Texas Rangers Week in Review: Who’s Hot, Who’s Not

Jun 3, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Chicago White Sox center fielder

(1) steals second base as Texas Rangers shortstop

Elvis Andrus

(1) falls down during the fourth inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

2. Elvis Andrus

Overall in 2015, Elvis Andrus is having one of his weaker hitting seasons, hitting just .239/.306/.311  with just 12 extra base hits. This past week, Andrus continued his trend as he hit just .227/.370/.364 with two extra base hits. His .370 on-base percentage is a positive for the week with his five walks which matched his five hits for the week.

One potential problem that could be causing the struggles of Andrus this year is chasing pitches outside of the strike zone. In his career, Andrus has a 22.0% O-Swing%, which is the percentage of pitches outside the strike zone that a batter swings at. This season, however, Andrus has a career high 26.2% O-Swing% which has contributed to his 14.2% strikeout percentage.

If the Rangers want to keep up their winning ways they will need more production from Andrus. Andrus is in just year one of his 8 year, $120 million deal that he signed in April of 2013. The contract will make it difficult for the Rangers to trade Andrus if they decide to do so, but an opt-out in 2018 or 2019 could allow the team to find a trade partner like they did with Ian Kinsler prior to the 2014 season.

Next: Nick Martinez stumbles