The Texas Rangers conquered the Tampa Bay Rays and took the best-of-three Wild-Card series in a 2-0 series sweep. The Rangers now will attempt to take down the Baltimore Orioles, who have surprised pundits by arriving a year ahead of schedule in 2023. Here are the five players the Orioles must watch out for going into this series.
Texas Rangers who should scare the Orioles: Marcus Semien
Marcus Semien has been one of the best infielders in baseball. Recently, he has become arguably the best second baseman in all of MLB with his five-tool potential. If Semien is playing at his peak during this series, the Orioles stand no chance.
Semien struggled in two games against the Rays, but he has the potential to turn it around. He has been to the playoffs only a select few times, but when he makes it to the postseason, he tends to make hard contact.
Semien has been one of baseball's best hitters in 2023 with 29 home runs and 100 RBIs, while hitting .276. He has been healthy enough to play nearly every game since 2018 and earned every penny of his seven-year, $175 million contract so far.
Texas Rangers who should scare the Orioles: Josh Jung
Josh Jung could finish top three in AL rookie of the year voting. In his first full season in 2023, Jung even made the AL All-Star team. .
In Game 1 vs the Rays, Jung struggled, going hitless in four at-bats, but he had a sac-fly and struck out twice. In Game 2, he was the best hitter for the Rangers as he went three-for-four with an RBI and two runs scored.
In 2023, he has hit 23 home runs, while batting .266. He has much to improve on, but he has been a one of the best young players in baseball. Jung has plenty of potential, and is among the unsung heroes of this Rangers lineup.
Jung does strike out a little too much, like many other young hitters in baseball. That'll likely phase out as he gets more playing time in the years to come. If Jung gets hot this postseason, Texas will be tough to stop.
Texas Rangers who should scare the Orioles: Jordan Montgomery
Jordan Montgomery pitched in Game 1 of the Wild Card series vs the Tampa Bay Rays, and he did not disappoint as he went seven shutout innings, giving up six hits and striking out five.
Montgomery has pitched in three postseason games in his career. With 13.2 innings under his belt, he has only allowed one run and holds a 0.66 ERA.
The Rangers acquired Montgomery from the Cardinals, despite being a free agent this offseason. The potential rental has been everything Chris Young could have asked for and then some, especially with Max Scherzer out.
Montgomery has started in 11 games with the Rangers and has pitched to an ERA of just 2.79 with a 4-2 record. He was the perfect acquisition and could help the Rangers reach the World Series.
Montgomery is a free agent after this season, and this postseason will determine how much he will get paid this offseason. He is only 30 years old and could receive a mega-contract from the Rangers or any other interested teams if he can continue to dominate hitters.
Texas Rangers who should scare the Orioles: Adolis García
Adolis García has struggled so far into the postseason, but he has the ability to turn it around quickly.
García has gotten better every season of his career, and 2023 has been his best so far. In 2023, he made the All-Star team for the second time, but has emerged as one of the best pure-power hitters in the game with 39 home runs, while also knocking in a career-high 107 RBIs.
In Games 1 and 2, García went up to the plate a combined ten times, but only reached base twice with a single in the first game and a home run in the second game.
García hasn't gotten hot yet, but when he clicks, the pitching won't last long against him. García was never really a threat until he joined the Rangers, as he previously spent time with the Cardinals. But in his first postseason, he hasn't performed as well which is to be expected.
García plays a crucial part for the Rangers in the four spot and must click for the lineup to succeed as a whole. During Game 2, he showed his ability to take pitchers deep. Texas will expect more of that moving forward.
Texas Rangers who should scare the Orioles: Evan Carter
Evan Carter has been one of if not the best players this postseason. Carter is making a name for himself as a young player early this postseason.
Carter has only played in 23 games before this postseason and he has not stopped being a dominant player. Carter has the ability to become one of the best players in baseball, and at just age 21, he has shown that potential nonstop.
Carter has reached base successfully seven times in only two postseason games. According to Sarah Langs, that's tied with Dylan Carlson for the second most by a player in any two-game span aged 21 or younger, only behind Freddie Lindstrom.
Carter has only played in 23 games and has hit five home runs, while knocking in twelve RBIs and hitting .306. Carter has an OBP of .413 in that span with a 1.058 OPS and an OPS+ of 182.
At only 21 years old, many will know the name Evan Carter by the time this postseason is over.
Texas Rangers who should scare the Orioles: Corey Seager
Corey Seager has quite possibly been one of the best acquisitions the Texas Rangers ever made. They agreed to a $325 million contract with him, but so far, that has been a steal.
Seager started his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but often struggled with injuries. Ever since joining the Rangers, he hasn't been hurt as much and played in over 115 games each of the last two seasons.
If Shohei Ohtani didn't exist, Seager would be an MVP candidate in the American League, despite him only playing in 119 of the 162 games. In 2023, Seager has played the best baseball of his career, and at just age 29, he has plenty left in the tank.
In 2023, Seager tied a career high with 33 home runs but has started to knock in more runs than ever before with 96. Seager's batting average improved massively year over year, from .245 in 2022 to .327 in 2023.
Seager has been one of the best players in baseball and will be a threat this postseason. He has struggled against the Orioles in the six games he played them in 2023, but that doesn't mean Baltimore can get comfortable.
In 2020, Seager led the Los Angeles Dodgers to the World Series, which they won against the Tampa Bay Rays. In the 2020 postseason, he dominated opposing pitching and won NLCS MVP as well as World Series MVP.
Seager has had a career filled with injuries, but consistency is something he rarely struggles with. In his short career so far, Seager has been an All-Star four times, a Silver Slugger two times, Rookie of the Year, a World Series Champion, as well as World Series MVP and NLCS MVP.
