Texas Rangers Grab Attention in the Latest Power Rankings

The Texas Rangers are off to a hot start in the first week of official games.

Starting the preseason No. 10 in The Athletic’s Power Rankings, they’ve shot up the board to the No. 3 spot behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers (No. 1) and New York Yankees (No. 2).

Back-to-back wins over the Cincinnati Reds to kick off April, and a first-place standing in the AL East, the Rangers are showing that their offense is still dangerous.

However, much of the success has been credited to Wyatt Langford, who has a slash line of (.250/.313/.464) in 2025. He’s belted two homers and three RBIs in 28 at-bats, while star sluggers Marcus Semien and Adolis Garcia are certainly back in All-Star form, both finding a way to keep the innings alive in the crux of games.

Semien has been masterful once again this year in the leadoff spot, while Garcia ranks in the 90th percentile or higher in average exit velocity, hard-hit percentage, and expected slugging percentage, per MLB’s Baseball Savant (via R.J. Coyle of The Dallas Morning News).

The production hasn’t been limited to the top of the order, though. In the club’s 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, Josh Smith managed to find his way on the base paths after two scoreless innings, with Kyle Higashioka eventually smacking a double into left field to bring his teammate home. 

That aggressiveness at the plate quickly got things going for the Rangers from there.

Leody Taveras continued the momentum - clearing the bases with a lined shot to center. Semien followed it up with an RBI single. Corey Seager singled, and Langford extended the big inning with a sac fly. The 4-0 cushion was enough for the pitchers to carry them to victory.

Speaking of defense, the Rangers have been stout. The pitching rotation - consisting of Nathan Eovaldi, Jack Leiter and Jacob deGrom - has a 0.90 combined ERA. Tyler Mahle earned his first win of the season on Friday - fanning five Rays, allowing one hit and two walks in five innings.

The Rangers are as balanced a team as they’ve shown in recent memory, and there's little reason to believe that the early prosperity will dissipate as the season drifts closer to the summer months.

deGrom gets a highly-anticipated second nod of the season against the Rays on Saturday. The two-time Cy Young recipient will be worth watching after a five-inning shutout performance against the Boston Red Sox on March 30, as the Rangers look to improve their 6-2 record.