Beltre’s Boys
Texas Rangers
MLB 2017: 78-84, -17 run differential, 4th in AL West
With four dominant teams in the American League, and the Rangers not being one of them, it looks like a wild card spot is their most likely option for making the playoffs. The Astros, Indians, Yankees and Red Sox are the fearsome foursome, which leaves maybe a half-dozen teams battling for the second wild card spot. This group includes the Texas Rangers, who went 78-84 last year.
A full season from Adrian Beltre would help the team contend for a playoff spot. Beltre was limited to 94 games last year because of injuries. If he reaches his projection, he’ll be nearly a four-win player and move into 15th place on the all-time list for career hits. He had his 3000th hit last summer.
The Rangers are looking for a better season from Rougned Odor. He may have hit 30 home runs last year, but it was one of the least valuable 30-homer seasons ever. In fact, only Dante Bichette’s 1999 season was worse for a 30-homer guy. Odor had a .252 on-base percentage, which was the lowest in baseball among players who had enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title. The next lowest was Alcides Escobar, at .272.
Of course, the Rangers are usually able to score runs. In order to contend this year, they’ll need a patchwork starting rotation to prevent the other team from scoring runs, and that could be a big problem. Of the five pitchers currently slated to be in the rotation, only Cole Hamels looks like an above average pitcher. Martin Perez, Doug Fister, Matt Moore and Mike Minor have potential, but the team could use another good arm or two.
One possibility still out there is a reunion with Yu Darvish, who was traded by the Rangers to the Dodgers at last year’s trade deadline. They could bring him back as a free agent and add a few wins to their projected total this year. That would bump them up a few spots on this list.