All-Time Texas Rangers Team

The Texas Rangers are the next team on my list to create an all-time team. Just as I have done with the previous two teams, I have looked at player’s WAR at each position throughout the team’s history. Here is the list of your all-time Texas Rangers players!

Starting Pitchers:

Charlie Hough, WAR 32.6:

Hough pitched for 11 seasons with the Rangers and compiled a solid 139-123 record for .531-win percentage. In that time, he had an ERA of 3.68 and managed to throw 98 complete games in 313 starts. In 1986 he was voted into is one and only all-star game, finishing that season with a 17-10 record and a 3.79 ERA. 

Kenny Rogers, WAR 31.2:

Rogers split his team with the team as a reliever and a starter, but I am giving him the starting pitcher nod for this article. Rogers had three different stints with the Rangers totaling 12 seasons with the team. Overall, with the Rangers, he had a record of 133-96 and an ERA of 4.16. In his 12 seasons with the team he was voted and all-star 3 times and won 4 Gold Gloves. In 1995 he earned his first all-star game appearance, finishing his best season with a 17-7 record and 3.38 ERA.

Nolan Ryan, WAR 15.2:

This last choice may be a bit controversial, as Ryan was not the next highest WAR on the list, but what he did with the Rangers was truly amazing. He played his last five seasons of 27-year career with the Rangers starting at age 42 and finishing at age 46. In his five seasons with the team he had a record of 51-39 for a .567-win percentage. Ryan had an ERA of 3.43 and struck out 939 batters! In his first season with the team in 1989, and at age 42, Ryan was voted an all-star. Finishing that season with a record of 16-10, an ERA of 3.20, and 301 strikeouts to lead all of the Major Leagues.

Relief Pitchers:

Darren Oliver, WAR 9.3:

Oliver pitched 10 seasons for the Rangers, splitting time as a starting pitcher and a relief pitcher. Oliver was much more successful as a reliever in his careers with the Rangers, in his time as a reliever he had a record of 11-7 with an ERA of 3.72. The ERA is only that high because of the one season where he was both a starter and reliever. That particular season as a reliever he had an ERA of 7.71, if you take out that season, he had a career ERA of 2.72 as a reliever with the Rangers.

Neftali Feliz, WAR 8.7:

Neftali Feliz had a 13-10 record in his 7 years with the Rangers. In that time, he had 2.69 ERA and 93 saves. His best season came in his rookie year, when he had 2.73 ERA and 40 total saves. He was also voted an all-star that season and the AL Rookie of the Year.

Catcher:

Ivan Rodriguez, WAR 50:

Ivan Rodriguez is arguably one of the top 5 catches in the history of baseball, and he spent 13 seasons of his Hall of Fame career playing for the Rangers. In his rookie season, he came in 4th place in the Rookie of the Year award voting while only playing in 88 games. In his first full season, Rodriguez earned his first of 10 straight all-star appearances and 10 straight Gold Glove Awards. He had a career average of .304, while hitting 217 homeruns and driving in 842 runs while with the Rangers. In 1999 he won the MVP award while hitting .332 with 35 homeruns and 113 RBIs. Rodriguez also added 6 Silver Slugger awards with the Rangers.

Jim Sundberg, WAR 34.7:

Sundberg had a great career with the Rangers, specifically as a defensive stalwart. Starting in 1976 he won 6 straight Gold Glove Awards. He was also voted an all-star two times while with the Rangers, and the first time was in his rookie season. Sundberg was not the hitter that Rodriguez was, but was still a serviceable hitter in his time. In his 12 seasons with the Rangers he had a batting average of .252 with 60 homeruns and 480 RBIs.

1st Base:

Rafael Palmeiro, WAR 44.6:

Palmeiro played ten seasons with the Rangers in two different stints. In his ten years with the team, he had a batting average of .290 with 321 homeruns and 1039 RBIs. He was a two-time all-star, won a Gold Glove Award, and a Silver Slugger Award. In his best season with the Rangers (1999) he hit .324 with 47 homeruns and 148 RBIs, that was the season that he won his Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards as well.

Mark Teixeira, WAR 21.5:

Teixeira played five seasons for the Rangers, winning 2 Silver Slugger and 2 Gold Glove Awards while earning one all-star nod. In his five seasons with the team, he had a batting average of .283 with 153 homeruns and 499 RBIs. He had back to back seasons in which he played in all 162 games and had his best season in 2005 hitting .301 with 43 homeruns and 144 RBIs.

2nd Base:

Julio Franco, WAR 20.2:

Franco played five seasons for the Rangers in the middle of his career. In his time with the team he had a batting average of .307 with 55 homeruns, 331 RBIs, and 98 stolen bases. He was voted to his only three all-star games while playing for the Rangers and also won 3 Silver Slugger Awards. In his best season (1991) he won the Batting title while hitting .341 with 15 homeruns, 78 RBIs, and 36 stolen bases.

Ian Kinsler, WAR 19:

Kinsler played eight seasons with the Rangers, and compiled an average of .273 with 156 homeruns, 539 RBIs, and 172 stolen bases. He was a three-time all-star in his 8 seasons and was an outstanding lead-off hitter for the team in his time with them. In what can be seen as his best season, Kinsler hit .255 with 32 homeruns, 77 RBIs, and 30 stolen bases. As an Angels fan, I truly feared Kinsler every time he came to the plate against the Angels.

3rd Base:

Adrian Beltre, WAR 41.2:

Beltre thrived in his 8 seasons with the Rangers before he retired. Beltre was one of my favorite third baseman to watch as it seemed like he had so much fun while on the field but was also an amazing player. In his 8 seasons with the Rangers he had a batting average of .304 with 199 homeruns and 699 RBIs. Beltre was a three-time Gold Glove winner, won three Silver Slugger awards, and was voted an all-star three times with the Rangers. In 2012, he came in 3rd in the MVP voting while hitting .321 with 36 homeruns and 102 RBIs.

Buddy Bell, WAR 36.3:

Like Beltre, Bell thrived once he made his way to the Rangers. In his 8 seasons he put up his best numbers, hitting .293 with 87 homeruns and 499 RBIs. Once Bell joined the Rangers, he won six straight Gold Glove Awards, was voted into four all-star games, and won a Silver Slugger Award. In his first all-star season, Bell compiled his best stats hitting .329 with 17 homeruns and 83 RBIs.

Shortstop:

Elvis Andrus, WAR 30.9:

Andrus is the first player on this list that has spent his entire career with the Rangers, and he has had shortstop locked down for the last 11 seasons. He has only played less than 145 games one time in 11 seasons, and that was the 2018 season due to injuries. He has a career batting average of .275 with 73 homeruns, 629 RBIs, and 302 stolen bases. Andrus is a two-time all-star and came in 2nd in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2009.

Alex Rodriguez, WAR 25.5:

Rodriguez only spent three seasons with the Rangers, but those three seasons were some of the best of his career. He played in 485 of the 486 games played by the Rangers in his time with the team from 2001 to 2003. He had a batting average of .305 with 156 homeruns and 395 RBIs in just three seasons! He won two Gold Glove Awards, three Silver Slugger Awards, was voted an all-star three times, won the MVP in 2003. That MVP season was not even his best statistical season with the Rangers, in 2002 he hit .300 with 57 homeruns and 142 RBIs.

Outfield:

Juan Gonzalez, WAR 31.9:

Gonzalez spent 13 seasons with Rangers, with a batting average of .293, 372 homeruns, and 1180 RBIs. He was voted an all-star twice with in his 13 seasons and won two MVP awards in 1996 and 1998. In 1998, he had his best season hitting .318 with 45 homeruns, 157 RBIs, and added 50 doubles. He helped lead the Rangers into the playoffs in both of his MVP seasons, although they lost to the Yankees in the divisional series both years.

Frank Howard, WAR 26.8:

Howard played eight seasons with the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers starting in the mid-1960s. He had an average of .277 with 246 homeruns and 701 RBIs. He was voted an all-star in four straight seasons from 1968-1971. In 1969, he had his best season hitting .296 with 48 homeruns, 111 RBIs, and an on-base percentage of .402. He was a great power hitter in his time with the organization.

Ruben Sierra, WAR 20.2:

Sierra spent ten seasons with the Rangers in two stints, starting with his first six seasons. Sierra hit .280 with 180 homeruns and 742 RBIs. He was a three-time all-star and won his only Silver Slugger Award while playing with the Rangers. He had his best season in 1989, the year he won the Silver Slugger, he hit .306 with 29 homeruns, while leading the league with 119 RBIs and 14 triples.

Utility Players:

Toby Harrah, WAR 32.3:

Harrah played eleven seasons with Rangers/Senators staring in 1969. He had an average of .257 with 124 homeruns, 568 RBIs, and 153 stolen bases. For his time, Harrah was more of a power hitting middle infielder. He had three all-star seasons with the Rangers, and his best year came in 1975 when he hit .293 with 20 homeruns, 93 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases.

Michael Young, WAR 25.9:

Young was the ultimate utility infielder, playing every infield position with the Rangers in his 13 seasons with the team. Young was another player, that just always felt like he had the Angels number, but I always respected his ability to play any position. He had an average of .301 with 177 homeruns and 984 RBIs. He was not a big statistical player, but he was a gamer and always got the job done. He was a seven-time all-star and won a Gold Glove Award. In 2005, Young had a fantastic season, hitting .331 with 24 homeruns, 91 RBIs, 40 doubles, and 221 hits. He had six seasons in his career with the Rangers with over 200 hits.