Rangers: 2017 Fantasy Baseball Preview
By Bill Pivetz
AL East: BAL, BOS, NYY, TB, TOR
NL East: ATL, NYM, PHI, MIA, WAS
AL Central: KC, CWS, DET, CLE, MIN
NL Central: STL, PIT, CHC, MIL, CIN
The Texas Rangers lost some major pieces on offense this offseason. With some younger players on the rise, how will they perform this season?
The Texas Rangers are trending in the right direction. With the rise of the Houston Astros and rebound of the Seattle Mariners, the Rangers made some moves in order to stay competitive. The team signed one starting pitcher and another bat for the offense. That paired with the current roster, they will have plenty of fantasy production this season.
The Rangers did lose some key pieces on offense. Mitch Moreland, Carlos Beltran, and Ian Desmond all left this offseason. They were able to keep Jonathan Lucroy and Carlos Gomez. If those two left as well, the Rangers would have been in a world of hurt.
Globe Life Park was an average park for hitters. It ranked 14th in home runs, fifth in hits and sixth in runs.
More from Fantasy Baseball
- 5 fantasy baseball waiver wire pivots to replace Triston McKenzie
- Fantasy baseball mock draft 2023, 12-team: Aaron Judge over Trea Turner?
- 3 fantasy baseball sleepers being drafted too late
- NBA DFS picks December 25: Merry Bucking Christmas
- Fantasy Baseball: Hot pitchers worthy of starting this weekend
If you look at the Rangers hitters, they either hit 20 or eight home runs. There was nothing in between for this team. The team lost two 20-home run hitters in Moreland and Desmond, but looking at who they brought in, they should be able to replace them.
If you combine them, the Texas offense was a top-10 offense. They ranked seventh in runs, seventh in home runs and fifth in batting average.
Unfortunately, for the Rangers fans and fantasy owners, the pitching staff was the weakest link. The team finished with a 4.37 ERA (22nd), 1.37 WHIP (22nd), and 84 quality starts (eighth).
If you split the numbers between starters and relievers, the numbers were almost identical. The rotation had a 4.38 ERA while the bullpen had a 4.40 ERA. The bullpen also finished first in combined team saves. Looking at who is slotted to be the closer, he will have a lot of chances this season.
With the recent moves, I have a total of 10 Rangers players ranked in my top 300. All five of their infielders, two outfielders, two starting pitchers and the closer are the players you should target in your drafts.
The Rangers rotation was hit or miss throughout the year. There were some good options and others you couldn’t trust on a weekly basis.
Cole Hamels will lead the rotation again. He finished with a 3.32 ERA, 1.306 WHIP, and 15-5 record. He also had a 9.0 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 200.2 innings. Hamels could win another 15 games with this offense and I think the ratio stats will even themselves out. He is my No. 25 starting pitcher as a 10th round pick.
Yu Darvish is the No. 2 pitcher for Texas. Owning him has been a struggle. He made just 17 starts last season, missed all of 2015, and made 22 starts in 2014. Darvish had a 3.41 ERA, 1.116 WHIP, and 132 strikeouts in just 100.1 innings.
If he can make 30 starts, then he will have great value and I rank him as such. Darvish is my No. 13 pitcher. Let’s all hope he can stay healthy.
Martin Perez, recently signed Andrew Cashner, and A.J. Griffin round out the rotation. Griffin will likely lose his spot once Tyson Ross is healthy. Unless you’re in an AL-only or 16-team league, then stay away from these pitchers.
Perez and Griffin had ERAs of 4.39 and 5.07 and WHIPs of 1.414 and 1.361, respectively. Their FIPs also reflect their performance, so don’t expect anything to change this season.
The Rangers bullpen turned a huge corner after May. Shawn Tolleson started the season as the team’s closer. He finished April
Shawn Tolleson started the season as the team’s closer. He finished April with a 6.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and eight saves. He made a few more appearances in the ninth inning before making way for Sam Dyson.
Dyson recorded his first save on May 11. From that point on, he had a 2.48 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 38 saves in 42 chances. He had eight saves in 11 August appearances and eight saves and two wins in 11 September games.
I wrote about Dyson being a top-20 closer back in November. I have him just outside the top 20 currently, but if he can carry over his 2016 performance, then top 15 is more likely.
Dyson has good support around him, too. Matt Bush had a great bounce back, posting a 2.48 ERA and 0.941 WHIP in 58 appearances.
The team also acquired Jeremy Jeffress in the Lucroy deal. He was a great closer in Milwaukee and will be a great set-up man for Texas. Both men will have value in holds leagues or if Dyson goes down.
Looking at the Rangers infield, they could easily hit 100 home runs this season.
Lucroy is behind the plate, first base is up in the air, Rougned Odor at second, Adrian Beltre at third and Elvis Andrus at shortstop.
Lucroy hit 24 combined home runs between Milwaukee and Texas. He hit 11 home runs, 31 RBI, and .276 in 47 games with the Rangers. In a full season, he could hit 25 homers and 90 RBI with Texas. He is my No. 3 catcher with a possibility of finishing first overall.
The reason I say first base is up in the air is because of the Rangers’ most recent signing. I will talk about him further, but adding Mike Napoli creates a problem. He will likely be the DH, but Roster Resource lists him as the first baseman.
Regardless, Napoli will be drafted as a top-20 first baseman.
Odor had his breakout season. He hit 33 home runs, 88 RBI, and .271. He doesn’t have the best plate discipline, just 19 walks to 135 strikeouts. I think Odor’s power will drop off, more like 28 home runs with a .275 average. He is my No. 7 second baseman.
Beltre has been a power monster since coming to Texas. He has 167 home runs and a .308 average in six seasons. Beltre limits his strikeouts and walks almost just as much, 66 to 48 in 2016. He is my No. 6 third baseman.
Andrus doesn’t hit for power, just 35 career home runs. His upside comes from his contact and speed. He hit .302 with 24 steals. That was the first time he hit over .300 in his career. My colleague Brad Kelly and I think there will be some regression. He is the lowest ranked Rangers infielder, No. 11 shortstop.
The Rangers outfield is returning Carlos Gomez, Shin-Soo Choo and Nomar Mazara.
Another colleague, Joseph Ganann wrote about the impact of Gomez going back to Texas here. He did well in the short time with the Rangers, hitting .284 with eight home runs and 24 RBI. In a full season, I think he can hit 15 and 70 this season.
Choo will fall in drafts after he played in just 48 games last season. He hit 22 homers, 82 RBI, and .276 in 149 games in 2015. I don’t have him in my outfield rankings, but he will be a top add off the waiver wire.
Kelly wrote about being cautious with Mazara this season. He had an impressive rookie season, but can he continue that performance into his sophomore year? Mazara did hit 20 home runs but had a 49 percent ground ball rate. He also struggled against lefties. I like Mazara but has a high-upside pick.
If Napoli does play at first base, that means Joey Gallo will be the DH. I talked about the effects here. I would prefer Napoli as the DH and Jurickson Profar moving over to first.
The Texas Rangers have a solid team. They have two top-25 starting pitchers, a top-20 closer and top-10 players all across the infield.
They could use a couple of more pieces to solidify their World Series hopes, but for fantasy baseball owners, there’s not much to hate about this team. I would be satisfied drafting a few players from this team.