Texas Rangers All-Time Team

The last team in the AL West and the team that closes out the American League's all-time rosters is currently first in their division. Here's the all-time roster for the Texas Rangers.

The Rangers didn't make the playoffs once in their 22 seasons at Arlington Stadium and haven't yet reached the expanded dance in their new airport hanger/warehouse. Every ounce of success this team has experienced happened at this park.

Ron Washington managed more games and earned more wins than anyone in team annals. He skippered the 2010-11 American League champs, who were excruciatingly close to winning the 2011 World Series. 

Here's his all-time starting lineup:

For a team with only one Hall of Fame hitter and moderate team success.. this is a strong group. Rusty Greer could be considered the weak link, but it's tough for Texas to improve upon a .305 lifetime hitter with three 100-RBI seasons to his credit.

Adrian Beltre will be the second* Ranger in Cooperstown - and he's far from the only All-Star Texas has had at the hot corner.

*Technically Nolan Ryan is a Ranger in Cooperstown but I only count Pudge. See? He's too Texan to have a halo on his plaque.

Toby Harrah played more games as a Ranger than any third baseman including Beltre. Can he hold on to his spot as a reserve?

	Rangers stats	WAR	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
	*Toby Harrah	32.3	0.257	0.357	0.389	0.745	112
	Buddy Bell	36.3	0.293	0.351	0.431	0.782	117
	Dean Palmer	8.6	0.247	0.320	0.470	0.790	107

Buddy Bell's best years came after he was traded to Texas - for Toby. He succeeds Harrah here, too.

Texas has good depth at every other infield position except catcher, where Jim Sundberg is safe. [Fun fact: Sundberg's Ranger WAR is higher than that of Juan Gonzalez!]

Like Tino Martinez, Mark Teixeira's only chance at an all-time roster is with his original team. Does Texas make room for Tex?

	Rangers stats	WAR	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
	*Elvis Andrus	29.8	0.274	0.330	0.372	0.702	86
	Julio Franco	20.2	0.307	0.382	0.440	0.822	129
	Mark Teixeira	21.5	0.283	0.368	0.533	0.901	128
	Mike Hargrove	17.1	0.293	0.399	0.409	0.809	130

Teixeira and Franco played five years and under 700 games as Rangers; Elvis Andrus spent a dozen seasons in the Dallas area and only Michael Young played more games for the franchise. That said, a Palmeiro/Howard split at first base is dicey. Tough call here.

The Rangers have another DH-right field option to compete with Jeff Burroughs. Can we squeeze another steroid user onto this squad?

I actually like Nelson Cruz, which is admittedly at odds with my otherwise hardline stance against cheaters.

	Rangers stats	WAR	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
	*Jeff Burroughs	9.3	0.255	0.341	0.428	0.768	122
	*Ruben Sierra	20.2	0.280	0.323	0.473	0.796	116
	Nelson Cruz	12.1	0.268	0.327	0.495	0.823	114
	Shin-Soo Choo	8.6	0.260	0.363	0.429	0.792	109

If Washington wanted, he could play Frank Howard in left field, DH Palmeiro, start Teixeira at first, and have Rusty Greer bump Burroughs. But Howard was soooo bad defensively.

Let's skip to the Rangers' rotation for now.

Hoo-boy. Kevin Brown wasn't that great as a Ranger, Yu Darvish is several years removed from his DFW days, and C.J. Wilson started for all of two seasons. But there are alarmingly few options here.

This is a complete list of every qualifying pitcher with 150 or more starts for this franchise, plus Wilson who would fit better as a swingman out of the 'pen.

	Rangers stats	WAR	ERA	ERA+	K/BB	WHIP	starts
	*C. J. Wilson	11.6	3.60	125	2.16	1.291	73
	Bobby Witt	9.3	4.85	90	1.40	1.577	269
	Colby Lewis	9.4	4.65	95	2.58	1.333	194
	Martin Perez	11.0	4.28	102	1.88	1.441	168
	Rick Helling	13.9	4.86	101	1.80	1.424	159
	Derek Holland	10.1	4.35	101	2.54	1.328	158
	Dick Bosman	11.0	3.35	98	1.89	1.249	155
	Jose Guzman	13.7	3.90	106	1.81	1.359	152

Perez is still an active member of the Rangers, so he's got that going for him. Only Hough made more starts for this squad than Bobby Witt (Sr.) but his WHIP is ugly. I think Washington's fifth starter might have to be... Jose Guzman?!?

The Rangers relief corps is certainly deeper, in that there are a few halfway decent options.

Initially I blacklisted John Wetteland - before it was pointed out to me that there are several awful human beings on these rosters and drawing a line between varying degrees of reprehensible behavior is a fool's errand. Consider him reinstated.

	Rangers stats	SV	ERA	ERA+	K/BB	WHIP
	*Jeff Russell	134	3.73	114	1.61	1.368
	*Steve Foucault	35	3.22	113	1.53	1.286
	John Wetteland	150	2.95	167	3.18	1.194
	Jose Leclerc	37	3.11	152	2.21	1.214

We'll have to make room for Wilson as well, so Russell and Foucault have to go. My apologies to all the Steve Foucault fans out there. (See why I had C.J. as a starter?) 

 

 

Looking ahead... please tell me they have young starting pitching ...

 

lolnope

Jack Leiter and/or Kumar Rocker have a prime opportunity to make this all-time squad if they're merely adequate and durable {edit: awww crap!} Outfielder Leody Taveras is one to watch as well.

TL; DR: Four changes from the original roster. Harrah, Burroughs, Russell, and Foucault out. Bell, Cruz, Guzman, and Wetteland in. Andrus holds off Teixeira, mostly because he can run. 

 

One more division to go. We'll kick off the National League West with the wild-card leading(!!) Arizona Diamondbacks.

 

Thanks for reading!




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