The Texas Rangers weren't 'supposed' to win the AL West in 2015, especially after ace Yu Darvish went down in spring training. But they did just that. First-year manager Jeff Banister's steady leadership, a stable complement of veteran hitters, a solid bullpen and a rotation boosted by midseason acquisition Cole Hamels got the job done, though the Rangers fell short of any World Series aspirations by losing to the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS.
Here are some things the Rangers would like to see in order to have a more successful 2016.
A clean bill of health for Yu
Texas (somewhat miraculously) weathered the storm in 2015, winning the AL West without ace Yu Darvish. Preseason Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the entire year, and it’s expected that he will be able to return to the rotation within the first few months of 2016. Given the tantalizing prospect of a Cole Hamels/Darvish one-two punch atop the rotation, the Rangers have to be crossing their fingers that Darvish will come back from his elbow operation looking just as he did before the injury put him on the shelf.
Production from the catching position
The Rangers were lucky down the stretch in 2015, as journeyman Chris Gimenez and Bobby Wilson did well to offset the loss of Robinson Chirinos (who was injured). Despite being mentioned in speculative terms regarding a potential Jonathan Lucroy trade earlier this offseason, Texas re-upped Gimenez and Wilson instead, meaning that the Chirinos/Gimenez/Wilson trio looks to be their game plan for 2016. Can they get adequate offensive production from this group again, or will they have to address their lack of a starting, above-average catcher sooner rather than later?
Josh Hamilton, back for good?
Once they reacquired Josh Hamilton last summer, the Rangers got exactly what many assumed they would out of him. When healthy, he provided a few big hits and struck out a lot – but he was also quite banged up. In all, Hamilton appeared in 50 games for the Rangers, hitting .253/.291/.441 with eight home runs, 25 RBI and 52 strikeouts in 170 at-bats. He’s heading into the fourth year of the five-year, $125 million contract the Los Angeles Angels gave him, and the Halos are on the hook for more than $24 million of his $30 million salary for 2016. So the Rangers can pretty much let him play whenever he’s healthy. If he stays in the lineup, his presence could really help the offense.
A rejuvenated Jurickson Profar
The saga of Jurickson Profar is well documented. A debilitating shoulder issue and subsequent setbacks has severely hampered his ability to get on the field over the past few seasons. The former can’t-miss prospect hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2013, when he hit .234/.308/.336 in 85 games for the Rangers. At this point, he’d have to really prove that he’d be capable of remaining healthy, let alone being an everyday player. Profar, still just 22 years of age, took part in Arizona Fall League action and some said he showed promise of advancing past his injury woes. That would be a great development for the Rangers.
Plate discipline for Joey Gallo
Joey Gallo can hit the baseball a long, long way. The problem is, he just doesn’t hit it consistently enough. The young slugging prospect showed the Rangers his ‘two outcomes’ skill set in limited play in 2015, hitting six long balls but striking out 57 times in just 108 at-bats. Gallo has tremendous potential, and if he shows the organization that he’s managed to cut back on the strikeouts and make more contact, he just might wind up in the Rangers’ plans for 2016. If he’s still a ‘work in progress’, he might find himself shuttling back and forth between Arlington and Triple-A once again.
