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The story of the year has been the abysmal offense. Overlooked in the daily hand wringing is just how well the Rangers starters have been.

Texas legitimately has three starting pitchers who could be All-Stars. Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, and Tyler Mahle. Those three pitchers are in the top twelve in American League ERA.

Mahle is second at 1.48, Eovaldi is fifth at 1.78, and deGrom is twelfth at 2.72. This has to be the best rotation the Rangers have ever had. Maybe even more surprising than that is their fourth starter is Patrick Corbin, and he has an ERA under 8.00. It’s actually under 4.00, at 3.13.

Donnie Ecker was fired for leading a Rangers offense into oblivion. Mike Maddux should have been anointed the next pope for what he is doing with the rotation this year, especially Corbin, the worst pitcher in baseball five years running before joining the Rangers rotation. 

The Rangers starters have the third best ERA in baseball at 3.04, only behind the Mets at 2.67 and the Royals at 2.97. New York is leading its division and Kansas City is just a few games back in the A.L. Central. Both teams are well over .500.

If only the Rangers weren’t fourth worst in runs scored, ahead of only the Rockies—who are on pace for the worst record ever, even worse than the White Sox last year and who fired their manager yesterday—this year’s White Sox team, and the Pirates, who fired their manager a few days ago.

If the hitting can come close to matching the level of the pitching, this team will dominate.

Mike Maddux is the Rangers MVP.

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