Postseason Star Officially Named Opening Day Starter for Rangers

The reigning World Series champion Texas Rangers will begin their title defense on Mar. 28 at Globe Life Field against the Chicago Cubs. The Rangers didn’t have a busy offseason, as their core from last season is still intact.

Texas’ starting rotation will look slightly different this season as they didn’t re-sign southpaw Jordan Montgomery in the offseason. However, the Rangers still have Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney, and Dane Dunning.

Speaking of Eovaldi, the Rangers named the veteran pitcher as the Opening Day starter, which shouldn’t surprise anyone as he was dominant in the postseason last year. 

The 34-year-old right-handed pitcher had a pristine 5-0 record and 2.96 ERA in six postseason starts. He also produced 41 strikeouts, only allowed 12 earned runs (three home runs), and held opponents to a .225 batting average in 36.2 innings.

Before the Rangers got into the MLB postseason, Eovaldi was putting the finishing touches on a solid regular season, posting a 12-5 record and a 3.63 ERA in 25 starts. 

Without Montgomery behind him in the rotation, the Rangers need Eovaldi to have several quality starts throughout the 2024 season. The Rangers are tied for the third-best odds to win the AL Pennant with the Baltimore Orioles (+650 on FanDuel Sportsbook), which isn’t bad as they won’t be able to sneak up on teams this season.

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