New stadium. Who dis? The Texas Rangers are reloaded and ready to take on 2020 with a veteran pitching staff and boom-centric lineup.
The Texas Rangers are a tricky team to get a read on as we inch closer and closer to the start of the 2020 season. They have one of the better starting rotation trios in all of baseball and their lineup still appears to be capable of doing some serious damage even after losing two major pieces in the offseason.
But is this just a mediocre team disguised as a very good team? Let’s try to parse it out.
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I for one love the Rangers’ starting rotation as it sits right now. The trio of Corey Kluber, Mike Minor, and Lance Lynn is one of the best in the league, especially after the seasons that both Lynn and Minor had for this Ranger team in 2019.
Both guys seem to be on an upward trend as they finished second and third behind Justin Verlander for pitcher WAR; so the nerds love them. Both guys have a ton of spin on their fastballs, which in turn gets them more punch-outs.
Are they clear-cut number ones and twos in a rotation? No. That’s why the move to bring in Corey Kluber was so good and now there’s a bonafide number one ahead of them.
Now the Rangers have a 1-3 in their rotation that will give them a chance to win every time they take the mound. And in Kluber’s case, he missed a ton of time last season, so he’s coming into 2020 rested.
These are three veteran right-handers who pound the strike zone and spin the ball incredibly well. This top three is strong enough to keep the Texas Rangers uber-competitive post-All Star Break.