Predicting the Texas Rangers 2026 Season Superlatives

This seems like a chalk pick, because a lot of people are high on what Wyatt Langford could achieve during the season. His metrics continue to grow better the past two seasons, and he averaged over 90 mph on his exit velocity last season. While his strikeouts went up, so did his walks, but this spring, he has looked phenomenal.

Hitting .444 with a eye-popping 1.468 OPS and five home runs, he also walked more than he struck out. Include the fact that his average exit velocity was 98.1 mph, and his hard hit rate was above 70 percent, there is no wonder where the spring training hype is coming from. Throw in elite fielding metrics, producing 10 outs-above-average last season, and he has the makings of a superstar.

For the Rangers, to achieve the goals they have set for themselves, Langford needs to be the best version they have gotten yet in his young career. If he does that, team MVP might not be the only hardware he walks away with on the season.

Cy Young

There were two obvious choices in this category, and picking Nathan Eovaldi, or Jacob deGrom, will never be looked at as a 'bold pick', they're both superstars. Jack Leiter though, is on the precipice of that, or at least through the eyes of Rangers fans, he should be.

Albeit a small sample size, his underlying metrics from spring training seem to have given a real reason to believe Leiter can make that jump. In 16 innings he walked only three batters, his lowest numbers since he walked two his rookie season, but that was in 1.2 innings. His K/9 was a 10.13, his BB/9 was a 1.69, both exceptional rates for him and support an argument his biggest struggles are being corrected.

After deploying a new cutter, that should help his two-strike approach, and has so far despite the small sample size. Leiter seems poised to make the jump into stardom, and competiting with two of the top pitchers in the MLB as the "ace" of the rotation.

Rookie of the Year

This one was tough, because Carter Baumler is the obvious answer, and those have already been picked twice, it felt wrong to do it a third time. However, Carter Baumler is too tough to pass up. One look at his spring training numbers will make you wonder how he never had a chance in the big leagues before, and now after being a Rule 5 Draft selection by the Rangers, he gets his chance.

Through 9.1 innings in spring training, he finished with a 0.00 ERA, and held opponents to a .121 batting average after only allowing four hits. He struck out 10, and only walked two, showing great control of his arsenal, and providing a shutdown arm during the pre-season ramp up stage. If he even finds half the success during the regular season as he had during spring training, it would be an effective season, if he can come close to matching his production though, he could find himself in the closing role for a bullpen without one solidified.

Biggest Surprise

There are a few different directions you can go with this one. Honestly, Josh Jung is due for a big season if he can stay healthy, but Evan Carter is a way more intriguing name here. After bursting onto the scene during the Rangers World Series run, he seemed poised to be the next breakout name. But a lingering back injury, and essentially turning into a platoon option severely limited his ability.

Now though, the Rangers are using Carter as their primary center fielder, getting occasional rest days and sitting against certain left-handed pitchers (it remains to be determined what the criteria will be). Surprisingly, he had a better batting average last season against breaking balls, hitting .311, but only hitting .230 against fastballs.

With more game reps, and becoming comfortable at the plate as he leans into being an every day player, those numbers could climb. Depending where he sits in the lineup too, he could be well protected, getting more opportunites to become a plus-bat, to go along with an above average glove. As long as he remains healthy though, Carter could give the Rangers a lethal one-two punch in the outfield.

Category Leaders

• Home Runs: Last season the Rangers team leader only hit 22 home runs, and while the numbers might not be staggering, they should see a slight uptick for next season. With that said, here is a bold pick for fans, Josh Jung finishes as the team leader in home runs. If he can remain healthy, he has nearly the perfect launch angle percentage to be a surprise home run leader, my official guess is he hits 29, nearly missing his first 30 home run season

• Stolen Bases: Josh Smith led the team in stolen bases last season, and that trend should continue this year as well. Finishing as the only Ranger to eclipse more than 20 stolen bases, he has the speed to continue that, and if he can find a way to hit 20-points higher, he could hit 30 on the season.

• Wins: Going Jacob deGrom here or Nathan Eovaldi is a safe choice here, which is exactly the route to go here as well. deGrom will finish with the most wins, for the second season in a row, and with a new and improved Rangers offense should reach 15 on the season.

• Saves: Every pick so far has been unique, but that trend ends here. Earlier it was mentioned that Baumler could find himself in the closer role if he continues his success from spring training, and that is what I predict to happen over the course of the season. It might still be a committee approach for manager Skip Schumaker, but Baumler could sieze control of it before the All-Star break, and finish with double-digits.

The Rangers will begin their quest to return to the playoffs on Thursday as they take on the Philadelphia Phillies at 3:15 p.m.