End of the Road 2015: Texas Rangers

(AP) After losing ALDS Game 5 to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday, the Texas Rangers have been eliminated from the MLB postseason despite winning the first two games in the series. That means they’ve effectively come to the end of the road in their 2015 season. As we’ll do with each eliminated team this season, let’s give them a send-off that would make Boyz II Men proud.

We’ll look at the highs and lows of their season, what bright spots their future might hold and what questions need answering as they prepare for 2016.

HIGH POINT: Coming off an injury-riddled 2014 season and facing a AL West, expectations were not high for the Rangers. When they lost ace Yu Darvish to Tommy John surgery in March, expectations were lowered even further. However, the 2015 Rangers proved resilient, outlasting preseason favorites like the Angels and Mariners and ultimately topping the surprising Astros to win their third division title in six years. The Rangers went from worst-to-first in the standings, not just from last season, but during this season as well. They were in last at 7.5 games back on May 5, before climbing back and finally taking over first place on Sept. 15. Without question, that was their high point.

LOW POINT: Well, perhaps you could argue taking a 2-0 lead in the ALDS by winning two games in Toronto was the high point. Given how things ended though, it was actually just the setup to their low point and eventual elimination. With three chances to finish off the AL’s hottest team during the second half, the Rangers couldn’t finish the job, losing Game 5 in difficult fashion in Toronto. The Rangers had chances to finish that game as well, but their defense let them down three times too many.

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BEST HIGHLIGHT: The Rangers were all about drama this season. After missing on two chances to clinch the division in their final weekend series against the Angels, they finally got it done on the final day of the season. Left-hander Cole Hamels pitched a three-hitter that afternoon, notching his first complete game since joining Texas at the trade deadline. Also worth noting, of the four cycles in MLB this season, two of them belong to Rangers. Shin-Soo Choo had one on July 21. Adrian Beltre collected his third career cycle on Aug. 3.

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE: For starters, they should have Yu Darvish back sometime early next season. They also have Hamels under contract through 2018, so the top of their rotation is locked and loaded assuming good health. Veterans like Adrian Beltre and Prince Fielder looked like they still have productive years left in them, and Shin-Soo Choo caught fire as well. With Rougned Odor emerging as a fantastic hitter and Delino DeShields taking over in center field, the Rangers look good heading into 2016.

QUESTION THAT NEED ANSWERING: How will general manager Jon Daniels follow up an impressive season? There was some pressure on Daniels to produce a winner in 2015 and he definitely came through. The headline move was acquiring Cole Hamels, but he also traded for Yovani Gallardo, snagged DeShields in last year’s Rule 5 draft and hired new manager Jeff Banister. His first priority may be bringing Gallardo back, but there will definitely be free agent and trade options. He may also seek to trade Elvis Andrus, who still has seven very expensive season on his contract. It should be an interesting offseason indeed.

Previously in this series: Phillies, Braves, Reds, Rockies, Marlins, Brewers, Padres, Diamondbacks,
Athletics, White Sox, Tigers, Nationals, Rays, Mariners, Red Sox, Orioles, Indians, Giants, Twins, Angels, Yankees, Pirates and Cardinals.