Texas Rangers: Top 5 seasons based on runs scored in franchise history

The Texas Rangers are scoring runs at a historical pace this season. While the run production is down in the month of June and first part of July, this team is still currently scoring at a clip that would equal the most in Rangers franchise history. Will that happen? Perhaps not. But one thing is for sure, this 2023 Texas Rangers' offense is going to go down as one of the most prolific scoring offenses the organization has ever had.

#5 most runs scored by the Texas Rangers for a season - 890 runs by the 2001 team

At number five on the all-time Rangers list for most runs scored in a season, is the 2001 club. That team was a bit of a mess, but they knew how to score runs. Unfortunately, they didn't keep the other team from scoring very often. The Rangers scored 890 runs in their 162 games that season, for an average of 5.49 runs per game. The pitching and defense allowed 968 runs for an average of 5.98 runs per game. So, despite having one of the most prolific offenses in franchise history, the team was still being outscored, on average, by 0.49 runs per game.

The 2001 season was one that had many monumental occurrences. This was the first year that Alex Rodriguez was in Texas, after signing his 10 year, $252 million contract in the offseason. While A-Rod's three years in Texas and then the subsequent trade and salary obligation to the New York Yankees are marred with disdain in the minds of most Rangers' fans, he put up some video game like numbers while he was in Arlington. He led not only the team, but the entire American League, with 133 runs scored.

A-Rod cranked out 52 home runs in 2001, followed by 47 from Rafael Palmeiro, Pudge Rodriguez hit 25 home runs, and in his second stent with the club, an aging Ruben Sierra launched 23. It also marked the rookie campaign of future Texas Rangers Hall of Famer Michael Young, and the end of the Johnny Oates (another Rangers HOFer) era.

Oates had huge expectations set on him from the front office heading into the 2001 season, despite finishing last in the division the year before. With the expensive signing of A-Rod, hype was high, but the win total was low. After starting the season at 11-17, Oates resigned and was replaced by first base coach Jerry Narron. Narron would finish out the 2001 season and manage the entire 2002 season, before giving way to Buck Showalter who managed the team for four seasons, 2003 to 2006.

Next: #4 Texas Rangers - most runs scored in a season

#3 most runs scored by the Texas Rangers for a season - 928 runs by the 1996 team

The top three teams all have similarities. They are all within a four-year window, all managed by Oates, and all lost in the first round of playoffs to the eventual World Series champions, the New York Yankees.

One fun fact about the 1996 team, is that they actually played 163 games that season. On June 17th, the Rangers took on the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. The game was called after the sixth inning due to rain and was later replayed with an entire new game, however, the rained out game still stood for statistical purposes. How many runs did the Rangers gain by that extra six innings you might ask? Just one run, as the tied score was 1 to 1.

The 1996 team was the first team to give Rangers' fans a taste of the postseason baseball. Led by ace, Ken Hill, the team was full of big boppers. Eight of the sluggers ended the season with double digit home run totals, with the AL MVP Juan Gonzalez's 47 and Dean Palmers 38 leading the way. This group would also record the first playoff victory, taking game one against the Yankees, before losing the next three games of the AL Division Series.

Pudge was tops in runs scored that season with 116, followed by a trio of players that finished with 90 plus. Palmer scored 98 runs in 1996, followed by Rusty Greer with 96, and Darryl Hamilton with 94. How did all of those runs get driven in? Well, Gonzalez drove in 144, followed by Palmer with 107, Greer drove in 100, and Kevin Elster just missed triple digits as he ended the season with 99 runs batted in.

Next: #2 Texas Rangers - most runs scored in a season

#2 most runs scored by the Texas Rangers for a season - 940 runs by the 1998 team

After the playoff appearance in 1996, the Rangers fell back to below .500 in 1997, finishing the year at 77-85. Not to be deterred, they stormed back the very next season to go 88-74 to win the AL West and get back to the playoffs.

That 1998 team scored 940 total runs with 110 of them coming from the AL MVP winner, Juan Gonzalez. His 1998 campaign was spectacular as he slashed .318/.366/.630, hit 50 doubles, two triples, 45 home runs, drove in 157 runs while scoring the 110 himself, and had a 149 OPS+.

Rusty Greer and Tom Goodwin both went over the century mark in runs scored with 107 and 102 respectively. Will Clark just missed the milestone as he scored 98 runs. Greer and Clark both joined Gonzalez with over 100 runs batted in in 1998. Greer ended the season with 108 and Clark had 102.

With the offense that the team produced, it allowed the pitching staff to do well without having top stuff. Rick Helling had a record of 20-7 despite having a 4.41 ERA and a 1.327 WHIP. Aaron Sele also got in on some of that action, as he went 19-11 with a 4.23 ERA and a 1.519 WHIP.

Scoring a lot of runs can cure a lot of issues with pitching and defense and this was the heyday of the Rangers trying to out slug opponents every chance they got. The Rangers blasted their way past most teams in 1998, but couldn't do it in the playoffs, as they fell to the Yankees, 0-3 in the AL Division Series. After all of the runs they scored in the regular season, the Rangers could only muster one run in the entire three-game series. They were shutout in both games one and three, and scored their lone run, in game two.

Next: #1 Texas Rangers - most runs scored in a season

#1 most runs scored by the Texas Rangers for a season - 945 runs by the 1999 team

The 1999 Rangers team was a special group that had a fantastic season. They went 95-67, which at the time was the most wins in franchise history and has only been matched once since, by the 2016 team, and surpassed once by the 2011 edition of the Rangers who won 96 games.

1999 also marked the second year in a row that a player from Texas won the AL MVP award, this time with it being catcher, Pudge Rodriguez. Pudge had a hitting line of .332/.356/.558, had 29 doubles, one triple, 35 home runs, had a team leading 116 runs scored, drove in 113, had a 125 OPS+, and did all of this while catching 144 games with many coming in the sweltering Texas heat. There is little wonder why Pudge was, and is, such a fan favorite.

Talk about bombers. The 1999 club had plenty of them, as six Rangers players had 20 or more home runs on the season. Rafael Palmeiro was the leader in home runs with 47, followed by Juan Gonzalez with 39, Pudge had 35, Lee Steven and Todd Zeile each blasted 24, and rounding out the group was Rusty Greer with 20.

Mark McLemore finished the year with 105 runs scored, to join Pudge, Greer and his 107 runs, and Gonzalez's 114 runs scored as players to top 100 for the season. A fun fact from this record setting team, is that they actually set the franchise record in runs scored in 160 games. The Rangers only scored three runs in game 161 and were shutout in game 162. Regardless of the fact they had such a great regular season, the Rangers were swept in Anaheim on the last weekend of the season.

This losing streak would only continue, as the Rangers were once again swept by the Yankees in the AL Division Series. And yet again the Rangers would be shut out in games one and three. The lone run of the playoffs for Texas came in game two when Gonzalez hit a solo shot off of Andy Pettitte.

This years Texas Rangers are on pace to finish right at the franchise record of 945 runs. While it would be awesome to set a team record in runs scored this year, there is no doubt that the Rangers and Rangers' fans alike, would much rather get to the playoffs and make a deep run. The club has taken a deep breathe and is ready to make a push over the next two and a half months. Hold on, and let's see where this 2023 team ends up in the rankings when this thing is finished.