Here are the Texas Rangers 2019 season predictions from some of The Fan's hosts.
RJ Choppy
Rangers Record (Win / Loss): 73-89
Players To Watch: The "3 Armigos" Shelby, Smyly, Volquez. 3 guys that pitched a total of 16 innings last year.
Notes on the 2019 season: We have already seen the flop. Willie Calhoun. Getting sent to the minors to start the year is a huge disappointment already. Pitchers will love throwing to Jeff Mathis. I don't see a flop, however. This isn't a team of prospects that can either flop or flourish. They have mostly established, or semi-established guys.
Gavin Dawson
Rangers Record (Win / Loss): 61-101
Players To Watch: This team is horrible and they've finally admitted they are in a rebuild.
Ben Rogers
Rangers Record (Win / Loss): 80-82
Players To Watch: 2 players matter most to me in 2019 -- Rougie and Gallo. If Woodward's new approach gets more out of these young stars, perhaps they become young SUPERSTARS and the primary pillars to build around for the future. The development or decline of these two pivotal players will be incredibly meaningful for the franchise.
Notes on the 2019 season: Jeff Mathis won't exactly stand out -- especially if you're just focused on offensive stats -- but his addition is massive for the Rangers and their pitching staff. He's the best defensive catcher in the game and will make every pitcher he catches better... he'll also be a fantastic mentor for the Rangers young catchers, most notably IKF.
Jeff 'Skin' Wade
Rangers Record (Win / Loss): 76-86
Players To Watch: Lance Lynn, Drew Smyly and Shelby Miller - all reclamation projects whose health/availability/effectivenss will determine the competitiveness of the 2019 Rangers.
Notes on the 2019 season: Rougie will shine, Delino will confound and Frainyer Chavez will stay at Low A Hickory.
Kevin 'KT' Turner
Rangers Record (Win / Loss): 75-87
Players To Watch: Huge years for Delino and Ronald Guzman. I know it’s still relatively early in their careers, but I want to have a good read on if I can trust them as key cogs of the organization moving forward.
Notes on the 2019 season: Whether people want to believe it or not, JD has done a good job of acquiring talent. Keep an eye on minor leaguers Taylor Hearn, Brock Burke, Jonathan Hernandez, Cole Ragens, Joe Palumbo, etc. I think heading into 2020 we’ll be excited about the young pitching core in this organization. Oh yeah, Hans Krause!
Kevin Hageland
Rangers Record (Win / Loss): 72-90
Players To Watch: Ronald Guzman and Nomar Mazara - big year for the big boys!
Notes on the 2019 season: Willie Calhoun will FINALLY come up to stay, but will only be mediocre this year -- team will struggle, but will display a sense of fun that breeds optimism for 2020.
