Grading the 2015 Texas Rangers position players

27 position players appeared in games for the Rangers in 2015.  Some of them were good, some of them were bad, some we hardly remember.

I've opted to issue grades to these 27 players.  This is based on a combination of performance and expectations, and is ultimately subjective, and shouldn't be taken too seriously.

Robinson Chirinos -- B

Robinson Chirinos had the starting catching job, and when he was in the lineup, he was very solid, putting up a .232/.325/.438 slash line while doing a credible job behind the plate.  The only reason the grade isn't higher is because of all the time he missed -- Chirinos only had 273 plate appearances on the year.

Mitch Moreland -- A-

The Rangers finally got the year out of Mitch Moreland that they've been hoping to get.  Moreland stayed more or less healthy, provided good defense at 1B, and put up a .278/.330/.482 slash line while playing predominantly against righthanded pitchers.  That has value.

Rougned Odor -- B

Odor would have gotten an "F" for his performance up until the time he was sent down to AAA, and an A+ for his work after he returned to the majors.  Overall, a .261/.316/.456 slash line is very good from a second baseman, although he gets dinged a little for his defense, which the numbers indicate was average to below average.

Elvis Andrus -- C

Weird year for Elvis, who was awful the first month, struggled the first half in general, then turned it on in the second half, before that fateful 7th inning in Toronto that we all want to forget.  DRS and UZR both have him as about average with the glove, and his .258/.309/.357 is a little below average for a shortstop, which is why he has a 1.5 fWAR and a 2.1 bWAR -- in other words, average to a little below average.  Average production at $15M per year isn't going to kill you -- in fact, that's about what average performance gets on the open market -- but the Rangers expect more from Elvis.

Adrian Beltre -- A

From an offensive numbers standpoint, this wasn't an "A" season for Beltre, who had his lowest OPS since leaving Seattle.  But Beltre still put up a .287/.334/.453 slash line despite playing with a sprained left thumb, was terrific defensively, and was Adrian Beltre in the clubhouse.  I can't give him less than an "A" for what he did this year.

Josh Hamilton -- C

You could make this grade lower, and I wouldn't argue.  Hamilton couldn't stay healthy, and when he was healthy, he wasn't good.  The Rangers gave up nothing to get him, and are paying him nothing, so anything you get from him is a bonus...but they didn't really get anything from him this year.

Delino DeShields -- A+

One of the great stories of the 2015 campaign, DeShields went from a Rule 5 pick who many (including me) thought shouldn't even make the team to the starting CF.  DeShields provided a spark at the top of the lineup, and filled in admirably in CF for Leonys Martin, who had basically a lost season.  A great pickup by the organization.

Shin-Soo Choo -- B+

A bizarre season for Choo, who was useless the first month of the season, and then went on a tear, ultimately ending the year with a .276/.375/.463 line -- in other words, more or less than type of performance the Rangers were probably hoping to get from him when they signed him.  Choo was roughly a 3.5 win player, and Texas would be happy to get that from him going forward the next few years.

Prince Fielder -- C+

Another player who I struggled to find the right grade for.  On the one hand, he's coming off of season-ending neck surgery last year, so doing much of anything is a plus.  On the other hand, he made $24 million, and was expected to be a middle-of-the-order impact bat.  His .305/.378/.463 slash line was remarkably similar to Choo's, but with his significant negative value on the bases, and inability to play the field, that slash line doesn't have the same value that Choo's does.  He's owed $90 million over the next five years, and I suspect the Rangers will be checking around to see if any team is willing to take that on.

Leonys Martin -- F

Leonys didn't hit (.219/.264/.313), got hurt, got sent down, had surgery, and then pouted and refused to report to Surprise when he didn't make the playoff roster.  He was a very solid player in 2013-14, and the Rangers could definitely use the good Leonys in 2016, especially if they decide to move DeShields to LF, but it remains to be seen if the team is willing to go to arbitration with him, or if they will just non-tender him.

Adam Rosales -- B

He was Adam Rosales.  He played various positions when asked, didn't hit much, pitched twice, then got waived.

Joey Gallo -- B-

Gallo was asked to fill in for Adrian Beltre at third base when Beltre was put on the disabled list, despite at the time not having played above AA.  Gallo started off well, but then was victimized by opponents who just chose to challenge him with high fastballs, which he couldn't catch up with.  Gallo ended the year with a .204/.301/.417 line, as well as knowledge of what he will need to work on this offseason and in AAA next year in order to succeed long-term in the majors.

Carlos Corporan -- F

Corporan put up a .178/.244/.299 line, got hurt, and wasn't good defensively.  Though he is arbitration-eligible, the Rangers have already non-tendered him.  They didn't give up much (Akeem Bostick) to get him, but they got virtually nothing out of him.

Chris Gimenez -- A

On the other hand, Chris Gimenez, called up in the second half with Corporan and Chirinos were injured, was outstanding.  He put up a .255/.330/.490 line and was the preferred catcher of Cole Hamels.  His defense left much to be desire -- he allowed 18 WP/PBs in 279 innings, while allowing 18 of 20 baserunners to steal successfully -- but his bat and gamecalling made up for that.

Hanser Alberto -- B

Pressed into duty as a utility infielder, Alberto didn't hit (.222/.238/.263), but was fine defensively, and gave you what you would expect from a 22 year old utility guy.

Mike Napoli -- A+

A late season addition, acquired for nothing but the assumption of a portion of his contract, Napoli mashed for Texas, putting up a .295/.396/.513 line while playing predominantly against lefties.  He was also good with the glove at first base...and we're just going to pretend those adventures in left field never happened.

Bobby Wilson -- C

Acquired on a waiver claim to split time at catcher with Chris Gimenez when the two top catchers were out, Wilson wore a uniform and played catcher without embarrassing himself.

Ryan Rua -- D

Speaking of lost years...Rua started the season as the regular left fielder, broke his ankle, and never got going again.  He ended the year with a .193/.221/.398 line, buoyed by four home runs, but didn't really get a look late in the season after being promoted.  Rua still has a potential future as a 4C guy, but he will likely start the year in AAA next year and work to get back on track.

Carlos Peguero -- B+

Peguero hit .186/.310/.414 in 84 plate appearances at a time when the Rangers were short on outfielders.  I'll take that.

Will Venable -- D

Venable, acquired by the Rangers from the Padres to play left field while Josh Hamilton was hurt, didn't hit (.182/.325/.227).  So that was a problem...

Jake Smolinski -- F

Didn't hit, and then was lost on waivers to Oakland.

Kyle Blanks -- C

Hit (.313/.352/.522), but was hurt, and spent most of the year on the d.l.

Ryan Strausborger/Thomas Field/Drew Stubbs/Tomas Telis/Michael Choice -- INC

They all played, but not much, and they didn't do much when they did play.