Rangers' Sputtering Offensive Start Timed Horribly in AL West Race

Not only is the Texas Rangers offense off to a slow start, but other teams are sprinting ahead of them in the race for the AL West.

Apr 27, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien (2) blows a bubble with his chewing gum during a pitching change against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at Oracle Park. | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

It's no secret that the Texas Rangers have been one of the most disappointing teams in the Major Leagues.

Many believed that they were an easy pick to win the American League West and would start to show some signs of the team that won the World Series in 2023 after an underwhelming 78-84 record in 2024. The Angels were supposed to be bad again, and the Astros lost several key pieces in the offseason.

And while Texas hasn't been dreadful at treading .500 baseball, that's not really the point.

How Rangers Have Been Their Own Worst Enemy

The offense, or lack thereof, has been the biggest storyline of the Rangers' season so far. According to FanGraphs, they rank bottom ten in average, OBP, OPS, and runs scored. It got so bad that they fired their offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker, who headed up their offensive coaching staff, and replaced him with Bret Boone. The former MLB star had zero coaching experience entering the role. But, anything else had to be better than what they were doing.

Things appear to be slowly getting better. But it's not just that the Rangers are having an off year, but the teams they're competing with in their division are having best-case-scenario seasons.

Apr 16, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Seattle Mariners second baseman Dylan Moore (25) high fives teammates after scoring on a RBI single hit by third baseman Ben Williamson (not pictured) in the second inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The Seattle Mariners are having one of their better offensive seasons of the past five years. While only 18th in average, they're ranked tenth in OPB, 12th in OPS, ninth in runs, sixth in home runs, and eighth in stolen bases.

While that might not be among the elite offenses in the MLB, it's good enough to complement the Mariners' top-tier starting pitching staff. They've been just good enough to keep them afloat, but should be back to full shape once Logan Gilbert and George Kirby come off the IL.

Once those two are back, Seattle should be able to win games with even more comfort. Not only is Julio Rodriguez having a bounce back season after a disappointing 2024, but Cal Raleigh has emerged as the best power-hitting catcher in baseball with 13 home runs and Dylan Moore is having a career year for contact batting .289.

But it's not just the Mariners. The Athletics are adjusting well to their new temporary home of West Sacramento and have emerged as one of the premier offenses in baseball. Young players like Jacob Wilson, Tyler Soderstrom, Lawrence Butler, and Shea Langeliers are all having outstanding seasons at the same time, and it's leading to wins. Plenty of them.

At 22-20, the Athletics' lineup ranked third in average, 12th in OBP, seventh in OPS, and sixth in home runs. And while the pitching struggles have been relatively adjacent to what they were last year — maybe not quite as disastrous — manager Mark Kotsay finally has the offensive tools he needs to overcome poor starts.

May 13, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (5) reacts after hitting a two run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

These are outcomes that weren't baked into people's predictions for the Rangers to win the West. Even if Texas' bats were doing better, the conversation about them winning the division would look different. But the slow start couples with the surges of other teams makes any climb to a postseason return even more difficult than initially anticipated.