The start of the 2022 Major League Baseball season is just around the corner. After a very busy offseason, the Texas Rangers are very much looking forward to taking the field this year. This offseason, however, was not without its’ challenges. For the first time in 26 years, Major League Baseball saw its’ first player lockout. Starting in early December, negotiations between the Players Association and Major League Baseball went on for 99 days, and were finally resolved in early March. Fortunately for players and fans alike, that rough patch is now firmly planted in the past. Rangers fans are especially excited for this upcoming campaign. Considering how much work was poured into this roster over the winter, it is good to see everyone on the same page once again. With that said, here is a preview of what’s in store this season for the Rangers.
Pitching Staff
The Rangers starting rotation is going to be key for them this year. They have a lot of new pitchers on the staff in 2022, so determining who will make up that starting five will be a fun challenge. Right now, the top candidates are Dane Dunning, A.J. Alexy, Jon Gray, Kolby Allard, and Taylor Hearn. They experimented with Hearn in the rotation last year, so it seems worth another try for this season. Spencer Howard and Glenn Otto are possible options as well. In terms of middle relief, Joe Barlow makes for a strong candidate. Garrett Richards is another guy who can really eat up innings. As far as late-inning relief goes, Josh Sborz and Dennis Santana would be the best arms for those roles.
Outfield Options
This coming year, the Rangers look a little crowded in the field. That’s not a bad problem to have, however. Right now, it seems that outfielders Willie Calhoun, Kole Calhoun, Adolis Garcia, and Elie White will be going North with the big club once camp breaks. Rangers fans are especially excited to see what Garcia will do in his sophomore season in the majors. To trim the roster, outfielders Zach Reks and Leody Taveras have been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock to begin the season. They”ll get more playing time down there, and they will definitely be ready to come back up should someone get hurt.
Plenty to Look Forward To
Led by manager Chris Woodward, the Texas Rangers will begin their 162-game marathon at Rogers Centre to take on the Toronto Blue Jays on April 8th. After a three-game series there, they play their home opener at Globe Life Field on April 11th against the Colorado Rockies. After a brief two-game set against Colorado, they have another four against the Los Angeles Angels. It is during this six-game stretch that the Rangers will have the chance to debut their numerous offseason acquisitions. Their infield is particularly eye-popping. With the likes of free agent signees Marcus Semien and Corey Seager, their defense and offense are going to be more than worth the price of admission. Over the winter, President of Baseball Operations Jon Daniels and GM Chris Young were on a mission to find winning talent, and that is exactly what they did. The 2021 season ended in disappointment for the Texas Rangers. They finished with a record of 60–102, and left a very bad taste in everyone’s mouth. It makes sense that the team would want to make it up to their fanbase with this revamped roster.
Other Acquisitions
The Texas Rangers went wild this year on the free agent market in comparison to recent years. Along with Semien and Seager, they also added some pitching as well. They signed right-handers Jon Gray and Garrett Richards. They also acquired another infielder in free agent Brad Miller. All of these guys are very good players who are definitely looking forward to a change of scenery in Arlington. The Rangers also brought in some help to handle the pitching staff from behind the plate. They got veteran catcher Mitch Garver from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Isiah Kiner-Falefa. The Twins then traded Kiner-Falefa to the New York Yankees. Shortly after they got Semien and Seager, they also signed outfielder Kole Calhoun as a free agent. He previously played for the Arizona Diamondbacks. With all of these new names on the Rangers’ 40-man roster, the 2022 season is sure to be a good one. Many believe them to be a playoff-contending team, and for good reason. As stated before, the word disappointment would be an understatement if used to describe last season for the Rangers. They clearly were playing without purpose down the stretch. Members of the front office knew that they couldn’t let that happen again in 2022. So they did what they could, and put together a very good team of well established ballplayers. With that said, the Texas Rangers are going to be a very exciting team to watch this year.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players/Managers Mentioned:
Dane Dunning, A.J. Alexy, Jon Gray, Kolby Allard, Taylor Hearn, Spencer Howard, Glenn Otto, Joe Barlow, Garrett Richards, Dennis Santana, Willie Calhoun, Kole Calhoun, Adolis Garcia, Leody Taveras, Eli White, Zach Reks, Josh Sborz, Chris Woodward, Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, Brad Miller, Mitch Garver, Isiah Kiner-Falefa
