Honestly, if you told a Rangers fan back in March that Jacob deGrom would actually throw 170-plus innings, they’d probably start planning a parade route down Randol Mill Road. It was the one thing everyone said had to happen for a deep run. Well, it happened. The ace stayed healthy, the pitching staff led the league in ERA, and yet, the Texas Rangers record 2025 finished at a perfectly mediocre 81-81.
It is a weird, frustrating stat line. How do you have the best pitching in baseball and still miss the playoffs? Basically, the bats went cold—not just "slumping" cold, but historically, "can’t-buy-a-run" cold.
The Numbers Behind the Texas Rangers Record 2025
The final tally of 81 wins and 81 losses lands the Rangers in third place in the AL West. They trailed the Seattle Mariners (90-72) and the Houston Astros (87-75). While it’s technically an improvement over the 78-win disaster of 2024, it feels much worse because of how they collapsed at the finish line.
📖 Related: A que horas juega Portugal: Todo sobre el próximo partido de la Seleção
Texas lost 11 of their final 13 games. They were right there—just a few games back of a Wild Card spot in mid-September—and then the wheels just fell off.
Pitching Dominance vs. Offensive Futility
The contrast in this team was jarring. The Rangers' pitching staff finished 1st in the MLB with a 3.47 ERA. Think about that for a second. Usually, when you have the best ERA in the league, you’re winning 95 games. Instead, they were stuck at .500 because the offense ranked 26th in batting average (.234) and 19th in runs scored.
The staff was led by a resurgent Jacob deGrom, who turned in his best season in years.
- Starts: 30
- ERA: 2.97
- Strikeouts: 185
- WHIP: 0.92 (Second best in the MLB)
He was the "Old deGrom" again. But the lineup behind him? Not so much. Wyatt Langford was the lone bright spot, putting up a 20/20 season with 22 home runs and 22 steals. But the big money guys—Corey Seager and Marcus Semien—struggled with injuries and consistency all summer.
That Mid-Summer Hope (and the Late-Season Heartbreak)
There was a moment where it felt like 2023 magic was back. Between August 22 and September 14, the Rangers went on a blistering 16-5 tear. They swept the Guardians, the Angels, and even the powerhouse Brewers. During that stretch, they closed an eight-game deficit in the division to just two games.
📖 Related: Jeff Bagwell Baseball Card Value: What Most People Get Wrong
Fans were losing their minds. The "Little Rascals"—a nickname for the young call-ups like Michael Helman and Alejandro Osuna—were carrying the load. Helman, who was a waiver claim in May, suddenly looked like an All-Star.
Then, the injury bug bit hard.
- Evan Carter broke his wrist in late August.
- Nathan Eovaldi went down with a rotator cuff strain on August 27.
- Marcus Semien (foot fracture) and Corey Seager (slow recovery from surgery) were eventually shut down in September when the playoff odds tanked.
Losing your veteran leadership during a pennant race is a recipe for disaster. The Texas Rangers record 2025 reflected that immediately, as the team looked exhausted and outmatched in the final two weeks of September.
Why the Defense Set a Record
One of the strangest silver linings of the year was the defense. The 2025 Rangers actually set the all-time MLB record for single-season fielding percentage at .9911, narrowly beating out the 2013 Orioles.
🔗 Read more: The Lions Game Ending: Why Everyone Is Still Screaming at Their TV
They didn't beat themselves. They made the plays. They pitched the lights out. They just couldn't hit the ball when it mattered most. Josh Jung led the team with a .251 average, which tells you everything you need to know about how "down" the bats were.
The End of the Bruce Bochy Era?
This was Bruce Bochy’s final year under his current contract, and with the team finishing at .500, the chatter about his retirement is louder than ever. He’s a Hall of Famer who brought Texas their first ring, but the 2025 season felt like a grind that lacked the usual "Bochy Magic" in the late innings.
The front office tried to help at the deadline by bringing in Merrill Kelly from Arizona, but it wasn't the splash fans expected. It was a "safe" move for a team that probably needed a jolt of electricity.
What to Watch for in 2026
If you're looking for reasons to be optimistic despite the mediocre Texas Rangers record 2025, look at the kids.
- Jack Leiter finally arrived. He threw 151.2 innings with a 3.86 ERA and looked like a legitimate top-of-the-rotation starter.
- Sebastian Walcott is tearing up the minors and is expected to debut in 2026.
- The pitching infrastructure is clearly working. If they can just find league-average hitting, they are a playoff team.
Practical Next Steps for Rangers Fans
The 2025 season is in the books, but the offseason is where the real work begins. If you want to keep tabs on how the front office fixes this:
- Monitor the Managerial Search: If Bochy officially steps away, the Rangers will likely look for a younger, data-driven voice to pair with Chris Young.
- Free Agency Focus: Look for the Rangers to target high-contact hitters. They don't need more home run or strikeout guys; they need players who can put the ball in play.
- Watch the Fall League: Keep an eye on Sebastian Walcott’s development. He is the "next big thing" and could be the spark the lineup desperately needs by June of next year.
The 2025 season was a case of "what could have been." A healthy deGrom and a record-breaking defense should have resulted in October baseball. Instead, the team heads into 2026 with a lot of questions and a very loud need for some offensive firepower.
Key Takeaways from 2025
- Final Record: 81-81 (3rd in AL West)
- The Ace is Back: Jacob deGrom finished with a sub-3.00 ERA and 170+ innings.
- Rookie Watch: Jack Leiter solidified his spot in the 2026 rotation.
- The Problem: A bottom-five offense neutralized the league's best pitching staff.
Check the official MLB transactions page throughout January to see how the roster reshapes for the 2026 campaign.