Two-month checkup.


The Rangers trifecta: Cy Young-worthy Nathan Eovaldi, Rookie of the Year contender Josh Jung, MVP candidate Marcus Semien.

The first two months of 2023 are in the books, and the Rangers have the best record they’ve ever had at this point in any season.

A couple tweaks to the bullpen and this team has a serious chance to play deep into October.

The offense is nothing short of amazing. Here are some stats that will make your jaw drop.

The top two run scorers in the American League are Rangers. Marcus Semien with 48, Adolis Garcia with 45. Aaron Judge is next. Then, you have to drop all the way down to fourth to find the next Ranger. That would be Josh Jung. He’s tied for fourth at 40. Tied with Nathanial Lowe.

Semien, Jung, and Lowe are in the top six in hits. Semien leads the league with 80. 

Lowe is fourth in the American League in doubles. Garcia is fourth in home runs, Jung is tied for tenth. 

And even though Garcia hasn’t driven in a run in over a week, he is still leading the A.L. in RBIs with 49. Semien is fourth. Heim is seventh. Five Rangers have more than 30 RBIs. Nine Rangers have 20 or more RBIs.

Fourteen times the Texas Rangers have scored in double digits. 

This offense is a force up and down the lineup. 

On the pitching side, Nathan Eovaldi has turned himself into a true ace. He’s fifth in the A.L. in ERA, second by two outs to leading the league in innings pitched, leads in complete games, and is twelfth in strikeouts.

Texas starters are second in team ERA, at 3.28.

That sentence has never been written in the history of recorded history, so it bears repeating. 

Texas starters are second in team ERA, at 3.28.

Texas starters are second in team ERA, at 3.28.

Texas starters are second in team ERA, at 3.28.

Texas starters are second in team ERA, at 3.28.

This is a team that has one flaw. Flaw is not a strong enough word. Calling the bullpen a flaw is like calling summer in Texas a mild inconvenience.

Texas has a serious candidate for Cy Young. The leading candiate for Rookie of the Year. And an MVP candidate. 

Hall of Fame ballots came out today, and it’s not hard to see Heim, Semien, Jung, Garcia, and Lowe make it in. Seager would be a shoo-in had he not missed so many games.

This is a far cry better than past seasons when the Rangers had to invoke the one-player-has-to-go-per-team rule in order to get an All-Star.

Two months are in the books. Rangers baseball is fun to watch again. 

*****