Texas Rangers: What To Expect From Mike Napoli In 2017

Mike Napoli has officially signed his contract with the Rangers. He is now beginning his third stint as a member of the Texas Rangers. Another talented veteran is on the Texas roster.

Napoli, 35, is coming is entering his 12th season in the Majors. Last season as a member of the Cleveland Indians, he registered 133 hits, scored 92 runs, had 101 RBIs, and hit 34 home runs, which are all career-highs. The Texas Rangers are really excited to have him back in Arlington.

His new deal is one-year $8.5 million and it includes an $11 million club option for 2018. According to Kevin Rosenthal, Napoli turned down an offer from the Minnesota Twins. An offer that would have paid him a lot of money. This proves that money seems to be the last thing on Napoli’s mind. He’s more focused on playing baseball and providing for the Rangers.

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Bringing Napoli back is a very good move by the Rangers. They’ve added another veteran to the team. A veteran that will provide leadership and will teach and mentor the young and uprising players.

Napoli is very likely the starting first baseman. No doubt, Rangers manager Jeff Banister will have Napoli compete with Jurickson Profar and Ryan Rua for the job. In any case, whoever wins the job will be because they’ve earned it. As I’ve said before, Banister does not hand out jobs.

In any case, I expect Napoli’s 2017 season to be a good one. He’s coming off the best season of his career and it looks as if there’s still plenty of baseball left in him.

The addition of Napoli to the roster makes the team one step closer to being a team capable of reaching the World Series.

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