Texas Rangers 2018 Season Preview

The Texas Rangers expected to contend last season. And the end of 2017, one had to wonder what went wrong.

Heading into the 2017 campaign, the battle for the AL West was expected to come down to the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros. After all, the Rangers had won the division in 2016, and the Astros were an up and coming team that looked ready to blossom. By the time the seson wrapped up, only half that prediction came true, with the Astros winning the World Series, and the Rangers struggled to a 78-84 record, tied for third in the West.

One of the biggest problems that the Rangers had was their bullpen. Sam Dyson, the closer to start the year, imploded, as he failed in all four of his save opportunities to start the year. Seemingly anyone that Texas plugged into that role struggled, with six different pitchers having a save and Alex Claudio leading the team with 11. Injuries and ineffectiveness plagued the offense, with players like Rougned Odor and Jonathan Lucroy having awful seasons. Adrian Beltre was bitten by the injury bug, and Lucroy and Yu Darvish were traded, only to thrive on their new teams.

This year, the Rangers are essentially a collection of misfit toys. Bartolo Colon, Tim Lincecum, and other assorted blasts from the past were signed. However, the Rangers did little beyond that, hoping that the struggles from last year were an aberration. Even if that is the case, the rest of the division has improved. Have the Rangers really done enough to contend in 2018?

The Texas Rangers are looking to recapture the American League West, and prove that 2017 was a fluke. Do they have enough pieces to return to the postseason?

Texas Rangers additions and subtractions

Key additions: Mike Minor, Matt Moore, Doug Fister, Bartolo Colon, Tim Lincecum

Newcomer to watch: Tim Lincecum. It has been a long time since Tim Lincecum was the dominant force he was for the San Francisco Giants. However, the Texas Rangers are not expecting him to be.

In their quest to fortify the bullpen, the Rangers have turned to Lincecum. He is expected to be a key part of the Rangers bullpen, potentially even becoming a part of the closer mix at some point in the coming year. However, due to the passing of his brother and missed time during Spring Training, he is behind in that race.

For his part, Lincecum looks drastically different than when we last saw him in the majors. He has completely changed his body, becoming far more muscular. The velocity is back, as he has been training with Driveline to regain his form. On a one year contract, Lincecum could end up being a bargain for the Rangers, and maybe even their eventual closer.

Key losses: Miguel Gonzalez, Andrew Cashner, Mike Napoli, Nick Martinez, Tyson Ross

Biggest loss: Andrew Cashner. Chances are, Andrew Cashner is not going to replicate his performance last year. However, with the Rangers in desperate need of help in the rotation, his loss may be felt more than any other pitcher on the roster.

After a couple of down years with the Padres and Marlins, Cashner returned to form last year. His 11-11 record belied a 3.40 ERA and a 1.340 WHiP, his best performance since 2014. Yet, even those numbers do not tell the entire tale of his season, as Cashner was lucky to perform that well. His 4.61 FIP and disappearing strikeout rate (4.6 K/9) were better indicators of how well Cashner actually performed.

Even though Andrew Cashner played beyond his statistics last year, he will still be missed by the Texas Rangers. Aside from Cole Hamels, the Rangers do not have any pitchers in the rotation that inspire confidence. Cashner may not have been what he once was, but he was a solid middle of the rotation arm who gave Texas far more than could have been expected.