Texas Rangers: The good, the bad and the ugly from the 2019 season

The Good

The Youth Movement Looks to Produce Major League Contributors

There were a few good moments this season and good storylines to follow. Joey Gallo looked on pace for a career year before injuries derailed the season. Mike Minor and Lance Lynn put out career years and look solid at the top of the rotation. But the top storyline to emerge in 2019 was that the youth movement for the organization could be better than expected.

Willie Calhoun emerged as a quality major league hitter in the second half of the season. He looks poised to be a core player for Texas come 2020 which was always the hope after the Rangers dealt Yu Darvish to the Dodgers in 2017 to acquire the young slugger. His Ranger career got off to a rocky start that included a lot of trips back and forth between Arlington and the minors. Entering this season, Calhoun went to extra lengths to transform his body for a long-term shot in the bigs but he was still crowded out and racked up the travel miles going back and forth between Arlington and Nashville.

Calhoun got his long-term shot a few months into the season and since July 26th, has posted a .265 average with 16 home runs and 35 RBI. There’s still room for improvement but at just 24, with his first real time in the Majors, Calhoun has solidified himself as a part of the future for Texas.

Along with Calhoun, another slugger shined for Texas in 2019 despite only being acquired part way through the season. Nick Solak joined the Rangers system from the Rays in a swap for for Rangers reliever Pete Fairbanks. Solak started his career in the organization with Triple-A Nashville and lit up the minors hitting .347 with a 1.039 OPS and 10 home runs. That earned him a fairly quick call-up to the Rangers where he continued to shine. Solak played in 33 games for Texas and hit .293 with an .884 OPS. Expectations for Solak are skyrocketing now and while Texas still has to find a spot for him defensively, he looks to be a big piece of the 2020 roster.

Joining the pair of young sluggers, Texas also saw some young pitchers show Major League ability this year. Emmanuel Clase started the 2019 season with the Rangers High-A affiliate and hit the fast track to the big leagues after impressing at every level of the minors. With the Rangers, Clase made 21 appearances and posted a stunning 2.31 ERA and a 3.42 xFIP. He struck out 21 in 23.1 innings and allowed a home run rate of just 0.77 per nine innings. At just 21 years old, Clase figures to improve and continue to have a bigger and bigger role in the Rangers bullpen.

Kolby Allard, like Nick Solak, joined the Rangers organization part way through the season but impressed in is short time. After joining from the Braves in a trade deadline move, Allard made one start with Triple-A Nashville before joining the Rangers. His numbers aren’t as eye-popping as some of the guys above, but for a 21-year old starter acquired for next to nothing, everything he does for Texas from this point forward is just gravy. Allard made nine starts for Texas towards the end of the season. He posted a 4.96 ERA and a strikeout rate of 6.55 per nine innings. Not super stellar numbers, I know. But, if you’re Texas, you’re hoping Allard can fill a back end rotation role in 2020 and despite some bad starts, he also had some very good ones that give some hope for the future. There’s still a ton of room for growth for Allard.

The Bad

The Team Lacks Bonafide Star Power

While the youth movement has a shot at producing some quality Major League talent, the Texas Rangers still lack a superstar. Or even multiple stars. Joey Gallo is the closest they’ve got right now and while he started out the season looking like an emerging superstar, injuries have at least delayed that status for the meantime. Gallo was one of two All-Stars on the Rangers this season along with Mike Minor. While that pair will no doubt have heavy influence in 2020, this roster lacks the talent to be even mentioned as a contender next season.

Using the Astros as a measuring stick, albeit a very tough measuring stick, Texas is competing against a division opponent that is set to feature five 2019 All-Stars, the 2009 AL Cy Young, the 2011 AL MVP/Cy Young winner, the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year, the 2017 AL MVP, the 2017 World Series MVP, possibly the 2019 AL Rookie of the Year in Yordan Alvarez and a 2019 AL MVP candidate in Alex Bregman. Texas is nowhere near that.

Hopes were that in 2019, multiple players would start reaching their potential and emerge as stars, but really only Joey Gallo was up to the task. That leaves a lot of the Rangers lineup relying on average players. If the Rangers want a shot at contending next season, they have to either sign, acquire or develop some All-Star caliber players quickly. Or else 2020 will show some improvements, but they’ll be sitting at home during October once again.

The Ugly

Rougned Odor All Season Except September

To say Rougned Odor struggled this season would be a major understatement. The Rangers 25-year old second baseman had a season to forget and has created a problem for Texas and frustration among fans. Since being given a hefty 6-year, $49.5 million extension back in 2017, Odor has struggled to produce at even a league average clip. His 2017 season was a disaster that saw him hit .204 with a .649 OPS in 162 games. The next year got off to a similar start although a hot August and September helped him finish with a respectable .253 average and .751 OPS at the plate. However, 2019 was reminiscent of 2017 with Rougie unable to get anything going at the plate for the majority of the season.

Odor finished the year hitting .205 with a .721 OPS despite spending the majority of the year hitting under .200. Fans called for his replacement throughout the year and his spot as the everyday second baseman looked to be slipping away rapidly until a fantastic month of September helped him build some momentum to close of the year. In the last month of the season, Odor hit .261 with a .985 OPS and nine homers. He was also named the team’s Player of the Month for September.

There’s no question Rougie is talented. In fact, a few years ago I asserted that he was the most talented player the Rangers had and had AL MVP potential. Obviously not one of my best takes to this point. However, I still stand by my assertion that he’s immensely talented. But we’re now at the point where two and a half of the past three seasons he’s been a liability offensively. This upcoming year feels like a last shot for Odor. And the leash will be short. If he produces all year like he did in September, he’s an All-Star caliber second baseman, but without that, the Rangers have a large chunk of money tied up in starter who is producing below replacement level. That’s pretty ugly.