The Sunday Read: Rangers need a face of the franchise. Here are some candidates
January 22, 2023
(AP photo/Richard W. Rodriguez)
Massive free-agent signings continue to roll into Arlington.
Prospects continue to develop and even graduate to the majors.
Some under-the-radar pickups have become key contributors.
The roster includes All-Stars, Gold Glove winners and Silver Sluggers.
The Rangers are coming together. Left-hander Martin Perez said on Saturday that they will be in the playoffs in 2023.
But what the team doesn’t have is a face of the franchise.
Jeff Wilson, jeff@rangerstoday.com
I think Jung will end up being the face of the franchise, Young, outgoing and hopefully a hitting machine
I am disturbed by your view that somehow Lee was better than deGrom and even a healthy deGrom who you say is the best pitcher in the game when healthy, would not be as good as Nolan Ryan. I know he gets hype, but a guy with a 116 ERA+ with Texas and a career ERA of only 112 would put him in the middle of the league. If you want to look beyond ERA, he averaged 3.8 walks per 9 with Texas and 4.7 per 9 over his career. deGrom has a 155 ERA+, a career 5.3 strikeout to walk ratio that is the second best of all time behind Chris Sale’s 5.35, and he has the second lowest career ERA of any pitcher of the expansion ERA! Only Kershaw is lower if you count Sandy Koufax’s entire career ERA. Otherwise, he is 3rd. deGrom is leaps and bounds ahead of Ryan using any realistic comparisons, and one could reasonably claim Cliff Lee is superior to Nolan Ryan too. I don’t get the obsession with Ryan. The 7 no hitters cover up his mediocre overall career and his walk troubles put him at 61st of all time in WAR. He just threw many innings at an above average rate; he has allowed the 5th most earned runs of any pitcher in baseball history. deGrom may be the best pitcher to have put on a Rangers uniform, and even a worst case scenario would put maybe Jenkins, Minor, and Lynn on top if looking at peak WAR/ERA+. There is no doubt in my mind than deGrom > Lee > Ryan. I’d probably put Brown, Rogers, Wilson, Darvish, Lynn, and Minor above Ryan. He is the Pete Rose of pitching.
I think you misread this whole thing. The Rangers will not have had a pitcher who was a big a star as Lee in the postseason or Ryan in his five years if deGrom is healthy and performs. I never said who was better.
Usually, if someone says something like “Alex Rodriguez was the best shortstop since Honus Wagner,” it means the person isn’t just saying Arod is the best since Wagner stopped playing, but that he is the second best if you include Wagner. Usually, superlative statements tend to say the best thing possible (best since x instead of 2nd best including x). I like the overall article and what you have done so far, but I’ confused what it is you are saying then. So Ryan and Lee are better than an unhealthy deGrom and a healthy deGrom could be better than both?
Pete Rose of pitching??? Blasphemy!!
Jeff, I agree with needing a ‘face’, but I think that’s more of an organic path. It’s obvious neither Seager or Semien want the job, not due to apathy, they just don’t have that type of personality. Actually, who would want to be the face of a 68 win team?? 🙂 Assuming the Rangers have some success over the next few years and these 2 guys as well, I would put my $ on Garcia or Jung.
Who would want to be the face of a 68-win team? That’s good.
I agree on Jung and Garcia, though Lowe has a chance if he stays productive. There’s a good personality there.