60
THE LAST TIME the Rangers inaugurated
a stadium, they finished atop the AL West.
Then again, that 1994 season ended in
August because of a strike, with Texas
holding a 52–62 record. Globe Life Park
(née the Ballpark at Arlington) is no more,
yielding at the tender age of 25 to the
domed, air-conditioned Globe Life Field.
General manager Jon Daniels spent the
winter trying to put another first-place team
into the new yard, chasing third baseman
Anthony Rendon fruitlessly but successfully
acquiring ex-Indians ace Corey Kluber,
veteran infielder Todd Frazier and starters
Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles. The new
pitchers should help a lot. While lefthander
Mike Minor (208^1 ⁄ 3 innings, 3.59 ERA) andrighty Lance Lynn (208^1 ⁄ 3 innings, 3.67
ERA) were surprising stalwarts in 2019,
no other pitcher made even 20 starts, and
just two made 15. Rookie manager Chris
Woodward had to use 19 starters, tied for
the fifth-most in MLB history.
Last year’s team went 78–84, which
overstates how good it was. The Rangers’
biggest issue: Since the start of the decade,
they have struggled to turn touted prospects
into reliable contributors. While slugger
Joey Gallo (.986 OPS) became an All-Star,
first baseman Ronald Guzmán, second
baseman Rougned Odor, outfielder NomarMazara (sent to the White Sox in December)
and righty Ariel Jurado have all fallen well
short of expectations. (So has ex-top prospect
Jurickson Profar, who, eight years after
debuting at age 19, is now on his third team.)
A more stable rotation will make
Woodward’s life easier, but the staff won’t
get much help from a defense among MLB’s
worst (28th in defensive efficiency in ’19),
especially in the outfield. Even if the new
park is friendlier to pitchers—and it almost
has to be—this Texas team will give up
many more runs than it can score.After their starters ranked 12th in the AL in ERA in 2 0 19, the Rangers overhauled their rotation.
The pitching, led by Corey Kluber, won’t be half bad, but the offense needs one more impact bat.OVER
UNDER 79| 0.6 WAR| -0.4 WAR
The Klubot
sputtered in- A broken
right forearm
was bad luck,
but the same
can’t be said
for hitters’
success against
him—they
slugged .453.
| JOEY GALLO| 1B/DH | Gallo always had his doubters—those
who believed that his inability to make consistent contact would
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j_flc[_Xm\Y\\ec\]kfek_\Zlkk`e^iffdÔffi%Efn#>Xccf`j
approaching those hallowed marks of 500 and 3,000. Problem
is we’re talking 3,000 whiffs, not hits. O.K, so he won’t make
the Hall of Fame—a .225 career batting average will have that
\]]\ZkÆYlk_\ÊjXÓijk$YXccfk`e[lZk\\kfk_\?Xccf]=le%2030 PREDICTION
EVAN HABEEB/USA TODAY SPORTSSince the start of the decade,
they have struggled to
turn touted prospects into
reliable contributors.