Texas Rangers: Four bold predictions for the 2021 season

As we get set to close out 2020 and ring in 2021, here are four bold predictions for the Texas Rangers in the new year ahead.

2020 was mostly a year to forget, including for the Texas Rangers.

Even with a down year nearly in the rear view mirror, though, there’s always room for a little beacon of hope, or a glimmer of optimism, as we prepare to usher in 2021.

The new year gives us a time to reflect on the past, as well as on what the future has to offer.

We recently published a retrospective on the Texas Rangers’ 2020 season on Nolan Writin’, which you can check out here.

With all that said, Happy New Year and let’s look ahead to 2021 with some bold predictions for the team.

2021 Bold Prediction One: The Texas Rangers will have their best rotation since 2016.

This prediction shouldn’t be too hard for the team to attain in 2021.

Outside of Lance Lynn, the Texas Rangers haven’t had consistent performers in their rotation since Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish both left town.

That should change with the acquisitions of right-handers Dane Dunning and Kohei Arihara.

Dunning comes to the Rangers with major prospect status and a ton of promise, while Arihara was one of the best pitchers in Japan in 2020.

Dunning’s 2020 ERA was 3.97 and Arihara’s in Japan was 3.46, with a 2.46 mark in 2019.

Those figures alone would have paced the Rangers’ rotation in 2020.

Texas hasn’t had a quality starting rotation since 2016, when they had Cole Hamels, Yu Darvish, Martin Perez, AJ Griffin and Colby Lewis lined up consecutively.

Uncoincidentally, it was also 2016 that the Rangers last made the playoffs.

The team did have the makings of a good rotation in 2020 with Lance Lynn, Corey Kluber, Mike Minor, Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles, but it ultimately didn’t pan out.

With Dunning and Arihara in the fold, along with the promising righty Kyle Cody and the veterans Gibson and Lyles due for some positive regression, this could be the best starting five for Texas has had for some time.