What will the Texas Rangers look like in 2023?

The Rangers’ 2022 season is over, and while there were memorable moments and important progress for some young players, it was largely disappointing. So what’s next?

When Texas committed almost $600 million to two free agent middle infielders last winter, it was a signal to fans that the Rangers’ management was ready to accelerate their improvement after one of the worst seasons in franchise history.

Catcher

Best 2022 player: In his second season with the Rangers, the towering Jonah Heim established himself as a starting MLB catcher, taking over for the departed Jose Trevino and hitting 16 home runs to go with a .227/.298/.399 slash line.

First Base

Best 2022 player: Nathaniel Lowe improved on an impressive 2021 campaign to lead the Rangers in batting average (.302) and showed some good pop, hitting 27 homers.

Second Base

Best 2022 player: The casual fan might not realize that Marcus Semien ended up leading the Rangers in WAR (5.7), considering the terrible start to the season he had. He wasn’t as good as he was in 2021 (and he probably never will be again), but Semien should continue to provide 25 HR, 25 SB, 100 runs and .250 average for the foreseeable future.

Shortstop

Best 2022 player: It wasn’t the most prolific season of Corey Seager’s career, but the Rangers’ highest paid player proved he can knock it out of the park, more than doubling his 2021 home run total with 33. He was healthy and played okay defense.

Third Base

Best 2022 player: Texas got very little from this position in 2022. Andy Ibáñez was hurt and then finished the season at Round Rock. Josh Jung was called up late and, although he flashed some potential, this by default goes to Ezequiel Duran, who the Rangers acquired in the Joey Gallo trade. Duran had the most starts, plate appearances and WAR at the position and is young enough to get some more chances to impress in the coming years.

Right field

Best 2022 player: Adolis García also started about 60 games in center field, but he spent most of his time in right in one of the most athletic outfields in the game. El Bombi proved his breakout 2021 season was no fluke, hitting 27 home runs, driving in 101 RBI and stealing 25 bases.

Center field

Best 2022 player: Eli White only started 22 games here and hit .200 in his 117 plate appearances, but he still finished the season with a positive WAR thanks to his stellar defense. While his on-base percentage is abysmal, I would be interested to see what the speedy White could do in a full season.

Left field

Best 2022 player: Bubba Thompson finally got to the majors, and he showed off blazing speed — he could be the fastest player in the MLB. He doesn’t have much power and finished batting .257, but he has 50-steal, 100-run potential.

Designated Hitter

Best 2022 player: The DH was a black hole for the Rangers in 2022. Mitch Garver got the most starts there, hitting 10 home runs before an injury ended his season.

Starting Pitchers

Best 2022 player: Pitching is where everyone knew the Rangers were going to struggle, and they did. Free agent signee Jon Gray was decent when he was healthy (24 starts, 3.96 ERA, 135 Ks, 39 walks). But Martín Pérez was Texas’ best pitcher in 2022, and it wasn’t close. In his second stint with the team, Perez was one of the most effective pitchers in baseball in the first half and finished with a 2.89 ERA in almost 200 innings.

Bullpen

Best 2022 player: The Rangers’ two best relievers were a surprise. Both lefties, neither Matt Moore (a converted starter) or Brock Burke (who had only pitched 26.2 innings before this season) were really on anyone’s radar before the season began. But they were dominant.

Manager

As bad as the Rangers were under Chris Woodward (51–63 in 2022, 211–287 overall), they were worse under Tony Beasley (17–31). That’s in large part because Texas was in “let the kids play” mode. Beasley has managed in the minors and is well-respected in the Rangers clubhouse.

Free Agency

You don’t open up your wallet for players like Seager, Semien and Gray and then close it again the next offseason. Firing Woodward and Daniels demonstrated that continuing to lose isn’t acceptable.

Conclusion

The Rangers have more answers than they did at the start of the 2022 season. If they sign some quality starting pitching and young players like Josh Jung, Bubba Thompson and Eli White cement themselves as everyday players, then Texas could be a .500 ball club in 2023.

--

--

I’m a journalist who has worked for community newspapers in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Georgia. I enjoy sci-fi books, chess and Fulham FC.

Get the Medium app

A button that says 'Download on the App Store', and if clicked it will lead you to the iOS App store
A button that says 'Get it on, Google Play', and if clicked it will lead you to the Google Play store
Caleb Slinkard

I’m a journalist who has worked for community newspapers in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Georgia. I enjoy sci-fi books, chess and Fulham FC.