The late-season performances of 3 core Texas Rangers

It’s never ideal for a team (the Texas Rangers) to play the role of spoiler during any given season. But when that’s the case, it’s best to make the most of it.

And as the Texas Rangers approach their first 100-loss season since 1973, being the team who can potentially spoil the playoff hopes of a contending team is just an added bonus to the opportunities that many young players have received in the late goings of 2021.

Chris Woodward’s club is set to finish the campaign with sets against the Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Indians — two teams not destined for October baseball. But throughout the month of September, the Rangers have encountered a number of playoff-hopeful squads.

With the focus on auditioning a number of fresh faces within the team’s system during the second half of 2021, there’s no better way to get a feel of the big-leagues when playing on a rebuilding team than to play the role of spoiler.

Texas Rangers have embraced playing spoiler

Some teams with a record as underwhelming as today’s Rangers may have folded by the time the calendar flipped to August. Some may have even decided to vent their frustration with the team’s performance publicly.

But not Woodward’s Rangers.

“For these guys to come together and keep consistently grinding every night has been awesome to watch,” Texas’ manager told reporters on September 12.

Since September 1, the Rangers are 11-14. But at this point, the team’s record may be the least relevant piece of data to look at.

Instead, the output of Texas’ key players moving forward is what should be the focus for both the team’s faithful and front office alike.

Let’s take a look at the late-season performances from three Texas Rangers who are bound to be building blocks heading into the 2022 campaign.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa

The Texas Rangers’ starting shortstop is having a good season as he looks to stick around in 2022

After a gold-glove worthy 2020 season at third base, Kiner-Falefa has enjoyed a 2021 campaign at shortstop, good enough for a Wins Above Replacement (WAR) of 4.0. The 26-year-old has made the case to be the team’s most proficient lead-off hitter moving forward.

Over the last 30 days, the shortstop’s average is .319, with a BB:K ratio of 9:14 — his defensive value has only been an added bonus during the final month of the season.

On September 12, the Rangers had the opportunity to throw a wrench into the Oakland Athletics wild-card hopes in the Bay Area — it was an opportunity that Kiner-Falefa surely embraced. The native of Honolulu, HI had three hits, while driving in two runs to propel the Rangers to not only a 4-3 victory, but also a series win in Oakland.

The shortstop has acted as the catalyst for Texas’ lineup throughout the final month of the campaign. Even though the team’s record may not be where Woodward wants it to be, Kiner-Falefa is a vital part to the club moulding an identity for themselves into a new Rangers era, starting in 2022 and beyond.

Kiner-Falefa is sixth among MLB shortstops in hits since the beginning of September, only behind the likes of Bo Bichette, Javier Baez, and Trea Turner.

Adolis García

“El Bombi” can lock down the first Texas Rangers’ Rookie of the Year in over 10 years and a starting spot in 2022

The free-swinging Garcia has cooled down considerably since his breakout month of May. Still, he’s made the case that his power bat can play in the middle of an order for an extended period of time.

Over the last 30 days, García has driven in 11 runs. But his play since May has resulted in his OPS falling under .800 for the season. Despite that, the intrigue in his bat and range in the outfield makes him a fascinating piece as the season ends, and the offseason officially kicks off.

García’s WAR in 2021 is 3.6. From the perspective of the Rangers’ front office, the fear is that this is in fact the center fielder’s career year — the thought of García never reaching 30 home runs again after 2021 is bound to be a talking point over the course of next year’s spring training.

The 28-year-old has six extra-base hits over the last 30 days, and has recorded an average of .211 since the beginning of September. If the second half of the Rangers season has taught us anything about “El Bombi” though, it’s that hitting for a high average isn’t the priority — not even close in fact. The center fielder has managed to have an OBP of .260 over the last 30 days — a simple, yet much more effective stat that reflects the type of player the Rangers hope García can be.