“Never Ever Quit” is the slogan of the Texas Rangers Major League baseball team. It is the slogan that encapsulates everything that’s good and bad about the Texas Rangers. It shows their resolve and their desire to win, but it’s also indicative of the fact that the Rangers often find themselves in losing situations, even against the worst teams. This year however, this slogan is part of the reason why the Rangers are outperforming. While it’s still early in the season, the Rangers are 12-9 and sitting in third place in a highly competitive AL West division race. 

The Rangers are outperforming and hopefully will be able to maintain their pace and make the playoffs. The first reason for this is the rise of Joey Gallo. Last year Gallo batted .209, hit 40 home runs, drove in 92 RBIs, and struck out 207 times. He has a lot of power, but he strikes out a lot and often has more home runs than singles. This year, however, he has gotten off to a hot start. Last week he won AL Player of the Week Honors, hitting .478, crushing four homers, and driving in 11 RBIs over the stretch. He has been able to do this because he’s not swinging at bad pitches and forcing the pitcher to throw strikes in the zone. If he can keep laying off bad pitches and start hitting to opposite fields, he’ll be a superstar. 

Another reason the Rangers are doing well is starting pitcher Mike Minor’s hot start. On the season he has a three-hit shutout under his bat and leads the club’s starters in wins. He is 2-2 with a 3.21 ERA.

Third baseman Asdrubal Cabrera has been crushing the ball at home, and right fielder Shin-Soo Choois is third in doubles and tenth in on-base percentage in the Majors. Shortstop Elvis Andrus is seventh in batting average at .354 and Gallo’s eight home runs put him in elite company at fourth place. For a team that was expected to lose big and be led by a General Manager who disassembled the team and hired a new manager as part of a rebuild process, there is plenty of talent to carry the team. Hopefully they will fulfill their potential, and not blow yet another fantastic opportunity.