3 Overlooked Free Agents for the Texas Rangers to sign

Texas Rangers targets: 3. Brandon Nimmo, Age 30: .274 AVG, .367 OBP, .433 SLG, 5.4 WAR in 2022

When you are a free agent who plays the same position as fellow free agent Aaron Judge, it’s easy to get overlooked. That’s the case with Brandon Nimmo. But Nimmo addresses every need the Texas Rangers have in an already strong lineup.

The Rangers don’t lack pop, but they need to get on base more efficiently. The Rangers ranked 28th in In Zone Swing and Miss% (20%) and 29th in Out Zone Swing and Miss% (46.8%). They lacked the patience required to consistently win baseball games. Nimmo’s approach may make him exactly what the Texas Rangers lineup needs to get to that next level.

Check out Nimmo’s Baseball Savant page, and you’ll end up seeing some amazing percentile numbers. He is sitting in the 90th percentile in Chase Rate (17.8%), 78th in BB% (10.8%), and 80th in Whiff% (19.6). This indicates he does not swing at pitches out of the zone, and when he does take a hack, he is consistently making contact. Both tendencies show up in his .367 OBP.

The clear strength in the Rangers 2022 lineup was an infield with an average wRC+ (Weighted Runs Created+) of 120. This means that the Texas Rangers infield hit 20% better than the league average.

The outfield, meanwhile, had only one player with a wRC+ over 100 (prospect Josh Smith). Sure, centerfielder Leody Taveras is a fantastic defender, but he batted .261with a .309 OBP and just five home runs. Nimmo is both a superior defender (in the 91st percentile in Outs Above Average with 6) and the better hitter.

But Nimmo struggles to stay on the field, and that might make teams nervous. In parts of seven seasons, he’s reached 500 plate appearances just twice, including last year. He had 673 plate appearances over 151 games in 2022, which could alleviate some concerns about his durability.

After Nimmo and Judge, there is a real drop-off in outfielder talent in the current free agent market, with the next best option Andrew Benintendi. The Texas Rangers need to improve in centerfield if they want to compete in an AL West that houses the reigning champion Houston Astros and a Seattle Mariners team hungry to return to the playoffs. Nimmo would be a huge upgrade.

Steamer Projections: .270 AVG, .369 OBP, .434 SLG, 4.4 WAR

Projected Contract: 5 Years, $110.0M ($22.0M AAV)

It will be a huge win for the organization if the Texas Rangers can sign just one of the players discussed above.

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It’s no secret the Rangers are trying to win ballgames now. They need one of these three to do it.