Rangers' Hitters Fantasy Baseball Draft Preview | Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, Adolis Garcia, Evan Carter, Jonah Heim and More

Discussing the top fantasy hitters from the Texas Rangers, the defending World Series champions.

The fantasy baseball season is closing in quickly. FantasySP has published a number of articles about the top players at every position, and while those kinds of stories will continue until the regular season starts up, we wanted to make sure we covered as many fantasy players as possible, so it’s time to start looking at options on a team–by-team basis.

We’ll kick things off by discussing the 2023 World Series champions, the Texas Rangers.

Texas has a loaded roster, so we’ll break their story into two parts, hitters and pitchers. Here, we’ll cover the hitters.

Get ready for draft season! Check out our Mock Draft Simulator, Average Draft Position list and Draft Genius!

Top Fantasy Hitters

The Rangers have several hitters that figure to be decent fantasy options in 2024.

As of the day this article was published (Feb. 19), Marcus Semien and Corey Seager were the top Rangers being taken in fantasy drafts. Semien had an Average Draft Position of 23, while Seager was at 28.

Semien has been an iron man the past few seasons, playing in 159 or more games dating back to 2018 (obviously excluding the COVID season in 2020). 

He’s a career .258 hitter and finished with a .276 average in 2023. Across his 185 hits, 73 of them went for extra bases. He drove in 100 runs and scored 122 times himself. He also stole 14 bases.

Semien should hit atop the Rangers’ lineup again this season, which will give him plenty of chances to get on base and score. Sometimes leadoff hitters are strictly contact hitters, but Semien has plenty of pop in his bat, which helps him finish with good run-producing numbers. He’s one of the top fantasy 2B and should finish as one of the best fantasy hitters overall if he can get another full season in.

Seager might be the No. 1 pick in fantasy drafts if he had played a full season in 2023. Across 119 games, Seager had a .327 average, 96 RBIs, 88 runs scored and 75 extra-base hits among his 156 total hits.

There’s some injury concerns with Seager, and he’s already dealing with an ailment this season. It’s allowing fantasy owners to take him in the third round in a lot of drafts, and if he can get close to a full season in, he’s going to finish as one of the best fantasy hitters in the game. 

Seager should hit right behind Semien and before the big power bats, and with a loaded Texas lineup, that gives him the chance to have a monster fantasy season.

Let’s continue down the lineup with Adolis Garcia, who is the next Ranger on the ADP list, at 82.

You know what you’re getting with Garcia. The outfielder and part-time designated hitter hit for a .245 average last season, which is right near his .244 career mark. He clubbed 39 homers and 68 total extra-base hits among his 136 hits, drove in 107 runs and scored 108 times. Even with better opportunities for steals, he only had nine last season, after tallying 41 combined over the previous two seasons.

You’re not drafting Garcia for a high average, but for those power numbers. His average is actually pretty solid compared to some other big power threats, so I personally think he’s a great option, especially around that ADP. There’s a pretty safe floor with Garcia, which is always a nice thing to say.

Evan Carter is likely going to hit cleanup for Texas. His ADP is around 115.

In his first taste of the MLB, all Carter did was post a .306 average and .413 on-base-percentage across 75 plate appearances. He had 10 extra-base hits among his 19 total hits, drove in 12 runs, scored 15 times and stole three bases. If you average those numbers out over a full season, you’re talking an elite hitter and fantastic fantasy option.

With such a small sample size, there’s reason to doubt he can replicate those kinds of numbers over a season, but the potential is really hard to ignore. At this point of drafts, you’re trying to fill out your lineup and find reliable, everyday players. Carter is a fantastic option and looks like a great value pick to me. Even if he can’t match his numbers from last year, he’s still likely to outperform the spot you draft him at.

Josh Jung is expected to be the next hitter in the Rangers’ lineup. The third baseman has an ADP of 139.

Jung has played in 148 total games over his first two years in the MLB, so if you combine the numbers together, you get an idea on what he might be able to do for a season. He’s combined for a .255 average (.266 last season), 59 extra-base hits (49 last season), 84 RBIs (70 last season), 84 runs scored (75 last season) and 147 total hits (127 last season).

Those total numbers are great from a fantasy perspective, but because of some durability issues, you can get him later in drafts. If he can stay healthy for a whole season and deliver similar numbers, he’d be an absolute steal around his current ADP.

Catcher Jonah Heim is the next guy I’d like to talk about - his ADP is around 156.

Heim played in 131 games last season, posting a .258 average (.232 career average), 46 extra-base hits, 95 RBIs and 61 runs scored. He had 118 total hits.

Availability is a huge thing for fantasy catchers, and Heim plays plenty to give himself chances to deliver for fantasy teams. His average isn’t great, and even though I expect it to dip a bit this season, this lineup is simply so stacked that even though Heim has to hit near the bottom of it, he’s still got the chance to be a good fantasy asset. If you miss on some of the top fantasy catchers, Heim is a fine option later in drafts. Andrew Knizner is expected to be his main backup.

Nathaniel Lowe is the team’s first baseman and has an ADP of 171. 

Lowe has been another iron man, playing in 157 or more games in three straight seasons. Last year, he had a .262 average (.273 career average), 58 extra-base hits, 82 RBIs, 89 runs scored and 163 total hits.

While his average and home run numbers were down a season ago, I still love Lowe as a fantasy asset, especially this late in drafts. There’s not too much risk around that ADP, and if he can boost his average and homer numbers, you have a steal on your hands (which would probably be the case if he just replicates last year’s numbers).

Outfielder Leody Taveras might hit at the bottom of the lineup, but he’s still a decent fantasy asset.

He posted a .266 average, 48 extra-base hits, 67 RBIs, 14 stolen bases, 136 total hits and 67 runs last season. Most of those were new career highs, but he also played in a bunch more games, so the added production makes sense. 

Taveras is just 25 years old, so if he can keep building on what he produced a season ago, he’s another everyday starter for fantasy lineups.

If you’re paying close attention, that’s eight starters. Youngster Wyatt Langford is expected to fill out the lineup. 

The 22-year-old outfielder was the fourth overall pick of the 2023 Draft, but there’s talk he might break camp with the big league team and be an everyday starter from day one. He hit .360 across four levels of the minor leagues, so if he excels in training camp, there’s no reason to hold him back.

His ADP is 181, but could jump way up if news breaks that he’s made the team. He’s got a chance to hit in the heart of the team’s lineup for years to come.

Check back soon for the writeup on the Rangers' pitching staff.

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