Texas Rangers: Top MLB debuts of the last decade

One of the best parts about baseball is seeing a player making their Major League debut.

There’s just something about witnessing a player’s hard work and dedication pay off right before your very eyes.

Seeing the inevitable smile as the player stands on base after their first major league hit, or a pitcher looking to the crowd and nodding at his parents after walking off the mound can make even a blowout loss enjoyable to watch.

In a season that was one of the worst in franchise history, not to mention one that was shortened by a global pandemic, big league debuts proved to a bright spot for the Texas Rangers in 2020.

Texas had a total of nine players step on to a big league field for the first time last season.

Some of these debuts were better than others, which got me thinking: What were some of the best MLB debuts the Rangers have had in the last 10 years?

I’ve put together a list, in no particular order, of what I believe those top debuts were.

Jurickson Profar’s Texas Rangers debut: September 2, 2012

In 2012, multiple sites had Jurickson Profar as the top overall prospect in baseball ahead of other top names including Gerrit Cole, Trevor Bauer, and Christian Yelich.

So when the Texas Rangers’ then-starting second baseman Ian Kinsler went to the IL, the team called on Jurickson Profar to make his highly anticipated debut.

The rookie didn’t disappoint, going two-for-four and blasting a home run in his first big league plate appearance.

Profar would help propel the Rangers to an 8-3 victory on the road against Cleveland that day.

The former top prospect would go on to play for the Rangers through the 2018 season.

Unfortunately, a slew of injuries kept Profar from ever fully reaching that top prospect potential, but he was a solid utility player for Texas regardless.

In December 2018, Profar was sent to the Oakland A’s in a three team deal that included the Tampa Bay Rays (Spoiler alert, the Rangers got a player from Tampa in that trade who will appear on this list!).