Texas Rangers: 2021 lineup looks to be as balanced as ever

Despite a massive talent void on the big league roster, the Texas Rangers appear to have one of their most balanced lineups in recent memory.

2021 can’t be all bad for the Texas Rangers.

Last season truly seemed to be a “rock-bottom” one for the franchise, as they stumbled their way through a 60-game season, winning just 22 games in the process.

In what has been considered long overdue for the organization, Jon Daniels, along with the assistance of new GM Chris Young, are finally embarking upon a full scale rebuild that hopes to bear fruit within the next few years.

Unfortunately, it’ll be a little while until we reach that point.

Meanwhile, the Rangers have shockingly been among the most active teams in baseball this off-season amidst a free agency climate that has moved at a unprecedentedly sluggish pace.

The combined efforts of Young and Daniels have landed some decent player upgrades for the big league roster, including for the lineup and for the rotation, all without sacrificing much in the way of long term assets.

The Texas Rangers’ 2021 lineup, specifically, looks as balanced on paper as it has looked in years:

Right-handed hitters

SS Isiah Kiner-Falefa

C Jose Trevino

2B Nick Solak

3B Elvis Andrus (projected)

Left-handed hitters

DH Willie Calhoun

LF David Dahl

RF Joey Gallo

1B Nate Lowe (projected)

Switch hitter

CF Leody Taveras

The Texas Rangers have a balanced lineup on paper going into the 2021 season.

Assuming the Rangers elect to go into spring training with the roster as it is currently constructed, this lineup looks fair and balanced, at least on paper.

Of course, whether some of these players in need of bounce-back campaigns like Dahl, Gallo and Calhoun do so in 2021 will be crucial in determining this lineup’s effectiveness.

Additionally, players like Kiner-Falefa, Solak, Lowe and Trevino will need to prove that they can maintain their hitting abilities as they’ve shown in the past.

The jury is still out on Taveras’ bat, though his defense is not to be questioned.

As for Elvis Andrus, well… we prefer not to go there…

Minimally, this lineup should provide manager Chris Woodward with a stable of flexible options, even if not necessarily all quality ones, as well as allowing him to play matchups and maximizing each players’ abilities.

With four right-handed bats and four left-handed bats, plus a switch hitter in Taveras, one could make the argument that the 2021 Texas’ Rangers lineup could be one of their most balanced ever.

With all this being said, fans should be weary not to interpret this as an indication of the team’s premature readiness to contend.

But you just never know how things might shake out…