Who Will Be the Next 'Face of the Franchise' for the Texas Rangers?

Nolan Ryan. Pudge Rodriguez. Michael Young. Adrian Beltre. These Texas Rangers that became all-time fan favorites will forever be remembered by their generation's fans.

The older crowd reminisces about Nolan Ryan's five years in a Ranger uniform. Fans of the late 90's teams that donned a red-and-white color scheme rave about Pudge's reign as baseball's best catcher during the team's three division titles in four years.

Michael Young became the face of the franchise during a decade where the Rangers needed something to root for. Young personified baseball for Rangers fans and became known as 'Mr. Ranger.' As the decade turned to the 2010's, Adrian Beltre became the fan-favorite after Young's departure and retirement. Beltre's eight years in Texas turned him into a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

With Beltre's retirement in after the 2018 season, the Rangers now need a new face of the franchise. As the Rangers turn to a new era in the franchise's history, they will don new uniforms in a new state-of-the-art ballpark. It's not only appropriate, but it's necessary for someone to carry the torch for the Rangers.

Thankfully, the Rangers won't need someone right away. Elvis Andrus, the longest-tenured Ranger, is still beloved by Rangers faithful and will likely continue to be until his tenure in Texas is complete. However, Andrus is in the latter half of his career. And as easy as it is for the fans to love Elvis, he's not the star the Rangers need.

It's absolutely nothing against Andrus. He's earned his place in Rangers enshrinement. His contributions on- and off-the-field are more than noteworthy. If anyone has embodied the 'Mr. Ranger' mentality since Michael Young's retirement, it's Andrus.

What would really ignite the fanbase would be a star – someone who takes our breath away every single night. Josh Hamilton was a player who did this and became the Rangers star for five seasons. However, his off-the-field issues have disgraced a once great image of a once great player. The latest turn in those issues may be the cinderblock that breaks the camel's back. Last week, Hamilton was indicted by a Tarrant County grand jury for a felony injury to a child charge.

Joey Gallo would likely be the favorite to be that next star. His breathtaking power has wowed fans since his Major League debut in 2015. After a couple seasons of being just another prototypical power hitter, Gallo took his game to a new level in 2019 – an MVP-caliber level.

In only 70 games, Gallo slashed .253/.389/.598 with 22 home runs and 49 RBIs. While his .253 average doesn't blow anyone away, it was 50-point improve on his career average up to that point. Not to mention, his .986 OPS would have been seventh in all of baseball if he had qualified for enough games.

As Gallo has improved his game, he's also shown his personality more and more over time. His willingness to take time and interact with the fans and be mic'd up for spring training games give fans all the more reason to connect and cheer for the slugging outfielder.

The #content we deserve right now. pic.twitter.com/eRrv0wIrDl
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) March 18, 2020

When baseball comes out of the coronavirus pandemic, fans will need anything and everything to cheer for. Despite the franchise not having the success in World Series championships, fans have been pretty fortunate with its stars. Whether its Joey Gallo or someone else down the line, the next star is needed in Texas. Maybe even one that can lead them to that elusive World Series championship.

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