One month.


Backed by bad defense, Dane Dunning pitched six innings against the Yankees, allowing just one run and two hits.

Four weeks of the 2022 season are in the books and what everyone thought would be the strength of the Rangers, their offense, has been their weakness. And what everyone thought would be the weakness of the Rangers, their pitching, has been their strength.

After jumping off to a fast start, including being the team that scored the most runs after the first week of the season, the Rangers offense has disappeared.

The big offensive acquisitions of the off-season—Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Mitch Garver, and Kole Calhoun—have been disappointing.

Semien has no home runs, just eight RBIs, a woeful .282 on-base percentage, and an even more woeful OPS of .495. MLB got rid of pitchers hitting. Semien’s .495 is what you’d expect from a pitcher. 

Seager’s line isn’t much better: .238, .291, .657 OPS. Only Brock Holt of the dreadful 2021 Rangers had a lower OPS among starters last year than Seager’s OPS so far this year.

As poorly as Seager has hit, it’s been better than Mitch Garver, who’s sporting a .205 average, .292 on-base, and .638 OPS.

Kole Calhoun finally hit his first home run in a Rangers uniform yesterday. But he has the worst offensive numbers of any Ranger. Even worse than Semien. 

Pitiful indeed. Yet, you have to think inevitably players play up to the backs of their baseball cards and these guys are too good to be this bad for this long. 

You have to believe the bats will come around. 

When?

Knowing the Rangers, it will happen when the brilliant pitching they have been getting lately starts to falter.

One thing is certain. Great pitching or bad, great hitting or bad, the defense will remain the same.

Bad.

*****