MLB: Three Playoff Teams That Won’t Repeat in 2017

2. Texas Rangers

It may sound a bit far-fetched, but the team with the best record in the American League will not make the postseason in 2017. Other teams are on the cusp of knocking on October’s door, and the Rangers will be left out. They will likely still put together a credible 2017 campaign, but they will not find themselves in October. Not only are other teams going to make a playoff push, but the Rangers do not have the pitching to stay consistent all year.

Just in their division, the Rangers may have problems. The Mariners are on the cusp of making the playoffs, and the Astros and Angels could make a push. Houston and Los Angeles have two of the best hitters in baseball, and with the right offseason can see a change of tide. Not only that, but the Wild Card teams will be great as well. The young Yankees finally look formidable again, and the Tigers and Royals have the potential to make the playoffs. The Rangers may find themselves lost in the mix in 2017.

Texas also only has four starting pitchers at the MLB level at the time of this writing. Outside of Cole Hamels and an injury prone Yu Darvish, they are extremely thin. A team with pitching this thin, regardless of the offensive output, will struggle to stay consistent year-long. Heck, even last season they ranked 23rd in pitching and 16th in batting in terms of total team value. This caused the Rangers to always play in close ball games. The Rangers led the league in one-run victories, and while that is an impressive achievement, they likely won’t have the same fortune in 2017.