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Joc Pederson Sends Warning To AL West Division
Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/joc-pederson-sends-warning-to-al-west-division/
(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
The Texas Rangers followed up their World Series title in 2023 by missing the playoffs in 2024 after finishing with a record of 78-84.
After a disappointing year following a World Series title, the Rangers made some moves this offseason to try to return to the postseason in 2025.
One of those moves was adding Joc Pederson from the Arizona Diamondbacks after he signed a two-year deal with the Rangers.
Pederson sent a warning to the rest of the American League West division after he signed with the Rangers.
Joc Pederson calling his shot in a new divisionpic.twitter.com/qaUpctogdh
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) December 31, 2024
Pederson is an 11-year MLB veteran who came into the league with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014 and the Rangers will be his sixth different team that he’s played for.
In 2024 with the Diamondbacks, Pederson played in 132 games where he batted .275 with 23 home runs, 64 RBIs, and a .908 OPS.
The 32-year-old slugger proved that he still has some pop left in his bat, and he will try to boost this Rangers offense to get back into the playoffs next season.
Even though the Rangers won the World Series in 2023, they haven’t won an AL West title since 2016, mainly due to the Houston Astros’ dominance in the division.
The Rangers also added infielder Jake Burger via trade with the Miami Marlins to boost their offensive power.
With an Astros team that appears to be losing some of its best weapons, the door to the AL West title may be open come the 2025 season.
The post Joc Pederson Sends Warning To AL West Division appeared first on The Cold Wire.
Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/joc-pederson-sends-warning-to-al-west-division/
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Analyst Names The ‘Best Value’ MLB Signing This Offseason
Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/analyst-names-the-best-value-mlb-signing-this-offseason/
(Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
The Texas Rangers missed the postseason in 2024 after finishing with a record of 78-84 and finishing in third place in the American League West.
After winning the World Series in 2023, the Rangers experienced a bit of a championship hangover as they failed to make the postseason in their title defense year.
While injuries likely played a part in a down year for the Rangers, they have added some key pieces to their roster this offseason to try and make it back to the postseason in 2025.
The most recent acquisition involves a reported two-year deal with slugger Joc Pederson.
MLB Analyst Russell Dorsey revealed what he thinks of Pederson.
Pederson is 32 years old and came into the league in 2014 with the Los Angeles Dodgers where he played for seven seasons before bouncing around to different teams the last few seasons.
In 2024 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Pederson played in 132 games and batted .275 with 23 home runs, 64 RBIs, and a .908 OPS.
Dorsey mentions that Pederson played his first year solely as a designated hitter last year, and it allowed him to be productive for the entirety of the season.
The Rangers have only made the postseason once in the last eight seasons, but that one appearance led to their first World Series title in franchise history.
With the addition of Pederson, the Rangers lineup appears to be solid as they prepare for the 2025 season and seek their second World Series title in the last three seasons.
The post Analyst Names The ‘Best Value’ MLB Signing This Offseason appeared first on The Cold Wire.
Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/analyst-names-the-best-value-mlb-signing-this-offseason/
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Jack Leiter Continues A Nightmare Start To The Season
Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/jack-leiter-continues-a-nightmare-start-to-the-season/
(Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
Texas Rangers fans were excited to see the debut of former Vanderbilt star and No. 2 overall pick Jack Leiter this season, but his transition to the majors has been bumpy, to say the least.
Leiter has been pushed to the big leagues following injuries to Nathan Eovaldi and Dane Dunning, while Jacob deGrom is still recovering from Tommy John surgery as well, and if things don’t improve, it won’t be long before he gets sent back down to get a little more seasoning.
Leiter made his third start of the season last night and took a step back, giving up three hits and three walks that led to six runs in just 1.2 innings of work in a 7-4 loss to the Cleveland Guardians.
This was his first start at home, so it was a brutal debut for Leiter who had looked slightly better in his second start than he did in his first one, but the wheels fell off quickly last night and he didn’t make it out of the second inning.
In the post above shared by analyst Thomas Nestico, he highlighted how Leiter’s command was the main issue, as he was all over the place despite his fastball and slider grading out well.
You can get away with great stuff and shaky command in college and the minors, but big-league hitters will make you pay for mistakes regardless of how quality the stuff is.
Leiter is too talented not to figure it out, as he had a rough transition to the minors as well before finding his groove.
The post Jack Leiter Continues A Nightmare Start To The Season appeared first on The Cold Wire.
Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/jack-leiter-continues-a-nightmare-start-to-the-season/
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Rangers See A Familiar Face Return In Trade
Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/rangers-see-a-familiar-face-return-in-trade/
(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
It’s always fun to see fan favorites return to their former teams, and it seems that you see it happen in baseball a little more often than you do in other sports.
Texas Rangers fans will now get to experience this after the front office just made a nice early-season trade to bolster the outfield.
The Rangers officially announced that they have acquired outfielder Robbie Grossman from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for right-handed pitcher Anthony Hoopii-Tuoionetoa.
It was not a long stay in Chicago for Grossman, as he spent all of 2023 with the Rangers and won a World Series ring before he signed a minor league deal with the White Sox this past offseason.
Grossman hit 10 homers and drove in 49 runs for the Rangers last season and was off to a poor start to this season in Chicago with just a .211 batting average in 71 at-bats.
Texas is currently sitting atop the AL West and has scored the 4th-most runs in the league so far, but the Rangers aren’t getting much offensive production out of their outfield spots outside of Adolis Garcia.
Evan Carter is hitting .222 with a .749 OPS, Wyatt Langford is hitting .224 with just a .588 OPS and one home run, and Leody Taveras has a .685 OPS.
Rotational outfielder Travis Jankowski isn’t hitting either, so bringing in some familiar help at the plate is a wise move.
It remains to be seen how many at-bats Grossman will get, but if he can even repeat his performance from last year, it will help this offense right now given the struggles of the young guys.
The post Rangers See A Familiar Face Return In Trade appeared first on The Cold Wire.
Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/rangers-see-a-familiar-face-return-in-trade/
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Jacob deGrom Has Reached An Important MLB Milestone
Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/jacob-degrom-has-reached-an-important-mlb-milestone/
(Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Reaching MLB is insanely difficult: for every player who actually makes his debut, there are dozens who had to drop out in high school, college, or the minor leagues.
Actually staying in the league for 10 years is something reserved for the most talented and persistent ballplayers in the world.
The 10-year service-time threshold has long been one of the most respected and coveted among players.
There is a financial reason behind that, but we will get there in a minute.
The most recent player to reach that milestone is Texas Rangers ace Jacob deGrom.
“This past week, Jacob deGrom received 10 years of MLB service time,” Dan Bartels tweeted.
The 10-year service time threshold unlocks a yearly pension for players after they are retired.
According to JustBallGloves.com, “any player, coach, manager, or trainer that has worked within the league for at least 10 years will receive a pension payout for the rest of their life.”
Starting at age 45, those who have completed 10 years of service time will be allowed to withdraw $68,000 per year.
If the player elects to wait until he is 62, he will be able to get up to $220,000 annually.
deGrom has likely earned financial security for life through his contracts: the last one was worth $185 million over five years, and was signed before the 2023 campaign.
It’s always nice, especially for those who can’t score such a hefty contract over their playing careers, to have such a nice financial cushion for their golden years.
deGrom is now a proud member of the 10-year service-time club and it should be celebrated.
Currently on the injured list, he is expected back around August.
The post Jacob deGrom Has Reached An Important MLB Milestone appeared first on The Cold Wire.
Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/jacob-degrom-has-reached-an-important-mlb-milestone/
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Jack Leiter Has A Rough Outing In MLB Debut
Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/jack-leiter-has-a-rough-outing-in-mlb-debut/
(Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
The Texas Rangers gave star pitching prospect Jack Leiter the opportunity of his life.
They called him up from Triple-A, where he had been performing well in the early stages of the 2024 campaign, to start on Thursday against the Detroit Tigers.
The results of his first MLB outing were not satisfactory, though.
He was roughed up for seven runs (all earned) and couldn’t get out of the fourth inning.
“Jack Leiter’s final line in his MLB debut: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 3 K on 85 pitches,” Talkin’ Baseball tweeted.
Leiter conceded eight hits and walked three batters: the heavy traffic on the basepaths ended up affecting him.
While he didn’t give up any home runs, he did allow some hard contact and it wasn’t a good afternoon, overall.
Thankfully for Leiter, he is with a top organization that just won the World Series last year.
He has good coaches and some of his teammates in the rotation are experienced veterans, All-Stars, and even Cy Young award winners.
He has a strong support system to come back another time and perform much, much better than he did on Thursday.
Nobody knows if he will make another start (or more) or if he will be sent back to Triple-A, but this won’t be his last MLB start.
He has the talent, and requires patience.
Prior to this game, he had a 3.77 ERA in Triple-A with a really good 25/3 SO/BB ratio.
The tools are there for Leiter to be great one day: it just takes a bit of time to make the necessary adjustments in many cases.
The post Jack Leiter Has A Rough Outing In MLB Debut appeared first on The Cold Wire.
Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/jack-leiter-has-a-rough-outing-in-mlb-debut/
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Rangers Set To Call Up Top MLB Prospect
Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/rangers-set-to-call-up-top-mlb-prospect/
(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
The Texas Rangers are one pitcher away from fielding an entire starting rotation on the injured list.
As of Tuesday, they have Cody Bradford, Tyler Mahle, Max Scherzer, and Jacob deGrom on the shelf.
Nathan Eovaldi (2.92 ERA) has been his usual reliable self, but outside of Michael Lorenzen and his tiny workload so far (five scoreless innings), the rest of the staff has an ERA over 4.30: Jon Gray (4.38), Dane Dunning (4.50), and Andrew Heaney (6.75).
The reigning World Series champions are looking for more talented arms to contribute to the rotation, so they decided to bring up one of their top pitching prospects.
“The Texas Rangers are calling up right-hander Jack Leiter, the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft. In 14.1 innings at AAA this season, he has struck out 25 and walked three while allowing four home runs. He’ll start the final game of their series against Detroit on Thursday,” MLB insider Jeff Passan tweeted.
Leiter, the second overall pick of the 2021 MLB Draft after Henry Davis, had shown a difficulty to control and command his pitches in his first couple of seasons in the minor leagues.
He had a 5.54 ERA in 92.2 Double-A innings in 2022, and he repeated the level in 2023 and posted an equally mediocre 5.07 ERA in 81.2 frames.
It took him two years, but he finally made some strides throwing strikes consistently in 2024.
In 14.1 innings this year in Triple-A, his ERA stands at 3.77, but his SO/BB ratio is a brilliant 25/3.
The sample is very small, but the Rangers are willing to give him a shot on Thursday to see how he looks.
Then, they will go from there and let his performance decide the next steps.
Leiter has always been capable of missing bats, but control held him back.
If he is truly behind those issues, 2024 could very well be a breakout year for him.
The post Rangers Set To Call Up Top MLB Prospect appeared first on The Cold Wire.
Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/rangers-set-to-call-up-top-mlb-prospect/
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MLB Announcer Couldn’t Believe An Umpire’s Call On Friday
Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/mlb-announcer-couldnt-believe-an-umpires-call-on-friday/
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Houston Astros Vs. Texas Rangers game was heavily one-sided on Friday, with the Rangers hanging on to win 12-8 after the Astros put up five runs in the bottom of the 7th inning.
The Rangers were up 8-1 in the 4th inning and threatening to score a lot more with the bases loaded and one out before one umpire who fans have grown progressively more disappointed with decided to remind everyone why his name gets brought up so often.
In a 2-2 count, J.P. France struck out Wyatt Langford looking with a cutter that was well off the plate and into the left-handed hitter’s batter’s box, to which Rangers announcer Dave Raymond exclaimed, “you have got to be kidding me, what in the world?!”
The two previous pitches were very similar to this one and were well off the plate outside, and Hernandez called both of them strikes as well.
The Rangers wound up scoring four runs in the inning anyway, but they could have scored a lot more if Langford walked like he should have.
Fans of all teams have been calling for Hernandez to be fired for years now, as he continues to generate headlines seemingly every game with calls like this one.
Every call Hernandez makes like this just applies more pressure on the league to implement robotic umpires, at least for calling balls and strikes.
To make a call like this with the bases loaded is inexcusable, and Hernandez did it three times in a row.
The post MLB Announcer Couldn’t Believe An Umpire’s Call On Friday appeared first on The Cold Wire.
Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/mlb-announcer-couldnt-believe-an-umpires-call-on-friday/
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Rangers Insider Reveals Latest Josh Jung Update
Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/rangers-insider-reveals-latest-josh-jung-update/
(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
The Texas Rangers received some bad news when Josh Jung had to depart Monday’s game after suffering an injury when he swung and missed a pitch.
He was subsequently placed on the injured list, and the Rangers called up top prospect Justin Foscue to replace him.
More details on the procedure and Jung’s timetable became public on Wednesday, and they confirm a rather long absence for the talented corner infielder.
“On Josh Jung, based on post surgery report, Rangers are operating on 8-10 week time frame. Repair a little bit more involved than appeared to be on x ray,” Rangers insider Evan Grant tweeted.
The diagnosis was a right wrist fracture.
Those are delicate and require a lot of time on the shelf, not to mention that they have the potential to sap the player’s power for some time upon his return.
It’s possible we won’t see Jung’s true power ceiling until 2025, but he could defy the odds and make a complete recovery in a few months.
He should be able to return before the All-Star break if all goes well, though.
He will be missed, as we was having an amazing start of the season before going down.
Jung was hitting .412/.474/.941 with a double, a triple, and two homers.
His OPS was a cool 1.415.
He showed the world a glimpse of his power last year, when he hit 25 doubles and 23 home runs in just 122 games.
The Rangers need him because things are tight between them, the Houston Astros, and the Seattle Mariners for the AL West.
The post Rangers Insider Reveals Latest Josh Jung Update appeared first on The Cold Wire.
Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/rangers-insider-reveals-latest-josh-jung-update/
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Rangers Top Prospect Makes Opening Day Roster
Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/rangers-top-prospect-makes-opening-day-roster/
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The Texas Rangers are one of the best teams in baseball.
They are the reigning World Series champs, and they still have help on the way in the form of young players and top prospects.
Sure, there is a strong core with Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Nathaniel Lowe, Adolis Garcia and others; but the Evan Carter, Josh Jungs, and Leody Taveras represent the next generation.
You can go ahead and officially add another name to the mix of young contributors, with Wyatt Langford breaking camp with the team.
“Welcome to the Show, Wyatt Langford! @MLBPipeline‘s No. 6 prospect, will be on the @Rangers Opening Day roster,” MLB Network posted.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy told the media on Friday that his star prospect is making the team.
He is not much of a defender, but as long as he hits like he has in the minor leagues and spring training, Texas will find a spot for him.
He hit .333/.453/.644 in 24 games in High-A last year; .405/.519/.762 in 12 Double-A contests, and .368/.538/.526 in five games in Triple-A.
He had nine homers and 11 steals in just 41 games between the three levels.
This year, he is slashing an incredible .388/.446/.796 in 17 spring training games, with six long balls.
As you can see, he still doesn’t know what it feels like to fail at a specific level.
MLB will obviously represent an increase in difficulty level, but he is well-equipped to be an above-average hitter and a key cog in the Rangers roster for the present and the future.
The post Rangers Top Prospect Makes Opening Day Roster appeared first on The Cold Wire.
Source: https://www.thecoldwire.com/rangers-top-prospect-makes-opening-day-roster/