MLB Top 5: Rangers First and Third Basemen and DHs

This is the second article in a series that looks at the five best players at each position for the Texas Rangers. In this installment are first and third basemen and designated hitters.

The corner infielder and designated hitter spots in Rangers history feature plenty of production. The top players include a recent Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, a star who would be in Cooperstown if not for steroid allegations and several starters from the team’s three World Series appearances.

The Best First and Third Basemen and Designated Hitters in Texas Rangers History

First Basemen

Honorable Mentions – Jim Spencer spent just three seasons in a Rangers uniform (1973-75), but he left his mark. He was an All-Star and won a fielding title in his first season with Texas, one of four he won in his career, and his .995 fielding percentage when he retired in 1982 was first among first basemen at the time (he now ranks 31st at the position). The left-handed Pennsylvania native was also known for his contract, which designated that he must start against righties (known as the “Spencer Clause”). He enjoyed a 15-year career that included two gold gloves and a title with the Yankees in 1978. Spencer died from heart attack at age 54 in 2002, one day after playing in an exhibition game in Florida to benefit the Joe DiMaggio children’s hospital.

Mitch Moreland is a Mississippi native who spent his first seven seasons in Texas (2010-16), winning a gold glove in his final year in the Lone Star State. He also has the distinction of hitting home runs in the World Series in two straight seasons and totaled eight runs, 21 hits, six doubles, three homers and 13 RBIs in 33 playoff games with Texas. After signing with the Red Sox as a free agent, Moreland earned his only All-Star selection and won a World Series with Boston in 2018. He ended his 12-year career with the Athletics in 2021. “Two Bags” had an eventful 2024, playing at his old home of Fenway Park as a member of the Savannah Bananas and coaching first base as part of the MLB All-Star Futures Game in Arlington.

Nathaniel Lowe is the son of David, a former Mariners draft pick who instead went into Navy and was a Naval Aviator and fighter pilot for 20 years. The Virginia native was drafted by the Rays and appeared in the MLB All-Star Futures Game in 2018, but he played just 71 games in two seasons with Tampa Bay before he was traded to Texas. Lowe became a star with the Rangers, winning a silver slugger in 2022 after setting career highs with a .302 average, 27 home runs and 179 hits to go with 76 RBIs and 74 runs. The following year, he won a gold glove and a title, and his playoff performance included hitting two home runs against the Astros in the ALCS. Lowe had his worst season with the Rangers in 2024 but still produced his fourth straight season with at least 15 home runs and 60 RBIs. He was traded to the Nationals in late December.

5. Pete O’Brien – A product of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, he began his career as a left fielder before transferring to first base for his final six seasons with Texas (1982-87). He had five straight seasons with at least 15 home runs and 60 RBIs and produced three straight stellar seasons at the end of his Rangers’ run. Following the 1987 campaign, he was traded to Indians as part of deal that brought back Julio Franco. O’Brien finished his time in Texas with a .273 average, 419 runs, 914 hits, 161 doubles, 114 home runs, 487 RBIs and 1,449 total bases in 946 games. The two-time assist leader among first basemen ended his career in 1993 after spending his final four seasons with the Mariners.

4. Mike Hargrove – A Rangers’ draft pick in 1972, he won the Rookie of the Year Award two seasons later after batting .323 with 66 RBIs, making him the first Texas player to win the award. He earned his only All-Star selection the following year after driving in 62 runs, and he had a personal-best season in 1977 when he batted .305 and set career highs with 18 home runs and 98 runs. Hargrove was known for two things during his career. The first of which was the excruciating amount of time he took to get ready in between pitches, earning him the nickname “The Human Rain Delay.” The other was his ability to get on base. He led the league in walks twice and set the team record with a .399 on-base percentage. After his 12-year playing career ended with Cleveland in 1985, Hargrove enjoyed a 16-year managerial career. He finished with a 1,188-1,173 record and five straight postseason appearances with the Indians, including two American League pennants. He retired in 2007 after his third season with Seattle and was inducted into Cleveland’s Hall of Fame the following year.

3. Will Clark – The New Orleans native played in 1984 Summer Olympics for Team USA and won the Golden Spikes Award the following year at Mississippi State. Clark was drafted second overall by the Giants in 1985 and his eight-year run in San Francisco included five All-Star selections, winning the National League RBI crown in 1988, being named NLCS MVP the following year, winning a gold glove in 1991 and earning two silver sluggers. He joined the Rangers in 1994 after signing a five-year, $30 million deal and was named to his final All-Star team in his first season in Texas. “Will the Thrill” led the Rangers to a pair of playoff appearances over five seasons (1994-98) before he gave way to his former college teammate Rafael Palmeiro, who he replaced when he signed originally. Clark ended his career with the Orioles and Cardinals, retiring in 2000. He was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.

2. Mark Teixeira – The Maryland native was a standout at Georgia Tech before being drafted fifth overall by the Rangers in 2001. Teixeira made his debut two years later and earned Rookie of the Year consideration after hitting 26 home runs. The switch-hitter had a stellar season in 2005, when he earned his only All-Star selection with Texas after batting .301 with 112 runs and 41 doubles and setting career highs with 43 homers, 144 RBIs, 194 hits and 370 total bases, which led the American League. Teixeira also earned two gold gloves and two silver sluggers in five seasons with the Rangers (2003-07).

“Tex” turned down an eight-year, $140 million extension in July 2007, then was traded to Braves in the seven-player deal that brought shortstop Elvis Andrus to the Rangers. He signed an eight-year, $180 million deal with the Yankees in 2009, and he led the league in home runs and RBIs while leading his team to a championship in his first campaign. In eight seasons in New York, Teixeira earned two All-Star selections, three gold gloves, a silver slugger but was ravaged by injuries in his later years. He finished his Texas tenure with a .283 average, 426 runs, 746 hits, 173 doubles, 153 homers, 499 RBIs and 1,402 total bases in 693 games, and he also led the league in putouts twice and won a fielding title in 2005. Teixeira retired in 2016 and went back to college before making an appearance as a hitting coach for the National League team in the 2024 MLB All-Star Futures Game.

1. Rafael Palmeiro – He was born in Cuba, came to Miami as a youth and was a star at Mississippi State, where he was part of the “Thunder and Lightning” duo with Clark. Palmeiro was drafted by the Cubs in the first round in 1985 and was traded to the Rangers three years later for future All-Star closer and playoff pariah Mitch Williams. He was an All-Star in 1991 when he scored 115 runs, posted a career-best 203 hits and led the league with 49 doubles. Palmeiro finished his first five-year stint with Texas by posting a .295-37-105 stat line and topping the American League with 124 runs. When Clark came to Texas, Palmeiro signed with Baltimore. After five seasons with the Orioles, he returned to the Rangers in 1999 and posted five straight seasons with at least 90 runs scored, 38 home runs and 100 RBIs.

Palmeiro went back to Baltimore, and he recorded his 3,000th career hit in 2005. The league waited for him to reach the milestone, then suspended him for steroid use, a charge he continues to deny to this day. Palmeiro spent a decade with the Rangers (1989-93 and 99-2003), and he is the all-time franchise leader with 805 walks. He also ranks second in runs (958), home runs (321, with eight seasons with 20 or more) and RBIs (1,039, including 100 or more six times), third in games (1,573), doubles (321) and total bases (3,026), fourth in hits (1,692) and sixth in on-base percentage (.378) and slugging percentage (.519) to go with a .290 average. Despite being one of only four players in major league history with 500 home runs and 3,000 hits (joining Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Eddie Murray), the steroid suspension has kept him out of the Hall of Fame.

Third Basemen

Honorable Mentions – Dave Nelson was a four-sport athlete in high school, was traded from the Indians to the Senators before the 1970 season and moved with team to Texas two years later. He was an All-Star in 1973, then was traded to the Royals two years later and spent final two seasons with Kansas City. Nelson spent four years as a coach for the White Sox then nearly 20 more as coach and instructor, mostly in minor leagues, for four franchises. He died of liver cancer in 2018 at age 73.

Michael Young was a standout at three infield positions as well as designated hitter during his 13 seasons with the Rangers (2000-12). He spent two years at the “hot corner,” earning an All-Star selection in 2009 after posting a .322 average, 22 home runs and 68 RBI. Although his average dropped the following year, Young was more productive the following year and led Texas to the World Series, amassing four runs, 17 hits, three doubles, one homer and seven RBIs in 16 postseason games.

5B Ken McMullen – The California native spent his early career with the nearby Dodgers, winning a title in 1963, although he missed the World Series due to injury. McMullen was traded to the Senators along with slugger Frank Howard following the 1964 season, and his six-year stint was highlighted by a 19-game hitting streak in 1967. Two years later, he had his best campaign, batting .272 with 19 home runs, 87 RBIs, 83 runs and 153 hits, with all but the homer total being a career high. McMullen was traded to the Angels early in the 1970 and played eight more seasons with four teams.

5A Steve Buechele – The 1982 Rangers draft pick spent eight seasons with Texas (1985-91 and ’95), posting double-digit home run totals and driving in at least 50 runs five times each. Buechele was traded to the Pirates in 1991 and returned to the team for a nine-game stint four years later. He finished his Rangers career with 94 homers, 338 RBIs, 654 hits and 1,077 total bases in 889 games. The 1991 fielding champion at third base worked for the Rangers beginning in 2006, serving as the team’s studio commentator, first base coach and special assistant for baseball operations, a position he still holds.

4. Dean Palmer – He spent eight seasons with the Rangers (1989, 91-97) and hit at least 25 home runs three times. Palmer’s best season in Texas was 1996, when he batted .280 with 107 RBIs and set career highs with 38 homers, 98 runs and 163 hits. That year, he was part of the first playoff team in franchise history, totaling three runs, four hits, a homer and two RBIs in four games. Palmer was traded to the Royals the following season and earned his only All-Star selection in 1998. He spent five seasons with the Tigers, the last three being affected by injuries, before retiring. Palmer is now an assistant coach for a high school baseball team in his home state of Florida.

3. Hank Blalock – The San Diego native spent his first eight seasons with Texas (2002-09), reaching 150 hits, 25 home runs and 80 RBIs four times each. The 2001 MLB All-Star Futures Game participant earned two selections to the big-league Midsummer Classic, including 2003, when he hit a game-winning home run. Blalock’s promising career was derailed by injuries, starting with Thoracic outlet syndrome and rib removal surgery in 2007. He finished his Rangers career with a .269 average, 499 runs, 943 hits, 195 doubles, 152 home runs, 535 RBIs and 1,628 total bases in 910 games. The 2005 fielding champion signed with the Rays in 2010 but played just 26 games, was released and officially retired after the season.

2. David “Buddy” Bell – The son of major league outfielder Gus Bell enjoyed an 18-year career of his own. After seven seasons with the Indians, he was traded to Rangers for infielder Toby Harrah. Bell played seven years in his first stint with Texas, earning four All-Star selections, six straight gold gloves and a silver slugger in 1984. He spent time with the Reds and Astros before returning to the Rangers, where he finished his career in 1989. Bell batted .293 with 471 runs, 1,060 hits, 197 doubles, 87 home runs, 499 RBIs and 1,560 total bases in 958 games over eight seasons with Texas (1979-85 and ’89). His best season with the Rangers was his first when he hit .29 with 18 home runs and set career bests with 89 runs, 200 hits, 42 doubles and 302 total bases. In addition to his two fielding titles and 1988 Lou Gehrig Award as a player, Bell spent five seasons as a coach with the Indians and nine more as a manager, amassing a 519-724 record with the Tigers, Rockies and Royals. He was elected to the Rangers Hall of Fame in 2004.

1. Adrian Beltre – The product of the Dominican Republic signed with the Dodgers at the age of 15 in 1994. Beltre showed promise but didn’t become a star until he slugged a league-leading 48 home runs with Los Angeles in 2004. He signed with the Mariners and won two gold gloves in five seasons in Seattle. After a one-year stint with Boston in which he topped the American League with 49 doubles, Beltre signed with the Rangers before the 2011 campaign.

Beltre’s next four seasons included three All-Star selections, two gold gloves and two silver sluggers. The only time he failed to appear in the Midsummer Classic, he led the league with 199 hits. Beltre had his best season in Texas in 2012, when he finished third in the MVP voting after posting a .321-36-102 stat line with 95 runs, 194 hits and 33 total bases. He proved highly capable with the glove as well, winning the first two platinum gloves in the American League along with both a fielding title and a Wilson Defensive Player Award in 2012 and the Lou Gehrig Award two years later.

Known for his aversion for having his hair touched, Beltre spent the final eight seasons (2011-18) of a 21-year career with the Rangers, earning three All-Star selections and appearing in the 2011 World Series. He ranks fifth in franchise history in home runs (199) and is tied for sixth in batting average (.304), seventh in hits (1,277), RBIs (699), total bases (2,133) and slugging percentage (.509), ninth in doubles (239) and tenth in runs (612) while appearing in 1,098 games. Beltre was just as good in the playoffs, totaling 15 runs, 25 hits, six doubles, five homers and 10 RBIs in 24 games and rapping nine hits in a loss to the Cardinals in the World Series.

Beltre smacked a double against the Orioles in a late July game in 2017 to become the 31st member of the 3,000-hit club. He retired after the following season and joined baseball’s elite in 2024, earning induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame after garnering 95.1 percent of the vote in his first year on the ballot. Beltre managed the American League team in the 2024 MLB All-Star Futures Game, which was held in Arlington.

Designated Hitters

Honorable Mentions – Known for his leadership, Larry Parrish played third base for eight seasons in Montreal before being sent to Texas in trade for Al Oliver before 1982 season. He spent his first four years as right fielder with Rangers before converting to designated hitter for the final three. Parrish earned his only All-Star selection with Texas in 1987, when he batted .268 with a career-high 32 home runs and 100 RBIs. He appeared in two League Championship Series, 1981 with Montreal and 1988 after being sent to Boston in a midseason trade. Parrish played two seasons in Japan and came back to the U.S., where he spent most of the next 25 seasons as coach and manager, including a two-year stint with the Tigers in 1998-99.

5. Jose Canseco – After a Rookie of the Year Award, an MVP Award, five All-Star selections, three silver sluggers, a World Series Championship, and 254 home runs in nine seasons with the Athletics, he was sent to the Rangers at the trade deadline in 1992. The following year, Canseco had a ball bounce off his head and over the wall in right field for a home run and then injured himself pitching in a game in late May, which eventually led to Tommy John surgery. He was a designated hitter during the strike-shortened 1994 season, smacking 31 home runs and driving in 90 runs. Canseco bounced around between six teams over his final seven seasons, earning an All-Star selection with the Rays in 1999 and winning a title with the Yankees the following year. He is best known for his ties to steroids, including writing two tell-all books that name many of his former teammates and other star players as PED users.

4. Prince Fielder – He earned three All-Star selections, won two silver sluggers and finished in the top five of the MVP voting three times in seven seasons with the Brewers. After two more solid years with the Tigers (which included a win in the Home Run Derby in 2012), he was traded to the Rangers for second baseman Ian Kinsler in 2014 but missed most of the season after undergoing neck surgery. Fielder responded by earning Comeback Player of the Year honors as well as his sixth and final All-Star selection after batting .305 with 23 home runs and 98 RBI. However, in 2016, it was found that he had a pair of herniated discs in his neck, ending his playing career. Fielder was a hitting coach with the American League team for the 2024 All-Star Futures Game.

3. Michael Young – After a stint at third base, he changed positions again and was an All-Star in 2011 after leading the league with 213 hits, driving in 106 runs and batting .338, which is third best in franchise history. Although the Rangers lost in the World Series, Young had a standout postseason, totaling six runs, 14 hits, seven doubles, two home runs and 12 RBIs in 17 games. His numbers dropped the following season, and his 13-year run in Texas (2000-12) came to an end with a trade to the Phillies.

2. Rafael Palmeiro – He played 10 seasons in two five-year stints with Rangers, with his second tenure split between first base and designated hitter. In 1999, Palmeiro posted a .324-47-148 stat line along with 96 runs and 183, earning All-Star, gold glove and silver slugger honors, as well as finishing in the top five of the MVP voting. In the Division Series that season, he went 3-for-11 in a loss to the Yankees. Four years later, Palmeiro hit 38 homers and drove in 112 runs as a 38-year-old.

1. Shin Soo-Choo – The South Korea product was a three-time MLB All-Star Futures Game participant in the Mariners’ organization. Choo also spent time with the Indians and Reds before signing a seven-year, $130 million deal with Texas, where he spent the final seven seasons of his major league career (2014-20). He became the first Korean-born player to hit for the cycle when he accomplished the feat in a July 2015 game against the Rockies.

While Choo played both corner outfield spots, his main position was designated hitter, where he earned his only All-Star selection in 2018 after batting .264 with 21 home runs and 83 runs scored. Choo ranks fifth in franchise history in strikeouts (812) and tenth in walks (419), and his 114 home runs include hitting 20 or more in a season four times. He appeared in two playoff series with the Rangers, totaling four runs, five hits, one homer and three RBIs in six games. Choo returned to his home country and played four seasons before retiring in 2024.

Upcoming Stories

Texas Rangers Catchers and Managers
Texas Rangers First and Third Basemen and Designated Hitters
Texas Rangers Second Basemen and Shortstops
Texas Rangers Outfielders
Texas Rangers Pitchers