Robert Garcia. Do not be surprised because the starting rotation has such depth if some starters end up in the bullpen.
Catcher
Jonah Heim regressed a bit last year following his breakout 2023 season. He had a .527 OPS in the second half last season and may have worn down. So, to protect him, the Rangers signed former Yankee and Padre Kyle Higashioka to a free-agent contract in the off-season. Higgy, as he is known, has long gathered praise for his ability to handle pitchers, but last year in San Diego, he hit 17 home runs.
Infield
On the infield, Texas has newcomer Jake Burger taking over for Nathaniel Lowe. Burger has hit 63 home runs in the last two years. The big Burger can also play third base. Marcus Siemian is on second base and a star. Last season, despite an outfield collision where he was injured, he was an All-Star for the third consecutive season.
The shortstop for Texas is an even bigger star, Corey Seager. Segar has hit at least 30 home runs in the last three seasons. He has one of the smoothest strokes in all of baseball. The third baseman for the Rangers is Josh Jung. Jung is capable of big power, but elbow surgery limited him to only 46 games last season.
Outfield
In the outfield, Texas starts Wyatt Langford, who could have 30 home runs and 30 stolen base potential, is out in center field, and Evan Carter could start in left field. He was out with a back injury last season, but when healthy, he is a line-drive machine. He could be a middle-of-the-order bat. Muscular Adolis Garcia will play right field. In the mix for the center field spot are Leody Taveras, Ezequiel Duran, or new free agent acquisition Joc Pederson, who seems like he is perpetually 19 years old. He is 32 years old.
Designated Hitter
Pederson will be the designated hitter for the Rangers. At-bats at designated hitter could also fall to whoever loses the battle for the outfield spots. It is also possible the 230-pound Burger could see some time here.
Management
Former major leaguer Chris Young started making baseball decisions for Texas midway through the 2022 season. He has developed a strong track record since he took over. The manager of the Rangers is 70-year-old Bruce Bochy. The farm system is excellent under the direction of Jon Daniels. The pitching coach, Mike Maddux, is great, and Texas has routinely seen quality performances from their pitchers with him at the helm.
Conclusion
The Texas Rangers are a strong team. They regressed last season because of serious injuries to some of their players. They hope for health this season and to return to the form that saw them win 90 games in 2023 and play in the World Series. That outcome is possible with a healthy team.
