Rank.


While this is no surprise, it’s also not pleasant to read. It’s also not just coming from remote corners of the internet like RR3. The baseball world knows it: the Rangers are bad and will be bad.

MLB.com’s Mike Petriello ranked all thirty major league rosters. Good news. The Rangers aren’t last. Bad news, the Rangers finish lower than twenty-eighth.

Yes, his list is ranked on the less-than-reliable WAR stat, which is less than reliable for a number of reasons. The main one being that there are a number of different WAR calculations, depending on who is calculating it. Imagine how ridiculous it would be if different sources had different ways to calculate batting average.

But, front offices respect WAR. And WAR does not respect the Rangers. 

Here is what Petriello wrote:

Biggest need: Bats everywhere other than right field and third base, bullpen.

The 2020 Rangers were not expected to have a strong offense, and they didn’t, though “baseball’s weakest offense” was surprising even to the most pessimistic eyes. Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Joey Gallo each won Gold Gloves, and it’s easy to look past Gallo’s disappointing hitting season given his track record. (He is the only Texas hitter projected to be above average in ’21.) It’s not just about the ballpark. They are projected to be the 30th-best offense in ’21 right now.

So that’s a problem, and no one else — yes, you, Rougned Odor and Elvis Andrus — should consider their 2021 jobs secure. That’s not to ignore the pitching staff aside from Lance Lynn, which needs to be entirely reworked. Texas has rarely seemed further away from contention.

“Texas has rarely seemed further away from contention.” Yikes.

Again, not surprising. But not fun to read. (Also not true, see the years 1972 through 1993.)