2024 Pre-Season Profile: Texas Rangers

 #17

The Texas Rangers shocked the baseball world by going all the way and winning the World Series.  Will there be a repeat postseason run in 2024?

2023 Predictions

#16 - 3rd in AL West

MIH - Corey Seager

MIP - Jacob deGrom

PTW - Owen White

FP - The Rangers best starter in 2023 will be Nathan Eovaldi.

2023 Results

#1 - 90-72, 1st in AL West, won World Series

Highest WAR (Position) - Marcus Semien

Highest WAR (Pitcher) - Nathan Eovaldi

I knew the Rangers were on their back to the postseason, but no one saw winning the World Series in 2023.  It truly shows that all it takes is getting into the tournament, then who knows what will happen.  The crazy part is Jacob deGrom, the prize of last off-season, only pitched 6 games.  Nathan Eovaldi, as predicted, was the ace of the staff, even after they went out and traded for a few more starters.  Bruce Bochy is a magician.

Additions / Subtractions

After buy, buy, buy the last few offseasons signing Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, trading for Max Scherzer, the Rangers went very quiet.  The biggest addition they made was starter Tyler Mahle who is starting the season injured.  Relievers David Robertson and Kirby Yates were added.  That's about it.

Most Important Hitter

Marcus Semien

Marcus Semien has definitely been earning the megadeal he signed a few years ago, and in 2023 he was the Rangers best player.  He played in every regular season game and every playoff game.  Now he's entering his age 33 season.  Eventually, the workload and the age are going to catch up with him.  Semien, combined with Corey Seager, have been the anchors of this team since they signed.  Seager is always getting hurt.  They need Semien to remain the stabilizing force he was in 2023 for them to be elite again this season.

Most Important Pitcher

Nathan Eovaldi

The sneaky good signing of last offseason became their best starter (as predicted).  Now, Nathan Eovaldi will be relied on even more with Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, and Tyler Mahle all starting the season on the IL.  They could have a stellar rotation by the end of the season, but Eovaldi has to be great for the end of the season to matter.

Prospect to Watch

Wyatt Langford

Along with a World Series ring, the Rangers also have the 7th best farm system in baseball.  That's even with several elite pitching prospects falling apart and getting injured.  Of the 4 prospects in the Top 100, they have two outfielders in the Top 10.  One became a household name last postseason when Evan Carter broke out.  Now the prospect getting ready to turn heads is Wyatt Langford.  Taken with the 4th pick in last year's draft, Langford is already in the big leagues and ready to take the league by storm.  All he does is hit, which is why to get him in the lineup, he is a 22 year old full time DH.

2024 Prediction

4th in AL West

For a team that came out of nowhere to win a World Series, a hangover feels very likely the next season.  The pitchers were taxed, the starters are already injured.  They still have a ton of talent, but even Bruce Bochy's Giants teams only made the postseason every other year in their World Series dominance.  I have nothing else but a hunch.  The Rangers will take a step back in 2024.

Fearless Prediction

Marcus Semien and Corey Seager will combine for 162 games played.

They are easily the two most important players on the roster.  Seager is always injured, and Semien is getting old.  With the pitching staff dealing with injuries, the Rangers need to score to win.  If these two go down for any amount of time, scoring could be difficult, which would make winning difficult.

2023 Pre-Season Profile: Texas Rangers

 #16

The Texas Rangers have spent the last couple offseasons trying to buy their way into contention.  Will 2023 reward them with a playoff berth?

2022 Predictions

#20 - 4th in AL West

MIH - Adolis Garcia

MIP - Jon Gray

PTW - Josh Jung

2022 Results

#24 - 68-94, 4th in AL West

Highest WAR (Position) - Marcus Semien

Highest WAR (Pitcher) - Martin Perez

The 2022 Texas Rangers were all about seeing how much improvement they could get out of the money they spent on Marcus Semien and Corey Seager.  The answer was ... not a lot with them alone.  They only won 8 more games in 2022 from 2021 as their pitching struggled to keep up.  Outside of Martin Perez and a couple arms out of the bullpen, the pitching staff was well below average in 2022.  The lack of improvement led to manager Chris Woodward being fired mid-season.

Additions / Subtractions

The Rangers continued this offseason on their spending spree, which started by replacing their manager with future Hall of Famer Bruce Bochy.  Then, the Rangers rebuilt their rotation the same way they did their lineup: free agency and lots of money.  So in comes free agent starters Jacob deGrom, Andrew Heaney, Nathan Eovaldi, and Jake Odorizzi (only he was via trade), as well as reliever Ian Kennedy.  So consider the rotation re-tooled.

Most Important Hitter

Corey Seager

Entering his second season as a Ranger, Corey Seager should have something to prove.  Although 2022 was a really good season for him, it could have been even better.  Seager is being paid like a superstar, yet his production was eclipsed by his high-priced double play mate Marcus Semien.  He hit a career high 33 homers, but he only had a 119 OPS+ when he has been in the 130-150 range.  He did play the full season, which is huge for a guy who has struggled to stay on the field.  Now he has to put it all together, which may be easier for him in 2023.  Seager is one mentioned often as a player that will benefit the most from the new rule that bans the shift.  Teams implemented the shift on Seager more than almost any other player in baseball in 2022.  This led to a .245 batting average when he has a career average of .287.  With this simple change, that batting average could bump significantly.  Now, can he stay on the field for a second consecutive full season, a feat he has only accomplished once in his career?

Most Important Pitcher

Jacob deGrom

Speaking of health ... The Rangers took a huge gamble this offseason giving Jacob deGrom one of the richest contracts a starting pitcher has ever received.  His 5 year, $185 million deal will make him the 5th highest paid starter in baseball this season, a number that actually goes up as the contract ages.  So why is the a problem?  Over the last 3 seasons, deGrom has only thrown 224 innings.  He has almost had single seasons reach that number.  To be fair, one of those seasons was the COVID-shortened 2020 season, but the point remains the same.  After being a work horse for the first 6 seasons of his career, deGrom simply hasn't been on the field.  The struggle has also been those seasons have been some of his most dominant.  He was going to set records in 2021 before he got hurt.  If he's healthy, he's the best pitcher in baseball and can lead this re-vamped starting rotation to great heights.  If he's hurt, the Rangers have a black hole at the top of their rotation (as well as their check book).  Which will it be?

Prospect to Watch

Owen White

More focus on pitching for the Rangers...  The Rangers have a strong top end of their farm system, boasting 6 players in the Top 100 Prospects.  The one most intriguing this season is Owen White.  Thanks to injuries and the pandemic, White has had a bit of a rocky start to his pro career, but he has also shown he is probably the best pitcher the Rangers have in their system right now.  With all the new arms in the rotation (and a few returning), White may have trouble cracking the starting 5, but if the Rangers have a shot at a playoff spot down the stretch, White might be an electrifying option out of the bullpen.

2023 Predictions

3rd in AL West

There are multiple ways to build a winner.  You can build your team from the ground up, or you can buy an All Star roster.  The Rangers have gone the second route, and it just might work.  The reason to have faith in this team is Bruce Bochy.  All he has done in his coaching career is win, whether it was early on in San Diego or it was winning 3 World Series in 5 years in San Francisco.  He knows what it takes to build a winner, even when the talent isn't elite.  Now he has possibly the most talented roster he has ever had.  It might take a year or two to put it all together, but Texas is on the fast track to getting back to the playoffs.

Fearless Prediction

The Rangers best starter in 2023 will be Nathan Eovaldi.

What is crazy about what the Rangers have done in their spending spree is they were able to buy depth.  Jacob deGrom is a huge gamble, but they also backed it up with several other guys in case he is injured again or needs extra rest.  That's why I think, when all is said and done in 2023, Nathan Eovaldi will be the one looked at as their best pitcher.  He has had some injury issues in the past as well, but he has been consistent over the last few seasons and has always shown the ability to carry a staff if he needs to.  This was one of the sneaky best signings of the offseason.  The Rangers will be glad they got him.

2021 Pre-Season Profile: Los Angeles Dodgers

 #3

The Los Angeles Dodgers finally broke through and took the top prize in 2020 for the first time since 1988.  Is this the start of a new dynasty in LA?

2020 Predictions

#1 - 1st in NL West, win World Series

MIH - Corey Seager

MIP - Julio Urias

PTW - Dustin May

2020 Result

#1 - 43-17, 1st in NL West, won World Series

I will once again brag that I correctly predicted the World Series matchup and result!  The Dodgers have been one of the most talented teams in the league for awhile now, but finally they took the top prize.  They seem to only ever get better and stronger and deeper.

Additions / Subtractions

Even after winning the World Series, the Dodgers couldn't be content.  They had to get better, especially after seeing the crazy moves made by the division rival Padres.  Enter 2020 Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer.  If any team didn't need another starting pitcher, it was the Dodgers.  Now they have the most elite rotations in memory with Trevor Bauer, Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Julio Urias, Dustin May, David Price, and Tony Gonsolin all in a position to get starts throughout the season.  In terms of the lineup, they re-signed third baseman Justin Turner while they let second baseman Kike Hernandez sign elsewhere, clearing room for former top prospect Gavin Lux to start every day.

Most Important Hitter

Will Smith

The Dodgers lineup is loaded with at least three potential MVP candidates in Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger, and Corey Seager.  However, the key to their lineup might be catcher Will Smith, not necessarily for what he brings offensively but what he brings behind the plate.  Smith is entering his third full season in the big leagues, and he has always been able to hit.  His work defensively will be much more crucial as he looks to be the everyday catcher in 2021, especially considering the dream team pitching staff that is throwing to him.

Most Important Pitcher

Kenley Jansen

The starting rotation is deep and elite.  The bullpen is just as deep, but there are definite questions as to how elite they are at the back end.  Kenley Jansen has been the closer in LA for almost a decade.  His peak was in 2017 where he had 41 saves, a 1.32 ERA, and earned both Cy Young and MVP votes.  The last three seasons have been borderline average for Jansen, so much so that there has been talk of hi keeping his closer job.  Now the 33 year old is looking for a bounce back season to keep his job and keep the rest the back end of that bullpen elite.

Prospect to Watch

Keibert Ruiz

Along with bringing in some top talents through trades and free agency, the Dodgers have been incredibly good at building from within in recent years.  Whether it is Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, Will Smith, Walker Buehler, or Julio Urias, the Dodgers constantly develop talent into stars and rarely trade away their top prospects.  Not many of the top prospects are projected to help the big club this season (and with the veteran depth they have, that's no surprise).  The one most likely to have an impact in the majors is top catching prospect Keibert Ruiz.  Ruiz is one that the Dodgers have been protecting the last few seasons in the big trades they have pulled off.  Now he will either be the trade chip they need to make another big splash or provide some depth behind the plate behind Will Smith and Austin Barnes.

2021 Prediction

1st in NL West, lose in NLCS

Are the Dodgers the most talented roster in the league?  Yes.  Are they the defending champions?  Yes.  Are they the favorites to repeat?  Yes.  With all that said, only twice in the 21st century have the defending champs even made the World Series the next year (2001 Yankees, 2009 Phillies).  No one has repeated as champs since the 1998-2000 Yankees won three in a row.  The last seven seasons have even had seven different champions.  The Dodgers have the talent to have that kind of run, but it is extremely hard to do.  There is enough parody in baseball right now that I think the Dodgers fall short of the Fall Classic in 2021.  At the same time, this year might be the easiest year to repeat with their depth and the short season in 2020.

Fearless Prediction

This is the last year Clayton Kershaw wears Dodger blue.

Clayton Kershaw is going to go down as one of the greatest pitchers of all time.  He is entering a contract year as a 33 year old, and looking at a roster filled with megadeals and superstars looking for megadeals.  At some point the Dodgers have to run out of money, right?  They just paid Mookie Betts last year, they paid Trevor Bauer this year, they need to decide who will be their shortstop of the future and give him a big payday (whether it is Corey Seager or one of the other superstar free agent shortstops), young stars like Cody Bellinger and Walker Buehler will need to be paid soon, and they still have some other big contracts on the books like A.J. Pollock and David Price.  You have to think Kershaw will either need to take a huge hometown discount or move on to a team that needs a star, like Kershaw's hometown Rangers.

2019 Pre-Season Profiles: #4 - #1

Well, we are a series into the 2019 season, and I am still a few teams away from finishing this pre-season project.  So I am going to bust out my last few in shortened format in one article.

#4

St. Louis Cardinals

Most Important Hitter: Marcel Ozuna

Most Important Pitcher: Jack Flaherty

Prospect to Watch: Dakota Hudson

2019 Prediction: 1st in NL Central, lose in NLCS

Bold Prediction: Miles Mikolas will finish in the top 5 in NL Cy Young voting.

Of all the major splashes this offseason, the most underrated might be the move that landed the Cardinals the most underrated player of the last decade.  Paul Goldschmidt gives the Cards a presence in their clubhouse that puts them back in the elite.  St. Louis never feels like a trendy pick in the NL Central, but I think they surprise and steal it.  Ozuna was their big acquisition last year, and he needs to produce.  Flaherty and Hudson are some young guns in their rotation that should break out in 2019.  I see them getting a step away from the pennant before someone finally knocks them out.

#3

Houston Astros

Most Important Hitter: Carlos Correa

Most Important Pitcher: Collin McHugh

Prospect to Watch: Forrest Whitley

2019 Prediction: 1st in AL West, lose in ALCS

Bold Prediction: Gerrit Cole wins the AL Cy Young.

I wanted to say the Astros regress in 2019 and maybe even miss the playoffs, but they are just too talented.  Their lineup is stacked, even getting better with All Star Michael Brantley joining the outfield.  One of their keys this year is if Carlos Correa can stay healthy.  Their stud shortstop spent a lot of last year injured and is starting this year on the IL as well.  His success will help lead to greater success for the team.  Everyone knows the top of their rotation, but their depth took a hit this offseason when they didn't re-sign Dallas Keuchel and Charlie Morton, and Lance McCullers went down with Tommy John.  Collin McHugh spent last season in the bullpen because the rotation was out of room.  Now he is going to be counted on to be an innings eater in the back end of their rotation.  If some of their starters fail, look for Forrest Whitley to burst onto the scene and show why he is a top 10 prospect in all of baseball.

#2

Los Angeles Dodgers

Most Important Hitter: Corey Seager

Most Important Pitcher: Kenley Jansen

Prospect to Watch: Alex Verdugo

2019 Prediction: 1st in NL West, lose in World Series

Bold Prediction: Brian Roberts will be fired after the season.

This is a fascinating team to me.  It is so hard to make three straight World Series, but I think they have to enter the season as the favorites to do it.  The health and production of Corey Seager will be key.  He is a backbone of their offense, and after missing all of 2018 with Tommy John surgery, it will be interesting to see if he can get back to being the budding superstar.  There are a lot of question marks surrounding the rotation, especially the health of ace Clayton Kershaw.  However, without Kenley Jansen closing every important game, the starters don't matter.  His health scare from the offseason that required heart surgery has some questioning his health moving forward.  If he can be as dominant as he has been the last several years, they will have nothing to worry about.  Alex Verdugo has been on the verge of breaking out for a few years, but has been blocked by a loaded outfield.  Either he gets his opportunity or is traded for a starting pitcher mid-season.

#1

New York Yankees

Most Important Hitter: Giancarlo Stanton

Most Important Pitcher: James Paxton

Prospect to Watch: Jonathan Loaisiga

2019 Prediction: 1st in AL East, win World Series

Fearless Prediction: James Paxton finishes in the top 3 of the AL Cy Young voting.

To me, the New York Yankees are the most talented and best team in the league.  They have young phenoms combined with star veterans in their lineup, they have a deep and talented starting rotation (which is being tested at the start of the season with injuries), and they have the deepest and strongest bullpen in the league.  Look for Giancarlo Stanton to return to his form that led to an NL MVP.  Look for James Paxton to become a superstar.  As one of the sneaky best acquisitions of the season, look for Paxton to quickly become a superstar if he can have a healthy season.  They are the team best built for playoff success in 2019 and be the 3rd different team to defeat the Dodgers in the World Series in the last 3 seasons.

2017 Pre-Season Profile: Los Angeles Dodgers

#5

The Los Angeles Dodgers won their fourth straight division title in 2016, but have yet to see all these postseason appearances result in even a World Series birth.  Will 2017 be more of the same, or bring about a change in fate for the better or worse?

My 2016 Predictions

2nd in NL West, WILD CARD, lose in NLDS

Yasiel Puig will be traded by the Trade Deadline.

2016 Results

91-71, 1st in NL West, lost in NLCS

For awhile, people were wondering if Clayton Kershaw's Dodgers could win a postseason series, let alone make a deep championship run.  Well, in 2016 Kershaw stepped up and led his team passed the NLDS only to run into the buzzsaw that was the Cubs.  For a rookie manager, and a team that had struggled in the postseason, this wasn't a bad season.  However, with the amount of money being spent on this team, anything less than a World Series is a disappointment.

Additions / Subtractions

For the most part, the Dodgers were fairly quiet this offseason.  They added some outfield depth in Franklin Gutierrez.  However, the big story around them all offseason was not if they were going to trade for a second baseman, but which second baseman were they going to trade for.  After being linked to the Twins' Brian Dozier for most of the offseason, the Dodgers pulled the trigger on the Rays' Logan Forsythe.

Most Important Hitter

Yasmani Grandal

With all the stars on the Dodgers, a guy like Yasmani Grandal is easily overlooked.  However, he has been one of the most productive catchers offensively in the entire league over the last few seasons.  Acquired from the Padres in the strange Matt Kemp deal, Grandal put up 27 homers in 2016.  With emerging stars like Corey Seager and Justin Turner anchoring the heart of the order with a professional hitter like Adrian Gonzalez, a bat like Yasmani Grandal, if he keeps up this production, could emerge as an unlikely star that adds to the depth of the batting order.

Most Important Pitcher

Rich Hill

The starting rotation, in a lot of ways, still feels like Clayton Kershaw and everybody else.  Ever since Zack Greinke left for Arizona before last season, the Dodgers' rotation has lacked a lot of depth.  Mid-season last year, the Dodgers acquired Rich Hill from the A's.  Hill had been working to resurrect his career, and had successfully done so.  Now he is a 37 year old starter and is being counted on to be, at the least, a complement to Kershaw.  At the most, he will be looked to as the second ace of the Dodgers' staff.

Player to Watch

Cody Bellinger

A strong farm system is one that can absorb blockbuster trades that help the team now while not fully giving up the future.  That is what the Dodgers have.  Although they traded away a big arm like Jose De Leon to bring in Logan Forsythe, they still have phenoms like Julio Urias and reigning Rookie of the Year Corey Seager who played last season, as well as a guy like Cody Bellinger who is set to make his debut this season.  Depending on how he progresses, and how well the Dodgers' outfield plays, this 21 year old outfielder might be seen mid-season or as a September call-up.  Either way, if the Dodgers end up making a postseason run, look for Bellinger to be an impact player down the stretch much like Seager was in 2015.

2017 Prediction

1st in AL West, lose in NLDS

The Dodgers seem to be a great regular season team, but not a strong postseason team.  2017 should bring about more of the same.  They should easily win the division this year.  However, once they hit the playoffs, I see them struggling again.  I don't see them having improved themselves enough to beat either of the teams I have ahead of them.  Almost any other team would feel some sense of success in a season like this.  For the Dodgers, this looks like it will be another season of disappointment.

Fearless Prediction

Dodgers will finish runner-up in both the MVP and Cy Young races.

Every year Clayton Kershaw plays is a year he will contend for the Cy Young Award.  I see him coming up just short in 2017, but he will still be quite dominant.  On the flip side, Corey Seager is emerging as one of the great superstars in our game today.  He might not get all the way to winning the MVP this season, but he will get close.  Look for him to win at least one in the next 5 years.

2016 Pre-Season Profile: Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers have consistently been one of the most talented teams in the league, but have yet to get over the hump and turn it into postseason success.  Will 2016 change that trend?

Last Season

My 2015 Prediction: 1st in NL West, lose World Series

2015 Result: 92-70, 1st in NL West, lost in NLDS

The Dodgers had a wonderful 2015 regular season, boasting the best two pitchers in all of baseball.  Clayton Kershaw is the pitcher from another world, but it was Zach Greinke that wound up on top.  However, once again they were not able to turn regular season success into postseason victories as they lost to the eventual NL champs in the NLDS.

2016 Additions / Subtractions

After Greinke had such a historic season in 2015, he skipped town and signed with Arizona.  This was really the only subtraction, but it's a big subtraction.  Added to the roster for 2016 is Scott Kazmir and Japanese import Kenta Maeda to replace the production lost by Greinke.  Other than that, the Dodgers have practically the same roster, however there was one more major change.  Manager Don Mattingly is now in Miami, and rookie manager Dave Roberts has taken over the helm for LA.

Most Important Hitter

Yasiel Puig

Yasiel Puig is one of the greatest enigmas in all of baseball.  For a week, he will look like an MVP candidate.  The next week, he will look like he couldn't make the AAA squad.  People love to talk about his flash and flair, but he needs to be more productive on the field.  If he can consistently produce, all of a sudden their lineup is one of the best in baseball.

Most Important Pitcher

Kenta Maeda

It's rare that a team's most important player entering the season is a rookie, but Japanese imports are not ordinary rookies.  Kenta Maeda was one of the most sought-after free agent pitchers this offseason.  The Dodgers brought him in to potentially be the other ace at the top of the rotation with Clayton Kershaw.  Replacing Zach Greinke is next to impossible, but if Maeda pitches the way some people think he can, he will come close.

Player to Watch

Julio Urias

Everyone knows about Corey Seager: Opening Day starting shortstop, favorite for NL Rookie of the Year, and outside candidate for NL MVP.  However, whenever the Dodgers' farm system would be mentioned in trade talks, there were two untouchable prospects named.  The first was Seager, and the second was Julio Urias.  This 19 year old lefty is on a fast track to the big leagues, and if the Dodgers' injury issues continue in their starting rotation, look for Urias to make his big league debut sooner rather than later.  It's obvious that the Dodgers are banking on the future of their franchise to be built around Seager and Urias.

2016 Prediction

2nd in NL West, WILD CARD, lose in NLDS

The Dodgers are set to have another strong regular season in 2016.  Their rotation is not as strong as last year, but it is still pretty good.  Their lineup is always good as well.  However, the problem has always been what they do in the postseason.  With the steps forward the Giants have taken, I see the Dodgers having to work their way through the Wild Card game.  They will win that game, but not get any further.  They need to figure out what it will take to make that next step soon as their current core of players are not getting any younger.

Fearless Prediction

Yasiel Puig will be traded by the Trade Deadline.

One of the things I think it will take for the Dodgers to take a step forward in their progress and production will be to move on from Yasiel Puig.  He has been more distracting than dominant as the Dodgers never quite know what they are going to get out of him.  Sometimes, it is not just about having good players but having the right good players.  The outfield is a position of great depth for the Dodgers, with Joc Pederson, Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford, and Scott Van Slyke all proven big leaguers also on the roster.  They could easily afford to lose Puig, and they would still be able to get a big return for him from somebody.  This is a move that needs to happen though if the Dodgers want to win any time soon.