The 2017 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 6th installment, players from the 2017 team will be examined. (All stats used were extracted from baseball-reference.com)

After losing the ALDS to Toronto in 2015 and 2016, Texas slipped to 3rd place in the AL West with a 78-84 record in 2017.  This would be the first of five consecutive losing seasons for the Rangers.

2017 Texas Rangers starting pitching

Martin Perez was in his 6th season with the Texas Rangers in 2017.  Perez led the Rangers with 32 starts, pitched 185.0 innings, and went 13-12 with a 4.82 ERA.  Perez pitched one more season 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.

Andrew Cashner signed a one year free agency contract to pitch for the Rangers in 2017.  Cashner had an 11-11 record in 28 starts, finished 166.2 innings, and had a 3.40 ERA.  Cashner was granted free agency at the end of the season and pitched parts of two seasons in Baltimore and finished his MLB career in 2019 with Boston.

Cole Hamels was in his 3rd season in Texas in 2017.  In 24 starts,  Hamels had a record of 11-6, and a 4.20 ERA.  Hamels pitched part of one more season 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.

Yu Darvish was in his 5th season in the starting rotation for the Texas Rangers in 2017.  Darvish represented Texas in the 2017 All-Star game.  Darvish pitched 137.0 innings in 22 starts before he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in July.  Before the trade, Darvish had a record of 6-9 with a 4.01 ERA.  Darvish has also pitched for the Chicago Cubs and is a current member of the San Diego Padres.

Nick Martinez returned to the 2017 starting rotation after only pitching 38.2 innings in 2016.  In 23 games, including 18 starts, Martinez had a 3-8 record in 111.1 innings, and a 5.66 ERA.  Martinez was granted free agency after the season, and decided to continue his career in Japan.  Martinez pitched three seasons in Japan and in July 2021, Martinez won a silver medal representing Team USA at the 2020 Summer Olympics.  Now 31, Martinez is back in the bigs with the Padres.

A.J. Griffin was in his 2nd and final season in Texas in 2017.  In 18 games, including 15 starts, Griffin had a 6-6 record, and a 5.94 ERA.  Griffin 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.