Texas Rangers: Best Players All-Time to Wear Numbers 20-29

Continuing our series, this week we will take a look at the best Texas Rangers players to wear a number in the 20’s.

We are going to be picking up from where part two left off, as we cover the best players to ever wear every jersey number for the Texas Rangers throughout the history of the club (even including when they were the Washington Senators).

#20-Jeff Burroughs (1972-76)

Burroughs had a good five year run with the Texas Rangers, as he posted a .257 batting average, along with 103 home runs. Burroughs also became the first Texas Ranger to win a MVP in 1974, when he made his only All-Star appearance with the team and hit .301 with 25 home runs, and a league-leading 118 RBI’s.

#21-Ruben Sierra (1987-92, 2003)

Sierra had three different stints with the Texas Rangers over the course of his career, and was solid during the ten split-up seasons that he spent with the team, while he only spent around eight seasons wearing #21. While donning the number, he made three All-Star teams, won a Silver Slugger award, and had three top-20 finishes in MVP voting.

#22-Will Clark (1994-98)

Clark came to the Texas Rangers after an excellent start to his MLB career with the Giants, and continued to play well for the Rangers, even earning an All-Star nod in his first season with the team, and placing 15th in MVP voting. During his five years with the team, he hit .308 with 77 home runs. He would eventually become part of the first and second Rangers teams to ever make the playoffs in 1996 and 1998.

#23-Mark Teixeira (2003-07)

Teixeira had a terrific start to his career with Texas, as he spent four full seasons with the team, getting traded during his fifth year. He started his career out finishing fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting, then two Silver Sluggers and Gold Gloves, and have two top-18 MVP voting finishes with the team. Perhaps the thing he will be remembered for most is the trade that the Rangers made with the Braves when they dealt him and Ron Mahay for Elvis Andrus, Matt Harrison, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Neftali Feliz, and Beau Jones, as three of those players would be key cogs to the Rangers 2010 and 2011 World Series runs.

#24-Dave Schmidt (1981-85)

Schmidt was a solid pitcher for the Rangers during the 80’s. During his five seasons with the team, he never posted an ERA above a 4, which even included his rookie season. He primarily came out of the bullpen, but was able to start for the team when necessary, as 13 of his 172 appearances for the club came as a starter. Overall, he posted a 3.14 ERA in 343.2 innings.

#25-Rafael Palmeiro (1989-93, 1999-2003)

This one was a very tough decision between Palmeiro and Buddy Bell, but I ultimately went with Palmeiro, just looking at their numbers, and putting other issues (steroids) aside. Palmeiro put up terrific numbers while with the Texas Rangers, hitting .290 with 321 home runs, making three All-Star teams, finishing in the top-19 in MVP voting five times, while also winning a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award with the team.

#26-Johnny Oates (1995-2001)

Although he was not a player, Johnny Oates was the man that helped lift the Texas Rangers from a poverty franchise to one that became a playoff contender. During his time managing team, he led the club to three AL West titles, and the first three playoff appearances in franchise history. He eventually had his number retired by the Rangers in 2005, less than one year after his death.

#27-Vladimir Guerrero (2010)

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I was going to select Frank Catalanotto, and probably should have, but the impact that Guerrero had with the team during his single season was too much to pass up on. He took the batting lineup to the next level, helping provide a veteran presence on a team that lacked much experience, as they made their first World Series appearance during his lone season. He hit .300 with 29 home runs, won a Silver Slugger award, and finished 11th in the MVP voting, as the Rangers also managed to hurt the Los Angeles Angels by taking him out of their lineup.

#28-Darren Oliver (1993-98, 2001, 2010-11)

Oliver had a long MLB career, with three different stints with the Rangers along the way. He was a solid player for them, with a career Rangers ERA just under 5, and was an important bullpen piece for the club during the back-to-back World Series runs. He also managed to be a part of four of the first five Texas Rangers teams to make the playoffs (although he was traded away during the 98 season).

Next. Best Players to Wear No. 0-9 for the Rangers. dark

#29-Adrian Beltre (2011-18)

This was not hard at all. I think there would be a riot if I selected someone other than Beltre here. Beltre did everything while with the Texas Rangers. He helped take them to their second World Series appearance, solidified himself as a Hall of Famer, won a lot of awards, and joined the elusive 3,000 hit club. While with the team, he won two Platinum Gloves, three Gold Gloves, made three All-Star games, won two Silver Sluggers, and finished in the top-15 in MVP voting in each of his first six seasons with the team. His #29 was also retired during last season.

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