Nolan Writin'
Fansided

Texas Rangers: This is the perfect starting rotation for 2021

By Seth Carlson

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 01: Dane Dunning #51 of the Chicago White Sox pitches against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning of Game Three of the American League Wild Card Round at RingCentral Coliseum on October 01, 2020 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 01: Dane Dunning #51 of the Chicago White Sox pitches against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning of Game Three of the American League Wild Card Round at RingCentral Coliseum on October 01, 2020 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
Kyle Gibson delivers a complete game shutout for the Texas Rangers in 1-0 win over Houston Astros
(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

Texas Rangers’ 2021 fifth starter: RHP Kyle Gibson

Kyle Gibson isn’t a name many Rangers fans will want to see on a post about an ideal rotation configuration.

But what other choice does Texas have, really?

The veteran right-hander is entering the second year of a three year, $28 million contract, a pretty hefty payroll number for a team currently rebuilding its roster.

That kind of money also correlates with being guaranteed a spot in a starting rotation.

Gibson’s 2020 wasn’t pretty by any means, as his 5.35 ERA, 5.39 FIP and 85 ERA+ across 12 starts and 67.1 innings pitched all represented well below league average statistics for the season.

In a bright spot for Texas in 2020, Gibson did toss a complete game shutout against the Houston Astros.

Unfortunately, that start amounted to being something of an anomaly for the 33-year-old, who otherwise struggled badly in 2020.

In perhaps another bit of silver lining, Gibson was marginally better than teammate Jordan Lyles, who was just downright awful in 2020. The latter doesn’t even deserve a look in the battle for a rotation spot in 2021, quite frankly.

Texas could also turn to a young gun such as Wes Benjamin or Kolby Allard for this rotation spot. However, neither of those names offer up a much better alternative at this point, as Benjamin and Allard’s 2020 seasons were also quite unflattering.

At the very least, however, Benjamin and Allard do offer upside. That’s something Gibson cannot bring to the table at this stage of his career.

Still, Gibson is making decent money off of owners Ray Davis and Bob Simpson. The Texas Rangers may as well get their money’s worth.

The fifth starter’s spot in Arlington could wind up being a total crapshoot for all we know.

For now, though, Kyle Gibson seems to be the most likely candidate for the job.

So here it is, Rangers fans. The perfect starting rotation for 2021 goes as follows:

  1. RHP Dane Dunning
  2. RHP Kyle Cody
  3. LHP Joe Palumbo
  4. RHP Rick Porcello
  5. RHP Kyle Gibson
Home/Texas Rangers News