Texas Rangers: These are our picks for award winners of 2020

These are our picks for the best Texas Rangers of 2020

The 2020 MLB season was definitely one for the history books. There will be stories told about the shortened season due to a pandemic, along with the necessary rule changes that went along with it. It will never be one to forget though some will want to.

The Texas Rangers had a season that a lot of fans would like to forget. Personally, I will always remember the injection of youthful players that might have saved this season if they had been brought up sooner. But still, like any other season, there are awards to be given. First I will start with my picks for the Texas Rangers.

Texas Rangers Pitcher of the Year: Lance Lynn

This is a no-brainer. He has had a great season that once had him involved in trade talks. He had also been mentioned in Cy Young talks. He ended up finishing the year with a 6-3 record with a 3.32 ERA, a FIP of 4.19 and a 1.06 WHIP.

Opposing hitters only managed to hit .204 against him. What was amazing was that he actually had a lower strikeout percentage, higher walk percentage and allowed more home runs per nine innings than he did in 2019. His other stats were lower though.

Texas Rangers Reliever of the Year: Joely Rodriguez

It came down to Joely and closer Rafael Montero but I have to give the nod to Rodriguez based on stats. He finished the season with a 2.13 ERA, 1.69 FIP and a 1.03 WHIP. All were career-best numbers. He fit in perfectly at the back end of the rotation and could easily be a closer in the future.

Texas Rangers Rookie of the Year: Leody Taveras

This was another tough choice as Anderson Tejeda had better numbers in some areas but in fewer appearances and this is a season of small sample sizes. Another factor is that manager Chris Woodward has already stated that center field is Taveras’ to lose next season all but guaranteeing his role with the team in 2021. Leody had a .227/.308/.395 line with four home runs in 134 plate appearances.

Texas Rangers MVP: Isiah Kiner-Falefa

This was another tough choice that, once again, came down to statistical comparisons. It was down to him and Joey Gallo. Here is the breakdown between the two with the higher stat in bold.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa: .280 AVG,  .329 OBP, .370 SLG, 6.1% BB, 14 % K, 84 wRC+, .307 wOBA

Joey Gallo: .181 AVG, .301 OBP, .378 SLG, 12.8% BB, 35% K, 77 wRC+, .297 wOBA

Gallo did have better defensive ratings and a higher fWAR (0.7 versus 0.3) but overall I had to go with IKF. Both still have the potential to compete for the league MVP in 2021.

So there you have it folks. Another season in the books. Now let’s sit back and enjoy the postseason and what lies beyond.