"I Could Not Have Imagined a World in Which the Texas Rangers Are Sitting Below .500" - Ben Verlander on 2024's most surprising underperformer.
Ben Verlander recently pointed out that the Texas Rangers and the Chicago Cubs have been the most surprising underperformers of the 2024 MLB season. With a 46-50 record, the defending World Series champions and the Chicago Cubs, languishing at the bottom of the NL Central, have failed to meet expectations. However, Verlander argues that the Rangers’ struggles are more surprising.
“I could not have imagined a world in which the Texas Rangers are sitting bellow .500 at the All-Star break." - Ben Verlander
Verlander also made it clear that he believes that injuries to pitchers Max Scherzer and Jacob DeGrom have greatly impacted the Rangers. He also made it clear that despite these setbacks, he believes the team should have better than a sub-.500 record at the All-Star break.
"I thought Evan carter was going to be huge for them this year. I thought Josh Jung was going to take another step forward, I thought the rotation could be good, I thought Corey Seager and Marcus Semien up the middle would just be even better than they were last year. And then Adolis Garcia for me was the big one. This is just a bad year for Adolis Garcia."
The Texas Rangers secured a key victory over the Houston Astros before the All-Star break.
Despite an underperforming season, the Texas Rangers finished the first half of the season on a high note defeating the division-rivalry Houston Astros in a series.
Texas took two out of three games, with Nathan Eovaldi pitching seven innings in game two and Josh Smith’s two-run homer in the closer. This victory before the All-Star break offered a morale boost for the struggling team, with an important role from All-Star Marcus Semien, who hit a leadoff home run in the second game.
The Texas Rangers still have a long way to go, but their recent series win against the Astros could mean a shift for the second half of the season as they prepare for a weekend series at home against the Baltimore Orioles.