FanPost

All 2015 Rangers jersey numbers and notes

Since we are only 10 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting, it's time to take a look at what numbers all four of the Rangers' offseason additions will be wearing on their backs as the season gets underway.

As a note, I wrote this post before this Anthony Andro tweet went out this afternoon and before a GOET post was made on the site.

Anyway, I'm providing a more in-depth look at the numbers, right? I'll just keep telling myself that.

I did this same Fanpost last year, and it went relatively well, so here it goes. However, I hesitated because I dare not repeat anything that could have caused the catastrophe that was Texas' 2014 season. Good thing I'm not superstitious.

Stitious

Last year there was a lot to write about because the team had a new look with the addition of Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo, among others.

This year is a different story because the most noteworthy offseason acquisition is Yovani Gallardo. Not that I really mind that because I understand JD and the front office's mentality that getting everyone healthy would be the equivalent of adding two or three key players.

But that's not the point of this post. I'm just here to look at the numbers.

Gallardo will wear No. 49 for his new club, a number he wore for the entirety of his time with the Brewers. No. 49 was vacated when Texas shipped Aaron Poreda to the Yomiuri Giants along with Miles Mikolas. I'm sure Gallardo would've given Poreda a couple bucks for his number anyway.

Speaking of Mikolas, Jon Edwards, who hopes to stick in the big league bullpen out of Spring Training will take his old No. 36. Edwards wore 62 last year.

That beautiful No. 62 has been given to future-Pudge, Jorge Alfaro. Everybody's got to start somewhere.

I ranted last year about the state of the Rangers' retired numbers. It's really pathetic looking and kind of an eye sore at Globe Life Park just above the Jack Daniels Club. Currently, the team only has three numbers retired: Nolan Ryan's No. 34, Johnny Oates No. 26 and Jackie Robinson's No. 42. The team should acknowledge the two greatest recent Rangers retirees - Michael Young and Ivan Rodriguez - with that same honor.

Rangers retired numbers

No one has worn Young's No. 10 since he was traded, but now two men have worn my favorite Ranger's No. 7. Rule 5 draftee Delino DeShields is currently listed as No. 7 on the website roster.

J.P. Arencibia wore No. 7 last year, and since he was a pathetic piece of baseball garbage masquerading as a Major League catcher, it was easy for me to dislike him. Why can't they pawn off No. 68 on DeShields like they have with Hanser Alberto?

Now would be the perfect year to retire another Rangers number, so let's hope they switch DeShields over mid season or honor MY in 2015.

It's really not that big of a deal, but, as you can probably tell, I enjoy the little things at the game, so looking down (yeah, I'm in the cheap seats) and seeing a '7' and '10' next to '34' would be pretty cool for me and a lot of other Texas fans.

Here are a few other notable points on the 2015 Rangers numbers:

  • Ross Detwiler takes No. 47 instead of the 48 he wore with Washington. Of course, Colby Lewis has No. 48 here. Phil Irwin and Joe Saunders both wore No. 47 last season. Better luck to you, Ross.
  • In addition to Alfaro wearing No. 62 and Alberto wearing 68, recent 40-man additions Luke Jackson and Jerad Eickhoff wear 53 and 56, respectively.
  • RHP Kyuji Fujikawa will wear No. 21 because Darvish is occupying the No. 11 he wore with the Cubs. Carlos Pena wore No. 21 last year.
  • Backup catcher Carlos Corporan is listed as No. 3 on the website. He meets the same fate Luis Sardinas met last year as his jersey-shirt will likely not be sold at the Globe because the team sells Russell Wilson No. 3 shirts instead. Corporan wore No. 22 with the Astros, but Nick Martinez is hanging on that beauty.
  • Prince Fielder will still wear the worst number I've ever seen a top-tier baseball player wear at No. 84. I was hoping something good would come out of Prince's injury and he would see that number as an omen and change back to something more reasonable. Oh well.
  • After switching from No. 73 to 12 in the middle of last season, second baseman Rougned Odor will stay with the latter. Strangely, no one has occupied No. 73 since its abandonment. Another chance at this would have been awesome:

  • The reason Prince changed to No. 84 was because No. 28 was occupied by Joakim Soria when he was traded. After the Soria trade, Mike Carp took the number. Now, new skipper Jeff Banister will sport No. 28 on his back.
  • The Rangers lone bullpen southpaw Alex Claudio has switched from No. 65 to 58. Joe Ortiz vacated No. 58 when he was claimed by the Cubs in October.
  • RHP Phil Klein wore No. 64 last year. He wears No. 35 now. Jim Adduci wore 35 last year, but he plays in Korea now.
  • Three players wore No. 44 last year - RHPs Jason Frasor, Jerome Williams and Spencer Patton. Patton is still listed as No. 44 on the team site.
  • After being acquired in a trade with Boston where the Rangers sent Robbie Ross Jr., Anthony Ranaudo has not yet been assigned a number on the Rangers' website.

A full list of Rangers non-roster invitees can be found here, but at the time of this posting, only a couple of guys are listed with numbers. Andro provides a better look in the tweet pictured above. The biggest note is that Kyle Blanks will wear Josh Hamilton's old No. 32.

For a complete list of Rangers' numbers history, check out this Baseball-Reference page.

Follow me on Twitter at @2VOICE_. I'm always looking to chat about my teams. I'll talk trash to Mavs fans too, if you're in to that.