We continue with the 2019 end of season awards by looking back at some of the top plays of the year. There was an abundance of great plays to choose from throughout the year from March to September. Nonetheless, these specific stood out of the bunch.

Best Rangers plays of the year
Winner: Delino DeShields robs Brian Goodwin of a Home Run (August 28 at LAA)
2. Hunter Pence climbs the fence like Spiderman to rob Mark Cahna of extra bases (June 9 vs OAK)
3. Elvis Andrus makes incredible tag on Mathis’ throw to catch Rafael Devers stealing second base (June 12 at BOS)

Some Rangers folks may remember waking up the next morning and looking at the highlight reel on what happened after 10 pm Central Time. Delino prides himself on his defense and showcased it on display that Wednesday night in a 3-0 Rangers victory over the Angels. DeShields talked about how, after he made the catch, he wanted to play around with Brian Goodwin, who are good friends, and signed off with the apple bite after the catch.

Best Rangers throw of the year
Winner: Joey Gallo guns down Byron Buxton at third base before Twins’ Jonathan Schoop scores (July 7 at MIN)
2. Elvis Andrus spins behind Minor and throws out Jason Kipnis with a little help by Ronald Guzman (June 20 vs CLE)
3. Joey Gallo throws out Kolten Wong on a 95.8 MPH strike (May 17 vs STL) 

Joey Gallo made a couple of unreal throws from the outfield. A lot of folks remember Joey throwing out Kolten Wong in mid-May and throwing out Jose Altuve at second base in mid-July. However, the gun down of Buxton in Minnesota was not only fantastic to catch a speedy runner, but also keep Schoop from scoring the go-ahead run in the fourth inning. The Rangers ended up winning this game in extra innings and went to the All-Star break on a high note. According to Statcast, the throw clocked in a 94.7 MPH. While the Wong throw-out came in quicker and halted a possible Cardinals rally, there’s no question that Byron Buxton is one of the faster guys in baseball. Either way, each throw was incredible.

Joey Gallo throws out Byron Buxton from deep center field 🚀 pic.twitter.com/UV1Bii4gbU

— Baseball Bros (@BaseballBros) July 8, 2019

Most exciting Rangers home runs of the year
Winner: Nomar Mazara’s 505-foot Moonshot to right field (June 21 vs CHW)
2. Hunter Pence’s Game-Tying Grand Slam off the foul pole (May 8 at PIT) 
3. Delino DeShields first career Grand Slam comes off former Ranger Cole Hamels (March 31 vs CHC)

If there’s anything I’ve learned from watching Nomar Mazara swing the bat is that when he gets a hold of one, man does he get a hold of one. Maz earns the award for not only the longest home run at Globe Life Park and in Rangers history but won the title of the longest home run in baseball in 2019. Since 2015, Nomar’s shot against the White Sox stands tied for the longest home run (Trevor Story hit one against the Giants in Denver on Sept 5, 2018). The homer, unfortunately, didn’t count as double as the White Sox took the game in extra innings.

Craziest Rangers play of the year
Winner: Rougned Odor straight steals home (June 9 vs OAK)
2. Hunter Pence’s Inside the Park HR (June 11 at BOS)
3. Shawn Kelley throws the ball to the second deck after time was called (September 13 vs OAK)

I know Elvis Andrus stole home three times this season, but there’s something different about a traditional steal of home. A traditional steal of home is the runner breaking to the plate and beat the ball to the dish. Elvis Andrus did accomplish that feat in 2015, and before Rougie’s steal of home against the A’s, it was the last time a Ranger player stole home traditionally. In the end, it all equals to one run (similar to a home run going 505 ft and another going 335 ft), but for the sake of excitement, Odor’s steal of home earns the top spot.

Rougned Odor straight up stole home 😱

(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/poxPKNXejx

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 9, 2019

Best Rangers Ejection
Winner: Chris Woodward gets ejected by Angel Hernandez (June 11 at BOS)
2. Asdrúbal Cabrera gets ejected by Doug Eddings and throws his batting gloves (June 20 vs CLE)
3. Chris Woodward gets ejected by Mike Muchlinski for arguing balls and strikes (September 12 vs TB)

Fun fact, both Chris Woodward and Red Sox manager Alex Cora earned their first career ejections within thirty minutes of each other that Tuesday night at Fenway. Well, that’s what you get with umpires Vic Carapazza and Angel Hernandez on the same crew. I watched it from the stands and was completely confused about what occurred. However, knowing the context and talking to Woodward later in the season, it all made sense. The ejection was due to Hernandez not giving Woody enough time to challenge a play at second base where umpire Jordan Baker changed his mind from safe to out. In September, Chris Woodward told me that the league reached out to Woody and said to him that he (meaning Woody) was in the right in the situation.

There’s still more to come on the 2019 awards with the overall season awards as we close the book officially on the 2019 Texas Rangers regular season.

Here’s a look at the other award types:
2019 Rangers’ Player Awards
2019 Regular Season Overview Awards