Photo Courtesy: Darryl Briggs
Brought to you by: Big Shucks
After winning 95 games in 2016 the Texas Rangers missed the 2017 playoffs as they struggled throughout the season. The bullpen was an issue all year. The lineup was filled with huge holes. here’s an overall look at the team for the season…
The Good
Delino DeShields had an excellent year. DeShields improved his defense and hitting. He was sharp out of the leadoff spot. His incredible speed in conjunction with patient Shin-Soo Choo batting behind him was a great way to begin the lineup. DeShields only played in 120 games. Between Choo, Mazara, and Gomez sometimes DeShields had to sit, despite having the third best average. Delino looks to be an very valuable leadoff hitter come 2018. He finished top five in steals in the AL.
Choo was also solid. He had 20 doubles and 22 homers. He also netted 77 walks, many of which were assisted by DeShields distracting the pitcher at first. Choo proved he was still solid on defense, despite the plan to have him DH at the beginning of the year.
Adrian Beltre was good this year as well. He collected his 3000th hit, played good defense, and was the only Ranger to finish with a batting average in the .300s. Beltre began and ended the year with leg injuries and only played in 94 games.
Joey Gallo improved significantly. His eye improved drastically. He walked 75 times and notched 41 homers. Gallo is the archetype of player that is becoming popular in the league: power and walks makeup for strikeouts.
Robinson Chirinos had a good year too. He was so effective the Rangers felt comfortable dealing Lucroy to the Rockies. Chirinos ends the year with 17 homers with only 88 games played.
Elvis Andrus had a career year and bumped up his power numbers heavily. 20 homers, .297 average.
Andrew Cashner had a great year. He ended the year with a 3.40 ERA. He pitched 166.2 innings. However he was only signed to a one year deal.
Alex Claudio was the only reliable member of the Rangers bullpen. He became the closer. 2.50 ERA. Jake Diekman was also good, but only pitched 10.2 innings due to injury.
The Bad
After being signed to a huge contract, Rougie Odor had a horrible year. Odor played sloppy defense and batted .168 on the road. Rougie managed 30 homers, but ended the year with a .252 OBP.
Mike Napoli finished the year batting .193. He had 29 homers, but sub par defense.
Tyson Ross was awful and was forced to be moved to the bullpen.
AJ Griffin had flashes of brilliance but was hurt too much. He struggles against power hitting teams.
Jeremy Jeffress and Tony Barnette both had ERAs in the 5.00’s.
Sam Dyson was proof that closers are some of the most bizarre players in sports. Dyson was terrible and ended up being traded to the Giants.
Overall
The Rangers had a disappointing year. The bullpen was awful. The lineup had power with no consistency. The Rangers wanted to have three Joey Gallo type hitters, but ended up with one Joey Gallo and two black holes. Beltre’s injury meant the team started and ended slow. Darvish was sold at the deadline due to the terrible start. The Rangers looked like they could get it back on track multiple times this year. However, every time the Rangers built momentum they had a terrible series afterwards to destroy the momentum. Getting swept by the A’s twice, losing a four games series to Baltimore after the All-Star break, and the tough series versus the Rays all come to mind.
The Rangers need more consistency in their bullpen and lineup if they want to be a playoff team next year.
