Our All-Time Top 50 Texas Rangers have been updated to reflect the 2023 Season
Yes, we know that this is taking a while!
As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out, and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present our post-2022/23 revision of our top 50 Texas Rangers.
As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following:
1. Advanced Statistics.
2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in Major League Baseball.
3. Playoff accomplishments.
4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.
Last year, very few expected the Rangers to make the playoffs, let alone win the World Series, but they shocked the world and won it all. This led to three new entrants and one elevation.
As always, we present our top five, which saw no changes.
5. Frank Howard
You can find the entire list here.
The first of the three new entrants is Shortstop Corey Seager, who was the World Series MVP and an All-MLB 1 Selection in 2023.
Outfielder and two-time All-Star Adolis Garcia makes his first appearance at #35.
Second Baseman Marcus Semien is the last new entry, debuting at #36. Like Seager, He was also an All-MLB 1 Selection in 2023.
The only elevation was Pitcher Martin Perez, who advanced two spots to #43.
As always, we thank you for your support, and look for more revisions in the future.
RIP: Frank Howard
Baseball lost a good one in Frank Howard, who passed away at the age of 87.
A gargantuan figure at 6’ 7”, Howard routinely blasted monster Home Runs, mostly for the Washington Senators where he was a four-time All-Star, was a two-time Home Run champion, and had two top-five finishes in MVP voting. Prior to his famed run in D.C., Howard won the National League Rookie of the Year as a Los Angeles Dodger in 1960, and was a member of their World Series Championship team in 1963.
Howard smacked 382 Home Runs and 1,119 Runs Batted In over his career.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the fans, friends and family of Frank Howard.
Our Top 50 All-Time Texas Rangers has been revised
Yes, we know that this is taking a while!
As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present the first revision of our top 50 Texas Rangers of all-time.
As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following:
- Advanced Statistics.
- Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League.
- Playoff accomplishments.
- Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.
Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories, which has altered the rankings considerably.
This list is updated up until the end of the 2018 Season.
The complete list can be found here, but as always we announce our top five in this article. They are:
There is a significant shift in many of the players and a few new ones based on shuffling of the metrics we have used for our Top 50s.
As always we thank you for your support.6. Frank Howard
In examining the foundational history of the Texas Rangers franchise, distinguished baseball historians must consciously distinguish the organization's geographical origins from its chronological record. Prior to relocating to Arlington amidst the intense heat of summer, the franchise operated as the second iteration of the expansion Washington Senators. During those challenging and low-leverage years in the nation's capital, the team consistently finished at the bottom of the standings. Nonetheless, they were supported by an exceptionally formidable individual who provided the local fanbase with a compelling reason to attend the ballpark each afternoon. Standing at an imposing 6'7" and weighing over 250 pounds, Frank Oliver Howard was a physically commanding and high-velocity presence in an era characterized by defensive play. Throughout his illustrious career, which encompassed the club's historic relocation, the celebrated slugger, aptly nicknamed “The Capital Punisher,” served as a key middle-of-the-order batter and power hitter.
His initial arrival prior to the 1965 season was the highlight of a significant, multi-team trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he had previously received the National League Rookie of the Year award and a World Series championship ring. In Washington, Howard did not merely assume a position in the middle of the batting order; he also converted the expansive dimensions of RFK Stadium into his personal proving ground for extraordinary power.
He made hitting towering home runs a daily habit, with balls landing so far that stadium officials marked their landing spots by painting three seats white. His peak of dominance occurred during an extraordinary three-year period from 1968 to 1970, a time when baseball was struggling with a low-scoring, dead-ball era. Howard ignored this offensive downturn and belted over 40 home runs for three straight seasons. In 1968, he led the league with 44 home runs, then set a career high with 48 round-trippers in 1969.
His peak season was a stunning 1970 regular season, showcasing a masterful balance in his hitting. That summer, he led the American League with 44 home runs, 126 RBIs, and an impressive 132 walks, combining raw power with an exceptional .416 on-base percentage. This performance secured his third top-five finish in the American League MVP voting.
Following the conclusion of a highly productive summer in 1971, during which he hit 26 home runs, the franchise carried out its long-anticipated and somewhat contentious relocation to the Dallas-Fort Worth area prior to the 1972 season, rebranding itself as the Texas Rangers. Demonstrating his steadfast dedication, the veteran icon permanently engraved his name in local history by hitting the inaugural home run in Texas Rangers history during the team's first home game at Arlington Stadium.
The heavy physical strain of supporting such a large frame over nearly fifteen summers took a toll on his lower body, leading to declines in his power and contact rates. Acknowledging this natural decline and embracing a youth-focused strategy, the front office quietly sold his contract to the Detroit Tigers in August 1972 for the waiver price, marking the end of his iconic era with the team.
Across his 1,172 total games representing the Senators and Rangers, he accumulated exactly 1,141 hits, 155 doubles, 246 home runs, and 701 runs batted in, entirely validated by a stellar .503 slugging percentage and an exceptional 142 career OPS+.
