Texas Rangers: Shortstop set to be as steady as always in 2020

2020 Outlook

Shortstop will continue to be the model of consistency for the Texas Rangers in 2020 and likely beyond. Elvis Andrus will man short come Opening Day and the only question will be, can he regain his qualities at the plate and return to being one of the best players on the Rangers lineup. On FanGraphs, Steamer projects Andrus to hit .268 with a .723 OPS in 150 games. To be considered a successful season at the plate, Andrus will likely hope to see that OPS closer to .800 which would significantly improve his value which currently is projected to be a 1.3 fWAR.

If Andrus goes down, that’s where Texas could run into considerable trouble. Unlike the other infield spots, there is no everyday quality player ready to step in and fill Andrus’ spikes. Matt Duffy, Danny Santana and Isiah Kiner-Falefa could all make a case for that game time but none can be expected to match Andrus. How Elvis plays in 2020 is going to be a big factor into how Texas plays as a team. They need more consistency from the top of the lineup and Andrus could provide a needed spark in the two-hole where he has found himself hitting often over the past few seasons.