5 Players You Forgot Played for the Rangers

Before becoming a character in the 2011 film "Moneyball" because of his tenure with the Oakland Athletics or one of the greatest hitters in Tampa Bay Rays' history, Peña broke into the league with the Rangers. The No. 10 overall pick in the 1998 MLB Draft, Peña made his major league debut with the Rangers in 2001. In 62 at-bats, Peña did hit three home runs and drive in 12 runs, but he was traded to the division-rival Athletics after the season for a package that included Ryan Ludwick and Gerald Laird. The peak of Peña's career came between 2007 and 2011, as he hit 172 home runs during that stretch for the Rays.

Hidalgo had a couple monster seasons for the Houston Astros in the early 2000s, including in 2000, when he slashed .314/.391/.636 with 44 home runs and 122 RBIs. Unfortunately for Hidalgo, his career in the majors proved to be relatively short lived considering how valuable he was for the Astros in 2000 and 2003. He had an unsuccessful stint with the New York Mets, who acquired him before the 2004 trade deadline. Though he homered 16 times and drove in 43 runs for the Rangers in 2005, he hit just .221 with an on-base percentage under .300. His age-30 season proved to be his final major league season, as he bounced around various independent and winter leagues until the end of 2012.

DHL once made a commercial making fun of how frequently Lofton changed teams in the second-half of his career, and the Rangers are one of the most forgettable stints he had. Ahead of his age-40 season, Lofton joined the Rangers on a one-year deal, the 11th franchise he had been employed by. In 84 games for the Rangers, Lofton hit .303 with seven home runs, 23 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. Before the July 31 trade deadline, the Rangers dealt Lofton to the Indians, setting him up for his third stint with the team he was most associated with. In what proved to be his final season, Cleveland reached the ALCS, but blew a 3-1 lead in the series, as the Boston Red Sox stormed back to win the American League pennant.

At the height of his powers, Jones was one of the greatest defensive center fielders of all-time, one capable of hitting 35+ home runs annually. However, Jones declined rather rapidly in his final season with the Atlanta Braves in 2007, and the team allowed him to leave in free agency after the season. The Los Angeles Dodgers signed him to a two-year/$36.2 million deal ahead of the 2008 season, but released him after one disastrous season. A 10-time Gold Glove Award winner, Jones' value both defensively and at the plate cratered as he gained weight. Jones was primarily used as a DH for the Rangers in 2009. While he did homer 17 times and drive in 43 runs in 281 at-bats, he hit just .214 and posted just a 0.5 offensive WAR for the team.

He was often overshadowed by more notable teammates, but between 2001 and 2010, FanGraphs says that Hall of Famer Roy Halladay was the only pitcher more valuable in the sport than Oswalt. He spent the bulk of his career with the Houston Astros, before a season and a half with the Philadelphia Phillies, where he was teammates with the aforementioned Halladay. Oswalt signed a minor-league deal with the Rangers in May of 2012, and would ultimately appear in 17 games, nine of which were starts, for the team that season. Oswalt posted an unsightly 5.80 ERA in 2012, and struggled even more a season later, in a perhaps more forgettable stint with the Colorado Rockies.