The Texas Rangers are looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2024 season. Pitching injuries were a big part of the issue while defending their World Series title, getting just 54 innings out of Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom. This year, they are coming in with big expectations and a reloaded rotation. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy spoke about the importance of Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker on The Bret Boone Podcast.
“We’ve got some depth there with [Kumar] Rocker, who I think is going to be pretty special too. He’s a mid-high 90s with his filthy Slider. And [Jack] Leiter, he’s going to come into his own here before long. So anyway, we’re pretty excited about our starting situation.”
The Rangers also brought back Nathan Eovaldi this offseason on a three-year contract after a solid season. With deGrom back healthy, former first-round pick Jon Gray could be the final piece. That would be a rotation full of high-profile starters with room to grow into one of the best in the league.
Leiter and Rocker are both first-round picks who won a National Championship together at Vanderbilt. Their paths to this point have been different but they can team up again and lead the Rangers to an NL West title.
The Rangers must rely on starters and improved offense
The Rangers won the 2023 World Series because of a star-studded offense and great pitching. While they did not win the division that year, they did beat some of the best teams in the league to win the World Series. Adding two young cost-controlled starters to their rotation helped them bring in DH Joc Pederson to improve their offense.
With Josh Jung back from injury and Wyatt Langford with a year of experience under his belt, the Rangers should take a step forward offensively. Last year, they scored the 18th-most runs in the league, and that needs to improve to separate from the murky pack in the American League. Jung, Langford, and Pederson will be the keys to improving that.
If Leiter and Rocker live up to their first-round status, they could be challenging deGrom for the ace role in the rotation. The Rangers must develop them well, however, as the franchise is looking to spend less moving forward. If that means they start the season in the minors, that is okay but they should end up in the MLB soon. If they have great springs, they should be on the Opening Day roster.
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