The Texas Rangers 2023 Spring Training is underway as the team is now in Surprise, Arizona, and new Rangers' manager Bruce Bochy will have to see who is going to make the 40-man roster in 2023. There is pretty much three players that are an automatic lock to make the roster, but here are three that I think will surprise people in this upcoming season.
Texas Rangers Breakout Seasons: 3. Nathaniel Lowe
Nathaniel Lowe is a player Rangers fans should expect to see big things from this season. In 2022, Lowe finished with 74 runs, 179 hits, 27 HRs, and 76 RBIs. He also got a pay raise this offseason signing a one-year 4,050,000 contract. Lowe is expected to be a part of the everyday starting lineup this season contributing to Bruce Bochy’s offense. I expect him to have at least 85 runs, 225 hits, 35 HRs, and at least 100 RBIs. The Rangers will definitely succeed if Lowe is swinging the bat well this season.
Texas Rangers Breakout Seasons: 2. Josh Smith
I know you are probably confused about why Josh Smith will have a breakout season in the outfield. Let me explain how Smith could potentially surprise a lot of fans this season. Smith finished in 2022 with 23 runs, 46 hits 2 HRs, and 16 RBIs. I could see Smith being the lead-off runner at second base if the Rangers go into extra innings this season. If you all remember, Smith’s first career homerun was an inside-the-park home run. While he’s not productive at the plate, he just has that speed that could really help the Rangers get a run early in the tenth inning. Hopefully, he can also improve his at-bats and his offense.
Texas Rangers Breakout Seasons: 1. Josh Jung
The Rangers got a sneak peek at Josh Jung at the end of the 2022 season and what he’s capable of. Jung is expected to make the 40-man roster after Spring Training if he doesn’t get injured. Jung has the fifth-best odds in the American League to win AL Rookie of the Year. Without disrespect to the voters, I think he could be the Ranger's Julio Rodriguez this season. Fans should look forward to him sending the ball deep into the outfield to bring in base runners for RBIs. If you look at Levi Weaver’s tweet below, Jung’s swing is already in season form.
Fans should be excited about all the new additions to the Rangers roster this season. The three players mentioned above each bring a specific skill set to this Rangers roster that will make Bochy’s job easy. I can’t wait to see how these three Rangers improve off of their 2022 season.