DALLAS — Ahead of their 50th anniversary season in Arlington, the trajectory of the Texas Rangers changed dramatically on Dec. 1, 2021 when they announced the signings of shortstop Corey Seager, second baseman Marcus Semien, and starting pitcher Jon Gray. Throw in a deal for Kole Calhoun to man the outfield and the Rangers added over $100 million to the 2022 payroll after spending a single-offseason sports record of $561 million in one day.
What has become clear with the dizzying amount of dollars spent is the Rangers are sick of losing. After the most successful era in team history early last decade, Texas has been mired in an organizational slump since they last reached the postseason in 2016.
With two third-place seasons between three last-place finishes, including two-in-a-row and the franchise’s first 100-loss season (102) since 1973, the Rangers have put their foot and wallet down to signal a new stage of their years-long rebuild.
With that in mind, here’s a look at what to expect from the Rangers in 2022:
A killer keystone combination
What the Rangers bought with their offseason spending spree was the foundation from which they will build what they hope will be a contending team for years to come. That begins with the new All-Star middle infield of Seager and Semien who came to Texas for a cool half a billion.
The duo is not expected to carry the Rangers to the playoffs in 2022, the team’s front office has already been trying to mitigate expectations as they continue to put all the pieces together, but what can be expected from Seager and Semien is one of the best – if not the best – middle infields in baseball.
Seager, the 2016 NL Rookie of the Year, represents a .245 OPS improvement over the production that the Rangers received from their shortstops in 2021. The two-time All-Star turns 28-years old later this month which means he’s still in his prime and should continue to be one of MLB’s best players.
Meanwhile, Semien might be even better in the short term as the Gold Glove second baseman finished third in the American League MVP voting last season and set the record for most home runs in a single season at the position.
Ultimately what the tandem represents is a return to elite-caliber star players in Arlington and they should give fans a reason to tune in each night in 2022 with a chance to dream bigger for the years to come.
The bats are back
The hallmark of the Rangers over the years has been their hitting prowess but, over the last few seasons, Texas has tapered off with the bats. In the two seasons since the Rangers moved into their new ballpark, the offense has ranked 29th and 28th in runs scored.
Seager and Semien will do a lot to address the anemic hitting of recent years, but the Rangers also acquired one of the league’s top hitting catchers when they landed Mitch Garver in a trade with the Minnesota Twins. In addition, the club is anticipating a breakout season from first baseman Nathaniel Lowe after a strong second half in 2021.
With right fielder Kole Calhoun looking to become a stabilizing veteran presence in the lineup, 2021 All-Star Adolis Garcia will have center field to himself as he aims to rebound from a second half slump in his rookie season where he ultimately hit 31 home runs and finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting.
A lot of how the offense fares in 2022 will come down to how those questions are answered, but it will be something of an upset if the Rangers finish near the bottom in the league in runs scored again.
It’s the pitching, stupid
It’s a tale as old as, well, the 50 years that the Rangers have been in Arlington. Texas once again has to contend with a pitching staff that casts doubts on their ability to win. Whereas the lineup looks vastly improved, the hurlers – especially the starting rotation – is filled with iffy propositions that the organization will need to suss out if they want to get over the hump in the near future.
Signing Gray was a good start, and Dane Dunning should make strides this year, but the goal of the 2022 season should be about figuring out what the team has in rotation-mates Spencer Howard and Taylor Hearn, as well as the bevy of arms on the cusp or those who could transition to the rotation from the bullpen like Brock Burke, Kolby Allard, Glenn Otto, and A.J. Alexy.
Top pitching prospect Cole Winn could graduate to a spot in the rotation sometime over the summer, but Texas has to be hopeful that one or more of their starters with question marks will claim a role for the future which would set the team up nicely moving forward. Expect an ample amount of growing pains in the interim, however.
Youth will be served
A big part of the 2022 Texas Rangers, ironically, is not about their big league club at all. The development of the young players that Texas is cultivating in the minor leagues will determine whether or not their offseason expenditures will ultimately prove fruitful.
Luckily for Texas, the farm system is on the rise and starting to produce.
Though 2019 first-round pick Josh Jung likely won’t make his debut at third base this summer after shoulder surgery, 2018 top pick Winn is knocking on the door. Couple those two with the first-rounders from 2020 (IF Justin Foscue) and 2021 (RHP Jack Leiter), along with one of the consensus deepest systems in baseball, and the Rangers are lined up to support their recent free agency prizes.
Keeping an eye on how the prospects on the farm grow and develop, along with how players on the cusp or youngsters in the big leagues try to transition to become a part of the core going forward, is one of the more exciting aspects to anticipate from the Rangers in 2022.
Bold prediction: The Rangers won’t finish last in the American League West!
Instead, expect Texas to be on the fringes of the Wild Card hunt a year ahead of when they think they will be ready for the big jump. On the bright side, there should be a lot of tangible progress as the Rangers provide entertaining baseball and hope for the first time in years.
Where do you think the Rangers will finish in the AL West in 2022? Share your predictions with us on Twitter @BaseballTX.