The Texas Rangers failed to make it back to the playoffs in 2026, the third straight time since the World Series win in 2023. At 80-82, Texas had a shot thanks to the weak AL West. But injuries, an inconsistent offense, and other factors played a role in why the Rangers missed yet again.
The Offense
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Runs Scored | 673 | 25th |
| Home Runs | 183 | t-14th |
| OPS | .713 | 20th |
| Whiff% | 26.2 | 23rd |
| Hard Hit% | 40.0% | 9th |
The Pitching
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Starters’ ERA | 4.23 | 16th |
| Relievers’ ERA | 4.47 | 23rd |
| Strikeouts | 1337 | t-16th |
| Whiff% | 25.9% | 10th |
| Chase% | 31.7% | 6th |
The Good
The 2026 campaign was a challenging year, in some ways, for the Rangers’ offense. However, it was a good one for several individuals who needed a bounceback campaign.
For those who caught it in our Blue Jays 2026 season recap, Corner infielder Jake Burger torched left-handed pitching, as he was one of the top hitters in terms of Barrel% against southpaws. But he was very good overall in his second season with Texas. His 28 home runs in 2026 led all Rangers in that category.
Right behind him was DH Joc Pederson, who had quite the reversal of fortunes. During the 2025 campaign, Pederson batted just above .180 in his first season with Texas. He opted into that second year of his deal and wound up turning back on with 26 home runs.
It was also a fine year for Brandon Nimmo, the big offensive addition for the Rangers last winter. Texas took care of two problems when the club moved off Marcus Semien‘s contract and brought in Nimmo. He had to adjust, playing right field on the regular for the first time. But he ended the year with 14 home runs and a team-best 54 extra-base hits.
As for other notable hitters, Ezequiel Duran won a Gold Glove for Texas and was highly productive offensively with 17 home runs and 48 extra-base hits.
Wyatt Langford and Corey Seager both missed time with injury. Langford has yet to have that true breakout season but he did hit 17 home runs. Seager dealt with nagging back problems throughout the year. However, he was arguably at his best from mid-August onward. Eight of his 20 home runs came during his final 38 games played last year.
Texas’ pitching staff was the true gem, and a big reason why the club stayed alive until the very end of 2026.
Jacob deGrom‘s 4.20 ERA doesn’t really tell the whole story. deGrom was still among baseball’s best swing-and-miss and strikeout pitchers, as he posted yet another 200-strikeout campaign. His .285 opponents’ wOBA was in the top 25 of the league. What did hurt him to a certain extent was the long ball; he allowed 20 home runs, the second time since 2017 that deGrom did that in a season.
Nathan Eovaldi, who had to do bullpen work down the stretch, didn’t have that bad a year, although he couldn’t replicate what was done in 2025.
But two pitchers who stole the show in Texas were names likely not on many individuals’ radar before the year.
Jacob Latz, as noted back in October, was among baseball’s best closers in 2026. Quantrill, meanwhile, didn’t miss a ton of bats but turned a corner with Texas. He worked in 32 games (15 starts), posted a sub-3.00 ERA, and one of baseball’s best opponents’ wOBA (.274).
Quantrill was one of the many pitchers on the Rangers who did a tremendous job of forcing hitters to expand the zone.
The Bad
The Rangers’ offense finished in the bottom third in several categories, including runs scored and Whiff%. And there were various reasons why.
For one, the Rangers had problems with keeping the same team on the field. Josh Jung, Corey Seager, and Wyatt Langford all missed time. Losing three important hitters can sting any team. But aside from that, there were other problems afoot.
Evan Carter has yet to find true, consistent offensive production. For a time last spring, he did that. But not in 2026, as the young outfielder batted below .200 and posted one of baseball’s worst wOBA (.274) figures.
Andrew McCutchen, brought in during Spring Training, made the Rangers out of camp but didn’t hit. McCutchen played in just 37 games before his Texas tenure ended.
Moving to the pitching staff, Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter didn’t take that true step forward. For Leiter, he posted an ERA north of 5.00 and only made 15 starts. Rocker, meanwhile, made 27 but provided mixed results. The positives? As noted above, both were able to expand the zone.
MacKenzie Gore was the big addition last winter. Texas traded away several of their top prospects to get Gore, who showed great swing-and-miss stuff and ace potential in Washington. But that didn’t show up in 2026.
For one, Gore walked three or more batters in 13 of his 31 appearances last year. Walks were a problem as a National, and that remained true in 2026. Two, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the swing-and-miss was down across the board.
Early Projected Lineup for 2027
- C: Danny Jansen/Logan O’Hoppe
- 1B: Jake Burger
- 2B: Ezequiel Duran
- 3B: Josh Jung
- SS: Corey Seager
- OF: Wyatt Langford (LF), Evan Carter (CF), Brandon Nimmo (RF)
- DH: Justin Foscue/Alejandro Osuna
- SP: Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, MacKenzie Gore, Kumar Rocker, Cody Bradford
- RP: Jacob Latz, Chase Silseth, Robert Garcia, Peyton Gray, Carter Baumler, Adam Macko, Robby Ahlstrom, Jack Leiter
Over the last 12 months, the Rangers have been tied to trade rumors regarding Corey Seager and Jacob deGrom. Seager has a big contract but deGrom’s is movable — provided he would entertain it. To this point, deGrom hasn’t; in fact, the rumor mill indicated that the righty vetoed a trade to the Braves this past summer.
So, that financial subplot will be something interesting to watch once the offseason activity picks up (whenever that may be).
But if there’s one area to really watch for the Rangers, it’s the catcher position. Texas has shuffled around names like Jansen (who’s still under contract), Kyle Higashioka, and Elias Diaz, plus Jonah Heim over the past two years.
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