#21-25 All-Time Rangers List

I’m rooting against the Yankee and, also, I’m rooting for a long World Series.

I don’t like the 2-3-2 playoff format. The team with home field advantage shouldn’t have the chance of not coming back home if they lose one of the first two games.

The Rangers made the unfortunate decision to close the Legends of the Game Museum. Yesterday was its last day before closing permanently. I don’t understand this decision. The museum was unique part of the ballpark and from what I’ve read was profitable. They plan to turn the top two levels into meeting rooms, which is lame. They plan to turn the bottom floor into a Rangers Hall of Fame (open during home games), which is a great idea. But they could have done that and still left the rest of the museum in place. Half of the second floor was already dedicated to Rangers history, so they could have turned that area into the Rangers Hall of Fame and left the rest of the museum alone. There used to be a lot of things you could do at the Ballpark in the off-season. My dad and I would sometimes go to the museum on a Saturday morning in the winter and then eat lunch at the Fridays that used to be in right field. We could then walk around the stadium and read the bricks that outlined each year’s teams, showing each player on the team (with stats) and any awards won by team members. Now the museum is closed, the restaurant is closed, and they tore up all of the bricks (except for two years’ worth, which sit by themselves looking odd and lonely). Now the only thing you can do there during the offseason is shop at the team store. That’s really sad.

This week I will continue my Top 50 Rangers All-Time List. I will do numbers 21-25. My last entry in this series was on August 16th.

25. Bobby Witt: 104-104 (3rd in wins), 1680.2 IP (3rd), 1405 K (2nd), 4.85 ERA

Bobby appeared in 430 games for the Rangers over parts of 11 seasons, which included 2 different stints with the team. He started with the team in 1986 and was part of the Jose Canseco trade to Oakland in 1992. He returned to the club in August 1995 as part of a trade with the Marlins. He was a major part of the Rangers’ first-ever playoff team, going 16-12 in 1996. He was later sent to the Cardinals during the 1998 season. Bobby is 3rd on the Rangers’ all-time list in wins, is third in innings pitched with 1680.2 IP, and is third in strikeouts with 1405 of them. If it weren’t for him having 104 losses (the same amount of losses as he has wins) and a 4.85 ERA (not at all a great ERA), he’d be higher on the list. But the stats he has are good enough to get him #25 on this list. He also had a cool moment in 1997, when he hit a home run at Dodger Stadium during the first year of interleague play, becoming the first AL pitcher to homer in years. Bobby was a good guy (I got to meet him once) with a tough attitude, and I’m glad he was able to win a World Series ring with the Diamondbacks in his last year as a player.

24. Kevin Brown: 40 CG, 78 W, 1278.2 IP, 742 K, 3.81 ERA, .549 W%, 78-64 W-L, All-Star (‘92), 21-Game Winner (‘92), T-Win Leader (‘92)

Kevin was 78-64 as a Ranger, a .549 winning percentage - very solid. He also had a 3.81 ERA, which is very good. He had a great season in 1992, as he won 21 games, which was tied for the league lead, and was an All-Star. He also threw 40 complete games, and struck out 742 in 1278.2 innings pitched. If he had stayed a Ranger for maybe even just one more year, he would’ve easily cracked the top 20 on my list. But he left the Rangers after 8 years to go to Baltimore as a free agent in 1995, later taking his sunny personality to Florida for their first championship season.

23. Will Clark: .308 AVG (2nd), 397 RBI, 77 HR, All-Star (‘94)

Will is 2nd all-time among Rangers in batting average with a .308 average. He also had 77 home runs and 397 RBI’s as a Ranger. He was an American League All-Star in 1994, his first season with the Rangers. Clark was only with the Rangers for five years (in between Rafael Palmeiro’s two runs with the club), but was a key part of the 1996 and 1998 playoff teams (both with his stats and with his leadership). He did not play well in the postseason with the Rangers, going 3-for-27 between the two years. He was also hurt a lot, playing more than 125 games only once. His batting average plus his contribution to the Rangers’ first two playoff teams is what got him so high up on this list.

22. Pete O’Brien: 3351 AB, .273 AVG, 114 HR, 487 RBI

Pete O’Brien had 3,351 at-bats as a Ranger over seven seasons, which is a lot of at-bats with one team. He also had a decent batting average, as he hit .273 in his career as a Ranger. His power numbers as a Ranger are very good, though, as he had 114 home runs, and 487 RBI’s. Even though his batting average is just average, his power numbers make him #22 on this list.

21. Larry Parrish: 149 HR, 522 RBI, .264 AVG, All-Star (‘87)

Larry Parrish’s average as a Ranger wasn’t all that hot, at just .264, but his power numbers are very good and make up for that. He hit 149 home runs as a Ranger over seven seasons, and he also had 522 RBI’s. He made the All-Star team in 1987, and that was his only All-Star game as a Ranger. His power numbers deserved to be higher on this list, but with a .264 batting average, you can only go so high.

Come back next week for a ‘Predictions vs. Results’ Special.