Texas Rangers’ Colby Lewis is posting some impressive numbers, but has remained overshadowed by the bigger names in his rotation.
Entering the season, the Texas Rangers’ pitching staff had high expectations. Despite finishing eleventh in the American League in starters ERA (4.32), the team was expecting a healthy Yu Darvish to contribute heavily to a rotation that already featured Cole Hamels at the top. With an AL West title under their belt, the Rangers (42-25) were poised to carry over their success from 2015.
67 games in, the Rangers are six and a half games up on the Seattle Mariners for first place in the division, but an unexpected face has been leading the charge. No, it’s not Darvish, who has found himself back on the disabled list after managing only three starts in his return from Tommy John surgery, and there is no current timetable for his return. Nor is it Hamels, who has endured some success (6-1 record, 3.14 ERA), but is struggling with the long ball. His 15 home runs allowed is the most on the staff.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
No, it’s 36-year-old Colby Lewis who has been the biggest bright spot on Texas’ staff. Only two years removed from leading the AL in losses, Lewis is basking in the fountain of youth, and the results have been impressive. The 1999 first round pick has posted a 2.81 ERA with a 3.22 strikeout-to-walk ration, both of which lead the rotation. He is the only pitcher on the team with a complete game, having gone the distance while carrying a no-hitter into the ninth against Oakland on Thursday.
Lewis was drafted by Texas as the 38th overall pick in 1999, spending three years in the minors before breaking onto the MLB scene with the club in 2002. He was never able to find much footing, posting a 6.83 ERA in 33 appearances over the next three seasons before undergoing rotator cuff surgery in 2004. Lewis ended up being released, bouncing around between the Tigers, Athletics, and Nationals minor league systems. He decided to sign with the Hiroshima Carp of Japan’s Central League, leading the league in strikeouts over the next two years.
Next: Odor Struggles with Plate Discipline
After his stint with Hiroshima, the Rangers resigned Lewis to a two-year contract. He has stayed with the team ever since, boasting a record of 59-52 and a 4.34 ERA in parts of five seasons up to 2016. Now, he’s tied for major league lead in games started and is at the forefront of a first place pitching staff. Hamels and Darvish may get most of the attention, but Lewis’s performance has been nothing short of fantastic. How long will it be before the aces catch up?