The 2016 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 the Texas Rangers teams will be investigated.  In the 5th installment, players from the 2016 team will be examined. (All stats used were extracted from baseball-reference.com)

After losing the ALDS to Toronto 3-2 in 2015, Texas won their second consecutive West Division title in 2016.  The team had a record of 95-67, good for a nine game lead over Seattle.  Once again, the Rangers played the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS.  Toronto defeated Texas 3-0 and a chance to play Cleveland in the ALCS.  Cleveland defeated Toronto 4-1 then lost the World Series to the Chicago Cubs 4-3.

Where are they now: 2016 Texas Rangers starting pitching

Cole Hamels was the ace that the Texas Rangers needed to take them to the next level in the playoffs.    In 32 starts,  Hamels led the Rangers with 200.2 innings pitched, had a record of 15-5, and a 3.32 ERA.  Hamels pitched parts of two more seasons in Texas before he was traded to the Chicago Cubs.  After leaving Texas, Hamels made 40 starts over parts of three seasons for two teams.  Hamels made a comeback attempt with the Los Angeles Dodgers in August 2021, but arm pain forced him to the 60-day injured list.  Now 38, Hamels is currently a free agent.

Martin Perez was in his 5th season with the Rangers  in 2016.  Perez led the Rangers with 33 starts, pitched 198.2 innings, and went 10-11 with a 4.39 ERA.  Perez pitched two 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.

A.J. Griffin was in his first of two seasons playing for Texas in 2016.  Griffins started 23 games for the Rangers, had a 7-4 record, and a 5.07 ERA.  Griffin pitched one more season in Texas before he was granted free agency after the 2017 season.  Griffin signed as a free agent with the New York Mets but was released before ever pitching another MLB game.

Colby Lewis was pitching in his final MLB season in 2016.  In 19 starts, Lewis had a record of 6-5 with a 3.71 ERA.  In November 2017, Lewis was hired to be a special assistant to the general manager for the Rangers.

Derek Holland was in his 8th season with the Rangers in 2016.  Holland pitched 107.1 innings in in 22 games including 20  starts, and had a record of 7-9 with a 4.95 ERA.  Holland was granted  free agency after the season and signed 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.

Yu Darvish missed the entire 2015 season due to Tommy John surgery and returned to the starting rotation in May 2016.  Darvish pitched 100.1 innings in 17 starts, and had a record of 7-5, with a 3.41 ERA.  Darvish pitched part of the 2017 season in Texas before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in July.  Darvish has also pitched for the Chicago Cubs and is a current member of the San Diego Padres.

Where are they now: 2016 Texas Rangers bullpen

Sam Dyson was in his 2nd season with Texas in 2016.  In 73 relief appearances, Dyson pitched 70.1 innings, had a record of 3-2, with a 2.43 ERA, and 38 saves.  Dyson pitched part of one more season in Texas before he was traded to San Francisco.  Dyson pitched parts of three seasons with the Giants and was traded to Minnesota before the trade deadline in 2019.  Dyson pitched his final MLB game with the Twins in 2019 and is currently a free agent.

At age 30, Matt Bush was a rookie with Texas in 2016.  In 58 relief appearances, Bush pitched 61.2 innings, had a record of 7-2, a 2.48 ERA, and one save.  Bush just turned 36, and he is once again healthy and will make a bid for a job in the Rangers bullpen in 2022.

Prior to signing with Texas, Tony Barnette pitched six seasons out of the bullpen for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows (NPB).  At 32, Tony Barnette was in his first of three seasons in Texas in 2016.  In 53 appearances, Barnette pitched 60.1 innings, had a record of 7-3, and a 2.09 ERA.  Barnette pitched two more seasons in Texas before being granted free agency following the 2018 season.  Barnette made two relief appearance with the Chicago Cubs in 2019 before announcing his retirement in January 2019.  Barnette is currently working in baseball operations and scouting for his former team in Tokyo, Japan.

Jake Diekman was in his 2nd season with Texas in 2016.  In 66 relief appearances, Diekman pitched 53.0 innings, had a record of 4-2, a 3.40 ERA, and four saves.  Diekman pitched parts of two more seasons in Texas.  Before the trade deadline in 2018, Diekman was traded to Arizona.  After leaving Texas, Diekman has pitched for three teams including the last three seasons in Oakland.  Now 35, Diekman is currently a free agent.

Alex Claudio was pitching in his 3rd season in Texas in 2016.  In 39 relief appearances, Claudio pitched 51.2 innings, had a 4-1 record, and a 2.79 ERA.  Claudio pitched two more seasons in Texas before he was traded to Milwaukee after the 2018 season.  Claudio pitched two seasons in Milwaukee and the 2021 season for the Los Angeles Angels.   In January, Claudio signed a free agent contract to pitch the 2022 season with the New York Mets.

Shawn Tolleson was in his 3rd season in Texas.  Tolleson pitched 36.1 innings in 37 relief appearances for the Rangers.  Tolleson had a 2-2 record with a 7.68 ERA, and 11 saves.  Tolleson  became a free agent after the 2016 season and made several unsuccessful attempts at comebacks from Tommy John surgery.  Tolleson formally announced his retirement before the start of Spring Training in 2019.

Keone Kela was in his 2nd season in Texas in 2016.  In 35 games, Kela pitched 34.0 innings, had a record of 5-1, with a 6.09 ERA.  Kela pitched parts of two more seasons in Texas before he was traded to Pittsburgh.  Kela pitched parts of three seasons in Pittsburgh before signing as a free agent with San Diego.  Kela was granted free agency after the 2021 season and is currently a free agent.

Where are they now: 2016 Texas Rangers bench

After sitting out 2014 and 2015 because of injury, Jurickson Profar was playing in his 3rd season in Texas in 2016.  In 90 games, Profar hit for a .239 AVG, with five HR, 20 RBI’s, and two SB.  Profar played two more seasons in Texas before he was traded to Oakland after the 2018 season.  Since leaving the Texas Rangers, Profar has played three seasons for two different teams and is a current member of the San Diego Padres.

Shin-Soo Choo was in his 3nd season playing in the OF for Texas in 2016.  Choo was limited to 48 games because of injury.  Choo hit for a .242 AVG, with seven HR, 17 RBI’s, and six SB.  Choo played four more seasons in Texas before moving back to Korea to play in 2021.  Choo is a current member of the SSG Landers of the KBO.

Carlos Beltran was acquired from the New York Yankees at the trade deadline in 2016.  In 52 games, Beltran hit for a .280 AVG, with seven HR, 29 RBI’s, and one SB.  Beltran played one more season in MLB with Houston, then retired at the age of 40.  Beltran will be a game analyst for the YES Network for the 2022 season.

Delino DeShields was in his 2nd season with the Rangers in 2016.  In 74 games, DeShields hit for a .209 AVG, with four HR, 13 RBI’s, and eight SB.  DeShields played three more seasons for the Rangers before being traded to Cleveland.  In 2021, DeShields played AAA in the Rangers organization before being purchased by Boston then Cincinnati.  Now 29, DeShields is currently a free agent.

Jonathan Lucroy was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers at the trade deadline in 2016.  In 47 games, Lucroy hit for a .276 AVG, with 11 HR and 31 RBI’s.  Lucroy played half of 2017 with Texas before he was traded to Colorado.  After his trade to Colorado, Lucroy played four more seasons with five different organizations.  Lucroy is currently a free agent.

Bobby Wilson played 42 games with Texas in 2016 before he was traded to Detroit.  Wilson hit for a .250 AVG, with three HR and 22 RBI’s.  Wilson bounced around between several teams before playing his final MLB game with Detroit in 2019.  Wilson is currently the catching coordinator for the Texas Rangers.

Carlos Gomez was signed by Texas as a free agent in August 2016.  In 33 games, Gomez hit for a .284 AVG, with eight HR, 24 RBI’s, and five SB.  Gomez played one more season in Texas before he was granted free agency after the 2017 season.  After leaving Texas, Gomez played one season in Tampa Bay and one season for the New York Mets.  In January 2020, Gomez announced his retirement from professional baseball.