Well, we’re officially here. The Fall Classic is wrapped, and now, as the weather gets exponentially colder, we’re left with the memories of the 2022 season, and all the anticipation and hope for the 2023 season. Hot stove season is upon us.

For some, it’s time to move on to other sports. Football is mid-season. Basketball is just getting underway. The World Cup is set to kick off. And, we’re nearly halfway to the Premier League mid-season.

But, for the baseball fan, now is the time to dig in. Get out the depth charts and strategize who will be picked to round out the upcoming roster. We’re talking about payrolls, who is really worth their weight in WAR, and which players will be silly to opt-out of their contract.

For me, it’s catch-up time. During the regular season, I spend nearly all of my time watching my beloved Chicago Cubs, or following the Midwestern competition.

The teams I slept on throughout the past season were largely the Marlins, the Giants, the Rangers, and the Diamondbacks. Today’s game was the Twins/Rangers match-up from July 9th.

The Rangers put up three runs in the bottom of the 2nd. The Twins come back in the top of the 4th, with 6 hot runs driven by two dingers from Miranda and Sanchez. The Rangers add another four runs in the bottom of the 4th and it feels close until the Rangers put it away with another two runs in the bottom of the 8th.

Nathaniel Lowe picked up a Silver Slugger award with a breakout season with .302/.358/.492 with 27 home runs and 76 RBIs. But, it simply wasn’t enough for the Rangers. They ended the season just below the middle of the list.

Interestingly, the Rangers led the field with Stolen Bases (a whopping 128 bags). They tied the Yankees with hits (1,308). They were eighth in the league for home runs (198).

But, they were 13th in the league for runs batted in (670). They were 7th in strike-outs (1,446). Their on-base percentage (.301) was 25th in the league. Ultimately, their offensive production simply wasn’t enough. Defensively, they weren’t that great either.

Did the Rangers have the worst season in the league? Nope, but there were plenty of holes in their game.