The 2012 Texas Rangers: Where are they now?

During the month of February, I am going to be posting a series called “Where are they now?”.  In this series, the rosters for select Texas Rangers teams will be investigated.  In the first installment, players from the 2012 team will be examined. (All stats used were extracted from baseball-reference.com)

After losing the 2010 and 2011 World Series Championships, the Texas Rangers looked at 2012 as a chance to try and make it three years in a row playing for the coveted prize.  The team finished with a record of 93-69, good for 2nd in the AL West Division.  The Rangers played the Baltimore Orioles in a one game Wild Card game to see who would advance to play the New York Yankees in the ALDS.  The Texas Rangers lost 5-1, with Yu Darvish taking the loss.

Where are they now: 2012 Texas Rangers Starting Pitchers

Matt Harrison was in his 5th season with the Rangers in 2012.  Harrison represented the Rangers in the All-Star game.  Harrison led Rangers pitchers in innings pitched with 213.1 in 32 starts.  He compiled a record of 18-11 and had a 3.29 ERA.  Harrison pitched parts of three more seasons for the Rangers before being traded in July 2015 in the deal with the Philadelphia Phillies that brought Cole Hamels to Texas.  Harrison was injured at the time of the trade and did not pitch again in MLB.  He was released by the Phillies in November 2016.

Yu Darvish was a rookie starting pitcher in 2012.  He also represented Texas in the All-Star game.  Darvish compiled 191.1 innings in 29 starts, and went 16-9 with a 2.83 ERA.  Darvish would pitch parts of four more seasons in Texas before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in July 2017.  Darvish has also pitched for the Chicago Cubs and is a current member of the San Diego Padres.

Derek Holland was in his 4th season with the Rangers in 2012.  Holland finished 175.1 innings in 27 starts, and had a record of 12-7 with a 4.67 ERA.  Holland would pitch four more seasons with Texas before being granted free agency and signing with the Chicago White Sox in December 2016.  Holland has also pitched for San Francisco, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh, and Detroit.  Holland is currently a free agent.

Scott Feldman was in his 8th and final season in Texas.  Feldman compiled 123.2 innings in 21 starts, and had a 6-11 record with a 5.09 ERA.  Feldman would play five more seasons in MLB with five different organizations before playing his final MLB game in 2017.

In 2012, Colby Lewis was in the third year of his second tour in Texas.  Lewis completed 105.0 innings in 16 starts and had a 6-6 record with a 3.43 ERA.  Lewis would go on to pitch three more years in Texas before pitching his final MLB game in 2016.

Ryan Dempster was traded to Texas by the Chicago Cubs at the 2012 trade deadline.  He pitched 69.0 innings in 12 starts for Texas during the second half of the season, earning a 7-3 record and a 5.09 ERA.  At the end of the season, Dempster was granted free agency.  Dempster pitched his final season of MLB with Boston in 2013.

Roy Oswalt signed a free agent contract with Texas on May 29, 2012.  Oswalt pitched 59.0 innings in nine starts and 17 games with the Rangers.  He had a record of 4-3 with a 5.80 ERA.  Oswalt was granted free agency and pitched in nine games with Colorado in 2013 before calling it a career.

Neftali Feliz began the 2012 season in the starting rotation.  Feliz pitched 42.2 innings in seven starts and eight games before being sidelined with an arm injury that derailed him for most of the next two years.  Feliz had a record of 3-1 with a 3.16 ERA.  Feliz would pitch parts of three more seasons in Texas.  Since his release from the Rangers in 2015, Feliz has pitched for six different teams and is currently a free agent.

Martin Perez was a rookie pitcher in 2012.  Perez pitched in 12 games including six starts for the Rangers.  In 38.0 innings, Perez had a 1-4 record and a 5.45 ERA.  Perez pitched six more seasons for Texas before he was granted free agency after the 2018 season.  Perez pitched one season in Minnesota and the last two seasons in Boston.  Perez is currently a free agent.

Where are they now: 2012 Texas Rangers Position Players

Mike Napoli was the primary catcher for the Texas Rangers in 2012.  Napoli represented the Rangers at the All-Star game.  Napoli played 108 games and hit for a  .227 AVG, 24 HR, and 56 RBI’s.  Napoli was granted free agency after the 2012 season.  After 2012, Napoli played five more seasons of MLB for three teams and retired after the 2017 season.

Mitch Moreland played 1B for the Rangers in 2012.  Moreland was in his 3rd season playing for the Rangers.  Moreland played 114 games and hit for a .275 AVG, 15 HR, and 50 RBI’s.  Moreland played four more seasons in Texas before being granted free agency after the 2016 season.  After leaving Texas, Moreland has played five more seasons for three teams and is currently a free agent.

Ian Kinsler played 2B for the Rangers in 2012.  Kinsler was in his 7th season with Texas.  Kinsler represented the Rangers at the 2012 All-Star game.  Kinsler would play one more season in Texas before being traded for Prince Fielder.  Kinsler would play six more MLB seasons before retiring in 2019.  In 2021, Kinsler played for the Israeli national team at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Elvis Andrus was the starting SS for the Rangers in 2012.  Andrus was in his 4th season playing with Texas.  Andrus played 158 games and represented the Rangers in the All-Star game.  Andrus hit for a .286 AVG, three home runs, 62 RBI’s, and 21 SB.  Andrus would play eight more seasons in Texas before being traded to Oakland.  Andrus played his first season in Oakland in 2021 and will return to play for the A’s in 2022.

Adrian Beltre was the starting 3B for the Rangers in 2012.  Beltre was playing in his second season in Arlington.  Beltre also represented Texas in the All-Star game.  In 156 games, Beltre hit for a .321 AVG, 36 HR, and 102 RBI’s.  Beltre played six more seasons in Texas and retired from MLB after the 2018 season.

David Murphy was the primary LF for Texas.  Murphy was playing in his 6th season for the Rangers.  In 147 games, Murphy hit for a .304 AVG, 15 HR, 61 RBI’s, and 10 SB.  Murphy played one more season in Texas before he was granted free agency after the 2013 season.  Murphy played parts of two seasons in Cleveland and part of one season for the Los Angeles Angels.  Murphy played his last MLB game in 2015.

Josh Hamilton was the primary CF for the Rangers.  When he wasn’t playing CF, Hamilton played LF.  Hamilton represented Texas in the All-Star game.  Hamilton was playing in his 5th season with the Rangers and was granted free agency at the end of the 2012 season.  In 148 games, Hamilton hit for a .285 AVG, 43 HR, 128 RBI’s, and seven SB.  After the 2012 season, Hamilton signed with the Los Angeles Angels where he played for two seasons.  Hamilton returned to Texas for his final season of MLB in 2015.

Nelson Cruz was the primary RF for Texas in 2012.  Cruz was playing his 7th season for the Rangers.  In 159 games, Cruz hit for a .260 AVG, 24 HR, 90 RBI’s, and eight SB.  Cruz played one more season in Texas before he was granted free agency.  Cruz has played nine additional seasons in MLB with five teams since the 2012 season.  Cruz is now 41 and is currently a free agent.

Michael Young mostly hit DH for the Rangers in 2012.  He also played additional games at every infield position.  Young was playing in his 13th and final season for the Rangers.  In 156 games, Young hit for a .277 AVG, eight HR, and 67 RBI’s.  Young split 2013, his last season in MLB, with Philadelphia and the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Since 2014, Young has been a special assistant to the general manager with the Rangers.

Where are they now: 2012 Texas Rangers Bench

Craig Gentry was a defensive replacement in the outfield for the Texas Rangers in 2012.  It was Gentry’s 4th season with the Rangers.  In 121 games, Gentry hit .304 in 269 AB.  He also hit one home run to go along with 26 RBI’s and 13 SB.  Gentry played one more season for Texas before he was traded to Oakland after the 2013 season.  After leaving Texas, Gentry played five MLB seasons for three teams.  He played his final MLB game in 2018.

Yorvit Torrealba was in his 2nd season playing for the Rangers in 2012.  On August 8, 2012, Torrealba was released by the Rangers.  Torrealba played for two additional teams in 2012 and one final season of MLB for Colorado.  He played his 13th and final season of MLB in 2013.

After a trade from the Chicago Cubs to Texas at the trade deadline in 2012, Geovany Soto was the primary catcher in Texas.  He played 47 games for the Rangers and hit for a .196 AVG, five HR and 25 RBI’s.  Soto played parts of two more seasons in Texas before being purchased by Oakland in August 2014.  After leaving Texas, Soto played three additional seasons with three teams.  Soto played his final MLB game in 2017.

Brandon Snyder was a super-utility player for Texas in 2012.  He played multiple positions while playing in 40 games.  Snyder hit for a .277 AVG, three HR and nine RBI’s.  Snyder played parts of three seasons for three teams, covering six seasons before playing his final MLB game in 2018.

Alberto Gonzalez was a utility infielder for the Rangers in 2012.  In 24 games, Gonzalez hit for a .241 AVG with four RBI’s.  Gonzalez was granted free agency after the 2012 season.  Gonzalez would split 2013 between two teams.  Even though Gonzalez signed contracts with multiple teams until 2016, he played his final MLB game in 2013.

After playing eight games with Texas in 2011, Leonys Martin played 24 games in the outfield for the Rangers in 2012.  He hit for a .174 AVG with six RBI’s and three SB.  Martin played three additional seasons in Texas before he was traded to Seattle prior to the 2016 season.  After leaving Texas, Martin played four seasons with four teams.  Martin played his final MLB game in 2019.  Now 33, Martin is currently playing for Chiba in the NPB in Japan.

Mike Olt was a rookie with the Texas Rangers in 2012.  He played 16 games with Texas.  In July 2013, Olt was traded to the Chicago Cubs.  He played parts of two seasons with the Cubs and White Sox.  Although he signed multiple contracts with several teams until 2019, Olt played his final MLB game in 2015.