Who Is the Most Underrated Player on the Texas Rangers?

The Texas Rangers have a few players that are unfairly overlooked on a national scale. Here are three players that merit more attention.

Every team, no matter how good or bad, has players that are overlooked. Whether it be because of their team's success (or lack thereof), their market, reputation, or any other excuse, these players tend to be buried and not get the credit they deserve.

As a whole, the Rangers are a legitimate candidate to be one of the most underrated teams in baseball. After improving by 11 wins from 2018 to 2019, the Rangers revamped their rotation and upgraded a couple of offensive positions. Yet, a significant portion of the national media still views them as a sub-.500 team.

The Rangers have a lot of unknowns on their roster, which is why they're so difficult to predict. However, their potential is high. With a potentially underrated roster, the Rangers have a few underrated players.

Lance Lynn

Sports Illustrated's Matt Martell chose one underrated player for each Major League team. Lance Lynn was his choice for the Rangers, which I would call an astute decision.

Lance Lynn finished fifth in the Cy Young voting in 2019 after a stellar campaign. He finished 16-11 with a 3.67 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in 208 1/3 innings. He also struck out 246 hitters while only walking 59 of them. His 7.5 bWAR was third in all of baseball. 

Other than a less-than-stellar 2018 season, Lynn has had an ERA under 4.00 in every season since his Major League debut in 2011 and thrown at least 200 innings three times. He also threw an astounding 186 1/3 innings with St. Louis in 2017 after recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Lynn is a workhorse that will eat innings and minimize damage. He has a very underrated fastball which he relies on heavily and his curveball/cutter duo keeps hitters honest. Lynn deserves to be recognized as one of the better pitchers in baseball.

• SI.com: Every MLB Team's Most Underrated Player

Mike Minor

Here's where I can copy and paste a lot of the same reasons for Lance Lynn. Yes, even down to a third of an inning.

Mike Minor also had a stellar 2019 season. He finished 14-10 with a 3.59 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP in 208 1/3 innings. Minor also struck out 200 hitters for the first time in his career, along with being selected to his first All Star game as well. Minor led all pitchers in baseball with a 7.8 bWAR. That mark was higher than NL Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom (7.6) and AL Cy Young winner Justin Verlander (7.4). 

After returning from a major shoulder injury that kept him out of baseball for two seasons, Minor resurrected his career with a successful stint out of the Royals' bullpen in 2017. The Rangers came calling after that campaign and offered him a chance back in a starting role and Minor has taken off and ran with it. Now, he looks to be in for a nice pay day after 2020 when he can test free agency again.

Willie Calhoun

If any Rangers player is on the verge of breaking out, it's Willie Calhoun. 

Acquired from the Dodgers in exchange for Yu Darvish at the 2017 trade deadline, Calhoun has seen some ups and downs over his time in Texas. He had a pretty forgettable 2018 season. After working hard to turn himself around in a number of ways, Calhoun did not make the 2019 Opening Day roster, which angered Calhoun. 

However, Calhoun eventually swallowed his disappointment and took advantage of every opportunity given to him in 2019. With star outfielder Joey Gallo sidelined for more than half the season, Calhoun took the bull by the horns and turned in some eye-popping numbers in just over half a season.

Calhoun slashed .269/.323/.524/.848 with 21 home runs and 48 RBIs in only 83 games. Calhoun's bat was the primary reason the Rangers acquired him when parting with Darvish back in 2017. Calhoun spent a significant amount of time focusing on his fielding over the offseason, specifically working on his first step. 

Calhoun has been all but named the starting left fielder for the Rangers when baseball resumes and has already recovered from a fractured jaw in a Cactus League game against...the Dodgers.

Do you agree with our list? Who else on the Texas Rangers would be considered underrated? Leave your opinion in the comments section below.

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