Four Texas Rangers who will have breakthrough seasons in 2019

Player development can be just as important as free agent signings. Here are a few Texas Rangers who could take a leap next season.

We all love the thrill of the chase. Checking Twitter every hour becomes a habit this year, hoping the Texas Rangers signed a franchise altering free agent. And while there’s nothing like your favorite baseball team landing a star, I find it way more satisfying when a homegrown player turns into a star themselves.

There’s nothing like watching a young player make improvements to their game and turn weaknesses into strengths. You get to see them overcome their early career struggles and become national stars. It’s why I’m usually unwilling to give up on a player that came up through the Rangers’ farm system, sometimes to a fault.

With that in mind, here are four Rangers that I think will have a breakthrough season next year. If you have someone else in mind, comment below.

Jurickson Profar Will Show Why He Was the Number One Prospect in Baseball

Last season, Profar posted career highs in almost every category that matters–average, OPS, home runs, RBI, and walks. This came despite playing at least ten games each at four different positions. Baseball players thrive on consistency, a luxury Profar has never been given in his time with the Rangers.

That’ll change next season. Profar is penciled in as the starting third baseman. Adrian Beltre left big shoes to fill, but I think Profar will succeed in keeping the hot corner productive. He won’t have to think as much about his defensive responsibilities, helping him focus at the plate. I think his batting average, on-base percentage, and OPS will all improve.

The 25-year-old even flashed some base running ability last year, swiping ten bags in ten attempts. He profiles as a perfect lead-off hitter, something the Rangers have been missing lately.

Joey Gallo Will Post a Career-High On-base Percentage

With just fifteen additional walks and twenty additional hits, Gallo would have posted a career high on-base percentage of .372. That’s a big increase from his OBP of .312 from last season, but it’s not unreasonable. Next year will be Gallo’s third full season in the majors, and the game should start to slow down for him.

Gallo will never hit for a high average. That long, looping swing that’s responsible for so many dingers also causes a lot of strikeouts. But if he improves his plate discipline even a little, his OBP should go up tremendously. Combined with his phenomenal power, that would make Gallo one of the Rangers’ most valuable players.

Nomar Mazara Finally Puts It All Together

I think Mazara was ready to put together a breakthrough season last year, his third year in the majors. But a thumb injury slowed him down, and while he put together a decent season, it wasn’t the leap we were all expecting. Mazara is one of the Rangers’ more well-rounded hitters, hitting for average and slugging well, with good pop. He’s hit 20 home runs in every season of his brief career.

If Mazara can remain healthy, I think a .280/.340./.770 slash is a very reasonable expectation. He might even see a little improvement in his power. Already an RBI machine, Mazara increasing his average and OBP would be a huge boon to the Rangers’ offense.

Keep in mind, Mazara is still young and has room for improvement. At 23, he’s younger than Willie Calhoun. I think the best is still yet to come for the Texas Rangers outfielder.