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Texas Rangers All-Time Team
The Rangers franchise actually started out as the second version of the Washington Senators, the season after the original Senators moved to the twin cities to become the Twins. The second Senators franchise joined the American League as an expansion team in 1961, and stayed in DC through 1971, but only posted one winning season during that stretch. Before the 1972 season began the team moved to Arlington, Texas and became the Rangers. They didn't begin well in their new home, but improved by the late 1970s. However, They didn't make the postseason until 1996 when they won the AL West division. They did so again in 1998 and 1999, but have yet to make it to a World Series.
The All-Time team for the Rangers is populated with more power hitters than speedburners. They also have some quality pitching, but as you would guess from their historical lack of success, the roster has some weak spots too.
1st Base:
I think that regardless of what you think of his steroid situation, Rafael Palmeiro (.290, 321 HR, 1039 RBI, 2 AS, 1 GG) deserves the starting spot on this roster. I say that because even if you reduce his numbers a bit, he still was more productive than any other candidate. Palmeiro had two stints for the Rangers, from 1989-93 and from 1999-2003, which together add up to more games played and at bats than any other Ranger. A good fielder, he also provided ample power with three 40+ HR seasons and three more with 30+. His best numbers came in 1999 when he hit .324 with 47 HR with 148 RBI.
The backup is pretty clearly Pete O'Brien (.273, 114 HR), who played for the club from 1982-88. He had some power, hitting 20+ HR three times, but never topped 100 RBI and was never an All-Star.
A few other good hitters were also considered. Will Clark (.308, 1 AS) played for Texas from 1994-98, hitting over .300 four of those five years. Mike Hargrove (.293) started his career as a Ranger, winning the AL Rookie of the Year in 1974 after hitting .323 in 415 at-bats. He was an All-Star in 1975 and in 1977 hit .305 with 18 HR. And Mike Epstein played for the Senators for parts of five seasons and smacked 30 HR in 1969.
2nd Base:
Frankly, this has never been a very strong position for the Rangers. Bump Wills (.265, 161 SB) has played more games (697) at 2B than any other, but not by much. Wills played five of his six seasons in Texas, and stole a lot of bases, including 52 in 1978.
Current star Michael Young (.300, 2 AS) will be the starter here, as he played 2B for his first three seasons, before shifting to SS in 2004. Young is a consistent hit machine, with 200+ hits and 100+ runs from 2003-2005. He has also developed some power, with 22 HR and 99 RBI in 2004 and 24 HR and 91 RBI in 2005. And his .331 average paced the AL in 2005.
I'll go with Julio Franco (.307, 3 AS) as the backup over Wills. He had four solid seasons as a Ranger and another partial season. In 1991 he led the AL with a .341 average, with 201 hits and 36 SB.
I considered a couple of others, starting with Lenny Randle (.253) who had three full seasons and three partial ones during the 1970s, hitting .302 with 26 SB in 1974. And Mark McClemore (.268) split time between 2B and OF from 1995-1999.
3rd Base:
Buddy Bell (.293, 4 AS, 6 GG) is the clear starter at 3B. He has played in more games at the hot-corner than anyone else, and won the gold-glove every year from 1979-84. He was traded to the Reds midway through 1985, and then returned to the Rangers for his last season in 1989. In addition to stellar defense, he also provided good hitting with some pop, with 1979 being his best year as he played every game, hit .299, 200 hits, 18 HR, and 101 RBI.
Powerful hitter Dean Palmer (.247, 154 HR) will be the backup on this roster, as he basically played the first half of his career in Texas from 1989-1997. He didn't usually hit for high average and struck out a lot, but his power was substantial. He hit 20+ HR four times, and in 1996 hit .280 with 38 HR and 107 RBI.
Steve Buechele (.240) generally had a low batting average as well, and provided only moderate power for the Rangers from 1985-1991 (he returned for just 9 games in 1995). He had double-digit HRs in five of those seasons, but never topped 20.
I also looked at Ken McMullen (.251) who was the regular 3B starting in 1965 and playing through early in the 1971 season when he was traded to Detroit. He also provided the club with some power, hitting 13-20 HRs in each of his five full seasons.
And current star Hank Blalock (.274, 2 AS) could one day make this roster, as he has hit 29, 32, and 25 HR in his first three seasons.
Shortstop:
Toby Harrah (.257, 124 HR, 153 SB, 3 AS) is fifth all-time in games played for this franchise. He came up briefly in 1969, and then played from 1971-1978, before returning for his last two seasons in 1985-86. He provided a combination of power and speed, hitting 20+ HR three times and stealing 20+ bases three times. His best numbers came in 1975 when he hit .293 with 20 HR, 93 RBI, and 23 SB.
What about A-Rod you ask? Yes, the highly-paid Alex Rodriguez (.305, 156 HR, 3 AS, 2 GG) had incredible numbers in his three seasons in Texas from 2001-03. In 2001 he hit .318 with 51 HR, 133 Runs, and 135 RBI, then in 2002 hit .300, with 57 HR, 125 Runs, and 142 RBI, and then in 2003 hit .298 with 47 HR, 124 Runs, and 118 RBI. He led the league in HR every year, RBI in 2002, and won the MVP in 2003. So that is all pretty good, obviously. But it is just three seasons, and I tend to weigh longevity with the club a bit more for this project than some readers might. So I consider this a decision between A-Rod here and Wills at 2B, since Young could be moved to SS on this roster listing. But I think Alex's three seasons are more valuable than Wills' five, so he gets this spot for now.
And lastly, Ed Brinkman (.226) actually played in the most games at the position for the franchise (1,104). From 1961-70 he was a good-fielding, but very light-hitting SS for the Senators. He actually failed to reach the Mendoza-line in several of those years. He returned in 1975 as a Ranger after a trade from the Cardinals, played just one game, and then was sold to the Yankees. If you want to give him the backup spot based on longevity, I won't argue.
Catcher:
Obviously the starter here will be the great combination of offense and defense, Ivan Rodriguez (.305, 215 HR, 10 AS, 10 GG). Pudge ranks second all-time in at-bats for this franchise, behind only Palmeiro. An All-Star and Gold Glove winner every year from 1992 through 2001, he hit 20+ HR five times and regularly hit over .300. His best season was 1999, when he took home AL MVP honors after hitting .332 with 35 HR, 113 RBI, 116 Runs, and even 25 SB.
Jim Sundberg (.252, 2 AS, 6 GG) would have been a respectable starting catcher for an expansion-era's All-Time team, but doesn't come close to Ivan's production. Sundberg actually caught a few more games than Rodriguez did, playing from 1974-1983, and then returning during 1988 and and retiring after the 1999 season. He displayed oustanding defense as well, capturing consecutive gold glove awards from 1976-1981. His offensive numbers were not nearly as impressive, as he hit 10 HR only twice, and never hit over .300.
With two such long-time, dominant selections at this position, no one else even deserves to be mentioned really.
Outfield:
The outfield clearly begins with Juan Gonzalez (.293, 372 HR, 1180 RBI, 2 AS) who played all but four of his seasons as a Ranger. This included five seasons with 40+ HR, and another four with 20-39 HR. He had 100+ RBI seven times, including highs of 144 and 157 in his two AL MVP seasons in 1996 and 1998. His HR totals in 1992 (43) and 1993 (46) were good enough to lead the league.
Slugger Frank Howard (.277, 246 HR, 4 AS) played for the Senators from 1965-1971, and then the Rangers for the first part of the 1972 season. His 44 HR in 1968 and 44 in 1970 paced the AL, while his 48 in 1969 trailed only Harmon Killebrew by only one. His 126 RBI in 1970 also led the league.
Ruben Sierra (.280, 180 HR, 3 AS) is fifth all-time in at-bats for the Rangers, accumulated during three stints (1986-92, 2000-01, 2003). He hit 20+ HR five times for them, and had 100+ RBI three times. In 1989 he hit .306 with 29 HR, 119 RBI, and 14 triples, and then in 1991 he hit .307 with 25 HR, 116 RBI, and 44 doubles. Since I don't require a LF/CF/RF split, Sierra gets the third starting spot.
Rusty Greer (.305) played his entire nine-year career for the Rangers from 1994-2002. He had double-digit HR in his first six seasons, and had 100+ RBI three times. His .332 average in 1996 was good enough for fifth in the league. Solid numbers, but never an All-Star.
Larry Parrish (.264, 149 HR, 1 AS) joined the Rangers before the 1982 season after being traded from Montreal for Al Oliver. Formerly a 3B, he played mostly OF and DH in Texas. He hit 17-32 HR in his six full seasons, and had 100+ RBI twice.
The sixth spot will go to another power-provider, Jeff Burroughs (.255, 1 AS). After a slow start in the majors he played four full seasons with the Rangers before being traded to Atlanta after the 1976 season. He had 30 HR in 1973, but then took the AL MVP award in 1974 with a .301 average, 25 HR, and 118 RBI.
Yet more Ranger power came from Pete Incaviglia (.248) who played his first five seasons as an OF and DH for the club. He hit 20+ HR each year, but also struck out between 136 and 185 times each season. You could make a case for him over Burroughs for the last OF spot.
The Rangers haven't had many good centerfielders, though Oddible McDowell (.251, 129 SB) deserves mention. He played for them from 1985-88 and again in 1994. He had 20+ SB four times, twice provided 18 HR, and in 1986 scored 105 runs. And Don Lock (.240) roamed CF for the Senators from 1962-66, hitting double-digit HR each year, including 27 in 1963 and 28 the following year.
And lastly, I'll mention Al Oliver (.319, 2 AS) who was a solid hitter for the Rangers during four years in the middle of his career. In 1980 he hit .319 with 19 HR and 117 RBI.
Starting Pitching:
The all-time leader in games started for this franchise is knuckleballer Charlie Hough (139-123, 3.68, 1 AS). He came over from the Dodgers during the 1980 season and was workhorse through 1990. He posted 10+ wins nine times, with marks of 17-10 and 18-13 being his best. Although not flashy, he'll be the ace of this staff.
Kenny Rogers (133-96, 4.16, 3 AS, 4 GG) had a better winning percentage than Hough, but started 61 fewer games for the Rangers. He's easily the number two man on this staff, as he compiled nine seasons with double-digit wins spanning three separate stints with the Rangers (1989-95, 2000-02, 04-05). He started out as middle-man, but later compiled season records including 16-10, 17-7, 16-8, and 18-9.
Ferguson Jenkins (93-72, 3.56) had two stints for the Rangers, from 1974-75 and then 1978-81. His first season was by far his best, as he went 25-12 with a 2.82 ERA and 225 strikeouts, narrowly missing the AL Cy Young Award to Catfish Hunter. In 1978 he went 18-8 with a 3.04 ERA, while his other seasons in Texas were more mediocre.
Bobby Witt (104-104, 4.85) was a bit on the wild side, as he led the AL in walks three times and was near the top several others. But he could also get the job done, as he won ten or more games fives times for Texas, and struck out 221 batters in 1990 when he posted a 17-10 record and a 3.36 ERA. In the end he had a .500 record while starting in the second most games for the franchise (269).
Kevin Brown (78-64, 3.81, 1 AS) started his fine career with the Rangers. It took a little while for him to become a star, but in 1992 he went 21-11 with a 3.32 ERA, leading the league in wins.
I essentially considered three guys for the sixth and final spot for starting pitchers n this roster. Dick Bosman (59-64, 3.35) tossed for this franchise from 1966 until he was traded to Cleveland during the 1973 season. In his first full season as a starter, 1969, he went 14-5 with a 2.19 ERA, which was good enough to lead the AL. Then the next year he posted a 16-12 mark with a 3.00 ERA, but his other seasons were less impressive.
Jose Guzman (66-62, 3.90) pitched six of his eight seasons for the Rangers, and managed 10 or more wins in four of them. And Rick Helling (68-51, 4.86) had two stints for the Rangers, but only pitched four fill seasons for them. 1998 was by far his best, as he went 20-7 leading the league in wins. I'll go with Bosman as the sixth starter here.
And as some readers will remember that Nolan Ryan (51-39, 3.43, 1 AS) pitched his final five seasons for the Rangers, I'll mention that he won ten or more games for them three times, and of course struck out a lot of batters, including 301 in 1989 and 232 in 1990, both of which led the league.
Relief Pitching:
John Wetteland (20-12, 2.95, 150 SV, 2 AS) had four solid seasons as the Rangers closer from 1997-2000. His save totals were 31, 42, 43, and 34, and he impressive ERAs of 1.94 and 2.03 in his first two Texas seasons.
Jeff Russell (42-40, 3.73, 134 SV, 2 AS) has four mediocre seasons as a mixed starter and middle-man, Russel took over the closer duties in 1989 and posted 38 saves (which led the league) and a 1.98 ERA. He had 30 in 1991, and then had 28 for the Rangers in 1992 before being traded to Oakland late in the season. He signed back with the Rangers for the 1995 and 1996 seasons before retiring at the end of that year.
Francisco Cordero (21-20, 3.45, 117 SV, 1 AS) was co-closer in 2002 and 2003, and then took over the job for the next two years. In 2004 he had 49 SV with a 2.13 ERA, and then followed with 37 SV the next year.
And for the fourth spot in the bullpen I'll go with early reliever Ron Kline (26-25, 2.54, 83 SV) who was the Senators short reliever from 1963-1966. He led the league in saves with 29 in 1965, and had an ERA below 3.00 every year.
The only other candidate worth mentioning is Darold Knowles (25-29, 2.46, 64 SV, 1 AS) who pitched for the Senators from 1967-1971. In 1970 he had 27 SV and a 2.04 ERA, but doesn't quite have the resume that Kline does.
Extra Spot:
Candidates include Clark, Wills, Brinkman, Incaviglia, and several pitchers, but I'll go with Will Clark because of his consistently high batting average over five seasons.
Team Captain:
With apologies to quality hitters Palmeiro and Gonzalez, the captain has to be Ivan Rodriguez given his numerous all-star appearances and gold-glove awards.
Starting Lineup
Michael Young 2B
Ivan Rodriguez C
Rafael Palmeiro 1B
Juan Gonzalez OF
Frank Howard OF
Ruben Sierra OF
Buddy Bell 3B
Toby Harrah SS
Charlie Hough SP
This is a very powerful lineup. With no true leadoff hitter, I'd go with Young as the tablesetter. And obviously you could get A-Rod into the lineup as DH, or go with O'Brien, Franco, Palmer, Parrish, or Greer in that role.
Prospects for Current Players:
What are the prospects of current Rangers players making this all-time team? Young is already on the roster, and I can foresee fellow infielders 1B Mark Teixeira and 3B Hank Blalock joining him someday. We'll see...
Other Lists
Rangers Retired Numbers (players only)
Nolan Ryan (34)
Texas Rangers Hall of Fame
Created in 2003, it honors the careers of former Texas Rangers players, managers, executives, and broadcasters. The players inducted so far include Charlie Hough, Nolan Ryan, Jim Sundberg, Buddy Bell, Ferguson Jenkins, and John Wetteland.
2003 Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Lineups
Neyer's starting lineup is very reasonable, though he gives the starting SS spot to A-Rod after only two seasons with the Rangers, noting a lack of competition for the job. He names Pudge as the catcher, Palmeiro at 1B, Franco at 2B, and Bell at 3B. Because he separates outfield positions, he has Howard in LF, Lock in CF, Gonzalez in RF, and then Larry Parrish as the starting DH. About Lock he notes that he was "known for making spectacular catches in CF." The backup infielders are Sundberg, Hargrove, Wills, Harrah, and McMullen, whereas I prefer O'Brien at 1B and Palmer at 3B. He sensibly has Greer in LF, McDowell in CF,Sierra in RF, and offers up Brian Downing as the backup DH, even though he only played in Texas for his last two seasons.
For pitching he has Hough, Jenkins, Brown, and Ryan as the first four starters. I think that is elevating Ryan a bit. His next four starters are Rogers, Helling, Jon Matlack, and Bosman. About Matlack he writes "Ex-Met enjoyed his best season -- 15-13 with brilliant 2.27 ERA -- after joining Rangers, but 270 innings apparently took toll, and it was all downhill from there." The two closers he selects are Russell and Wetteland.
1985 The
All-Time All-Star Baseball Book by Bart Acocella,
Nick Acocella, and Donald Dewey
The authors elected to provide two all-time teams, one for the Senators from 1961-71 and for the Rangers from 1972-84. For the Senators they list 1B Mike Epstein, 2B Bernie Allen, 3B Ken McMullen, SS Eddie Brinkman, OF Frank Howard, OF Del Unser, OF Chuck Hinton, C Paul Casanova, and P Dick Bosman. Several of these were players I mentioned, though only Howard and Bosman make my roster. For the Rangers they list 1B Mike Hargrove, 2B Dave Nelson, 3B Buddy Bell, SS Toby Harrah, OF Al Oliver, OF Jeff Burroughs, OF Richie Zisk, C Jim Sundberg, and P Ferguson Jenkins. This is a sensible lineup, though I would have gone with Wills at 2B over fellow speedy runner Dave Nelson who admittedly had impressive SB seasons of 51, 43, and 25. And I guess Richie Zisk is a good third outfielder to list, although he only played three years in Texas providing moderate HR totals of 22, 18, and 19.
1995 Baseball
Ratings by Charles S. Faber
Written in 1995, the most recent stars would not
have yet been eligible. The Faber system produces a lineup consisting of Sundberg at C, Palmeiro at 1B, Wills at 2B, Bell at 3B, and Scott Fletcher at SS, which means Harrah is left off. The OF is Sierra, Burroughs, and Parrish, and of course Hough as the SP. He created a separate all-time team for the Senators that became the Rangers, with Mike Epstein at 1B, Bernie Allen at 2B, Ed Brinkman at SS, Ken McMullen at 3B, Paul Casanova at C, and OF Frank Howard, Chuck Hinton, and Don Lock.
TheBaseballPage.com (link)
This website (as of May 2006) selects Rodriguez and Sundberg as the catchers, Palmeiro and O'Brien at 1B, McLemore as the lone 2B, Harrah and Brinkman as the SS, and Palmer and McMullen as the 3B (Buddy Bell is on the all-time Indians roster). The two LF are Howard and Burroughs, and the only RF listed is Sierra. In CF they have Mickey Rivers listed first, who played parts of six seasons for the Rangers, with 1980 being his only full season: 210 hits, .333 average, 18 SB, and 96 Runs. The backup in CF is Greer and Gonzalez is the listed DH.
The starting pitchers are listed as Brown, Hough, Rogers, Helling, and Doc Medich, who pitched for the Rangers for five years but never had 15 wins in a season. They add Witt and Bosman as additional starters in the bullpen. The actual relievers are Russell, Mitch Williams, Kline, and Knowles. Wetteland is an honorable mention for the Expos all-time team, which seems odd to me since he only pitched for them for 3 years, while pitching 4 for the Rangers. And they don't list Cordero as an honorable mention for the Rangers, which I think is an omission, especially when they include Williams, who pitched as a setup man for two years and a mediocre closer for one. He could have been used for the Phillies all-time team, as he was a dominant closer for them for three years.
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