Top 50 Texas Rangers
Following the Original Washington Senators move to Minnesota, the city of Washington D.C. would be awarded an expansion team, the second incarnation of the Senators.The team would not see a lot of success and in 1972 they would move to the Dallas area and become the Texas Rangers, though it would not be until 1996 when they would win their first division.
To date, the Texas Rangers have yet to win the World Series, though they would win the American League Pennant in both 2010 and 2011.
Note: Baseball lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics and post-season accolades.
Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez was the face of the Texas Rangers for a decade, and why not? “I-Rod” was considered to be one of the best Catchers of the 1990’s by whatever metric you used. He could hit for average, eight times batting over .300 for the Rangers, had some power with five seasons over 20 Home Runs, but he was even more known for his defensive skills.
With two productive stints with the Texas Rangers, Rafael Palmeiro was not a flashy player, but always put up consistent hitting and power numbers that put Palmeiro amongst the top of the list in most offensive categories. As a Ranger, Palmeiro blasted 321 Home Runs with a Slugging Percentage of .519 and 1,692 Hits of his 3,000 plus were in Texas. Had Palmeiro been an Outfielder with his production he would likely have made more All Star Games.
Emerging as a bona fide superstar with the Texas Rangers in the 1990’s, Juan Gonzalez was a prolific power hitter who hit over 40 home runs as a Ranger, two of which saw him win the Home Run Title. Seven times, “Juan Gone” secured a 100 RBI campaign for Texas and he was named the American League MVP in 1996 and 1998.
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One of the most underrated baseball players of all time, Buddy Bell blossomed in the heat of Texas. Bell would make earn all his six of his Gold Gloves as a Ranger and he was a very good hitter that accumulated 1,060 Hits with a solid .293 Batting Average. Bell would also make four of his five All Star appearances as a Texas Ranger.
Arguably the best defensive Catcher of the late 1970’s, Jim Sundberg rattled off six consecutive Gold Gloves and would lead the American League seven times for Total Zone Runs from the Catcher position. He was not an elite hitter, but still had over 1,000 Hits for the Rangers.
We know.Alex Rodriguez was paid a lot in a contract that the Texas Rangers realistically couldn’t afford. However, the fact is that A-Rod did his job with the Rangers and his three years in Arlington are in the top four sabremetric seasons of all time for Texas.
Three times an All Star with the Texas Rangers, Ian Kinsler provided a good glove at Second Base, a solid pop with his bat, and decent speed with on the basepaths. Kinsler was not someone who was elite at anything, but very good at everything.
A certified hitting machine, Adrian Beltre continued his great work with the bat when he arrived in Arlington. Beltre, who has of this writing is still with the Rangers and was named an All Star three of his five seasons. He is also a two time Gold Glove and Silver Sulgger winner with Texas. Beltre’s Texas accolades also include a Hitting Title, a Platinum Glove and a Wilson Defensive Award.
If this were based on accomplishments only when the franchise was based in Washington, slugger Frank Howard would easily hold the top spot.
Converted to a Starting Pitcher in Texas, Charlie Hough used his craftiness and knuckleball to be a bona fide innings eater for the Rangers. Hough was only an All Star once, but he logged well over 2,000 Innings for Texas and a respectable 139 and 123 record with 1,452 Strikeouts.
With 2,230 Hits as a Texas Ranger, Michael Young led the American League twice in that category and had seven seasons where he reach the 200 Hit plateau. Young would win the 2005 AL Batting Title and would be an All Star seven times. Despite his hitting acumen, Young was not the best defensive player (mostly he was inconsistent) and his OBP is a little low considering his Batting Average, which is way his rank may not seem high enough.
“The Gambler” would have three runs with the Texas Rangers, where he would gave them three All Star seasons, one of which was at age 40. Rogers spent thirteen of his twenty seasons as a Ranger where he had a very good record of 133 and 96 with 1,201 Strikeouts.
Three times an All Star with the Texas Rangers, Toby Harrah was a very patient hitter who led the American League in Walks in 1977. He would have three seasons with the Rangers where he blasted over 20 Home Runs and also had three seasons where he stole more than 20 bases.
The 2010 American League MVP, Josh Hamilton revised his career as a superstar slugger who would become one of the most feared hitters of the early 2010’s. While his overall career would not be what many had hoped for when he was much younger, he would still become a major force for the Texas Rangers and a four time Silver Slugger.
A prolific slugger, Ruben Sierra had two runs with the Texas Rangers, the first of which saw him make three All Star games and earn the runner-up for the 1989 American League MVP. That season, Sierra would also win the Slugging Title and lead the league in Runs Batted In.
While Fergie Jenkins may have secured his Baseball Hall of Fame resume with the Chicago Cubs, he was still a very good Starting Pitcher with the Texas Rangers where he would be the American League Cy Young runner up in 1974 and still post a decent record of 93 and 72 as a Texas Ranger.
While Mark Teixeira would become more famous as a New York Yankees, it was as a Texas Ranger where he would first become a baseball star. He would win his first two Silver Sluggers and Gold Gloves as a Ranger and blasted 153 Home Runs with a .533 Slugging Percentage.
Julio Franco had a long and storied career in baseball, playing all over the world for nearly three decades. Franco would have his best years in MLB playing for the Texas Rangers where he would be a three time All Star and record his only 200 hit season. Franco also won the Silver Slugger Award three times with Texas and the 1991 Batting Title.
Rusty Greer spent nine seasons in Major League Baseball, all of which were the Texas Rangers. Greer proved to be a good hitter, batting over .300 five times with a career .305 Batting Average and a very good On Base Percentage of .387. Greer also had some pop with 119 Home Runs and would also exceed 100 RBIs three times.