Relevant Baseball in the DFW Returns

Baseball is a game of stories, the games are long, the season is long, and the development of players, fans, and storylines is constant. It is a game I owe much of my development as a person too as well. Patience, mental fortitude, and a never give up attitude are to me the pillars of the game and are the pillars upon which I hope to build my life upon.

In my early days of baseball playing, I was fortunate enough to play on a fantastically talented team with an incredible human being as my coach. A man who taught us not only how to play and respect the great game of baseball, but also taught us to be humble, happy, and productive members of a winning unit. A tough thing to pull off when the team didn’t lose for multiple years.

I still remember deeply our first loss after an incredible winning streak that spanned three seasons. We had the opportunity to play against the team that had won the championship in the age group above us. We played a very close game but, in the end, came up short. It was the first time any of us had lost in over a year and a half.

The speech my coach gave us after sticks with me to this day and includes an adage that I use constantly in my daily life. “Bury that dog.” That was the simple line he gave to all of us. He knew how much pain we were in, with most of us tearing up and unable to cope with the loss initially. But his speech empowered us to become a much better and more resilient team. We as a unit buried that dog and continued to push forward into the next seasons to continue our streaks and bond closer together through that experience.

Dwell on things for moments, not days. Bury those dogs and move on.

I feel that I owe much to the game of baseball, so I figured I would try my hand at expressing my excitement and enjoyment of the current state of the 2023 Texas Rangers as they continue their push toward baseball relevancy after a 10-year drought.

Welcome back to the Hirschhorn Herald. A place where I get to write about the things I like.

Baseball, baseball, baseball. In my opinion, no other sport besides baseball can endear fans like baseball can. One hundred and sixty-two games a year make each year a lengthy story from start to finish. For some, it can be a story of misery, and for others, it is a story of victory. It all depends on the year or the day.

For years in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, it has been a story of misery. Yet, the 2023 Rangers are making a strong case for baseball in the DFW once again and the excitement, while slow, is rising.

The Time in which Baseball snared its Claws in Me

I won’t bore you with more stories of my baseball career, but I will provide some slight context for me as a fan.

I played baseball as my main sport throughout my growing up and spent much of my time playing for travel teams as a catcher, third baseman, and pitcher. As a result, I developed a rather (un)healthy obsession for the sport and its pro league, the MLB. At my peak, you could have asked me who the backup shortstop was for the Colorado Rockies, and I could more than likely have told you his entire life story, his batting average, and my opinions on his future potential.

An era was occurring around this time as well (2007-2014ish), an era in which my local ball club, THE Texas Rangers, was relevant. More than relevant in fact. The team was loaded to the gills with some of the top talent in the game at the time, Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler, and Michael Young, a core that led the team into the greatest era of baseball the DFW has ever been privy to. An era in which the team went to two World Series (“and lost both.” Trust me, I am well aware of that unfortunate fact as well.)

This era of good baseball in Dallas only served as kindling to my burning passion for the game. I had a local team to put my entire existence into, chock-full of funny traditions and on-the-field antics for youth baseball players like myself to mimic. I am talking of course about the claw and the deer antlers the players so often threw up after making a play on the diamond. (Pictures Below). This period served as the as the moment my baseball passion was locked in for life.

Dallas’ Slip into the Dark Ages

The time since that peak has been dark for baseball-loving little old Dallas. The team was never able to get over the final hump of World Series glory and that sour taste has been left in the metroplex's mouth since those final strikes.

To make matters worse, the “rebuilding” period has been long and arduous. The team since those days of relevance has been for lack of a better word, shit. Almost seeming at times to not care at all about creating or developing a competitive team.

About all of the half-interesting moments have come from “top prospects” being called up such as Joey Gallo or Willie Calhoun, both of which seemed to fizzle out incredibly quickly upon their arrival into the big leagues.

This slow pace rebuild and seeming lack of care from ownership to reverse fortunes caused many loyal Rangers fans to fall off the ball. Leading to a widespread indifference towards the team out in Arlington. I must admit, I have been one of those as well. It’s tough to pull for something that has no chance and no hope of a chance.

Moreover the team I won’t even bless with saying their name in Houston has found incredible amounts of success (through cheating). Tough to witness a team we used to call the LASTros win a couple of world series so quickly.

Needless to say. It has been dark times in the DFW for baseball.

2022 – The Wheels Start to Move Once Again

In 2022 the team's upper management seemed to hit a new gear. With a new stadium built, including an enclosed roof that can provide great AC for fans and players alike. The front office realized that now more than ever a relevant team was necessary to make the massive stadium purchase a smart one.

It started with two signings, first came Corey Seager, the former LA Dodgers shortstop who has been considered one of the best offensive shortstops in the game since his arrival in LA. He came with a trophy case that includes a pennant and a World Series MVP performance. The Rangers signed him to a gargantuan contract that all but guarantees he will retire as a Ranger by the end.

Next came the signing of Marcus Semien, a second baseman/shortstop who had put together some electric seasons for the Blue Jays and Athletics, coming third in MVP voting twice. This maneuver solidified the Texas Ranger's middle infield for years to come, a tag team duo of Semien and Seager that could now easily be considered the best middle infield in baseball.

Now, at the time I must admit that these maneuvers were a bit of a head-scratcher to me. The team wasn’t ready at all to start making a push toward anything, and the first season with Seager and Semien only solidified those feelings as the team struggled immensely in 2022.

Semien particularly looked awful. It seemed that all his prowess had vanished the second he signed on the dotted line to become a Ranger.

The real issue, and the issue every fan saw, had to do with pitching. The team had no one worthy of holding a starting rotation job in the MLB. So, for the first moves made to be two highly touted bats left much to be desired.

Even still, with the massive investments made into Seager and Semien, it was beginning to become clear that baseball in the DFW may have begun a new direction.

The 2023 Rangers Rise

The offseason between 2022-2023 was a chaotic one. One that saw Chris Woodward, manager since 2019 ousted and replaced by legendary San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy. A surprising move, considering Bochy had seemingly hung up the cleats for the final time long ago.

Next came the removal of the long-time general manager Jon Daniels, ushering in the new age of Chris Young. Young wasted no time implementing his philosophy of pitching first. Fix the pitching and everything else will fall into place.

Young first signed Jacob deGrom, arguably the best pitcher in baseball when healthy and available (more on that later). Then followed that up by signing Nathan Eovaldi, a player who had found flashes of success in Boston, and Andrew Heaney a LA Dodgers mid-rotation guy who can be lights out on his day. These moves nearly instantly turned the Rangers rotation from one of the worst in the league to at least a middle-of-the-pack one, something the team has desperately needed for years and years.

deGrom, unfortunately, comes with an extensive injury history and seems to have some of the worst luck in baseball when it comes to the injury bug. Even more unfortunately, the injury bug bit him almost immediately as the 2023 campaign began. He wound up needing a second Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL ligament in his arm which will see him out of commission until the 2024 season.

His replacement however has been Dane Dunning, a long-time Rangers player who had the opportunity to show his stuff as a starter in 2022, and in all honesty, failed miserably. His failure saw him start as a bullpen pitcher for the start of the 2023 season. Since his return to the starting rotation, it cannot be understated how impressive he has been. Since deGrom went down, Dunning is boasting a 9-4 record with a 3.10 ERA (Earned Run Average), good for 8th best in the league. This turnaround in performance has been nothing short of incredible, he has managed to fill the void of maybe the best pitcher in baseball, performing at nearly the same level expected of deGrom.

On top of Dunning’s sudden resurgence, the signing of Nathan Eovaldi has turned out to be a masterclass stroke of genius in 2023. Eovaldi, who has shown at times a potential to be a great pitcher, is having by far his best season in the MLB. He boasts an 11-3 record with a 2.69 ERA, good for 2nd best in the MLB. Again, another pitcher stepping up immensely to fill the void of losing our ace early in the season. At the time of writing this article, Eovaldi is injured, and the rotation is doing a fantastic job of boosting him up in his absence. His injury is thankfully not as serious as deGrom’s and the team hopes to have him back soon.

I mentioned earlier that I thought the signings would make the Rangers rotation at least a middle-of-the-pack one, as it turns out the Rangers currently have one of the top 5 rotations in baseball.

A rotation that was also majorly bolstered at the trade deadline two weeks ago. Max Scherzer, one of the greatest pitchers of all time, was picked up by the team at the deadline for what seems to me to be pennies on the dollar. Granted Scherzer is 38 now and certainly isn’t the dominant ace he once was, yet he still brings some gas to the rotation, and an edge about him that is welcome to the team.

Moreover, the second-ranked free agent in 2024 pitcher Jordan Montgomery was acquired at the deadline to fully bolster the rotation and has shown in his three games as a Rangers to be a very worthy rental, if that is what he turns out to be.

Now, after that lengthy analysis of the rotation, let us turn our focus toward the true shining gem of the Rangers. The number two ranked offense in baseball.

I can’t tell you how much of a joy it is to have an offense like this right now. I remind myself daily that this isn’t normal, and not to get used to it. But damn, it’s fun to watch. Here is how the offense currently ranks in the MLB.

Runs Scored: 691 (2nd)

Batting Average: .273 (2nd)

On Base Percentage: .342 (2nd)

Slugging Percentage: .464 (2nd)

I would first like to speak on Semien, who I slandered a bit in the 2022 season review. The guy has completely flipped the narrative, turning into in my opinion the best leadoff man in baseball. He has found his form and his edge and continues to perform night in and night out at an extremely high level. The leadoff role in baseball is so important, watching your first guy get a hit or draw a walk instills so much confidence in those that follow him in the order.

Second, comes Corey Seager. Where do I even begin with this guy this season? He has been lights out when healthy. He may very well be the best offensive player in baseball, this statement is only hindered by the fact that he missed over a month of the season with injuries. But when he is healthy there is no one like him. He tends to first-pitch swing with great success and is benefiting greatly from the removal of the defensive shift this season. His line for the season is a .350 batting average, 60 runs, 73 runs batted in, and 22 home runs. Unreal numbers for someone missing more than a month of ball.

Next let’s touch on my personal favorite Josh Jung, a rookie third baseman out of Texas Tech, the hometown kid. Man. What a player this guy is so far in his young career. He plays with such poise; it seems like he’s been in the league for years now. As a rookie, he managed to make the All-Star team and has in my opinion shown that he has the potential to be one of the best third basemen in the league for a long time to come. That is great news for Rangers fans who have long experienced great third baseman play at the hands of Adrian Beltre and Michael Young. I love this guy and will certainly get his jersey the second I can. Sadly, he broke his thumb a few weeks ago and won’t play until the playoffs if the team makes it that far, but darn, what a great rookie campaign he has put together regardless.

I could go 1-9 with this roster, but I won’t. So let me quickly hit on one more invaluable piece of this team’s success this year. Ezequiel Duran. Duran is a Swiss army knife type player, a guy who can play in both outfield or infield at a very high level. So, when Seager went down early in the season with a calf injury, in came Duran. Duran performed incredibly well while Seager was down and filled the void of losing our top offensive player. Now that Josh Jung has gone done, Duran has stepped up into the third baseman role and is performing at nearly identical levels to what he did early in the season with Seager out. Without Duran, I think the Ranger's success this season would look much different.

And I can’t finish this article without at least telling you that Adolis Garcia, Nathanial Lowe, Travis Jankowski, and Leody Taveras have all been playing out of their minds, and all deserve their own paragraphs, alas I am out of gas.

Relevance at Last

Now to put a bow on the glorious return of the Hirschhorn Herald, let me close with some final words about the 2023 Rangers.

What I am truly excited about is that the team has found relevance again. For too long in the DFW the Rangers have been the laughingstock of the local teams and in all honesty of the MLB.

My expectations for this team are astronomically large but tempered. It is our first season of relevance in quite some time, and we are far ahead of schedule. I think most fans expected an improvement when compared to the awful 2022 season, but no one expected this. To be top of our division from day one and be in discussions with the top 5 teams in baseball during weekly power rankings is amazing.

The moves at the trade deadline were fantastic and seem to have filled the gaps in the team’s bullpen and starting rotation. And the price to get these moves done leaves a great taste in my mouth. We managed to secure good and needed players without completely gutting our farm system, this is great news as are still loaded with enough prospective talent to make future moves and possibly call some of our top prospects up in the next two years.

In the end, I am just happy the team is good, fun to watch, and finding success. Nothing could make me happier. Anything else at this point is a bonus.

Go Rangers.