Welcome to the All-Franchise Starting Lineup, where we review each of the 30 current MLB franchises to determine the best players by position in franchise history. It’s been a minute since I’ve written one of these — sometimes life gets in the way. The last one was the Pittsburgh Pirates, published at the end of December last year. Hopefully, I can churn a few out this offseason. We’re focusing on the 2023 World Champion Texas Rangers in this article, a franchise that has struggled for most of its existence but has become more competitive over the last 15 years.

 

The Ground Rules

 

The primary driver of the selections was each player’s WAR with the franchise. WAR is perhaps the best statistic to use when comparing players from different eras. I employ both the Fangraphs (fWAR) and Baseball-Reference (bWAR) versions of WAR, as they have slightly different calculations. In addition, to separate longevity from greatness, WAR/games played or innings pitched is also considered.
Other statistics are also used, especially averaging stats like OPS, wOBA, and wRC+ for hitters and ERA, FIP, WHIP, and K/BB for pitchers. Awards and honors are likewise taken into account.
Only statistics earned with the franchise in question are considered for each player.
Players with multi-position eligibility can play any position they played with the team for a reasonable period in their career. I confess that sometimes I cheat on this if it keeps one of the franchise’s best players out of the lineup.
Outfielders can be shifted between center, left, and right as long as it makes sense defensively, especially in center field.
Since we now have a universal DH, each team gets one, regardless of whether they ever were one. Doing so also allows for one more deserving hitter to make the lineup. Defense is not a consideration at DH.
Three pitchers will be named — one right-handed starter, one left-handed starter, and one reliever.

 

Franchise Overview

 

The Washington Senators joined the American League in 1961 as an expansion team. They lost over 100 games during their first four seasons and posted only one winning record during their 11-year tenure in the nation’s capital. In 1972, the franchise relocated to Arlington, Texas, and changed its name to the Rangers. The first two seasons in the Lone Star state didn’t go well, as the club accumulated 205 losses from 1972-73. Slowly, the Rangers became more competitive, but they would not make their first playoff appearance until 1996. They lost to the Yankees in the ALDS that season and suffered the same result in 1998 and 1999.

It was another 11 years before the Rangers played October baseball again, but this time they made it all the way to the 2010 World Series, where they fell to the Giants in five games. The following year, they returned, losing to the Cardinals in a seven-game classic. The squad made three more playoff appearances over the next five seasons, but didn’t break through again until 2023, when they finally hoisted the Commissioner’s trophy. Led by Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, and Adolis García, the Rangers downed the D’Backs in five games.

 

Catcher: Ivan Rodriguez

Honorable Mention: Jim Sundberg

With all respect to Jim Sundberg, a tremendous defensive catcher who spent eleven and a half seasons in Texas in the 70s and 80s, there was little doubt that Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez would slot in behind the plate. Rodriguez is one of the best catchers of all time, a Hall of Famer who spent the majority of his career in Arlington. Pudge began his career with the Rangers in 1991 as a fresh-faced teenager. By the time he left as a free agent after the 2002 season, Rodriguez was a ten-time All-Star who had won ten Gold Gloves, six Silver Sluggers, and an MVP. In his 1999 MVP season, the Gold Glove catcher slashed .332/.356/.558 with 35 HRs, 113 RBI, 116 runs, and 25 stolen bases.

Pudge ranks in the Rangers’ top 5 all-time in most offensive categories. In addition to being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017, the Rangers retired Rodriguez’s #7 in 2017.

 

First Base: Rafael Palmeiro

Honorable Mention: Mark Teixeira

Rafael Palmeiro is probably more famous for his “I have never used steroids, period” quote to Congress — only to fail a drug test seven weeks later — than he is for putting up Hall of Fame caliber numbers. That sequence of events in 2005 has kept Palmeiro out of Cooperstown. However, I decided long ago, when I started putting these teams together, not to judge players from the steroid era who either failed a drug test or were suspected users. We simply don’t know who did what and for how long. Thus, Palmeiro gets the nod at first base as the Ranger with the second-highest WAR all-time behind Ivan Rodriguez.

Palmeiro spent two five-year stints with Texas and posted impressive numbers during both. He represented the Rangers twice at the All-Star game and won a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove in 1999. He also finished fifth in the AL MVP voting that season after slashing .324/.420/.630 with 47 HRs and 148 RBI. Yes, young readers, the numbers put up in the late nineties were silly. Palmeiro ranks second on the Rangers’ all-time lists in HRs, runs, and RBI.

 

Second Base: Ian Kinsler

Honorable Mentions: Julio Franco, Marcus Semien

Julio Franco and Marcus Semien deserved a look for our keystone, but Ian Kinsler put up similar production over far more games. Kinsler spent the first eight years of his career in Texas, earning All-Star team honors three times. Twice, he was a member of the 30/30 club, in 2009 and 2011. He was also an excellent defender, although his two Gold Gloves came after he was traded to Detroit. Kinsler was a big part of their three playoff teams from 2010 to 2012, amassing 148 plate appearances and slashing .311/.422/.484 with 20 RBI. “Bootsie” is the Rangers’ all-time leader in most offensive categories among second basemen, including hits, doubles, homers, runs, RBI, and stolen bases.

 

Shortstop: Alex Rodriguez

Honorable Mentions: Toby Harrah, Elvis Andrus, Corey Seager

There were several excellent candidates at shortstop. Harrah and Andrus provided solid numbers over a long period. Cory Seager and A-Rod have a similar number of plate appearances with the franchise, and both have been spectacular over a short period. In the end, I went with Rodriguez because his numbers in Texas were ridiculous, though they were later tainted by his later admission of PED use during this period.

Consider the list of accolades A-Rod had over his three seasons in the Lone Star State:

Three All-Star appearances
Three Silver Sluggers
Two Gold Gloves
One MVP and one MVP runner-up

In addition, Alex led the AL in the following categories over those three years:

Games played twice
bWAR and fWAR twice
Runs twice
Home Runs three times
RBI once
SLG once
Total bases twice

Unfortunately for the Rangers, the team couldn’t win during this period, hastening his trade to the Yankees. Perhaps it was the steroids, perhaps it was the hitter-friendly Ballpark in Arlington, or maybe A-Rod was just incredible over this time period.

 

Third Base: Adrián Béltre

Honorable Mentions: Buddy Bell, Ken McMullen

Buddy Bell was a standout player for the Rangers in the early 1980s, earning five Gold Gloves with the team. Ken McMullen was one of the best players on the dreadful Senators teams in the ’60s. But Adrián Béltre is third in all-time WAR with the franchise, and one of only five Rangers who have had their number retired.

Adrián Béltre spent the last eight years of his 21-year Hall-of-Fame career in Texas and dons a Rangers’ cap on his plaque. Beltre had a fine career going when he signed with the Rangers in 2011, but Cooperstown seemed like a long shot. He shone in the Lone Star state through his 30s, though, playing in four All-Star games, nabbing three Gold Gloves, and three Silver Sluggers. Beltre received MVP votes every season he was in Texas except the last two. He played well in the 2011 World Series, batting .300 with 2 HRs, 5 runs, and 3 RBI. The Rangers retired Beltre’s number 29 in 2019, a year after his retirement.

 

Left Field: Frank Howard

Honorable Mention: Rusty Greer

Career Stats with the Washington Senators / Texas Rangers (1965-1972)

Frank Howard is the only Washington Senator player in our starting lineup. The big man, who stood 6’7″, was traded to the Senators before the 1965 season from the Dodgers, where he had been Rookie of the Year in 1960. Over the following seven seasons, only Hank Aaron, Willie McCovey, and Harmon Killebrew hit more HRs than Howard. “The Capital Punisher” led the AL in long balls in 1968 and 1970. Howard was a three-outcome type of hitter, ranking high in walks and strikeouts during this period as well. “Hondo” played in four consecutive All-Star games from 1968-1971 and finished as high as fourth in the AL MVP voting (1969). Though a different franchise, the Washington Nationals inducted him into their “Ring of Honor” in 2016.

 

Center Field: Josh Hamilton

The short, tumultuous career of Josh Hamilton reached its peak during his first and primary tenure with the Rangers, from 2008 to 2012. The former uber-prospect, who battled with substance abuse for much of his career, put it all together in this five-year period and was one of the best hitters in the American League. Hamilton went to five consecutive All-Star games, won three Silver Sluggers, and took home the AL MVP in 2010. That season, he led the AL in batting average (.359), slugging % (.633), OPS (1.044), and WAR. He was one of the leaders of the back-to-back World Series clubs in 2010-2011, shining particularly bright in the 2010 ALCS. Hamilton’s four HRs and 1.536 OPS during this series helped the Rangers down the Yankees and to get to the series for the first time in franchise history.

 

Right Field: Juan Gonzalez

Honorable Mention: Ruben Sierra

Juan Gonzalez was one of the best hitters of the late 1990s, and another Ranger heavily linked to PEDs. Gonzalez spent the first ten years of his career in Texas, posting impressive statistics, and returned for two more seasons, from 2002 to 2003. During his tenure, he led the AL in home runs twice, doubles, SLG, and RBI once. He took home five Silver Slugger awards, was a two-time All-Star, and won the AL MVP award in 1996 and 1998. In ’96, “Juan Gone” slashed .314/.368/.643 with 47 HRs and 144 RBI. In ’98, his numbers were nearly identical at .318/.366/.630 with 45 HRs and 157 RBI. Gonzalez remains the franchise leader in homers and RBI.

Injuries forced Gonzalez to retire at 35, leaving his career totals a bit below the typical Hall of Famer. The allegations of steroid use didn’t help either, though Juan Gone never failed a drug test and has always denied it, despite what Jose Canseco wrote in his book, Juiced (which also pointed the finger at Ivan Rodriguez).

 

Designated Hitter: Michael Young

There were probably more devastating offensive players we could have gone with than Michael Young at DH. Young ranks 22nd in OPS among Rangers with at least 2,000 plate appearances and 26th in wOBA. However, he is the franchise leader in games, plate appearances, hits, doubles, triples, and runs. He is also one of only four Rangers players to have their number retired, which happened in 2019, seven years after he played his last game in a Texas uniform.

Young played most of his career in Arlington, shifting primarily between second base, shortstop, and third base. He was a seven-time All-Star, won a Gold Glove at Shortstop, and was the AL batting champion in 2005. Young posted five consecutive 200+ hit seasons from 2003 to 2007, making him one of three players since 1940 to accomplish this feat (Ichiro Suzuki and Wade Boggs were the other two). Additionally, he was a great ambassador to the community, having won the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award twice, in 2008 and 2011.

 

Left-Handed Starter: Kenny Rogers

Career Stats with the Texas Rangers (1989-1995, 2000-2002, 2004-2005)

Kenny Rogers’s numbers with the Rangers won’t blow you away, but no other lefty in franchise history comes close to matching his accomplishments. Rogers has the highest fWAR in club history and ranks second in wins, innings, and bWAR to Charlie Hough. “The Gambler” came out of the bullpen for the first four years of his career, and didn’t become a starter until 1993 at the age of 28. From there, the southpaw churned out the innings for the Rangers, Yankees, A’s, Twins, and Tigers, not retiring until he was 43. In his three stints with Texas, Rogers was a three-time All-Star and won four Gold Gloves. In addition, the Gambler tossed the 14th perfect game in MLB history in 1994. Rogers joined the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame in 2011, three years after his last game.

 

Right-Handed Starter: Nolan Ryan

Honorable Mentions: Charlie Hough, Fergie Jenkins, Yu Darvish, Gaylord Perry

Unlike with the lefties, several right-handed starters deserved a look. Hough leads in WAR, but threw far more innings than the other contenders. Darvish had the highest WAR per inning pitched and was a four-time All-Star. Jenkins and Perry have strong claims as well, but only Nolan Ryan, the great, had his number retired by the franchise. In fact, Ryan’s #34 was retired in 1996 — two years before his induction into the Hall of Fame and a dozen years before he became club president. Texas loves Nolan Ryan, so, of course, he had to be our right-handed starter.

This is not to say Ryan isn’t worthy of the honor. He was terrific in Arlington, despite not joining the Rangers until he was 42 years old. In his first year with the franchise, “The Ryan Express” threw 239 innings, led the AL in strikeouts, was an All-Star, and finished fifth in the Cy Young voting. He led the league in K’s the following year as well, and had the lowest WHIP in the AL in 1990 and 1991. In addition, Ryan tossed two no-hitters with the club, the sixth and seventh of his illustrious career. Despite throwing far more innings with the Angels and Astros, Ryan is donning a Rangers cap on his Hall of Fame plaque. That says it all.

 

Reliever: John Wetteland

Honorable Mentions: Francisco Cordero, Joe Nathan, Neftali Feliz, Jeff Russell

You could make a case for any of the four relievers listed above to be our reliever. Cordero has the highest fWAR. Nathan posted spectacular numbers but was only with the team for two seasons. Feliz was Rookie of the Year and the closer on two World Series teams. Russell appeared in the most games and put up solid numbers over several seasons. Wetteland is the franchise leader in saves. For me, Nathan wasn’t there long enough, and Russell and Cordero’s numbers weren’t spectacular. It’s a toss-up between Feliz and Wetteland, but I went with Wetteland due to more saves and a better WAR.

Wetteland signed with the Rangers fresh off a championship with the Yankees, in which he saved all four victories and was the World Series MVP. The Yanks had another reliever, Mariano Rivera, who they thought could take over as closer. Wetteland didn’t disappoint in Texas, making between 61 and 63 appearances and saving between 31 and 43 games in each of his four seasons with the franchise. He was an All-Star twice and finished sixth in the Cy Young voting in 1999. Unfortunately for Wetteland and the Rangers, his old team knocked them out of the playoffs in 1998 and 1999. He retired after the 2000 season and was inducted into the Rangers Hall of Fame in 2005.

 

On Deck

For some reason, during my alphabetical journey through MLB teams, I decided to switch from using the franchise’s city/state name to the team name. Thus, I went from “Pirates” to “Rangers” in my sequencing. I get back on the proper track with the next team, and jump back to one of baseball’s most successful franchises — the Saint Louis Cardinals.

If you like this content, you can find much more like it in my archive or by searching “all-time” on the site.