As the 2024 Major League Baseball season begins, one team stands out as a strong candidate to not only win but also repeat as World Series champions: the Texas Rangers. If they do, they will become the first club to win back-to-back World Series titles since the New York Yankees in 1998-2000.
It is difficult to accomplish something that has not been done in nearly a quarter of a century. But neither was winning their first championship, which took 63 years to complete. However, they will have to contend with what appears to be a highly competitive AL West, which includes the apparently always-good Houston Astros (last year’s division champs), Seattle Mariners, and, to some extent, the Los Angeles Angels. The Oakland Athletics are… well, enough said. Fortunately for the Rangers, they are ready to defend their championship with a roster that has the talent to accomplish it all over again.
The Rangers’ offense returns in 2024.
One of the main reasons for the Rangers’ success in 2023 was their strong attack. The Rangers, led by sluggers like Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, and Adolis Garcia, finished among the league leaders in hits, runs scored, home runs, batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. With the core of their lineup back, including Josh Jung, Jonah Helm, and Evan Carter from last season, the Rangers’ offense appears to be on track to maintain its domination in 2024.
The Rangers’ main fear is that this intimidating lineup for opposition pitchers will ideally be fully healed, with Seager recovering from hernia surgery in January and designated hitter Ezequiel Duran damaging his leg during spring training. However, the pitching staff is not immune to injuries (we’ll get to that). But the Rangers could improve even more with the arrival of rookie outfielder Wyatt Langford, who made the Opening Day roster.
When Garcia suffered an oblique injury last season, the former No. 4 overall pick for the Rangers nearly made the postseason roster. In spring training, he hit.365/.423/.714 for an OPS of 1.137.
The Rangers now have a terrific balance of youth, experience, and depth that should help them capture their second World Series title in a row.
The Rangers pitching might be healthy at the right time.
Nathan Eovaldi, the Rangers’ MLB Opening Day starter, is undoubtedly back, as are Andrew Heaney, Jon Gray, and Dane Dunning, who finished 12-7 with a 3.70 ERA. The most costly member of their rotation, however, will not take the field until later in the season. Max Scherzer is expected to return in late May or early June, while Jacob deGrom will be out until at least August. Then there’s free agency signing Tyler Mahle, who is slated to return in July.
You could look at it either negatively or positively. If the Rangers can keep what they’ve got for the first few months and stay in contention for the AL West, adding their most powerful pitchers in the second half of the season should bode well for them. That’s especially true for someone like Scherzer, who will be 40 in July. The future Hall of Famer has dealt with a number of ailments late in his career, so waiting until later in the season and easing him in seems like a preferable option.
If all of this comes to fruition and these pitchers return and contribute, consider the Rangers rotation and the alternatives Texas will have in October. They didn’t exactly have that luxury last year.
The Rangers’ bullpen has been entirely rebuilt.
Despite performing marginally better than projected in the World Series with a 4.21 ERA (according to StatMuse), the bullpen has made substantial alterations and improvements for the 2024 season.
Manager Bruce Bochy admitted that the bullpen was a concern last season, nearly keeping the Rangers out of the playoffs. However, with to internal improvement and offseason additions, the bullpen now has a deeper and more varied group of relief relievers.
The opening-day bullpen features prominent arms such as RHP David Robertson, RHP Kirby Yates, RHP Josh Sborz, RHP Jose Leclerc, LHP Brock Burke, LHP Jacob Latz, RHP Yerry Rodriguez, and RHP Jose Urena. The Rangers could potentially have some possibilities at the Triple-A level, which would increase their depth.
The arrival of veterans such as Robertson and Yates undoubtedly improves the bullpen. Both have a bunch of experience and a combined 3.15 ERA from last season. With a bullpen as crucial as it is to a World Series contender, this immediately resolves what was almost a major issue last year, which should provide relief to Rangers fans.
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