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Jake Burger of Texas Rangers Has Heartfelt Reason For Wearing No. 21 This Season

Burger, who was acquired by the Rangers this offseason in a trade from the Miami Marlins, will honor his daughter.
Brady Farkas|
Miami Marlins third base Jake Burger (36) jogs to the dugout after Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (25) catches a fly ball he hit in the seventh inning at Target Field in 2024.
Miami Marlins third base Jake Burger (36) jogs to the dugout after Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (25) catches a fly ball he hit in the seventh inning at Target Field in 2024. | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

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Texas RangersMiami MarlinsChicago White Sox

New Texas Rangers infielder Jake Burger has a very heartfelt reason for wearing No. 21 this season: He wants to honor his daughter, Penelope.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News says that the number will honor her since she was born with Down Syndrome.

According to the CDC, here is why No. 21 is significant in this case:

Down syndrome is a condition in which a person has an extra copy of chromosome 21. Chromosomes are small "packages" of genes in the body's cells, which determine how the body forms and functions.

The 28-year-old Burger was a former first-round pick of the Chicago White Sox who made his big-league debut in 2021. Armed with immense power at the plate, Burger hit .250 for the Marlins in 2024, also popping 29 home runs and bringing in 76. He hit 34 homers in 2023 and is one of the underrated sluggers in the game.

By coming to Texas, he figures to take over first base for Nathaniel Lowe, who was traded to the Washington Nationals earlier this offseason.

The Rangers are coming off a season in which they finished third in the American League West, which was a letdown following their World Series win in 2023. If Jacob deGrom comes back healthy, in addition to Corey Seager and Evan Carter, they should be competitive once again.

The rival Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners haven't done much in the way of positive roster gains this offseason, making the division one of the more open ones in the league.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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