A future Hall of Famer, an MVP and a Japanese star among Texas Rangers’ best of 2010s
The following is not a Texas Rangers all-decade team.
Why?
Because the decade isn’t over.
The current decade ends Dec. 31, 2020. It doesn’t end with the end of the 2010s, despite all of the all-decade teams and moments-of-the-decade stories and features floating around various media.
However, the 2010s are finished, so the following is the Texas Rangers all-2010s team.
It was the best 10-season stretch in franchise history, even if the Rangers finished with three consecutive losing seasons. They went 843-778, opened the 2010s with two straight trips to the World Series, and went to the playoffs five times.
Among their best players were a Hall of Famer, a future Hall of Famer, an MVP and a Japanese sensation.
So, who was selected to this team?
Let’s find out.
Catcher: Robinson Chirinos
The Rangers are having second thoughts about letting Chirinos go last off-season, and he would return as a better catcher after handling Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole in 2019. Chirinos brings some power and on-base percentage to the position, and he collected the most at-bats by a Rangers catcher the past 10 seasons.
First base: Mitch Moreland
The Mississippi native became a Gold Glove-caliber first baseman, and he never got cheated at the plate. Moreland showed some of the best power in the lineup from 2010 to 2017, though he never hit more than 23 in a season. Injuries hampered him, including a lost season in 2014, but he was a serviceable player who has since won a World Series.
Second base: Ian Kinsler
Rougned Odor played more games with the Rangers in the 2010s than Kinsler and had more 30-homer seasons, but Kinsler’s fiery style helped personify the World Series teams. He was traded away after the 2013 season as the club’s all-time leader in stolen bases and twice hit 30 homers and stole 30 bases in the same season. Postseason: .311 average, a .906 OPS and more walks than strikeouts.
Third base: Adrian Beltre
He came to the Rangers before the 2011 season and left eight seasons later as one of the most beloved players in franchise history. He’ll also be entering the Hall of Fame in four years. Beltre was voted as the Rangers Player of the Year four times. He collected 1,277 of his 3,166 career hits with the Rangers and three of his five Gold Gloves. Beltre played through pain in multiple seasons but still played at the highest level.
Shortstop: Elvis Andrus
No one else opened a season at shortstop, making Andrus an obvious choice for this team. He was one of the catalysts for the two World Series teams, running wild on the bases and creating with his legs under manager Ron Washington. The club’s all-time leader in steals, Andrus endured a few mediocre seasons, but started to find some power in 2016. Only in 2018 (broken arm) did he fail to play at least 145 games.
Left field: David Murphy
He was labeled as a regular only once from 2010 to 2013, but he averaged 429 at-bats and was more than serviceable as a fill-in when injuries or a lack of performance sacked a regular. He was a smart player and a clutch player, and a vital piece of the World Series teams.
Center field: Josh Hamilton
Despite his off-field demons, the 2010 American League MVP award automatically qualified Hamilton for this list. He also put together excellent seasons in 2011 and 2012 before bolting for the Los Angeles Angels’ nine-figure offer. He should have never left, but he returned in 2015 after busting out in Anaheim, and made multiple clutch plays as the Rangers won the division.
Right field: Nelson Cruz
Cruz did his best plate work during the postseason, swatting 14 home runs in 34 games. He hit six home runs in the 2011 AL Championship Series, including a walk-off grand slam in Game 2. Many remember him for the ball he didn’t catch with two outs in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series and for his suspension for PEDs in 2013, when the Rangers missed the postseason by a game.
Designated hitter: Shin-Soo Choo
Choo, at times, still has to overcome the impression left by his first season after signing a seven-year, $130-million deal. He was plagued by injuries in 2014 and batted only .242 before having surgery on his ankle and elbow in September. But he’s still standing and will finish out his contract in 2020 as an All-Star (2018) and as the lineup’s catalyst (.365 on-base percentage, .794 OPS with the Rangers).
Starting rotation
Colby Lewis: No pitcher was tougher and no one competed like Lewis, who returned in 2010 after resurrecting his career in Japan. He lasted six seasons, winning 77 games and topping 200 innings three times. He’s the most successful pitcher in Rangers postseason history, going 4-1 with a 3.11 ERA and winning the clincher of the 2010 AL Championship Series.
Yu Darvish: He could never match the hype that accompanied him from Japan in 2012, when some said he would win a Cy Young or two, but he was exceptional when healthy. Darvish went 52-39 with a 3.42 ERA and 960 strikeouts in 1,051 innings over five seasons. He was an out away from the second perfect game in club history in his first start in 2013, when he finished second in Cy Young balloting.
Derek Holland: The Dutch Oven was a homegrown starter who tossed the best game in Rangers postseason history, blanking the St. Louis Cardinals over 8 1/3 innings in Game 4 of the 2011 World Series. He won 16 games that season and 62 with a 4.35 ERA over eight seasons, one of which was foiled by a off-season knee injury after tripping over his dog. Holland continues to be champion in the community two teams and three seasons after leaving.
C.J. Wilson: He pitched only two seasons for the Rangers in the 2010s, but he was their best during their two best seasons in 2010 and 2011. The lefty transitioned from the bullpen to lead the team in wins (15), ERA (3.35) and innings (204) in 2010, and led in those categories again in 2011 (16 wins, 2.94 ERA, 223 1/3 innings). The Ceej could also land a fighter jet while blind folded.
Cole Hamels: This lefty pitched not quite 2 1/2 seasons with the Rangers, but he was very good when they were good again after the injury-wrecked 2014 season. Hamels came at the 2015 trade deadline, and the Rangers won his final 10 starts to surge to the AL West title. He was a Cy Young candidate in 2016 entering the final month, and still finished 15-5 with a 3.32 ERA despite a dicey final month.
Closer: Neftali Feliz
Believe it or not, Feliz pitched seven seasons with the Rangers. Of course, his first two are the most memorable. He was the closer for both World Series teams and the 2010 AL Rookie of the Year, but he will be remembered for the save he didn’t get in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. His career was sidetracked by a move to the rotation in 2012 that resulted in Tommy John surgery. Nevertheless, Feliz saved 72 games in 2010 and 2011, and 93 in his time with the Rangers.
