by Will Rogers
Monday, Mar 04, 2024Last year's Texas Rangers won 90 games in the regular season. That led to a tie with the Houston Astros atop of the American League West. The Astros held the tiebreaker advantage though which meant that they were the division winners. The teams would settle their differences in a wild 7-game American League Championship Series. You may recall that the road team won all seven games. Texas won the first two, at Houston. The Astros won the next three, at Texas. Then, the Rangers won both Game 6 and Game 7 to advance to the World Series. They had an easier time of things when they got there, as they defeated the Diamondbacks in five games. Pretty good for a team which was projected to win 82 games and finish fourth in their division! So, what will the defending World Series Champions do for an encore? Let's take a closer look.
This season, the Rangers are projected to win 89.5 games. They are currently +200 to win the American League West. Once again, they're expected to be in a 3-team race with the Astros and the Mariners. Houston (92.5 wins) and Seattle (86.5 wins) are projected to finish first and third, respectively. The other two teams in the division, the Angels and Athletics, are being given no chance.
On paper, the Rangers offseason wasn't very good. They lost Martin Perez, Aroldis Chapman, Mitch Garver, Robbie Grossman and Will Smith. They added Kirby Yates, David Robertson, Andrew Knizner, and Tyler Mahle, while re-signing Travis Jankowski. Importantly, playoff hero Jordan Montgomery remains a free agent. He's proven his worth and wants a long-term deal. As of this writing, Boston appears most likely to sign him. Losing Montgomery will hurt what was already a mediocre, at best, pitching staff.
Led by the likes of Corey Seager, the American League MVP runner-up, Marcus Semien, the AL leader and hits and ALCS MVP Adolis García, the Rangers should still have an extremely potent offense. Texas led the American League in both average and home runs, finishing second in third in those categories overall. So, will all that hitting be enough to make up for the potentially suspect pitching? My feeling is that it will not.
No team has won consecutive World Series titles for 23 years. As the defending champions, the Rangers are sure to get everyone's "best game." Other teams are going to get up for a series against Texas. World Series champions often take a step backwards after winning it all. The Astros won 90 games last year, after winning it all in 2022. As mentioned, they nearly returned to the World Series. Still, their 90 regular season victories was a far cry from the 106 which they won the previous year.
The Final Verdict
Everything fell into place for last season's Rangers. That was with dependable southpaw Jordan Montgomery helping to provide quality innings. With Montgomery likely heading to greener pastures and with a bullseye on their backs, it's my opinion that Texas takes a step back this season. Go with the Under 89 wins.
This season, the Rangers are projected to win 89.5 games. They are currently +200 to win the American League West. Once again, they're expected to be in a 3-team race with the Astros and the Mariners. Houston (92.5 wins) and Seattle (86.5 wins) are projected to finish first and third, respectively. The other two teams in the division, the Angels and Athletics, are being given no chance.
On paper, the Rangers offseason wasn't very good. They lost Martin Perez, Aroldis Chapman, Mitch Garver, Robbie Grossman and Will Smith. They added Kirby Yates, David Robertson, Andrew Knizner, and Tyler Mahle, while re-signing Travis Jankowski. Importantly, playoff hero Jordan Montgomery remains a free agent. He's proven his worth and wants a long-term deal. As of this writing, Boston appears most likely to sign him. Losing Montgomery will hurt what was already a mediocre, at best, pitching staff.
Led by the likes of Corey Seager, the American League MVP runner-up, Marcus Semien, the AL leader and hits and ALCS MVP Adolis García, the Rangers should still have an extremely potent offense. Texas led the American League in both average and home runs, finishing second in third in those categories overall. So, will all that hitting be enough to make up for the potentially suspect pitching? My feeling is that it will not.
No team has won consecutive World Series titles for 23 years. As the defending champions, the Rangers are sure to get everyone's "best game." Other teams are going to get up for a series against Texas. World Series champions often take a step backwards after winning it all. The Astros won 90 games last year, after winning it all in 2022. As mentioned, they nearly returned to the World Series. Still, their 90 regular season victories was a far cry from the 106 which they won the previous year.
The Final Verdict
Everything fell into place for last season's Rangers. That was with dependable southpaw Jordan Montgomery helping to provide quality innings. With Montgomery likely heading to greener pastures and with a bullseye on their backs, it's my opinion that Texas takes a step back this season. Go with the Under 89 wins.
