Who is Tyler Alexander? 5 things to know about Rangers’ local lefty

The Rangers made a flurry of moves over the weekend, adding a catcher and a pair of relievers. Among them was local kid Tyler Alexander, a left-handed reliever who will likely look to carve out a role in the bullpen in 2026.

Here’s what to know about Alexander.

Rangers President of Baseball Operations Chris Young answers questions during a press... 1. The basics

Rangers

Name: Tyler John Alexander

Born: July 14, 1994

Hometown: Chicago, Ill.

Position: Relief pitcher

Throws/Bats: Left/Right

Height/Weight: 6-1, 214 pounds

College: TCU

2. Local kid

Alexander was born in Chicago, but he eventually moved to Texas and attended high school at Southlake Carroll. He was nothing short of dominant in his senior season with the Dragons, going 12-1 with a 0.66 ERA and striking out 177 batters in 94.2 innings. That was good enough to win The Dallas Morning News’ Baseball Pitcher of the Year title.

Alexander was drafted in the 23rd round out of Carroll, but opted for college instead. He’d stay in D-FW, pitching for TCU for two seasons before he was drafted again. This time he was taken in the second round by the Tigers, and he signed with Detroit to begin his professional career.

3. Splits? Don’t need ‘em

The lefty Alexander will likely be used primarily against other lefties, but his numbers in 2025 between left- and right-handed hitters didn’t vary much. In fact, both lefties and righties posted an OPS of .737 against Alexander last season, presenting him as a possible option against righties as well.

4. Repertoire

According to MLB StatCast, Alexander throws a combination of five pitches. He throws a 4-seam fastball, a cutter and a sinker, to go along with a changeup and a sweeper curveball.

His pitch usage depends greatly on the handedness of the batter he’s facing. Against fellow lefties, he spams the sweeper, throwing it 38% of the time compared to just 11% vs. righties. Against righties, he throws his fastball 28% of the time and his changeup 25%.

5. Hanging on

It’s a harsh business, but Alexander might be at a point where he’s expended his usefulness in the league.

At 31 years old, Alexander has bounced from team to team each of his past two seasons. He’s been waived by the Tigers, released to free agency by the Rays, signed and released by the Brewers and then signed by the White Sox in the middle of last season and granted free agency at the end of it.

At no point in any of that stretch did he post an ERA+ above league average. He only strikes out around 7.6 per nine innings, and he gives up a lot of fly balls. In today’s MLB, that doesn’t bode well.

But on the bright side: He flashed his best stuff with the White Sox in low-leverage games during last season’s second half, posting an ERA of 4.26 over 61.1 innings. He’s capable of getting hot: In 33 innings over a two-month stretch last season, Alexander posted an ERA of 2.45 for Chicago.

Perhaps it was enough for the Rangers to see something in Alexander that makes them think they can help the veteran lefty stick in the league for another year or two.

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