Rangers’ 3 shocking surprises to begin 2024 season

By OPS and OPS+, both Marcus Semien and Corey Seager are above league-average hitters this season. But the Rangers didn’t get to be champs because their one-two punch was slightly better than your Average Joe.

This team needs both of their middle infielders to produce at elite levels and so far, it’s the skills that make them both great that have been slightly lacking this year. Semien is constantly among the league leaders in hits and runs scored, but he ranks just 20th and 22nd in each of those categories so far in 2024. And Seager has hit 33 home runs in each of the past two seasons, but he has just one dinger to this point, with a slugging percentage below .400.

The Rangers still have all the faith in the world that both players will pick up the pace soon, even if injury concerns are still lingering for Seager. But the sooner it happens, the sooner Texas can tighten its tenuous grip on the AL West. It’s fortunate that the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners are off to dreadful starts, but it’s unwise to count on that lasting forever.

The Rangers aren’t hitting home runs

With 15 home runs in 19 games, the Rangers are tied for 23rd in dingers this season, with just four teams having fewer. In 2023, they slugged 233 longballs, tying them for third in all of baseball, with six of their players hitting 18 or more bombs out of the park.

It isn’t just Seager’s lack of longballs leaving Texas hamstrung, it’s the whole team. Rookie super prospect Wyatt Langford has yet to go deep in 73 plate appearances, despite pummeling homers left and right in the SEC and his cup of coffee in the minors. And only Adolis García has more than two home runs, as his four blasts are leading the way for the team.

Again, this issue is easily solved–just start hitting the ball in the air! The Rangers know they have the personnel to provide the power, but it just isn’t happening so far. It’s a long season and results are sometimes a few steps behind the correct process. But the Rangers would prefer if those results would come a bit sooner.

The Rangers lost their best starting pitcher… again 

Think of all the names that have come through Texas’ starting rotation in the past two years, many of whom are rehabbing to try and make a comeback at the end of this season. Nathan Eovaldi has been the most reliable ace, Jordan Montgomery was nails after his arrival at the 2023 trade deadline and Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney, and Dane Dunning have all chipped in valuable innings. Meanwhile, Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom lurk in the wings, hoping to make an impact in the second half of the year.

Yet who is leading the Rangers in ERA, wins, WHIP, hits allowed, and opponent batting average? Why, it’s Cody Bradford, of course! The 26-year-old former sixth rounder pitched to a paltry 5.30 ERA in his 2023 debut season, making 20 appearances and just eight starts. Yet he’s blanking the bats so far in 2024, starting a perfect 3-0 in his three starts and leading all of baseball with a 0.621 WHIP.

But after his most recent outing on April 10th, Bradford found himself on the 15-day injured list with a back injury. It’s a brutal blow, because Bradford had been an absolute godsend. The rest of the rotation has been spotty, with Heaney outright struggling. Meanwhile, the bullpen has been as bad as it was when the team looked to be falling apart last August and early September.

Without the three strong outings Bradford has posted this season, there’s a strong chance these Rangers would be down in the dumps with the rest of their divisional foes. They got a great outing from Michael Lorenzen in his Texas debut and will need former top prospect Jack Leiter to be a difference-maker in his first stretch in the show. And if Bradford comes back quickly and keeps performing, he won’t be such an easy piece to kick back to the bullpen when the Rangers start to get healthy again.