The Fast and Unexpected Texas Rangers World Series Champion Season

Its not often that we get to talk Texas sports here. What happened this season with the Texas Rangers was awesome. I'll admit, I'm not the biggest baseball fan but I do follow the Texas Rangers and remember when they made their heartbreaking World Series runs in 2010 and 2011. Before this baseball season began, I was excited. The team had gotten ride of their awful general manager and brought in Chris Young. He was able to bring his former manager out of retirement to run the team and bring in some big talent that very quickly led the Rangers to their first ever World Series championship.

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Rangers Moves Last Season

The Texas Rangers made a long overdue move in August of 2022 by firing longtime General Manager Jon Daniels. This came two days after firing manager Chris Woodward. The Rangers ended up finishing the 2022 season with a 68-94 record, good enough for fourth place in the American League West. The Rangers had a 102 loss season in 2021. Their only playoff appearance since that 2011 World Series run was in 2016. It was a tough decade to be a Texas Rangers fan.

After the firing of Jon Daniels, it was announced that Chris Young would be the Texas Rangers new General Manager. The hiring is already paying dividends.

New Manager

The Texas Rangers hired three time World Series champion manager Bruce Bochy as their new skipper. He lead the San Francisco Giants to championships in 2010 (beating the Texas Rangers that year), 2012 and 2014. He also has a way of bringing out the best in the pitchers on his teams, something the Texas Rangers need desperately. The Rangers brought back fan favorite pitching coach Mike Maddux which definitely improved the pitching in Texas.

New Pitcher

Speaking of pitching, the Texas Rangers made probably the best signing in team history, starting pitcher Jason deGrom. He was with the New York Mets his entire career so it was a huge steal of one of the best pitchers in baseball. He did have a history of being injured which was proven by doctors finding a tear in his UCL in his right elbow after he started the season 6-0. That injury shut him down for the rest of the season.

Other Rangers Moves

Before the trading deadline, the Rangers made a couple of big moves by acquiring pitchers Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery. Scherzer struggled late in the season and an injury kept him out of much of the post season. Montgomery stepped up and became a reliable starter for the last half of the season and into the playoffs. Let's not forget Nathan Eovaldi, he became the ace of the rotation and pitched nearly perfect the entire postseason.

Rangers Offense

The offense had its ups and downs but stayed mostly consistent throughout the year. Marcus Semien and Corey Seager became the leaders of the offense. Nathanial Lowe provided consistent hitting and first base play. Josh Jung had a great rookie season. Adolis Garcia gave the lineup some attitude. The rest of the hitters all played their roles beyond what most thought they would.

Rangers Bullpen

The Achilles heal of the Texas Rangers this season was its bullpen. They were inconsistent all year and did cost the Rangers some wins. But give them props in the playoffs. Even with their struggles, they were able to step up their game and help the Rangers win a World Series title. It was nowhere near perfect or even excellent but they got the job done. That will be the biggest concentration for the Rangers in the offseason. If they can improve the bullpen, a second straight championship is not out of the question.

Future is Bright

Manager Bruce Bochy has two more years on his contract. Max Scherzer, Jason deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi will be back next season. Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, Nathanial Lowe, Josh Jung and Adolis Garcia will continue to be the anchors of the offense. I would think that many of their support players will remain as well. After years and years of disappointment, it's going to be a fun time to be a Texas Rangers fan for the next couple of years and hopefully beyond.