It was an offensive season to forget for the Texas Rangers, as they had one of the worst slash lines in baseball.

The Rangers slashed .234/.302/.381 with a .684 OPS, including 175 home runs and 658 RBI. Early in the season, the Rangers’ team batting average was below .230 and it cost the team’s offensive coordinator, Donnie Ecker, his job. Texas replaced him with former Major League infielder Bret Boone, who had never been a hitting coach before. Things only got marginally better.

It wasn’t just philosophy. It was performance. Most of the lineup underperformed by their standard, either in 2024 or for their career. One of those players weas first baseman Jake Burger. But, when MLB.com compiled the franchise’s longest home runs of 2025, Burger had the longest.

Jake Burger’s Team-Best Home Run

The home run wasn’t at Globe Life Field. It was in Tampa on June 5 against the Tampa Bay Rays, who were playing at Steinbrenner Stadium due to work being done on the Tropicana Field roof. Playing at the Yankees’ spring training facility didn’t matter in this case. Burger’s 442-foot bomb would have left any yard.

It was the shortest of the longest home runs by team this season. It also underscored Burger’s struggles in his first year in Arlington.

Burger slashed .236/.269/.419 in 97 games, with a .687 OPS, 16 home runs and 53 RBI. In late April the Rangers sent him down to Triple-A Round Rock for a week to work on his swing. He also dealt with injuries and had three different stretches on the injured list. He had a left oblique strain in June, a left quadriceps injury in July and a left wrist sprain in August. The wrist sprain never really healed, and he had surgery after the season. He should be ready for spring training.

But things got so desperate at the position that the Rangers signed Rowdy Tellez to a minor league deal, promoted him and he gave the Rangers solid production at first in Burger’s place.  

When Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young talks about getting more out of his current players, Burger is at the top of the list. The Rangers gave up prospects to get him from Miami last offseason to replace Nathaniel Lowe, who was traded to Washington. Burger once hit 39 home runs in a season, so the power is there. But new hitting coach Justin Viele needs to get more consistency from him — and Burger needs to stay healthy.

Burger is in his first year of salary arbitration and the Rangers have him under team control for the next three seasons. But 2026 feels like a turning point for Burger. Hopefully he hits more home runs like the one in Tampa next season.

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