The Texas Rangers won the World Series in 2023.
I say that mostly as a reminder because it feels like — maybe aside from Rangers’ fans — it is one of the more forgotten championships in recent memory.
Perhaps it’s because they came out of nowhere, after only winning 90 games in the regular season that year. Or maybe it’s because they played another surprising and relatively nondescript Arizona Diamondbacks team in a Fall Classic series that only lasted five games.
Can the Rangers duplicate their postseason success from 2023 and win their second World Series in three years?
I think the answer is an emphatic yes.
Texas Rangers 25-1 World Series Champions (DraftKings Sportsbook)
The Rangers’ title two years ago came largely without Jacob deGrom. He only threw 30 innings early in the year before undergoing season-ending surgery. Then, deGrom returned late in 2024 for 10 innings but was not a factor. The Rangers’ season was lost long before the ace made his only two starts.
The 2024 season also saw two-time World Series MVP Corey Seager miss about a quarter of the year, and future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer made just nine starts.
Outfielder Adolis Garcia dipped from a monster 35-homer /107 RBI season in 2023 to a 24/85 season, with his on-base percentage cratering 44 points.
Basically, everything that could have gone wrong for Texas last season did.
This year, the Rangers return a seemingly healthy deGrom and Seager. They also have a full year of potential superstar Wyatt Langford, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft.
Not only is this talented Rangers team getting back some reinforcements, it also plays in an American League that seems to be fairly wide open.
The Yankees won the league last season but have a laundry list of key injuries already, in addition to the departure of Juan Soto. The Astros won the AL West last year but traded away Kyle Tucker, lost Alex Bregman to free agency and seem to be in a transition phase from past title teams. Meanwhile, the Mariners — fellow competitors in the AL West — didn’t do much to improve a lackluster offense in the offseason, meaning this division is up for grabs.
The National League is loaded with the favorite Dodgers, a stacked NL East and talented teams in the Padres, Diamondbacks and Cubs. The Rangers, with some better health and reinforcements after poor luck in 2024, are poised to return to their postseason form from two years ago.
They have the talent to play deep into October.
At 25-1, considering how wide open the American League appears to be, the Rangers represent great value here in the futures market.
Will Hill, a contributor on the Bears Bets Podcast, has been betting on sports for over a decade. He is a betting analyst who has been a host on VSiN, as well as the Goldboys Network.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
