Introduction to the Texas Rangers’ Current Season
The Texas Rangers are back in the game, kind of. After sweeping the Cleveland Guardians in a three-game series, they have prevented themselves from being entirely out of the game. According to designated hitter Joc Pederson, the team now has “more life.” They have climbed one spot in the American League wild card hunt but are still 4½ games back of the Seattle Mariners and 1½ back of the Kansas City Royals with exactly 30 games left to play in the regular season.
It’s not impossible for the Rangers to make a comeback, but it will require a lot of work. They need to beat the odds to return to the playoffs, which is kind of par for the course for this campaign. The team’s percent chance to make the playoffs, per FanGraphs’ model, did not drastically change after a week in which they won one more game than they lost against two hopeful contenders.
Your Weekly Playoff Status Check
The good news is that the team’s percent chance to make the playoffs did not drastically change. The bad news is that it didn’t exactly improve. The Rangers had an 11.7% chance to qualify for the postseason on Aug. 17 after their series loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Sunday, after a sweep of the Guardians, it sat at an even 11%. They did leapfrog the Guardians, who now have just a 4.8% chance to play October baseball, but remain a ways away from the Seattle Mariners and their 89.7% odds.
The Rangers will need to beat the odds to return to the playoffs. They were able to do themselves a favor and knock the Guardians down a peg themselves; they failed to do so this season against the Mariners and won’t have another chance to with the season series complete.
The Summer I Turned Rowdy
Among batters who’ve played in 25 games for the Rangers this season, there are exactly two with an .800 OPS or better. Shortstop Corey Seager has an .842 OPS, and first baseman Rowdy Tellez has an .886 OPS. The Rangers signed Tellez to a minor league contract July 4 with the belief that his track record vs. right-handed pitchers and road splits away from Seattle’s T-Mobile Park could offer something of value to a wayward offense.
So far, so good. Tellez has been one of the team’s best statistical hitters since he debuted July 18 vs. the Detroit Tigers. He hit home runs in back-to-back games vs. the Guardians on Saturday and Sunday and has anchored a first base platoon that’s been one of baseball’s most productive in the season’s second half. Rangers first baseman — a group which primarily includes Burger, Tellez, and infielder Ezequiel Duran — have combined for a 134 wRC+ (fifth-best in baseball), .835 OPS (eighth-best in baseball), and 0.9 WAR (ninth-best, according to FanGraphs) since Tellez debuted.
Speaking of Much-Needed Boosts
Pederson, whose first-half struggles were incredibly well-documented, has been one of the club’s best hitters since the trade deadline. The 33-year-old has slashed .269/.345/.538 with 4 home runs in 20 games through August. It’s been his single most productive month since the club signed him to a two-year deal this past winter. His numbers have not been of the empty calorie variety either.
Pederson hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning vs. the New York Yankees on Aug. 4. He walked off the Guardians with a ninth-inning single in Friday’s win. On Sunday, to pad the Texas lead, Pederson recorded his first hit vs. a left-handed pitcher with a seventh-inning home run vs. Erik Swabroski. If Pederson can be anything close to his average self the remainder of the season, it presents a massive boost to a Rangers offense that needs to be at its best for a stretch run.
Let’s Have the Leadoff Conversation
It’s time for a batting order discussion. The Rangers hit super utility man Josh Smith at leadoff three times in the last week. They hit outfielder Wyatt Langford at leadoff three times in the last week. The results favored the latter. Langford had four hits — including two doubles and a home run — and four walks in his three starts at leadoff. Smith, whose production has cratered in the second half, went 1 for 11 in his three starts at leadoff.
A one-week sample size is hardly enough to make a grand judgement of lineup construction. The trends, however, may be. Langford has slashed .284/.418/.527 with 4 home runs in August. Smith has slashed .189/.250/.243 in that same window. Langford owns an .893 OPS in six games at leadoff this season. Smith has a .715 OPS in 72 games at leadoff this season.
We’ve Seen This Before, Haven’t We?
The Rangers lost Seager for a month in the first half of their championship season due to a strained hamstring and hardly missed a beat because Duran stepped in, played the best baseball of his major league career, and posted a .974 OPS from May 1-June 30, 2023. So, with second baseman Marcus Semien potentially out for the remainder of this year with a fracture and a sprain in his left foot, can’t the Rangers just run the same play that they did two seasons ago?
Duran’s entire body of work since that run — specifically a .597 OPS in 210 games — say one thing. His recent play might say another. The 26-year-old has slashed .378/.404/.467 in 15 games this month while he’s filled in at second base, first base, and in the outfield. It’s been his best run of play since he served as Seager’s fill-in more than two years ago, and it’s earned him runway as the Rangers make a playoff push.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Texas Rangers are still in the game, but they need to beat the odds to return to the playoffs. They have a long way to go, but with players like Rowdy Tellez and Joc Pederson stepping up, they might just have a chance. The team’s playoff status check shows that they have a lot of work to do, but they are not entirely out of the game. With 30 games left to play in the regular season, the Rangers need to make the most of their opportunities and hope that their players can continue to perform well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the Texas Rangers’ current playoff status?
A: The Texas Rangers have an 11% chance to qualify for the postseason, according to FanGraphs’ model.
Q: Who are the Rangers’ top performers this season?
A: The Rangers’ top performers this season include Corey Seager, Rowdy Tellez, and Joc Pederson.
Q: What is the significance of the Rangers’ sweep of the Cleveland Guardians?
A: The Rangers’ sweep of the Cleveland Guardians gave them “more life” in the words of designated hitter Joc Pederson and prevented them from being entirely out of the game.
Q: Who will fill Marcus Semien’s spot in the lineup?
A: The Rangers will likely fill Semien’s spot with a platoon of Duran, rookie Cody Freeman, and Smith for the rest of the season.
