How Bad Are the Texas Rangers This Season?

How to Not Play Baseball Part Two: Pitching

It is no secret that the Texas Rangers have one of the worst pitching staffs in the league. With the notable exceptions of Cole Hamels and Bartolo Colon, every pitcher on the Texas roster has an ERA over 4.00. There is an article documenting the history of pitching futility in Texas on this very website. We are well aware of how bad it is, but how bad can it get?

Let’s start with ERA. Texas currently has a team ERA of 4.87, which is awful, but only bad enough for 12th in the AL. This is inflated by starters like Matt Moore and Martin Perez, who have ERAs above 7.00.

The last time the team had an ERA this large was in 2003 where the team combined for a 5.82 at this point in the year. The 2003 Texas Rangers finished 70-91.

Other important stats are strikeouts and walks. Surprisingly, the Rangers are not dead last in both categories this season. They are 9th in strikeouts and 10th in walks. This is far from good, but definitely acceptable considering how the last few years have gone. The last time the team was that good in either category was 2013. Maybe things are looking just a bit upward from the mound.

That being said, the Rangers are dead last in runs allowed. Texas has finished last in this category several times, the most recent coming in 2003.

Bad pitching can not be substituted for in other areas. The awful hitting from this season does no help either.