Why Peyton Gray Should Be Rangers Rookie of Year After Long-Awaited Debut

It took some thought, but there are good reasons why Peyton Gray should be seen as the team’s rookie of the year.

Texas Rangers pitcher Peyton Gray. Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The truth is that as young as the Texas Rangers wanted to get in 2026, they remained a veteran-laden team.

In fact, Texas boasts one of the oldest rosters in baseball. Much of its payroll is tied up in players that are over 30 years of age. They're good players, but they aren't getting any younger. Which is why identifying young talent is important for the organization's future.

That means, as we considered who should be the Rangers rookie of the year, there weren't many candidates.

One name that came immediately tonight was Justin Foscue. The Rangers’ first-round pick in 2020 finally had a breakthrough season. But he exceeded his rookie limits in 2025 and can't be considered.

So, we settled on right-handed reliever Peyton Gray, who had one of the best stories on the team and gave the Rangers some great innings as a reliever in 2026.

Why Peyton Gray is Rangers Rookie of Year for 2026

Texas Rangers pitcher Peyton Gray. Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Gray made his MLB debut on April 26 and, aside from a few weeks on the injured list, he remained on the Major League roster. He finished the season 6-0 with a 3.86 ERA. He had eight holds. He struck out 60, walked 17 and had an opponent batting average of .251 in 56 innings. He was effective. The fact that he stuck around after his debut — while other rookies like Robby Ahlstrom and Gavin Collyer were eventually sent down — said plenty about this effectiveness.

His back story defines logic. He’s 30 years old and he finally make it to the Majors after nearly a decade of trying. He went undrafted out of college at Florida Gulf Coast University and signed with Colorado in 2018. He dealt with losing development time to COVID-19, a major injury and was released. He pitched in the Mexican League, pitched for two other organizations and landed with Texas in 2025.

The Rangers stumbled into him, and he delivered so well in 2025 that he earned a non-roster invite to Major League spring training earlier this year.

He was effective in spring training, but the Rangers had several relievers on Major League contracts that they needed to keep. Plus, they had Rule 5 draft pick Carter Baumler, who had to make the Major League roster. So Gray, who had never pitched in the Majors, was optioned back to Triple-A Round Rock.

It says something that Gray was the third reliever the Rangers called up after opening day, as he followed Cal Quantrill and Collyer. It says even more that he's stuck the entire season. It means the Rangers see him as a piece of the puzzle for 2027 and that he's earned the right to be considered an incumbent for next year's bullpen.