#36-40 Top 50 All-Time Rangers List

The Rangers are in first place by 1.5 games and are 7-3 in their last 10 games. I can’t wait for them to get back in town next week. I was at the game last Sunday at the ballpark, when the Rangers beat the White Sox 5-1, behind 5 solid innings from Matt Harrison plus a 2-for-3 performance by Elvis Andrus. My grandparents own a condo in Myrtle Beach and we go there every year in the summer. The Braves Low-A affiliate, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, play there, and we always see them play while we’re there. A couple years ago when we saw them play, they had a young shortstop that we were very impressed with, as he made about five jumping or diving plays in just that one game. That shortstop was Elvis Andrus. I also got an autograph from a young pitcher before that game. That pitcher was Matt Harrison. It was pretty cool watching those same two players play a big part in a big win for the Rangers on national television here in Arlington a couple of years later.

This week I will give numbers 36-40 on my Top 50 All-Time Rangers List. It’s been a while since I last posted on this. See my Jan 3rd and 10th entries for the first two parts.

40. Jeff Burroughs: .255 AVG, 108 HR, 412 RBI, MVP (‘74), All-Star (‘74), RBI Leader (‘74),

Jeff Burroughs is 16th in home runs in Rangers history, with 108 of them. He’s also 16th in RBI’s with 412. But even though he’s so high on those lists, his batting average is holding him back, as he only hit .255 as a Ranger. And that’s with a .301 batting average in 1974 when he hit 25 home runs and 118 RBI’s, making him the MVP, AL RBI Leader, and an All-Star in ’74. He played a big role on Billy Martin’s 1974 team, the first Rangers team to contend for a playoff spot (finishing 84-76, 5 games back). Really, if it wasn’t for that one year, he wouldn’t be anywhere on this list.

39. Steve Foucault: 35 saves, 26-25, 3.22 ERA, 231 K, 382.2 IP,

Steve is 10th in Rangers history in saves, with 35 of them. He also had 26 wins and a pretty good ERA (3.22) to go with that. He also had plenty of innings pitched for a relief pitcher, as he has 382.2 innings pitched in a Ranger uniform, and made 206 appearances for them, all of them in relief. All of these reasons earned Steve Foucault a spot on this list.

38. Aaron Sele: .649 Winning % (1st, min. 400 IP), 37-20, 4.50 ERA, 417.2 IP, 353 K, All-Star (‘98),

Aaron Sele leads all Rangers pitchers in winning percentage with a minimum of 400 innings pitched, with a .649 winning percentage and a 37-20 record. He has a solid ERA at 4.50 in 417.2 innings pitched. He also had 353 strikeouts in those 417.2 innings. A 19-11 record and a 4.23 ERA in 1998 earned him a spot on the American League All-Star team. He was only on the team for two years (’98 and ’99) but they were both good years, in terms of both individual performance and team performance (the Rangers won their division both years), and all that puts him on this list.

37. Mickey Rivers: .303 AVG, 22 HR, 168 RBI, 200-Hit (80),

Even though Mickey only played in 521 games as a Ranger, he still hit .303 and had a 200-hit season in 1980. He hit .333 that year. His main problem in 1980 was that his OBP was only 20 points higher than his batting average, as he only walked 20 times in 630 at-bats. He also had almost no power, as he didn’t have any year where he hit more than 7 home runs in a season as a Ranger.

36. Bump Wills: 161 SB (Rangers record), .265 AVG, 30 HR, 264 RBI,

Bump is the franchise leader in stolen bases with 161. The reason he isn’t higher up is because he only hit .265, and didn’t have much power numbers. His slugging percentage as a Ranger was only .357, which is terrible. Also, only 160 of his 2611 Rangers at-bats went for extra bases. The speed might get you on this list, but it won’t get you too high up on it.

Come back next week for #31-35 on my All-Time Rangers List.