Texas Rangers Youngsters Given Lofty Expectations Ahead of Season Opener

The Texas Rangers have high hopes for this season, which means that they will need their players to step up to the plate both literally and figuratively.

Sep 27, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Texas Rangers center fielder Wyatt Langford (36) hits a two run home run against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at Angel Stadium. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers season begins on Thursday afternoon, which means that it is finally time for an offseason of hype to pay off.

Last year was a disappointment, failing to make the playoffs, but the Rangers seems to have the roster to make another push.

That will mean that the players expected to perform, which is not what happened last year.

This year, though, the expectations remain on the veterans and are now being added to some younger stars.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently made his predictions for who will win some internal awards and perform well on Texas' road back to the postseason.

Rookie of the Year - Kumar Rocker

Rocker's hopes to break out this season drastically increased following a flurry of pitching injuries, which helped him start the year in the rotation.

He had a strong first stint in the Majors, albeit a short one. Over 11.2 innings of work, he maintained a 3.86 ERA and 14 strikeouts.

The 25-year-old did not have the spring he wanted, but was at least able to round into form near the end.

He gave up a whopping 11 runs over his first 4.1 innings. Over the next 8.2, though, he gave up just two and struck out 16 batters.

Breakout Player - Wyatt Langford

Langford was their best rookie last season, but did have a slight benefit of it being a surprise.

He was the fourth pick in the 2023 draft and played well in the minors, but it felt like a majority of the attention was on Evan Carter.

It was Langford, though, that quickly adjusted to the MLB game and showed five-tool potential as a rookie.

The 23-year-old kept that momentum rolling with a .419/.486/.710 slash line this spring. It will be interesting to see how he responds to heightened expectations.

Cy Young - Jacob deGrom

It would be a dream for the Rangers to have deGrom be their best pitcher on the season, mostly because that likely means that he was able to stay healthy.

There is little doubt that he will be able to perform if he could just pitch consistently.

MVP - Corey Seager

Seager is another player that has had issues staying healthy, though not to the degree of deGrom.

The 31-year-old has missed 91 games over the last two seasons, which is an alarming number.

Also similarly to deGrom, it would almost be a shock if Seager wasn't their best player if he remains on the field.