With the current starting rotation, Grant Anderson, Brock Burke, Marc Church, Jonathan Hernandez, Jake Latz, Yerry Rodriguez, David Robertson, Jesus Tinoco, Jose LeClerc, and Kirby Yates will battle it for their bullpen spot. Brock Burke, David Robertson, Jose LeClerc, Josh Sborz, and Kirby Yates are a lock to be in the bullpen; the others have work to prove their worth.
The Bullpen By The Numbers
Brock Burke
While not a huge part, Brock Burke is a returning member of the 2023 World Series Championship team. He appeared briefly in World Series Game 4 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, allowing three hits and three runs to cross the plate. In his 3-year Major League career, he has a 12-10 W/L record across 111 games with an ERA of 3.68, six starts, fourteen games finished, and no saves. He pitched 168.2 innings, allowing 157 hits and 79 runs, 69 of which were earned, 28 home runs, 44 walks, five intentional walks, and 156 strikeouts. So far this spring, Burke has appeared in six games for seven innings. He allowed five hits, one earned run, one home run, no walks, and eight strikeouts with an ERA of 1.29.
Kirby Yates
Kirby Yates is a newcomer to the Rangers uniform. In his 9-year Major League career, he has a 19-19 W/L record across 361 games with an ERA of 3.53, no starts, 146 games finished, and 62 saves. He pitched 349.2 innings, allowing 271 hits, 147 runs, 137 of which were earned, 51 home runs, 136 walks, eight intentional walks, and 486 strikeouts. So far this spring, Yates has appeared in five games for five innings of relief. He allowed three hits, one earned run, one home run, one walk, and eight strikeouts with an ERA of 1.80.
David Robertson
David Robertson is another newcomer to a Rangers uniform, but he brings with him 15 years of experience. In that 15-year Major League career, he has a 63-42 W/L record across 793 games with an ERA of 2.90, one start, 346 games finished, and 175 saves. He pitched 804.2 innings, allowing 603 hits, 281 runs, 259 of which were earned, 72 home runs, 330 walks, 33 intentional walks, and 1055 strikeouts. So far this spring, Robertson has appeared in two games for two innings of relief. He allowed three hits, three runs, two of which were earned, one home run, and two strikeouts with an ERA of 9.00.
Josh Sborz
Josh Sborz will be a name forever remembered. The final out and the glove spike will live rent-free in the minds of all Rangers fans for the rest of history. In his five-year Major League career, he has an 11-11 W/L record across 137 games, with a 5.08 ERA, one start, 38 games finished, and one save. He pitched 147 innings, allowing 132 hits and 87 runs, 83 of which were earned, 22 home runs, 65 walks, with two intentional walks, and 176 strikeouts. So far this spring, Sborz has appeared in three games for three innings. He allowed three hits, two earned runs, one home run, one walk, and three strikeouts with an ERA of 6.00.
Jose LeClerc
Jose LeClerc. The baby-faced assassin. One of the heroes of the postseason has returned on a team option this season. In his seven-year Major League career with the Texas Rangers, he has a 6-15 W/L record across 286 games, with a 3.03 ERA, three starts, 127 games finished, and 40 saves. He pitched 293.2 innings, allowing 182 hits and 112 runs, 99 of which were earned, 22 home runs, and 168 walks, with seven intentional walks and 384 strikeouts. So far this spring, LeClerc has appeared in three games for 2.1 innings. He allowed three hits, two earned runs, one home run, two walks, and four strikeouts with an ERA of 7.71. LeClerc is expected to inherit the closer role to start the 2024 season.
Jesus Tinoco
Jesus Tinoco has once again donned his Rangers jersey and is attempting to rejoin the Major League club as a non-roster invitee. He last appeared for the Texas Rangers during the 2022 season before taking a sabbatical to play in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball League for the 2023 season. In his four-year Major League career, he has a 0-3 W/L record across 48 games with an ERA of 4.05, two starts, eight games finished, and one save. He pitched 66.2 innings, allowing 56 hits and 34 runs, 30 of which were earned, 17 home runs, 40 walks, one intentional walk, and 52 strikeouts. So far this spring, Tinoco has appeared in four games for 5.2 innings. He allowed five hits, four earned runs, three home runs, one walk, and six strikeouts with an ERA of 6.35.
Grant Anderson
Grant Anderson is entering his second season with the club, and, provided he makes the roster; he will be in his second season in the Major Leagues. During the 2023 season, he had a W/L record of 2-1 across 26 games with an ERA of 5.05, no starts, two games finished, and no saves. He pitched 35.2 innings, allowing 38 hits, 20 earned runs, five home runs, 14 walks, one intentional walk, and 30 strikeouts. So far this spring, he has appeared in six games for 6.1 innings. He allowed three hits, no runs, home runs, or walks, and recorded seven strikeouts with an ERA of 0.00 and a spring W/L record of 0-0.
Marc Church
Marc Church is looking to break into the Major Leagues this season and has been on fire throughout spring training. So far this spring, he has appeared in eight games for nine innings of relief. He allowed only two hits, one earned run, three walks, and ten strikeouts with an ERA of 1.00 and a spring W/L record of 0-0.
Yerry Rodriguez
Yerry Rodriguez is heading into his third season in the Major Leagues. In his two-year Major League career, he has a W/L record of 0-1 across 14 games, with an ERA of 7.36, one start, eight games finished, and no saves. He pitched 14.2 innings, allowing 21 hits, 23 earned runs, one home run, six walks, one intentional walk, and 16 strikeouts. So far this spring, Rodriguez has appeared in four games for 5.2 innings. He allowed six hits, three earned runs, one home run, two walks, and six strikeouts with an ERA of 4.76 and a spring W/L record of 0-2.
Jonathan Hernandez
Jonathan Hernandez is among the few in the bullpen that’s been around the block a few times. In his 4-year Major League career with the Rangers, he has a W/L record of 10-7 with an ERA of 3.86, two starts, 30 games finished, and four saves. He pitched 109.2 innings, allowing 99 hits and 54 runs, 47 of which were earned, 11 home runs, 53 walks, four intentional walks, and 111 strikeouts. So far this spring, Hernandez has made three appearances for 2.1 innings. He allowed five hits and six runs, five of which were earned, two home runs, three walks, and two strikeouts, with an ERA of 19.29 and a spring W/L record of 0-0. Hernandez is also still dealing with the shoulder injury that ended his 2023 season prematurely. His status for Opening Day is tenuous at best.
Jake Latz
Jake Latz returned to the Major League club in 2023 after spending much of the 2022 and 2023 seasons with the club’s AAA team, the Round Rock Express. In his 2-year Major League career with the Rangers, he has a W/L record of 0-0 with an ERA of 2.45, one start, two games finished, and no saves. He pitched 11 innings, allowing six hits, three earned runs, three home runs, two walks, and nine strikeouts. So far this spring, Latz has appeared in five games for five innings. He allowed five hits, two earned runs, no home runs, two walks, and five strikeouts with an ERA of 3.60 and a spring W/L record of 0-0.
Recap
The Texas Rangers bullpen has been shaky at best in the past, but that looks to change this year. General Manager Chris Young spent the offseason bulking up the bullpen with the veteran additions of David Robertson and Kirby Yates. If both the starting rotation and the bullpen can remain healthy and continue to be backed by the stellar lineup, the 2024 World Series is theirs to lose.
