All time great Texas Rangers

Texas Rangers have historically had bad and bizarre ownership. Periods of prosperity have been short-lived while suffering proved enduring. For decades, the Rangers were a one-dimensional team that lost more than they won. The visionary who brought the Washington Senators to Texas, Bob Short, unloaded the franchise after sustaining heavy losses. The World Series trips have freed them of their past. After the success of the past few years, the ownership is now back to bizarre. In March, Rangers co-chairmen Ray Davis and Bob Simpson announced that Daniels had assumed one of Ryan’s titles, president of baseball operations. Rick George was promoted to president of business operations before he left for University of Colorado. Nolan Ryan has now sold his stake and stepped down as Rangers CEO. Jon Daniels; now the winner of the well-documented power struggle, has become the head of day-to-day operations. Yesterday, he traded Ian Kinsler to the Detroit Tigers for Prince Fielder and cash. He is also actively trying to push out Ron Washington; who deserves the title of best Rangers’ manager of all time. It is time to declare the end of the best era of Texas Rangers. Talent cannot overcome bad culture and such power struggles ensure a bad culture. End of an era is a great time for nostalgia. We cannot expect new great talent to arrive in Arlington any time soon. I therefore created a list of all time Texas Rangers greats.

There has been tons of talent to come through Arlington, Texas over the years, sadly the Rangers don’t have any world championships. The new expansion Washington Senators became the current Texas Rangers ahead of the 1972 season. The team has been laced with guys who can flat out stroke and play defense and many have left their mark in the hearts of Texas Rangers fans. Most recognizable names have put a dent in the team balance sheet rather than the box score. Although, some left Rangers fans bitter, the list is dominated by players who started their career with Texas Rangers and moved elsewhere due to either bad ownership or lack of run support.

Position players

Left-handed hitters are marked *. Switch hitters are marked +.

Starting lineup

• Ian Kinsler
  Second Baseman
  The top third of the lineup is made of the most valuable players when the Rangers made two-straight World Series appearances in 2010-11. Ian Kinsler was a fantastic teammate, caring more about putting his team in the best position to win, instead of padding his own stats for upcoming contract negotiations. He was a fan favorite during the world series runs. is the most memorable leadoff man and most durable leadoff man in franchise history. He was known for his leadoff home runs down the left field line and he was a fan favorite in Texas. It will be marked as a sad day when Jon Daniels chose to trade Ian.


• Elvis Andrus
  Shortstop
  The pair of Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus has (sadly, this is now a had) defied traditional and analytical lineup logic. Both are Right-Handed. Elvis is the speedier of the two. Ian has more power. Yet, the pair have performed the best with Ian at first and Elvis at second. Elvis has provided entertainment to the position and he is picking up the pace offensively in a major way of late. he has now taken on the role as the current face of the franchise as Michael Young and Ian Kinsler are not with the team.


• Josh Hamilton
  Center-fielder*
  It’s no secret that Josh Hamilton’s time in Texas had an ugly ending, but what he did for this franchise is undeniable. Before calling Dallas a football town, he almost threw his life and career away with drugs. He won the MVP in 2010 when he hit .359, 32 homers and drove in 100 runs. His drug addiction and injuries took away from the great potential. The natural talent shined very brightly in his time in Texas, and while he left on bad terms, his life story is almost magical. His practically ushered in a new era of Rangers baseball. He dominated the three-hole for the better part of his tenure in Texas, and takes that spot in this lineup. Few fans like him here after that things began to decline, as he seemed more interested in monetizing his redemption story than actually finishing it.


• Juan Gonzalez
  Right-fielder
  Juan Gonzalez is the best hitter in a Ranger uniform. He, along with Pudge and Rusty Greer, helped the Rangers clinch their first postseason appearance in franchise history in 1996. He is considered as one of the best players of the ’90s. He was named AL MVP in 1996 and 1998 and won a Silver Slugger five times in Texas. Juan Gone is the Rangers all-time leader in homers and RBI with a career OPS over .900 (.907). All these while injuries plagued him throughout his career, playing more than 140 games just five times in 13 seasons with Texas. But his numbers make him a no-brainer for hitting cleanup in this lineup.


• Mark Teixeira
  First Baseman+
  Mark Teixeira was phenomenal in Texas, as was he a fan favorite. Mark was 22 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 1, 2003, with the Texas Rangers He is one of the all-time great sluggers and racked up 140 home runs in his time in Arlington. He also was the ammo in the greatest trade in Rangers history. On June 2007, he was traded by the Texas Rangers with Ron Mahay to the Atlanta Braves for Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Beau Jones.


• Rafael Palmeiro
  Designated Hitter (First Baseman) *
  Hamilton, Gonzalez, Teixeira and Palmeiro make for an intimidating 3-6 in the lineup. When he was first starting, Palmeiro was a fan favorite. Most people do not look back at Rafael Palmeiro with fondness. For a majority of baseball fans, when thinking of Palmeiro, the image that comes to mind is him lying at the US congress and testing positive for steroids less than six months later. He played a total of 10 seasons for the Rangers, won two Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers.


• Adrian Beltre
  Third Baseman
  The Best player on the Texas Rangers for the past two years. His being right-handed and the performance of batters in the previous successful era for Rangers push him all the way down. He is the best free-agent signed by Jon Daniels. Beltre is an interesting player when it comes to Hall of Fame credentials. He has been playing since 1998 (when he was 19) but didn’t really hit the limelight until 2010 with the Red Sox and his greatest asset is his glove at third base. Adrian led the Rangers in nearly every offensive category in 2013—batting average, hits, RBI, doubles and slugging. He also played in the most games (161) and tied the Cardinals’ Matt Carpenter for the most hits in the big leagues (199). He is a first ballot Hall of Famer. He doesn’t have quite the power as the guys above He also the best third base fielder the Rangers have ever had.


• Rusty Greer
  Left-fielder*
  Rusty Greer played his entire nine-year career with the Rangers before retiring at the age of 36 due to injuries. Greer was a fan favorite for his aggressive defensive play, laying out for anything and making highlight gems throughout his career. They also led to the before mentioned injuries. He had the greatest no-hit saving catch ever. He certainly played a major role on offense as well. He contributed productive season after productive season throughout the 1990s. He also helped elevate the Texas Rangers into a competitive team.


• Ivan Rodriguez
  Catcher
  Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez is the only no-brainer to make it into Cooperstown as a Hall of Famer. There is no doubt Ivan Rodriguez is the greatest catcher to ever don a Ranger uniform. Pudge was mister Ranger long before Michael Young. Pudge spent 13 years of his 21-year career with the Rangers, had a 10-year streak of making the All-Star Team and winning a Gold Glove, as well as the AL MVP in 1999. The strength of batting in this list pushes him much below his traditional third place spot in the lineup. He will be the first player drafted and developed by the Texas Rangers to make it into the Hall of Fame

Bench

• Buddy Bell
  Third Baseman and Outfielder
  Buddy Bell was a five-time MLB All-Star and was known equally for his heroics at the plate and at the hot corner. Buddy was often the lone saving grace during some dark seasons for the franchise. He won a Gold Glove every season as a Ranger.


• Jim Sundberg
  Catcher
  he was amazing as the original number 10. If it weren’t for the Rangers having arguably the greatest catcher in the game’s history (Pudge Rodriguez), Sundberg would be a shoe-in as the franchise’s all-time starting catcher.


• Toby Harrah
  Third Baseman, Shortstop and Second Baseman
  Colbert Dale “Toby” Harrah was the great third baseman, before Bell and Beltre. In 11 years with the organization, Harrah never reached the postseason, but he still managed to earn three All-Star selections with the Rangers. He even garnered MVP votes in 1975. He came up with the Washington Senators as an 18-year-old second baseman. As part of the move from Washington to Texas, he was installed at shortstop. In 1977, he and second baseman Bump Wills became the only teammates to hit back-to-back, inside-the-park home runs. Toby Harrah was one of the first real stars for the Texas Rangers in the 1970s playing eleven seasons in two stints with Texas.


• Michael Young
  Infielder
  The Blue Jays traded Young to Texas for Esteban Loaiza. It is considered the worst trade in Toronto history. Michael Young has played more games and has more runs, hits, doubles and triples as a Ranger than any other player to wear the uniform. he always did what was best for the team, constantly moving one position over for the new guy. He is and was everything you wanted from a player and a teammate. He has fielded all over the infield over the course of 13 seasons with the team. Michael had an American League best batting average of .331 in 2005. He won a Gold Glove at shortstop in 2005. He was the ultimate utility-man for this team who avoided disabled list for entire career. His last season was an avoidable disaster.

Frank Howard and Alex Rodriguez are not in this list. Frank main attraction for the Texas Rangers after they moved from Washington. He is one of the all time great sluggers and he played mostly in the pre mound reduction era. Frank is one of four players (along with Harmon Killebrew, Cecil Fielder, and Mark McGwire), to clear the left-field roof at the pre-1999 Tiger Stadium. Frank Howard spent the last year of his career as a DH in 1973, the first year the DH was in place. It's a shame the rule wasn't in place earlier; the DH position was truly made for Frank. The sum of three seasons of Alex Rodriguez with rangers were not great. Rangers have had many right-handed hitters who performed better for the team. Also, like most Steroid Sluggers, he put up great numbers while his salary ensured that his team could never be balanced after paying for him. His outsized salary led to many good players including the two above leaving. Rangers. In 2003 had the highest payroll for a last-place team till then. Also, former Rangers owner Tom Hicks was not judicious; a common pattern for this team's ownership.

Pitchers

Left-handed pitchers are marked *.

Rotation

• Charlie Hough
  Spot Starter and Long reliever
  This seems like a big disrespect for the best Rangers pitcher. But Charlie Hough did it all and brilliantly. Charlie Hough is the man behind perhaps the most famous knuckleball of all-time. Hough played 11 MLB seasons with the Rangers, jumping between the bullpen and starting rotation as the team needed. He was the fitness fanatic before Nolan Ryan, after each start, Hough faithfully would get on an exercise bicycle and pedal away. He is the franchise leader in innings pitched and wins. His versatility and the Knuckleball make him a great Spot Starter in this fantasy list of best rangers ever with Kenny Rogers being the lone lefty pitcher of the rotation.


• Kenny Rogers *
  Most durable arm in franchise history. In 12 seasons (1989-95, 2000-02, 2004-05) he worked as a reliever and a starter. He started in Bullpen and moved to the rotation. Kenny Rogers was the Rangers’ ace in three separate stints with the squad. He pitched a perfect game in July 1994. He has five gold gloves. Rogers with Pudge was the most devastating defensive batteries that the Texas Rangers have ever had.


• Fergie Jenkins
  The game has changed greatly since the '70s when Ferguson Jenkins was playing. Players don't sit down in the outfield when a game was in progress. They do not slug managers in the face. There are also less than four managers in a span of nine games. Had six seasons with Rangers (1974-75, 1978-81) in two stretches. The team management had not realized that Dallas is hitter friendly and did not get good fielders. Fergie worked fast, had great control and a killer slider. Fergie Jenkins threw over 1,400 innings in a Texas Rangers uniform and had a .563 winning percentage. Fergie was one of the few Superstar pitchers who played and thrived in Texas.


• Yu Darvish
  Yu Darvish is the current team's ace. Expectations were off the charts for him after coming over from Japan and he certainly did not disappoint. While it would have been nice to see more playoff success, Yu has contributed plenty in regular season.


• Kevin Brown
  Kevin Brown was drafted by the Rangers with the fourth overall pick in the 1986 draft. He went on to give the franchise eight years of quality work armed with a bat-breaking sinking fastball. He was also the runaway leader in smashed walls, broken light fixtures and other damage brought on by his volcanic temper. He led the American League in hit batters with 13 in 1991.


• Gaylord Perry Another great pitcher who toiled during the 70s under the Texas sun in hitter friendly conditions without Run support. Apart from his psychological edge, he had a good curve, a fine fastball, a good change, and a fine sinker. He is remembered for his persona, a reputation for doctoring the ball preceded him, it was not so much the spitball itself, as the threat of it which played with opposing batters heads. Like Fergie above, he had to move to pitcher friendly conditions to get appreciated.

The impact of Nolan Ryan with the Rangers was not on the pitching mound in the end of his career. It was tight between him and another Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry. Gaylord Perry pushes him out of the rotation through his mind games and rituals on the mound.

Bullpen

• Francisco Cordero
  Francisco Cordero was a lock-down closer for the Texas Rangers for seven years. He set the franchise single-season record for saves in 2004 with 49 in 54 chances. He ranks third in club history with 117 saves.


• John Wetteland
  Signing Wetteland was a huge win for the Rangers organization. second-best save conversion rate in club history, with minimum of 50 chances, at 84.7 percent.


• Dave Schmidt
  Drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 1979 draft, Dave Schmidt is the middle reliever of this group. A utilityman pitcher who could start and relieve, he used to come in during the high leverage situations and deliver. His trade Dave Schmidt is one of a long list of personnel blunders of Rangers Managements.


• Frank Francisco
  Frank Francisco has been the best set-up reliever of the franchise. He is the all-time leader in holds for Rangers.


• Jim Kern
  Jim Kern, who was also known as "The Amazing Emu" won 13 games and had 29 saves in his first season with the Rangers in 1979. He made the All-Star team and finished fourth in the Cy Young voting.


• Joe Nathan
  Joe Nathan has calmed the nerves of spectators globally and was an All-Star both years. A masterful pitcher on the mound as Joe has command of his pitches and attacks batters.

The closer role has been rich for the Texas Rangers franchise. Neftali Feliz gets left out. Every time he came in with a single run difference, it was emotional... to put it mildly.

Bonus: Ownership

Nolan only spent the last five years with the Rangers. He achieved several career milestones with the Rangers reminding people of his achievements prior to arriving in Dallas. At the same time, Nolan is a Texan. He threw no-hitter #7 as a Ranger. he put Robin Ventura in a headlock as a Ranger and he retired as a Ranger. He whipped up the enthusiasm for the creation of the current stadium. The way Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. helped the new ownership group rescue the Texas Rangers make him an irreplaceable legend in his own right as the best management person the team has ever had. He called up the season tickets holders personally when he took over to listen to their issues and pitch renewal. Him sitting next to George Bush near the home plate became a constant fixture during home games. Also, he is now pushed out. Houston Astros; with whom his son works as their president, are signalling a welcome. I see greatness for Astros and bad times for Rangers in the future.

I strongly hope that Jon Daniels and successor/s has / have the sense to ensure that; unlike Michael Young and Ian Kinsler, Yu Darvish and Elvis Andrus remain as Texas Rangers for their whole playing Career.