Rangers' wild-card roster: Quick thoughts

The past few days have not been kind to the Texas Rangers. They dropped three out of four to the Seattle Mariners, getting out-dueled 1-0 in their final regular season game and ultimately losing a tiebreaker to the Houston Astros for the AL West crown. The Rangers were rewarded with a cross-country flight to face the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla.

But ask general manager Chris Young, and this is all par for the course. Back on Sept. 10, the Rangers trailed in the division by three games. Their pitching, including trade deadline acquisition Max Scherzer, was hampered by injuries. After a hot first half, the second half of the schedule was a difficult slog.

“It's a resilient team,” Young said. “We’ve had our share of ups and downs. We’ve certainly sustained a number of injuries that have impacted us. Yet here we are in the playoffs, which is a big step forward for our franchise, for our organization.”

Almost lost amid all the hoopla is the fact this Rangers club won only 68 games a year ago. Much has changed since then. Ownership spent big, yes. But a crop of less heralded players — catcher Jonah Heim, first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and rookie third baseman Josh Jung among them — have also helped the Rangers create one of the most formidable offenses in baseball.

“Sometimes we’ve had a stretch – and all teams do – where we’re a little bit streaky, but when our group is on, they are able to score and produce runs,” Young said. “I think that’s been the one carrying piece or identity of our group.”

This year’s Rangers finished with 90 wins and the organization’s first playoff appearance since 2016. Facing the Rays, though, is no easy draw. Jordan Montgomery, another midseason acquisition who posted a 2.79 ERA in 11 starts with the Rangers, will start Game 1 on Tuesday. And we’ll see if the Rangers can keep fighting a little bit longer.

“That’s a huge accomplishment for our organization, but by no means are we satisfied,” Young said. “This is where we want to be year in and year out. We’re playing a team that really models that and has been able to do that, and we’re gonna have our work cut out for us. In terms of who we are, I think resilience is the word that sticks out the most.”

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