Big picture, the Texas Rangers have a decent shot at the postseason

To the surprise of many, the Texas Rangers are posing a threat in 2019. Couple talent with timing and the playoffs might actually be within reach.

Alright, it’s June 5th and the Texas Rangers are 30-28, good for second place in the American League West and a Wild Card slot. 13 wins in their last 19 games seems to have legitimized this team, prompting the thought, “can the Rangers actually make the playoffs this year?”

There are many games left to be played (103 to be exact), but Texas has proved formidable, and they’re not showing any signs of fading. Is this a playoff team we’re watching? Any other year I’d weigh on the side of NO; however, 2019 could end up being very kind to our lone star heroes.

Why is that?

While the Rangers have plenty of talent, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, it’s a generous schedule that could play a critical role in guiding them to the postseason.

Just scroll through the list of American League teams and tell me which ones pose a threat. You’re probably looking at the Yankees, Red Sox, Astros, Twins and Rays. I wouldn’t like the Rangers’ chances against the majority of those contenders in a seven-game series, but that’s nothing to worry about at the moment.

From a regular season standpoint, Texas plays those five teams a combined 35 times out of the remaining 103 games. That’s about one-third of their remaining schedule, which won’t make things easy.

But think about it…

One of the AL Wild Card representatives will almost surely come from the East. Whether that’s New York, Boston or Tampa Bay, the reality it those three teams will be beating up on each other quite often as the season plays out. All three butting heads will play in the Rangers’ favor if they remain in the hunt.

Then you’re looking at the Cleveland Indians and Oakland Athletics as additional Wild Card threats. Cleveland is basically a polar opposite of Texas. The Rangers are second in the league in runs scored with 323 while the Indians rank 13th with 234. On the other hand, the Indians rank 5th in the league with a 3.95 team ERA while the Rangers rank 11th with a 4.90 ERA.

There’s no telling which extreme will win out, though I will spotlight the fact that Cleveland is sure to get better once Mike Clevinger and Corey Kluber return from injury. However, it should be noted that Cleveland could swing to heavy sellers at the trade deadline if the AL Central is too far from reach. They are currently 11.5 games behind the Twins.

The Athletics will always be pestering. It’s difficult to count them out any year. The good news is Texas plays the A’s another 13 times this season, so the Rangers will have some control over their destiny.

The rest of the AL is rather inferior. Teams like the Angels and White Sox may hang around for a little longer, but they should eventually fizzle. And the Orioles, Blue Jays, Tigers, Royals and Mariners are terrible.

So far the Texas Rangers have an 8-8 record against opponents with a greater than .500 record. That accounts for just 27% of their games. Greater challenges await, beginning with the Boston Red Sox next week. The Rangers will also have an intimidating closing month, as 20 of their September games will come against those threatening teams that I mentioned (series against the Red Sox, Athletics, Yankees and Astros).

If they can continue to do what they’ve been doing — playing .500 ball vs. the above .500 teams and whooping up on the below .500 teams — the playoffs seem very possible.

Of course, Texas has a few major decisions to make of their own as the regular season games tick away. Before July 31st (trade deadline), they’ll have to decide if buying, selling or standing pat is the right play for their present and future. Though, that’s an article for another time.

I understand it’s early to be schedule watching, but the point is there’s a lot of opportunity in the American League this year. The Texas Rangers are a solid team in 2019, and solid might just be enough to grace a playoff berth. When narrowing the scope, it appears they’re in a five-team heat.

Crown the division winners, let’s say the Yankees, Astros and Twins. That leaves the Rangers, Rays, A’s, Red Sox and Indians. Texas might just need to outperform three of those four teams and they could reach the postseason for the first time since 2016. Please don’t consider this article my declaration that they will make the playoffs. I’m simply thinking things through.