The Rangers' 50th Season Looks Promising With New Players and Matchups

There was a moment in time this February when America's favorite pastime might have been in jeopardy, but alas, baseball season is upon us. The lockout has ended, and actual in-person baseball games are back. As the Texas Rangers celebrate their 50th anniversary season with a few new shiny players and a whole lotta hope, here are a few things to watch out for between opening day on Friday and when the rubber hits the road in October. Here are the Rangers players and matchups to watch in 2022.

Corey Seager – SS and Marcus Semien – 2B
“The Half-Billion Dollar Babies,” as sports writer Evan Grant calls Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, have been described as “baseball’s best middle infield” and have radically changed the public’s expectations for the Rangers. Seager, the 2020 World Series MVP, has batted above .300 for the past two seasons, and at the moment has a .297 career batting average. Semien hit 45 home runs in 2021 with the Blue Jays, the third most of any player, behind Blue Jays stars Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Salvador Perez and Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani. With the duo locked up for what is likely to be the better years of the 2020s, and the infield eventually primed to include slugger Nathaniel Lowe at first and prospect Josh Jung at third, the future of the Rangers is now. As Timbuk 3 sang, “The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades.”

Adolis Garcia – OF
The Rangers’ biggest breakout star of 2021, the rookie known as "El Bombi" became the de facto face of the franchise in the wake of Joey Gallo's departure. Garcia ended the 2021 season leading with 31 home runs, 90 RBIs, a .741 slugging percentage and 16 stolen bases — the former two stats breaking Pete Incaviglia’s 35-year record of 30 home runs and 88 RBIs for a Rangers rookie. Since 2000, the only other rookies in the MLB to achieve 30+ home runs, 80+ RBIs and 10+ stolen bases have been Brewers slugger Ryan Braun in 2007, Angels titan Mike Trout in 2012 and Dodgers star Cody Bellinger in 2017. While he was robbed of a Gold Glove Award in right field due to his numerous starts in center field, Garcia is not expected to be the only runaway slugger on the Rangers this year. With the Half-Billion Dollar Babies manning the middle infield in front of him, Garcia is certainly in good company.

Jonah Heim – C
Supposedly people from Buffalo are well-balanced, and switch-hitting catcher Jonah Heim is no exception. Highlighted by two back-to-back walk-off homers against the Seattle Mariners in down-to-the-wire home thrillers and a geographical outlier of a series against the Blue Jays resulting in his batting before a hometown crowd, "The Buffalo Bomber" undoubtedly earned his nickname on the big stage. The remainder of Heim’s 2021 season was characterized by hot-and-cold streaks — the memory of which has been erased thanks to a stellar spring training showing, including a .368 batting average over 19 at-bats. While spring training numbers are always a bit inflated, it’s a huge improvement from the .148 average he put up during 2021 spring training. If that improvement translates to the big stage, then Heim is primed to be a bat out of hell. Mariners look out.

Eli White – OF
In the words of Three Dog Night: “Eliiiiiiiii’s coming!” In addition to being among the fastest sprinters in all of MLB, Eli White’s 2021 was characterized by a series of impressive outfield defensive plays, yet struggled a bit at the plate. However, White has made a significant improvement during spring training, batting .273 with two home runs. The Rangers' own manager Chris Woodward has said that White made the most improvement of any player, and went as far as to say that he’s got the most potential on the team if he finds his swing.

Andy Ibanez – 3B
With beloved utility infielder Isaiah Kiner-Falefa traded to the Yankees and third base prospect Josh Jung sidelined with an elbow injury, Andy Ibanez finds himself thrust into the spotlight once again. In 2021, Ibanez hit .277 in 253 at-bats, with seven of those hits leaving the field. In spring training, he batted .345 with two home runs, so if anything, Josh Jung is going to have to prove himself worthy of taking third base back from Ibanez if everything goes well for the Rangers in the next few weeks.

Jon Gray – RHP
While the Rangers still have a bit of a pitching problem, the first step toward ameliorating that has come in the form of former Rockies veteran right-hander Jon Gray. He posted a 3.00 ERA with a 1-0 record in the lockout-shortened spring training and is set to take the mound for the Rangers season opener in Toronto. The Rangers have the bats, but now they need the arms. Help us, Jon Gray. You’re our only hope (for now).

Right Can’t-Miss Matchups of the Season

Aside from an abundance of matchups against the Rangers’ division rivals the Los Angeles Angels featuring Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, a rebuilding Oakland Athletics club, a Kyle Seager-less Seattle Mariners team and the defending World Series runners-up in the Houston Astros, the Rangers are scheduled to face some formidable opponents among some familiar faces. Here are some of our picks for can’t-miss matchups of the 2022 season:

Season Opener @ Blue Jays
Despite losing a few key pieces (Semien to the Rangers, pitcher Robbie Ray to the Mariners), the Blue Jays have been the darlings of preseason talk. They have a loaded offensive lineup headlined by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette former Astro George Springer and a pitching rotation anchored by Kevin Gausman and Hyun-jin Ryu. Vegas agrees: The Blue Jays are ranked second to win the World Series behind the Los Angeles Dodgers by DraftKings. With border issues caused by COVID resolved in 2021, the Blue Jays have taken back their home turf at the Rogers Centre in Toronto as opposed to occupying the team’s minor-league field in Buffalo, so a healthy Blue Jays team with proper home field advantage is likely to be a scary sight.

Home Opener vs. Rockies, April 11, 12
Jon Gray may get the opportunity to pitch against his former team when the mile-high club comes down to Globe Life Field at 604 feet above sea level. While the Rockies were silent at the trade deadline last year and eventually let Gray and shortstop Trevor Story go in free agency, they made a relative splash in the offseason, acquiring third baseman Kris Bryant from last year’s scalding San Francisco Giants. That alone should wake the otherwise sleepy Rockies a little bit. Let’s hope they can handle the thicker air down here.

Vs. Braves, April 29 – May 1
The defending World Series champions come to Arlington with an old nemesis in former Oakland Athletics first baseman Matt Olson taking the place of Braves cornerstone Freddie Freeman, but perhaps the most important person returning to Arlington on that trip is third base coach Ron Washington, who served as the Rangers’ manager for eight seasons, including two World Series appearances and four consecutive 90-win seasons. Washington remains the winning-est manager in Rangers history and finally gets to wear his ring in the city he used to call home.

Vs. Phillies, June 21, 22
Two words: Bryce Harper. The 2021 National League MVP faces the Rangers for the first time since Texas swept Harper’s former club the Washington Nationals in 2017. This will be Harper’s first appearance against the Rangers in a Phillies uniform, and the first Rangers/Phillies matchup in five years as well. Despite betting .309 in the 2021 season, Harper’s efforts were not enough to guarantee his team a playoff spot, and the Phillies went into the offseason looking to bolster their lineup, leading to the addition of Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos. With Phillies manager Joe Girardi on the hot seat and Harper looking for his second consecutive MVP award and third overall, Rangers fans are in for a battle five years in the making.

Vs. Nationals, June 24 – 26
While the Nationals continue to rebuild after the departures of Max Scherzer and Trey Turner, a key piece of that rebuild is former Rangers hero Nelson Cruz, fresh off a stint with the Tampa Bay Rays. Cruz becomes the first full-time DH to join a National League team in the wake of the MLB's new labor deal including a universal designated hitter. The Nationals still have Juan Soto, who is a perennial MVP candidate, so while the emotions may swell for Nelson’s return, the Rangers shouldn’t let their guard down even for an inning.

@ Mets, July 1 – 3
In a rare situation, the Rangers will meet Queens’ finest only on the road to potentially face the Mets’ formidable pitching battery headlined by Jacob deGrom and newly acquired madman Max Scherzer. DeGrom’s historic 2021 season, in which he sported an absurd 1.08 ERA, was cut short by elbow inflammation, and he's now scheduled to miss the first four weeks of the regular season. If everything goes well and deGrom picks up from where he left off, the Rangers will be in for a heck of a challenge at Citi Field. Oh, and did we mention Max Scherzer is a Met now?

Vs. Twins, July 8 – 10
The Minnesota club formerly anchored by Rangers hero Nelson Cruz returns to Arlington headlined by a less beloved face in Carlos Correa. A former Astros superstar shortstop, Correa signed a three-year, $105.3 million contract to become the highest paid of the superstar free-agent shortstops of the past year, edging out Corey Seager by about $3 million per year. In addition, the Rangers’ newly acquired catcher Mitch Garver gets to face his former club as part of a three-game series.

Vs. Yankees, Oct. 3 – 5
Love them or hate them, they’re still the Yankees. The Rangers’ regular season closes with a three-day, four-game stand against the iconic Bronx baseball club that is now sporting a few former Rangers in catcher Jose Trevino, shortstop Isaiah Kiner-Falefa and slugging outfielder Joey Gallo — all of whom would be facing their former club at home for the first time, so the series is bound to be an emotional end to the season. That being said, the Yankees still boast two of the game’s best hitters in Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, along with ace pitcher Gerrit Cole, so the Rangers’ final home stand of 2022 is bound to be a match made in baseball heaven.