We’ve finally made it, my friends. After a long, sad baseball-less winter, we can finally see the great game back on display beginning this Thursday. It seems like ages ago that pitchers and catchers first reported for Spring Training, but we can all agree we’re happy that the games are finally going to count for our Texas Rangers and the rest of Major League Baseball.
When you share a division with the reigning World Series champion Houston Astros, it’s tough to jump up and down with excitement about the Rangers’ postseason prospects this season. The team’s mediocre 2017 performance didn’t exactly help, either. The 2018 Texas Rangers are about as mysterious a bunch as this fanbase has had to decode in well over a decade. The overall tone of the public seems to be cynical, but there are a few voices out there preaching hope and how this team could surprise in 2018.
With the number of questions surrounding the squad heading into this season, nobody should claim they have a good handle on how this team will perform this year. So obviously, the Dallas Sports Fanatic staff is going to try!
The Participants:
Dylan Duell
Zach Schueneman
Darien Clark
Evan Sully
Who will be the MVP of the 2018 Texas Rangers?
Dylan: Elvis Andrus
Zach: Nomar Mazara
Darien: Elvis Andrus
Evan: Elvis Andrus
Who will have the biggest breakout season?
Dylan: Alex Claudio. What exactly is the definition of breakout? Claudio has been more than solid for a couple of seasons, but I think this is the year he becomes a legitimate closer for Texas. He will be able to fight off the competition and won’t look back.
Zach: Delino DeShields. 2017 was a nice bounce back season for DeShields. In his third pro season, DeShields set a new career high in batting average, on base percentage, stolen bases and home runs. The 25-year-old has followed up with an impressive spring in 2018, hitting .300 while reaching base nearly 40% of the time. DeShields’ time as the Rangers’ primary leadoff hitter and table setter appears imminent.
Darien: Jake Diekman. He’s coming off a season where he only appeared in 11 games, so it’s easy to say he could break out. I’m predicting he will be the Rangers’ All-Star representative.
Evan: Elvis Andrus. Just like I expect Elvis Andrus to be the 2018 Rangers MVP, I also expect him to have a breakout year despite many Rangers fans saying that last season was the peak of his career as his total number of doubles, home runs, and RBI we all career highs for Andrus. However, he can build on that this season if he cuts down on the strikeouts like he has this spring training where he has struck out just four times in 27 at-bats.
We had a question about how many games we all thought Tim Lincecum might appear in this season. Then the news broke on Wednesday afternoon that he’d miss at least the first month of the season thanks to the blister on his finger. For what it’s worth, Zach thought that he’d appear in zero.
Will they be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline and what is a notable move they’ll make?
Dylan: Sellers. I don’t think they’ll clean house because I don’t think they’ll be bad enough or good enough to really push them in either direction. If they’re a few games under .500 in late July and Cole Hamels has moved back towards ace status, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Twins make a deal for him as they’re still looking for their no-doubt, frontline starter.
Zach: Sellers. I think the organization has properly put themselves in position to take advantage. The Rangers acquired a number of pitchers this offseason who have had notable success in the past and are looking for opportunities to return to form. If pitching coach Doug Brocail and the rest of this Rangers pitching staff can guide any one of these new signees to a solid first half, look for Texas to use it as an opportunity to rebuild a farm system that has been depleted over the years.
Darien: Sellers. Cole Hamels goes to the Yankees for two prospects.
Evan: At this point in time before the season has even begun, it’s tough to say whether or not the Rangers will be making any moves at the trade deadline. With that said, I’d expect the Rangers to be buyers. Especially if their bullpen comes out looking completed and not pitching at a consistent level.
What will be the order of the AL West standings at the end of the season?
| Dylan | Zach | Darien | Evan |
| Astros | Astros | Astros | Astros |
| Rangers | Mariners | Angels | Angels |
| Angels | Angels | Rangers | Mariners |
| Mariners | Rangers | Mariners | Rangers |
| A’s | A’s | A’s | A’s |
What will be the team’s win/loss record in 2018?
Dylan: 85-77
Zach: 75-87
Darien: 80-82
Evan: 75-87
What’s your overall outlook for the 2018 Texas Rangers?
Dylan: As I’ve looked around and seen negative opinion after negative opinion about the Rangers, it hasn’t been easy to sit here and be the optimistic guy. I’m going to stay strong and be the positive voice in the room here. This lineup will be great. The mix of run-producers and on-base hitters will create a lineup that gives opposing pitchers fits. I think Cole Hamels is better than what he did last year. Doug Fister will have a bounceback year and Mike Minor will be solid. That said, the performances of Matt Moore and the yo-yo performances of Martin Perez will undoubtedly hurt this team if they continue to rely on them throughout the season. This team will be better than expected, but they’re not playoffs or division-winning worthy.
Zach: I’m afraid 2018 will closely resemble the 2017 Texas Rangers. The lineup, while filled with potential, still has sizable strides to make before it can carry a team to the postseason. When you combine that with a pitching staff shaped like a very large question mark, predicting success this season is difficult. You can certainly see an avenue to the postseason for Texas, but those streets are paved with “ifs”. If Cole Hamels is able to live up to the “ace” moniker. If any combination of Matt Moore, Mike Minor, Doug Fister, etc. finds their stride. If the bullpen finds a way to rebound from a disastrous 2017. It’s clear that a lot will need to go right this season if the Rangers want to be considered real contenders.
Darien: The 2018 Rangers season will be full of mediocrity but will build with more excitement as the year progresses. I say mediocrity simply because this isn’t a well-rounded team (by the looks of it now). The offense will be there, but I don’t see the starting pitching supplementing the offense for all 162 games. I say excitement because the Rangers still have the young core of guys (Gallo, Odor, Mazara, DeShields and Willie Calhoun eventually) that could explode at any point.
Evan: If I’m being brutally honest, 2018 isn’t going to be a good season for the Rangers. In fact, I expect them to regress from their 2017 campaign. Depending on whether or not they rack up 75 wins will determine whether or not the Rangers need to go into rebuild mode moving forward if they want to return to their glory days of winning 90+ games and even going to the World Series. After putting up an underwhelming 8-22 record in spring training, it’s clear that the Rangers’ bullpen needs to improve mightily. Additionally, I just think the Rangers lack a team identity, and look confused on who their “clutch” guys are for both hitting and pitching.
Reach out to us on Twitter and share your thoughts on our predictions! Stay tuned for more Texas Rangers coverage throughout the 2018 season on Dallas Sports Fanatic.
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