Can Lance Lynn be the Texas Rangers ace?
By Reid Hanson
![Lance Lynn #36 Texas Rangers (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) Lance Lynn #36 Texas Rangers (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/8fdbd96cab36f0e63232e4d5b8567ff1733cd2113fd1875d3ab815aa5199ad10.jpg)
The Texas Rangers signed starting pitcher Lance Lynn to a three year deal this offseason, can he be the ace they’ve been searching for?
Normally you save an answer to a query of this nature until the end of the article. But in this case I feel obliged to answer the Texas Rangers question now, and explain it later.
As many said under their own breath upon reading the title, the answer is “no”. To some, it may be a really big fat “NO”. For as much as many of us may have liked Lance Lynn over the years, he’s never been realistically considered ace material.
But depending how you define the word, “ace”, he may be closer than you think. Some consider ace to be another word for “elite” while others define it simply as the No. 1 starter in a starting rotation. To them you may be the second coming of Tanner Scheppers, but if you’re starting on Day 1, you’re the staff ace.
Even if Lance Lynn bounces back from Tommy John and becomes the man he once was, it still wouldn’t be good enough to meet the demands of the first definition. Because by that definition, there’s probably only about 10 aces in all of MLB.
But by the second definition, Lance Lynn has a chance of being the staff ace since he has a chance of being the No. 1 starter this season. Mike Minor (edit) is penciled in by some as the opening day starter, but it’s no guarantee he’ll even be with the club this spring. Even if Minor is, Lance has a decent chance of beating him out for the rotation’s top spot.
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Lance Lynn’s season totals weren’t great last season but if you break it up he did pretty well. With the Minnesota Twins, Lynn was horrendous as he came back from Tommy John surgery. But after getting traded to the New York Yankees, Lynn posted a 4.14 ERA with almost 4.4 strikeouts per walk. Those are numbers the Texas Rangers can deal with.
A lot of people want to turn their noses up at the Lance Lynn signing because he’s wasn’t the flashiest option on the market. But for a team like the Texas Rangers, what’s the point of flashy? The Rangers need cost effective solutions to eat innings and Lynn, 31, seems to be just that.
Normally a fanbase gets excited when a No. 1 pitcher is signed in the offseason, and Lance Lynn has a chance at being just that. But for some reason the extremely low expectations for 2019 combined with Lynn’s lack of top-end potential make the signing quite blasé.
Next. The biggest move of the offseason from Texas. dark
Is Lance Lynn a potential ace for the Texas Rangers? He may not fit the popular definition of ace but he could be an ace to the Rangers if things fall just right. In order to enjoy this season we’re all going to have to manage expectations and it starts with how we feel about Lance Lynn
- Published on 01/09/2019 at 23:00 PM
- Last updated at 01/29/2019 at 13:32 PM