4 pleasant surprises for the Texas Rangers so far this season

The Texas Rangers aren’t playing as well as they should in 2022, especially not after going on a massive spending spree during the off-season that saw them bring in some elite talent. But here we are in mid-May, and the team has been disappointing overall, save for some brief encouraging stretches here and there.

It hasn’t been all bad for the Rangers, however, as Texas has gotten some decent production from some of the less heralded players on their roster in 2022.

Here are four pleasant Texas Rangers surprises in the early going of this season.

4 pleasant surprises for the Texas Rangers so far this season

1. Brad Miller

Signed to a two-year deal in February, Brad Miller has been everything the Texas Rangers could have hoped for and then some.

On the year, he’s got five home runs and a .721 OPS in 72 at-bats while displaying versatility on the diamond. Not too shabby.

Miller might be the best signing the Rangers made this winter, and that’s saying something because Texas also brought in superstars Corey Seager and Marcus Semien. Sometimes, the best moves are the ones you’d never think to appreciate.

Brad Miller certainly falls into that category, and he’s been a pleasant surprise early in this season.

4 pleasant surprises for the Texas Rangers so far this season

2. Martin Perez

No one would blame you for being underwhelmed at the Rangers’ signing of lefty Martin Perez during the winter. But… he’s become arguably the most stable member of this starting staff early in 2022. Did you see that one coming?

Through six starts to this point, Perez sports a sparkling 2.10 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. Both of those figures lead all Texas starting pitchers at the moment.

The Rangers’ starting staff has been a weak spot in 2022, although they’ve played better of late. A major reason for their turnaround has been the emergence of the lefty Perez.

Now don’t get it twisted, Perez isn’t an a staff ace. Texas still needs one of those, a true alpha on the rubber. But for now, it’s comforting to know there’s at least one quality option in this rotation, even if it isn’t who you expected.

4 pleasant surprises for the Texas Rangers so far this season

4. The bullpen

It’s incredible to think that at one point this season, the Texas Rangers’ bullpen was considered a liability, and a liability it was.  Since early May, however, the unit has done a complete 360, emerging as a team strength to the pleasant surprise of everyone.

Among the reasons for the bullpen’s turnaround? Brock Burke and Matt Moore, each of whom have provided tremendous production in the form of long relief. Dennis Santana, Joe Barlow, Spencer Patton, John King and others have also picked up the slack in the bullpen for the Rangers, giving the team ample options for both long relief and closing out tight games.

Having a solid bullpen is a luxury, especially for a non-contending team like this one, and this group will only get better with the eventual returns of Jonathan Hernandez and Jose Leclerc this summer.