12 players you forgot were on the Texas Rangers

Did you forget that these players were Texas Rangers at one point?

Since 2010, the Texas Rangers have had a different roster makeup every year that has produced some of the biggest stars in the game.

Josh Hamilton, Michael Young, Vlad Guerrero, Adrian Beltre, Joey Gallo and many others headlined the Texas Rangers roster.

Those are just a few big names, but who were the guys that helped fill out the remaining roster spots?

We’re going to look back and remember the most underrated, forgotten and lost players in Texas Rangers history.

These are players who may have been productive during their time in Texas, or were forgotten veterans who performed poorly.

Either way, this will surely give you some nostalgia when looking back on the most forgotten and underrated players from the 2010-2019 seasons.

LHP Michael Kirkman- 2010 Texas Rangers

Michael Kirkman made his MLB debut on August 21, 2010 and made an immediate impact in the Texas Rangers bullpen.

In what would be the most historic season in Rangers history, Kirkman’s 1.65 ERA over 16.1 innings helped propel Texas into the playoffs.

As a 23-year old rookie, Michael Kirkman was added to the playoff roster and pitched to a 3.38 ERA in the 2010 postseason. Kirkman takes home the honor for me in 2010.

Honorable Mentions: OF Jeff Francoeur, SS Alex Cora and UTL Esteban German.

OF Endy Chavez- 2011 Texas Rangers

Arguably having one of the greatest catches in the Mets postseason history, Endy Chavez makes the list for the Texas Rangers in 2011.

In his only season in Arlington, Chavez played in 83 games and hit to the tune of a .301 average.

In his age 33 season, Chavez didn’t have the speed he once possessed, but was good enough for 11 doubles, three triples and 10 stolen bases.

Endy Chavez played his way onto the playoff teams, but struggled in his five games with the Rangers.

In an outfield with David Murphy, Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz, Chavez was productive and often overlooked during the 2011 season.

Honorable Mentions: SS Omar Quintanilla, C Matt Treanor and LHP Mike Gonzalez.

RHP Roy Oswalt- 2012 Texas Rangers

Once considered one of the greatest pitchers in the game, Roy Oswalt signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers early in the 2012 season.

Oswalt made his Rangers debut on June 20, picking up six strikeouts against the Colorado Rockies while only allowing one run over 6.2 innings. That would be one of the few good starts he had with the Rangers that year, finishing the season with a 4-3 and a 5.80 ERA.

Other names who could have gone here include lefty Robbie Ross and outfielder Craig Gentry, who hit .304 over 121 games that season.

1B/OF Lance Berkman- 2013 Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers were desperately seeking offense during the 2013 season, after losing Josh Hamilton to the Angels, thus leading to the signing of Lance Berkman.

The “Big Puma” played one year with the Rangers, batting .242 over 73 games in Arlington.

Berkman was once considered one of the greatest offensive outfielders in baseball, showing that off with the Cardinals in the 2011 World Series.

Much like the Rangers did with Vlad Guerrero, they signed Berkman to a one-year, $10 million dollar deal to limit the damage he could do against them.

Although Berkman couldn’t stay healthy that year, he still produced and that helped land him on this list.

Honorable Mentions: OF Alex Rios and LHP Neal Cotts.

3B Kevin Kouzmanoff and 1B Carlos Pena- 2014 Texas Rangers

There was not much positivity surrounding the 2014 season after the Texas Rangers went 67-95 and dealt with injury after injury to star players like Adrian Beltre.

Beltre’s injury paved the way for Kevin Kouzmanoff who hit safely in his first 10 games with the Rangers.

Kouzmanoff only appeared in 13 games for Texas, but did hit .362 with two homers and 10 RBIs.

Carlos Pena also made his return back to Texas, who drafted him 10th overall in the 1998 MLB Amateur Draft. Pena struggled in his short time in Texas, hitting .136 over 18 games played. Carlos Pena became a mainstay in the Rays offense from 2007-2010 and again in 2012. He was named an All Star during the 2009 season, as well.

Honorable Mentions: LHP Joe Saunders, RHP Roman Mendez, and catcher J.P. Arencibia.

RHP Ross Ohlendorf- 2015 Texas Rangers

Ohlendorf cracked the Texas Rangers roster in 2015 and did not disappoint.

The well-traveled veteran appeared in 21 games for the Rangers in 2015, striking out 19 and posting a 3.72 ERA.

Ohlendorf sticks out in my mind because of his unique windup. He sported a very vintage motion, reminiscent of early 1900’s pitchers (check it out here).

This would be his second to last season in the major leagues, finishing the following season in the Reds bullpen.

Honorable Mentions: LHP Wandy Rodriguez, C Carlos Corporan, OF Will Venable and 1B Kyle Blanks.

RHP Kyle Lohse- 2016 Texas Rangers

At the height of his career, Kyle Lohse was a World Series champion (2011), but in 2016, he was an injury replacement in the Texas Rangers rotation.

Lohse struggled in what would be his last season in the Major League Baseball, going 0-2 with a 12.54 ERA.

One of the reasons he’s forgotten in Rangers history is the 13 earned runs given up in 9.1 innings with Texas that season.

Nonetheless, Lohse made the team and played, even in a short stint and that is enough for him to make this list.

Honorable Mentions: DH Carlos Beltran, RHP Tom Wilhelmsen and OF Carlos Gomez.

RHP Jason Grilli and 3B Will Middlebrooks- 2017 Texas Rangers

Believe it or not, this would be Jason Grilli’s second stint with the Texas Rangers in 2017, the other being in 2009.

Grilli was a former All-Star with the Pittsburgh Pirates back in 2013, saving 33 games and posting a 2.70 ERA for the Buccos.

That would not be the same player the Rangers got again in 2017. Grilli pitched to a 5.59 ERA and allowed 13 runs in 19.1 innings. He did record 11.6 K/9 over the course of his 20 games in Arlington, though.

This would be the last stop for Grilli in his big league career.

Will Middlebrooks was a former Red Sox top prospect that never panned out in the big leagues. Middlebrooks played in 22 games for the Rangers in 2017 and hit .211 with two doubles and triples over that stretch.

His time in Texas would also mark the end of his big league career.

Honorable Mentions: RHPs Ernesto Frieri and A.J. Griffin, as well as UTIL Drew Robinson.

3B/DH Renato Nunez- 2018 Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers claimed Nunez off waivers from Oakland on April 15, 2018 and would later be placed back on waivers in May, then claimed by the Baltimore Orioles.

Although his time in Texas was brief, Nunez is best known for the last two seasons in Baltimore. This is important because in Texas, Nunez hit just .167 with one homerun.

When he arrived in Baltimore, he hit a collective .253 with 50 homers and 141 RBIs. This one stings, for sure.

Honorable Mentions: OF Carlos Tocci, RHP Doug Fister and LHP Matt Moore.