Plan for rebuilding the Rangers begins

By David Mullen

The Texas Rangers finished the 2021 season with the second worst record in the American League. They can thank the O’s — a team that lived up to their nickname in Baltimore — for keeping the Texas out of the AL abyss.

It is not like their results were unexpected. This is one time a pre-season prediction came true. 

On March 26, this columnist stated: “The Rangers are built to lose in the AL West this season. Their hitting is suspect, but luckily their pitching is questionable. Those are the bitter facts.” 

Unfortunately for Rangers fans, 102 losses with just 60 wins supported the prognostication.

Texas was 14th out of 15 teams with 167 home runs, 96 less than the league leading Toronto Blue Jays. They were last in RBIs, a whopping 225 behind the AL West champion Houston Astros. Their best home run hitter — Joey Gallo — was traded on July 29 and their best overall hitter — Isiah Kiner-Falefa — didn’t finish in the league’s top 30 in batting average.

The Rangers had a team average of .232 and an on base percentage of .294. 

That meant that less than three batters out of 10 reached base this season. Imagining that success rate in terms of surgical procedures, Rangers president Jon Daniels should be sued for malpractice.

They had no pitcher amass double-digit wins except for Jordan Lyles with 10 and he backed that up with 13 losses and a hefty 5.15 ERA. Starters Mike Foltynewicz and Kolby Allard were 2-12 and 3-12 respectively. 

Texas pitchers were 14th in the league in saves with 31 and last in the league in shoutouts with zero. Incredibly, the Rangers were shutout of shutouts. 

But a season can turn around in a hurry. No one predicted the San Francisco Giants would win 107 games this year. Few forecast the Seattle Mariners to make an amazing playoff run. The Rangers need someone to come in and access what works and what doesn’t and a build a team that — like the Giants and Mariners — can improve dramatically in 2022. And I know just the person to do it. Me.

So, to owners Ray Davis and Bob Simpson and still green GM Chris Young, here is my plan. Let’s call it “Project Python.” The proposal is to shed some old skin, shake things up, have some bite and sneak up on the unsuspecting victims in the AL West. 

The first step of Project Python is an easy call. As an umpire could yell, “Daniels, you’re out!” No more crazy acquisitions and baseless rosy outlooks. Daniels is a bad judge of baseball. Signing pitcher Kohei Arihara out of Japan last season, praising his abilities and watching him implode in the Majors was the last straw. 

Daniels has had his chances since 2005 and hasn’t gotten it done. The Rangers have the same amount of World Championships as they had shutouts this season and the current team is regressing under his watch. 

His time with the Rangers is up. Daniels can go away and write a book called “How to Succeed in Business without Really Winning.”

Bring in a Latino senior executive to bond with a core of your players and add fresh prospective. Victor Rojas is president and GM of the Rangers Double-A affiliate in Frisco. He is well respected, his father is former MLB player and manager Cookie Rojas, he pitched in the minor leagues and the Rangers don’t even have to pay his relocation costs. 

 Learn from the teams above you. The Astros can hit the cover off the ball. Seattle plays with grit and toughness. The Oakland A’s can’t hit, but they get on base with patient at bats. And the Los Angeles Angels continue to ignore pitching. So, in accessing the current roster, learn from those examples. 

Adolis Garcia, Nathaniel Lowe and Willie Calhoun can hit. I like Andy Ibanez’ and Jonah Heim’s grit and I think that Leody Taveras and DJ Peters are going to become ballplayers. And resign Kiner-Falefa long term. He is only 26, can play a number of positions, get on base and is the closest thing to a Ranger legacy the team has.

Stop signing retreads and bring up Josh Jung to play third. If he is the future of the franchise, the future is now.

Keep pitchers Taylor Hearn, Allard and Dane Dunning and let them chew up innings. At 27, Hearn is a late bloomer but may emerge as a topflight starter. Develop Joe Barlow into the closer. 

The Rangers have a lot of money to spend. Their payroll is low and potential revenue stream — if the put a competitive team on the Globe Life Field artificial field — is high. Sign free agent outfielder Starling Marte. 

He will provide the team with speed, defense, line drive power and will be a Latin leader in the clubhouse. 

Shortstop is an obvious need. Everyone loves the idea of Irving-raised Trevor Story coming home. Don’t do it. If Corey Seager or Marcus Semien are willing to play in Arlington, sign them. 

They will bring a winning attitude to a team desperately needing leadership.

Go out and get a top starting pitcher via free agency like Robbie Ray, Kevin Gausman or preferably Marcus Stroman. One might just bite. I know local boy Clayton Kershaw is tempting, but I’d pass. The rest of the team gets squeezed under Project Python. 

There are other things I would do to make the Rangers local TV broadcast watchable: retire the Captain mascot to the barn and make the in-game entertainment less modeled after of a West Texas high school football game, but that does not produce results on the field. 

With Project Python, the young Rangers’ roster will become sneaky, swallowing up small prey in the process before it grows formidable and feared.