History Indicates Texas Rangers Could Return to Championship Ways This Season

After winning the World Series in 2023, the Texas Rangers endured an injury-riddled 2024, finishing with a record under .500.

The Rangers hope to bounce back this campaign, with optimism surrounding Jacob deGrom leading the charge for a potential resurgent season.

As it gets closer until pitchers and catchers report to camp for Texas, it's natural to wonder how other contending teams have faired in the past after going through injury-plagued seasons.

Let's start by taking a look at a Rangers squad that went through a similar situation a decade ago.

Texas baseball logged five-consecutive winning seasons from 2009 through 2014. That run included the franchise's first two World Series appearances, in 2010 and 2011, both of which they lost.

Injuries struck in 2014, as the team finished 67-95. Star first baseman Prince Fielder and slugger Mitch Moreland missed over 100 games each. Starting pitchers Yu Darvish and Derek Holland missed considerable time as well. Texas bounced back the following year with an AL West crown behind an 88-74 record. The Rangers won the division again in 2016, with a 95-67 record.

How that Texas team performed has no direct bearing on how today's squad will play. However, the Rangers team from a decade ago followed their injury-ravaged campaign by winning 21 more games the following year. They did that despite Darvish missing all of the 2015 season.

If nothing else, there is precedence of a team returning to form following a bad year driven by injuries to key players.

After a four-year stretch of winning baseball, injuries derailed the 2009 New York Mets, who finished 70-92. Headliners Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes and ace Johan Santana all missed significant time. The following season, they were better but still underwhelmed with a 79-83 record, kicking off a stretch of mediocrity that would last four more years.

Unlike the 2015 Rangers, the 2010 Mets did not recover from the injuries they suffered the previous season.

One potential contributing factor for that New York team is that it had a very established core of seasoned veterans. Age could have played a role in the Mets continued struggles.

A more recent example was the loaded 2018 Washington Nationals, finishing just 82-80. Pitcher Stephen Strasburg, catcher Matt Wieters and corner infielder Ryan Zimmerman all missed considerable time. Despite losing Bryce Harper in free agency, the Nationals won the 2019 World Series, the first in franchise history.

Despite the loss of Harper, the team won 11 more games the following year. A more well-rounded performance out of the rotation and several hitters having better performances, including a substantial leap from then 20-year-old Juan Soto, led that championship charge.

For the 2025 Rangers, they head towards opening day with one of the league's best lineups and a talented rotation.

Similar teams over the past decade have recovered from comparable injury situations they faced in 2024.

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