Texas Rangers: Three players on the verge of breaking out this season

2021 Texas Rangers breakout candidate: LHP Taylor Hearn

This 26-year-old lefty was acquired along with prospect infielder Sherten Apostel in a July 2018 trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates for reliever Keone Kela.

Hearn, drafted in the fifth round by the Washington Nationals in 2015, made his big league debut with the Texas Rangers in 2019.

Making just one start that year, the lefty recorded just one out in that contest.

Not much to see there, despite the ugly ERA figure.

2020 was much kinder to Hearn, as he made 14 appearances out of the Rangers’ bullpen. In those games, he had a 3.63 ERA, 4.11 FIP and 23 strikeouts across 17.1 innings pitched. That’ll work.

Though his WHIP was a bit high at 1.39, Hearn clearly flashed his potential when given more opportunities to showcase his talent.

With a full slate of games expected for 2021, the lanky southpaw will have more than his fair share of chances to build on an extremely promising 2020 campaign.

That should bode well for Hearn’s chances of truly breaking out.