Today isn’t the last Thursday of the year, but it’s the last Thursday on which the Texas Rangers Baseball Podcast is going to be posting an episode in 2021.
So, we’re going to close by reviewing 2021, beginning on Jan. 1 and running though the start of the lockout. That, it turns out, appears to be the end of baseball this year.
Our guest was the Rangers’ best player in the minors in 2021, Dustin Harris. Not only did his monster season put him on the prospect radar, he’s a giant blip on the radar after being the only player in all of the minors (not just Rangers) to hit at least .300 with at least 20 homers, 20 doubles, 20 steals and fewer than 100 strikeouts.
Hello!
Harris hops in midway through the episode as John Moore and I were reviewing the Rangers’ year. We gave them a favorable grade, a solid B. I actually considered an A, even with the 102 losses.
Why? The Rangers actually stuck to their plan. Their farm system improved. They did a terrific job acquiring talent, beginning with Jack Leiter in the draft. They added Ezequiel Duran, Josh Smith, Spencer Howard, Glenn Otto and others at the trade deadline, and then scored big with Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Kole Calhoun and Jon Gray in free agency.
Anyhoo, to listen to the episode, our 17th, hit the play button above or click one of the links below.
Texas Rangers Baseball Podcast closes out the year with Minor League Player of the Year Dustin Harris