Unfinished business
After going 95-67 in the regular season, the No. 1 seed Rangers were swept 3-0 in the ALDS by the Blue Jays.
ARLINGTON — The Texas Rangers have been AL West champions in each of manager Jeff Banister’s first two seasons, and their 95 wins last year were the most in the American League.
That is a lot to celebrate. But not nearly enough after another AL Division Series loss to Toronto and again coming up short of that elusive World Series title .
“I think that burns deeper than just the prospects of being good. You’ve got to have talent, but desire overrides a lot of that,” Banister said. “Still burns deep. Incomplete mission.”
Texas heads to spring training in Arizona five seasons removed from their only World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011.
Adrian Beltre goes into his 20th major league season only 58 hits shy of 3,000 in his career, and after winning his fifth Gold Glove last year. But the third baseman, who will turn 38 days after the opener, is still looking for his first World Series ring.
“We do have a team that can compete, obviously,” Beltre said. “Find a way how to get it done. Not only get to the playoffs, but go all the way.”
Even though Gold Glove-winning first baseman Mitch Moreland, All-Star center fielder Ian Desmond and Carlos Beltran all left in free agency, Texas may be in better shape heading into this spring than a year ago.
Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish, their two aces, are set to start a season in the rotation together for the first time. Sam Dyson had 38 saves after taking over as the closer in mid-May, while Tony Barnette and Matt Bush excelled in their MLB debuts as 30-something relievers.
Catcher Jonathan Lucroy is set for a full season in Texas after being acquired in an Aug. 1 trade. Carlos Gomez, who came even later than that after his release from Houston, hit eight homers in 33 games and now moves to center field, where he won a Gold Glove in 2013 for Milwaukee.
“A lot of reasons that we have to believe that we are better, but that’s all on paper,” general manager Jon Daniels said. “It’s got to play out on the field.”