Rangers and Snakes On Top

By: Michael A. Chase Jr.

06/15/2023

The Western section of Major League Baseball has a pair of division leaders that do not include the usual superpowers at the top. The National League West is currently led by the Arizona Diamondbacks and the American League West is headlined by the Texas Rangers. These two squads have surprised many, claiming top records in the MLB standings. This is thanks to this pair being two of the top offenses in the league, to go along with some timely pitching production. TUSV analyzes the early season success of these two ballclubs while detailing the key factors that have and will continue to aid their push to remain atop their divisions.

The Texas Rangers finished 2022 with just 68 wins and 4th in the AL West – 38 games back of the eventual World Champion Houston Astros. Now they currently sit with a 42-25 record – which is 2nd best in the MLB – and 3.5 games ahead of the reigning champs in the middle of June. How have they made this massive shift over one offseason? The answers are simple.

The Rangers have an MLB-best +145 run differential, and their offense has a ton to do with it. Texas currently leads in the majors in runs scored with 415, which is 14 runs better than the team with the best record in the sport the Tampa Bay Rays. They also lead the league in batting average, hitting .272 as a team, and on-base percentage at .341. Add in being an elite extra-base hitting team by being 4th in doubles (145) and 7th in home runs (90) and the Rangers have been undeniably the best offense in the sport.

The diversity in production they are getting across their lineup is also noteworthy. Texas has nine players with 45 or more hits and 26 or more RBI. This includes four players with 40+ RBI headlined by Adolis Garcia (54) and Marcus Semien (53) who are 3rd and 4th respectively in the MLB in runs batted in. Plus, they have eight players hitting .272 or better with youngsters Ezequiel Duran (.295) and Leody Taveras (.305) leading the way. One of their biggest standouts has been rookie third baseman Josh Jung who looks like the AL Rookie of the Year. Jung is hitting .283 with 13 doubles, 1 triple, 13 home runs, and 40 RBI and has been an MVP performer in a deep Rangers lineup. This mixture of productivity has been crucial and encouraging for their future as their core is young and just starting to blossom.

On the pitching side, the Rangers have made drastic improvements thanks to key offseason additions and the growth of young arms. The Rangers went into this past offseason knowing they needed a complete overhaul of their starting pitching to give themselves a chance to compete. They got aggressive in free agency signing stars Jacob DeGrom and Nathan Eovaldi to bolster their rotation. Thanks to these moves along with the improvement from Jon Gray and the emergence of Dane Dunning the Rangers now sit with a 3.78 ERA – 6th in the MLB. They also rank 6th in earned runs allowed (250 runs), 2nd in home runs allowed (66), and 3rd in WHIP (1.20). The Rangers also have eight pitchers with ERAs of 3.80 or better including four of their current starters. Their main standouts include offseason signee Nathan Eovaldi (9-2, 2.49 ERA, 83 K's, 86.2 IP) who has been their ace thus far. Plus, Jon Gray is 5th in the league in ERA at 2.32, while Dane Dunning has pitched to a 2.76 ERA in 15 appearances, 7 starts this year. Now they will have to manage the rest of the year without big money signing Jacob DeGrom who is out due to Tommy John Surgery. But they have the depth in the rotation to hopefully move forward.

The Arizona Diamondbacks similarly to Texas finished 4th in their division last year with 74 wins – 37 games back of the LA Dodgers. Now they own a 41-27 record and are 3 games clear of the usual division favorites the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The D-Backs offense has been a huge reason this young team has risen to the top of the NL West. As their +28-run differential is supported by their ability to outscore teams in a variety of ways. Arizona is tied for 3rd in batting average at .264, 5th in runs scored (351), and 8th in on-base percentage (.329). They've also utilized the running game as a big weapon, tallying 64 stolen bases which places them 5th in the MLB. Throw in that they are 2nd in triples (16) and 4th in doubles (139) and they hit the ball from gap to gap consistently – using their team speed to take extra bases also. Arizona has surprised many with how good their offense has been this year and they have many contributors to this both top prospects and unheralded performers.

The D-Backs have benefited from the production of several players, spearheaded by the favorite for NL Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll. Carroll is leading Arizona in batting average (.311), home runs (14), stolen bases (19), and doubles (17) while being 3rd in RBI (35). Including Carroll, the D-Backs have seven players with 42 or more hits and seven players with 5 or more home runs. Add in 12 different players having at least one stolen base for Arizona this season and their entire roster has contributed to all their statistical output. Other notable performers are Ketel Marte who has been a veteran presence for this young lineup, hitting .280 with 9 home runs and 26 RBI. You also have first baseman Christian Walker who is second to Carroll in home runs with 13 and leading the club with 42 RBI. Then you have offseason acquisition Lourdes Gurriel (.296, 17 doubles, 10 home runs, 39 RBI) who has been an instant difference-maker in the middle of their lineup.

Now Arizona has been underwhelming on the pitching side overall as they have a 4.42 team ERA which is 19th in the MLB. But they have gotten some great individual efforts from their staff that has allowed them to survive on the mound. These are the top two arms in their rotation in Zac Gallen and Merril Kelly who have formed a duo that has carried their starting staff to this point. Gallen is the clear-cut ace of the rotation and for the second straight season is right in the mix of pitchers in contention for the NL CY Young. He is pitching to a 3.09 ERA in 84.1 innings thus far while having struck out 93 batters and compiling a 7-2 record. Merril Kelly has built momentum after pitching for the USA in the World Baseball Classic and turned it into a career-best start to the season. He owns an 8-3 record with a strong 3.04 ERA in 83 innings pitched to go along with a 1.11 WHIP. If this duo can remain stall-worths atop Arizona's rotation, they will have time to adjust the rest of the staff. They also have a few solid bullpen pieces that will continue to be key for them. Kyle Nelson has been a great bridge arm in their pen pitching to a 2.52 ERA in 30 appearances. Lefty Andrew Chafin has settled into his late-inning role well pitching to a solid 3.04 ERA and leading the club with 8 saves. Miguel Castro and Scott McGough have also been solid contributors to a pen without stellar names that are finding a way to be serviceable thus far. Overall, the D-Backs pitching has room to improve but there are positives to lean on as they sort things out the rest of the season.

With the season over a third of the way complete the Rangers and Diamondbacks have exceeded many pundits' expectations. They have used strong offenses while utilizing solid pitching pockets on their staff to get off to these strong starts. Whether they both will continue this success and end up in the postseason remain to be seen with just under 100 games left for both. But it is worth highlighting how these two lesser-heralded clubs have taken control of the Western divisions.