How the Texas Rangers stack up against the AL West heading into 2022

So how do the Texas Rangers stack up against the AL West?

Basing each position on a point system with inverse value to ranking (1st -5 points, 5th- 1 point) isn’t the best way to indicate where each team lies. For instance, Texas would get 1 point for Nathaniel Lowe being 5th but 3 for Kole Calhoun ranking 3rd. That doesn’t indicate that Lowe is a worse player. It also doesn’t mean Texas needs to address 1st base the same it does left field. But I’m going to do it anyway.

1. Houston 35: 4-1st, 2-2nd, 2-3rd, 0-4th, 1-5th
2. Oakland 27: 2-1st, 2-2nd, 1-3rd, 2- 4th, 2-5th
3. Texas 26: 2-1st, 1-2nd, 3-3rd, 0-4th, 3-5th
4. LAA 25: 1-1st, 2-2nd, 1-3rd, 4-4th, 1-5th
5. Seattle 22: 0-1st, 2-2nd, 2-3rd, 3-4th, 2-5th

This doesn’t mean much, but it gives a good idea of the quality of depth on each AL West roster. You can begin to see why Houston has been so good and is the favorite with 2/3rds of the positions ranking first or second. You can see why Oakland has managed to stay competitive with a well-balanced approach. And from a Texas standpoint, you can finally see them improving as well.

There will still be lots of moves made once the lockout is over, from the Texas Rangers and the rest of the division. But the point is there won’t be another 102 loss season in Arlington and the division will be as competitive as ever.