2021 Pre-Season Profile: Texas Rangers

 #29

The Texas Rangers had the misfortune of opening a brand new ballpark in the midst of a pandemic, then watching the World Series be played there even though they weren't in it.  The Rangers disappointed in 2020.  Will they bounce back in 2021?

2020 Predictions

#23 - 4th in AL West

MIH - Willie Calhoun

MIP - Corey Kluber

PTW - Nick Solak

FP - Three players on the Rangers' Opening Day roster retire after the 2020 season.

2020 Results

#29 - 22-38, 5th in AL West

Any hope that the shortened 2020 season would be a success went out the window on Opening Day when their big offseason pickup, Corey Kluber, lasted one inning in his only start with the team before injury sidelined him for the rest of the season.  That moment seemed to sum up their season perfectly.  So many things looked like they could have been heading in the right direction, but they all went wrong instead.  Nick Solak did have a strong 2020, playing in almost every game.  Lance Lynn was another standout in 2020, but there wasn't much to be excited about beyond that.  My choice for their Most Important Hitter in 2020, Willie Calhoun, finished the season with an OPS+ of 34...

Additions / Subtractions

The 2020 offseason was about trying to start the new era of Rangers baseball in their new stadium with a bang.  The 2021 offseason was more about setting up the team for a rebuild that will have them successful in the future.  They took advantage of Lance Lynn's strong 2020 by trading him while his stock was high to the White Sox.  They traded closer Rafael Montero to the Mariners.  They signed Japanese import Kohei Arihara to be a part of their rotation.  They took low-risk fliers on injury-riddled players like David Dahl and Mike Foltynewicz.  The most significant transaction they made was trading Elvis Andrus to the A's for OF/DH Khris Davis as the last remnant of the Rangers' World Series runs of the early 2010's was sent off.

Most Important Hitter

Isiah Kiner-Falefa

One of the reasons the Rangers felt comfortable trading away Elvis Andrus is their desire to establish Isiah Kiner-Falefa as their everyday shortstop.  Kiner-Falefa has been a valuable utility player over the last few seasons, with the added versatility of being able to catch.  In 2020, he spent most of his season at third base, and became the best position player on the roster in terms of WAR while winning the Gold Glove at third base.  Now, he is going to be their shortstop.  His glove shouldn't be a problem, but his bat needs to be more impactful to prove to fans that this transition was worth losing a face of the franchise.

Most Important Pitcher

Mike Foltynewicz

The pitching staff of the Rangers for 2021 is piecemealed together for the most part.  However, one player that could have a huge impact that could help the Rangers greatly is Mike Foltynewicz.  In 2018, Folty was an All Star that received Cy Young votes for the Braves.  By the end of 2020, he had fallen so far that the Braves didn't tender him a contract.  Only entering his age 29 season, if he can recapture the magic that made him an All Star, this could be a future ace for the Rangers.

Prospect to Watch

Dane Dunning

Another potential future centerpiece of the Rangers' pitching staff is Dane Dunning.  The top prospect acquired in the Lance Lynn trade, Dunning made his big league debut in 2020 for the White Sox with decent success.  Still considered a top 100 prospect in baseball, look for this rookie to get every opportunity to have a breakout season in 2021.

2021 Prediction

5th in AL West

It seems that 2020 proved to the Rangers that they have a long way to go before they can compete.  Their roster does not look good.  They have a lot of work to do before they can compete again.  They do have some young pieces that will be exciting to watch, but this might be the least interesting roster in the big leagues, not a title you want while welcoming your fans to a new stadium for the first time.

Fearless Prediction

Chris Woodward will be fired mid-season.

Chris Woodward has not really been given a fair shot in his first run as a big league manager.  He really hasn't had much to work with.  However, look for him to be the scapegoat for a franchise trying to prove to their fans that they are trying to win sooner rather than later.

2019 Pre-Season Profile: Oakland Athletics

#10

The Oakland A's were the biggest surprise of the 2018 season, working their way all the way up to a Wild Card spot.  Can the A's repeat the success of last year?

2018 Predictions

5th in AL West

Khris Davis will be the starting DH for the AL in the All Star Game.

2018 Results

97-65, 2nd in AL West, WILD CARD, lost in Wild Card Game

I was way off on the A's, but I can't quite say it is surprising.  Every time I count the A's out, they end up making the playoffs.  If I predict they do well, they end up in the cellar.  The A's are just out to mess up me and my Mariners.  Oakland once again put everything together in a way no other organization can and took a roster of no namers and resurrection projects and turned it into a 97 win team.  That's a ton of wins!  I correctly predicted the breakout year for Khris Davis, however I didn't count on J.D. Martinez almost winning an MVP as a DH.

Additions / Subtractions

The Athletics stayed consistent with who they are and made some minor moves that have the potential of having a major impact.  The biggest move the A's made was trade for Jurickson Profar to replace Jed Lowrie at second base.  Then they brought in Robbie Grossman, a very underrated hitter, to add some outfield depth.  Marco Estrada becomes the latest starter they bring in to try and resurrect some past glory.  No move wows you, but all the moves both make sense and will work out.

Most Important Hitter

Matt Chapman

This might be possibly the biggest star in baseball that no one has still heard of.  Matt Chapman took his first full season in the big leagues in 2018 and tallied a 6 win season in terms of WAR.  He had a 136 OPS+, won a Gold Glove at the very competitive third base, and finished 7th in AL MVP voting.  He showed he can be a big time star, and the A's are going to need him to repeat last year's great performance if they want to maintain the success of last season.  It feels like the team's success is pretty closely tied to Chapman's success.

Most Important Pitcher

Frankie Montas

The A's always seem to cobble together a rotation of veterans looking for a rebirth on their careers.  This year is no different with their rotation starting with Mike Fiers (better than advertised, but a journeyman), Marco Estrada, and Brett Anderson at the top.  There aren't many young guns facotring into their rotation right now, especially with Jharel Cotton and no-hit boy Sean Manaea starting the season on the injured list as they continue to recover from injuries they sustained last season.  The best pitcher in their Opening Day rotation under the age of 30 is Frankie Montas.  Montas came to the A's in the Rich Hill deal with the Dodgers a few seasons ago, and they are still waiting for him to break out.  He had decent success last year in 65 innings with the A's.  Now he needs to establish himself as a real starting pitcher in this league to help provide some promise for the future in the rotation.  If he does, their rotation will be scary once Manaea and Cotton are healthy and top prospects Jesus Luzardo and A.J. Puk join the team at some point in the next season or two.

Prospect to Watch

Sean Murphy

One underrated subtraction from the A's that might have quite an impact in 2019 is Jonathan Lucroy leaving to sign with the Angels.  He was an important part of handling the pitching staff last season.  However, one of the reasons they let him go was the anticipation of Sean Murphy making his debut at some point in 2019.  He is a solid hitter but will make the most impact as a defender behind the plate.  The A's have a couple veterans filling in at catcher this season waiting for Murphy to be ready.

2019 Prediction

2nd in AL West, WILD CARD, lose in Wild Card Game

I think the A's have everything in place to make another big run and make the postseason.  Seeing how good the top of the American League is, they don't have much of a chance getting further.  It will still be quite the feat if they are able to make back-to-back runs to the postseason.

Fearless Prediction

Blake Treinen will lead the American League in saves in 2019.

Blake Treinen was another huge surprise for the A's last season.  Ending the season with 38 saves, Treinen ended the year with a 0.78 ERA.  He only gave up 7 earned runs all year!  The guy was a stud, and he will repeat that production on another postseason run for the A's.  A team built on pitching, especially their elite bullpen, will be in a lot of close games giving Treinen a lot of opportunities to tally a league-leading amount of saves.

2018 Pre-Season Profile: Oakland Athletics

#25

The Oakland A's always ride a fine line between tanking and competing.  Will they be relevant in 2018?

2017 Predictions

4th in AL West

Half of the A's Opening Day roster will be traded by the end of the season.

2017 Results

75-87, 5th in AL West

2017 was another below average season for the A's.  It was not that long ago that they were trading for guys like Jon Lester and Jeff Samardzija mid-season to make a deep run in the playoffs.  Now they are hardly recognizable from that playoff team.  They have spent the last few seasons building up a new young core to lead them moving forward.  As for the prediction of roster turnover, about half of the players that played Opening Day last season are no longer in the Oakland organization.

Additions / Subtractions

There was once again a decent amount of roster turnover for Oakland this offseason.  They spent some resources building up their bullpen, bringing in a young arm in Emilio Pagan (trading slugger Ryon Healy) and a veteran in Yusmeiro Petit (free agency).  The biggest moves they made that can have lasting impacts are the signing of All Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy and the trade for outfielder Stephen Piscotty.  These are moves that have the potential to help Oakland right now, showing they feel they are getting close to competing again.

Most Important Hitter

Stephen Piscotty

The trade for Piscotty was, reportedly, to get him closer to home for family reasons.  However, it was a great move for Oakland that may pay off well.  Piscotty was touted as the next great All Star outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals several years ago when he made his debut.  However, he rarely showed signs of eclipsing the lofty expectations put upon him.  If he can find some more production in a place that may be more comfortable for him, this could turn out to be a steal for the A's and a potential centerpiece of their new wave of young talent.

Most Important Pitcher

Sean Manaea

Only a couple years ago, Sean Manaea was the A's top prospect looking to break onto the scene.  Now, Manaea is actually one of their more experienced starters.  He is also on the verge of breaking out and showing what he can really do.  He showed flashes of brilliance last season, but it was inconsistent.  It is time for Manaea to show if he will be a star for the A's moving forward.

Prospect to Watch

A.J. Puk

The first round pick of the A's in the 2016 draft, A.J. Puk is a big left-handed pitcher that seems to be on the fast track to the big leagues.  In his first full season of professional baseball, he led all of the minor leagues with 13.2 strikeouts per 9 innings.  The A's will probably be looking to give some youngsters a chance to show what they can do at some point this season, and the debut of Puk will not only be one of them but will probably be one that make some noise around baseball.

2018 Prediction

5th in AL West

Let's start with the good news.  The A's are looking to finally have this new young core starting to emerge.  Players like Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Stephen Piscotty, and Dustin Fowler are going to be mainstays in their lineup for the foreseeable future.  As they grow together, they will start to compete and be relevant again.  The A's will probably be better this year than they were last year.  Now the bad news.  The A's are stuck in one of the most competitive divisions in baseball right now.  The Angels and Mariners are both expected to make strides towards a postseason berth, the Rangers can never be counted out of being relevant every year, and the Astros are the reigning World Champions.  The A's are heading in the right direction, but their record might now show it in 2018.

Fearless Prediction

Khris Davis will be the starting DH for the AL in the All Star Game.

Kris Davis has quietly become one of the more prolific power hitters over the past few seasons.  In 2017, he had 43 home runs and 110 RBI's.  This followed up a 2016 season of almost identical numbers.  His biggest knock has been poor defense, but if he stays the designated hitter for the A's this season, he has a chance to finally be recognized.  There is some great competition in this spot, but Davis has a chance to really shine in 2018.

2017 Pre-Season Profile: Oakland Athletics

#25

Over the past few years, the Oakland A's have hit the reset button Moneyball style.  After a few seasons at the bottom of the division, will 2017 see some progress back to the top of the division with this new core?

My 2016 Predictions

5th in AL West

Half of the A's Opening Day lineup will be traded before the end of the season.

2016 Results

69-93, 5th in AL West

No one expected much from the A's in 2016, and they didn't disappoint.  The makeshift lineup put together led the A's back to the cellar for a second straight year.  This was another transition year as their farm system was being restocked.  As for my prediction, it came up just a bit short.  Four of the ten Opening Day starters (Billy Burns, Josh Reddick, Aaron Hill, Billy Butler) were traded by the end of the season, however Danny Valencia was traded this offseason so I am going to label this prediction as fulfilled.

Additions / Subtractions

The A's have made their offseason strategy an art form.  They buy low on some solid veterans looking to prove themselves, then flip them at the Trade Deadline for more prospects to build their farm system.  Like I said, a good portion of their lineup was flipped last year with Valencia traded this offseason.  The new crop of vets to land in Oakland includes Trevor Plouffe, Rajai Davis, Matt Joyce, and Santiago Casilla.

Most Important Hitter

Khris Davis

One highlight of the 2016 Athletics was the emergence of Khris Davis.  He exploded for 42 home runs and 102 RBI's while becoming the A's best player.  Now he will have a target on his back as he will not catch anyone by surprise this year.  Can he repeat his production from last year?  If so, he is on the verge of becoming a superstar that could lead the next great A's run (or be traded, depending on what Billy Beane wants to do).  If he can't, the A's are further away from success than they want to be.

Most Important Pitcher

Sonny Gray

In 2015, Sonny Gray emerged as the next great A's ace, verging on the brink of being a superstar.  In 2016, he battled injuries to start the season.  When he came back, he was a different pitcher, finishing the year with a 5.69 ERA.  If the A's want to have any chance of being relevant in 2017, Sonny Gray needs to be his 2015 version and not his 2016 version.

Player to Watch

Franklin Barreto

Any hardcore Athletics should already know the name of Franklin Barreto.  The 21 year-old infielder is not only A's top prospect and baseball's 52nd best prospect overall, he was also the key piece sent back to A's in the Josh Donaldson trade with the Blue Jays.  Knowing that, it's obvious to see why his debut is so anticipated.  Barreto's career is the only thing that could prevent the Donaldson trade from going down as one of the worst trades in baseball history.  2017 is the first chance we have to see young Barreto on the field in Oakland.  With Marcus Semien seemingly having shortstop locked up, second base is more likely to be the position at which he makes his debut.

2017 Prediction

4th in AL West

You have to give Oakland credit; they are never down for that long.  Their latest group of prospects are getting ready to hit the big leagues, while their latest group of veterans will most likely be shipped off for more prospects.  They have a chance of getting off to a fast start with the veterans, while the rookies will make the second half exciting.  When all is said and done, they still won't be very good, but they are at least heading in the right direction.

Fearless Prediction

Half of the A's Opening Day roster will be traded by the end of the season.

Yes, it is the same prediction as last year, but it doesn't make it any less relevant.  Look at their lineup.  Half of this lineup is in Oakland so that they can earn their way to a deadline trade.  Look for Trevor Plouffe, Rajai Davis, Matt Joyce, and maybe even players like Marcus Semien, Sonny Gray, and Stephen Vogt to be dealt before all is said and done.