Discussing the Positives and Negatives Heading into the End of the Rangers’ Season
The Texas Rangers came into the 2024 season fresh off a World Series Championship in 2023. The future was looking bright as they didn’t lose too many key players in the offseason except for Jordan Montgomery. They had kept the lineup very similar to the one in 2023, but the results were not the same. So far in 2024, the Rangers have been shaky, to say the least. From the beginning of the season, the team just didn’t look the same and wasn’t able to put it together since. As they stand, they are under .500 and about seven games back from the last Wild Card Spot. It would essentially take a miracle to get the Rangers into the playoffs. That means it is time to start analyzing the rest of the season and seeing what the positives and negatives are for the team going into the offseason.
It is not a mystery as to why the Rangers have underperformed this season; their players have simply not delivered. Corey Seager led the team in almost every offensive category, which is what you would hope to see out of a 325-million-dollar shortstop. However, he did just go down with his second sports hernia in the last year, which is a little cause for concern. He has shown that it had no effect on him this year, but he will miss the last month of the season, and you hope he can recover the same in 2025. The biggest player concerns heading into 2025 are absolutely Marcus Semien and Adolis Garcia. After finishing the 2023 season third place in MVP voting, Semien is having one of the worst seasons of his career. At his current pace, he will bat under .250 with an OPS of just over .700, which is absolutely concerning considering how long he is locked down with the team. The other concern is Adolis Garcia, who is coming off a career year but has looked extremely bad in 2024. This season will by far be the worst full season of his young career, which begs the question of whether he will be able to stay consistent throughout his career.
Despite the subpar play from some of the offensive stars, Rangers’ fans still have plenty to look forward to following the 2024 season. Kumar Rocker made his Major League Debut and looked excellent, showing some real promise. He would be a great back-of-the-end rotation starter for the Rangers next season. If Rocker looks anything similar to his first start the rest of the season, it is very possible the Rangers could have a top 3 starting rotation in baseball in the 2025 season. Jacob DeGrom and Max Scherzer are set to return from injury this weekend and get a little work before the season ends. Scherzer hopes to show promise after struggling after his season debut in late June. Another young player to be positive about heading into the offseason is Wyatt Langford. As a rookie this year, he was right about league average, which is nothing to be concerned about, considering he was just in college the previous year. With a full season under his belt and a long offseason, don’t be surprised if he becomes one of the Rangers’ top offensive stars come 2025.
We’ve talked about the negative and positive factors about the Rangers heading down the stretch, but what does all of it mean, and should Rangers fans be excited or concerned heading into the offseason? The Rangers are a team trying to find the perfect balance of high-paid superstars and exciting young talent. They have one of the most exciting farm systems and absolutely have the talent to put together a winning season. I would not be concerned at all and would actually be a little excited for the Rangers next season. For them, it is all about getting hot, and I think this composition of players can do that. Remember, in 2023, the Rangers won the World Series as a Wild Card team, so there is no need to panic just yet.
