Rangers' Biggest Takeaway From Spring Training is Major Development for 2026

Figuring out how to improve the Texas Rangers' offense may be the most important task for manager Skip Schumaker in year one. Despite holding the league's best team ERA in 2025, the Rangers missed the postseason because they failed to generate runs in important spots.

Texas dealt with a lot of injuries and inconsistencies across the board, and it held the team back quite a bit. So, president of baseball operations Chris Young got to work on retooling the roster and addressing needs.

Spring training results are often skewed, as pitchers are working on their secondary pitches, and the level of competition isn't always up to snuff with typical big league pitching. However, the Rangers have one takeaway that can hopefully carry over into the regular season.

Rangers Offense is Producing at a High Level

Texas Rangers left fielder Brandon Nimmo bats. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Overall, the offense has looked much better this spring. Per Kennedi Landry of mlb.com, Texas ranks highly among Cactus League Clubs. "They rank among the leaders in: on-base percentage (1st), OPS (4th), and batting average (T-5th)." As a team, the Rangers are slashing .274/.378/.457 and are averaging 6.13 runs per game.

It's clear the process at the plate is changing this season. The strikeout numbers have decreased, and the patience is showing. The addition of Brandon Nimmo as the leadoff hitter should pay off in 2026.

The former New York Mets outfielder has a .350 batting average and a .519 on-base percentage this spring. He has two home runs and eight RBIs, and recently produced a four-hit game on March 14th against the San Diego Padres. His fellow outfielder, Wyatt Langford, is also having a tremendous camp with a team-leading 14 hits and four long balls.

Rangers Looking for Major Bounceback in 2026

What makes the Rangers' offensive display so impressive is that multiple guys are contributing at a high level. Andrew McCutchen arrived at camp and produced immediately. Josh Smith, someone with a lot of pressure to fill the void at second base, has hit for power and played well in the field.

They're finding a way to pass the baton to the next guy and focusing on team at-bats rather than individual at-bats that result in a pop-out or a strikeout. Young has taken notice, telling Landry, "The underlying metrics [have been] really, really good and indicated that the team approach was very positive. Now we have to continue that..."

There is a clear buy-in from the players with Schumaker. With only a handful of players departing for the World Baseball Classic, the Rangers have benefited from having Schumaker get to know his guys. They have an elite starting rotation, and if the offense can figure things out, Texas could return to postseason baseball.