Biggest Surprise and Letdown of the 2018 Texas Rangers So Far

Which player on the Texas Rangers has surprised us most with their great performance? Who has let us down?

The Texas Rangers have so far been a disappointment in 2018 albeit with a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Going into the season, most Rangers fans knew it would be a down year, with a starting rotation fronted by a 34 year old that had been steadily declining the past year, and an offense that not many experts could adequately predict. Here are two players that are defying expectations, one for the better and one for the worse, before rosters expand on September 1st:

Rougned Odor

Who would’ve thought Roogie would turn it around like he has this season? In 2017 Odor was one of, if not THE worst everyday player in baseball, and the stats show it. According to Fangraphs, Odor, the seventh worst player in baseball in WAR out of 287 players with 300 minimum plate appearances, didn’t look much better at the start of 2018. Through May 31, Odor was hitting an abysmal .203, and many began to think his career as an above-replacement-level player was over. Just when we all thought it was time to move on, something clicked. From June 1st to August 22nd, Odor rose his batting average 67 points, as well as hitting 14 home runs, driving in 40, and walking at almost a 10% clip, 5% better than what he posted all of 2017. It’s pretty clear that Rougned is still very much part of the Rangers’ core and looks to be part of the (hopefully) next World Series run that comes to Arlington.

Cole Hamels

Although traded to the Chicago Cubs on July 26, the Rangers are still feeling the effects of his departure. During his final half-season with Texas, Hamels posted a subpar 4.79 ERA, and an even worse 5.19 FIP. Due to 2018 being a down year, the Rangers had hoped he would have performed like vintage Cole Hamels, and try to unload him at the deadline. He did not, and it showed in the return for him.

The Rangers received minor league SP Rollie Lacy and major league RP Eddie Butler in return. Lacy has since been assigned to the Down East Wood Ducks. Butler has been with the major league club, and is sporting a 7.43 ERA in 8 appearances since his arrival. To add insult to injury, Hamels has pitched like an absolute ace in Chicago, with a 4-0 record and a 0.79 ERA since the deal. Some attributed his mishaps in Texas to the extreme heat, or caring less due to being on a non-competing club. Rangers fans have understandable frustration seeing what he’s doing 820 miles north of Globe Life Park.

MLB rosters expand on September 1st, so it will be interesting to see who the Rangers call up to give a try-out of sorts for the MLB club in 2019. With some arms like Hans Crouse, Joe Palumbo, Cole Winn, and Taylor Hearn pitching well this year for their respective minor league clubs, and with the young offense continuing to develop, it’s not too far-fetched to say the Rangers can’t get back to contention in 2020. And if some magic happens, maybe even in 2019.