MLB Top 5: Texas Rangers Outfielders

This is the fourth article in a series that looks at the five best players at each position for the Texas Rangers. In this installment are outfielders.

The list of best Rangers outfielders features quite a bit of talent, especially at the corner spots. Meanwhile, center field might have the least amount of talent and depth of any position in the MLB Top 5 series to this point. In the 64-year history of the franchise, only three players started at least four seasons in center field, and the starter at the position had his best years at another spot.

The Best Outfielders in Texas Rangers History

Left Fielders

Honorable Mentions – Chuck Hinton signed with the Orioles on a tryout in 1956 and was selected by the Senators in the expansion draft. His best season was 1962, when he set career highs with a .310 average, 75 RBIs, 168 hits and 255 total bases. Hinton’s next two seasons included 12 triples (second in team history) in and his lone All-Star selection and fielding title. He was traded to the Indians after the 1964 season, and he ranks fourth in franchise history in triples (30) and is tied for tenth in stolen bases (92). Following an 11-year playing career, Hinton spent 28 seasons as the baseball coach at Howard University and founded the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association in 1982. He passed away in 2013 at age 78.

Billy Sample is a Virginia native who was drafted by Rangers in 1976 and was a member of the All-Rookie Team three years later. He was known for his speed and for being one of the toughest players in the league to strike out. Sample is tied with Hinton for tenth place in franchise history with 92 stolen bases, which includes a career-best 44 in 1983. Since his retirement, he has been a broadcaster, sportswriter, filmmaker and self-published author.

Gary Ward signed with the Twins in 1972 and, after nearly seven seasons in the minor leagues, he earned his first big-league call-up. Ward spent five years with the Twins and set a record by hitting for the cycle in just his 14th career game. He was traded to the Rangers in 1984 and had his best campaign the following year, earning his second and final All-Star selection after batting .287 with 15 home runs, 70 RBIs, 170 hits and a personal-best 26 stolen bases. Ward also played with the Yankees and Tigers before retiring in 1990. He was a coach in the White Sox organization for nearly 20 years, and he entered the record books again, when his son, Daryle, hit for the cycle in a 2004 game, with the duo becoming the first father and son to accomplish the feat in the major leagues.

Pete Incaviglia was a college star known for his power at Oklahoma State, but he also would fit in with today’s game due to a high strikeout total. The Expos draft pick did something few players would have the gumption to try, demanding that he jump right to the major leagues. Montreal refused to meet his demands and traded him to Texas, where he spent the next five seasons (1986-90). “Inky” hit at least 20 home runs in each of those campaigns and drove in at least 80 runs on four occasions. However, he also struck out 788 times (eighth in franchise history), including 185 times in his rookie season.

Incaviglia finished his Rangers’ tenure with 124 home runs, 388 RBIs, 607 hits and 1,125 total bases in 694 games. He spent seven more seasons in the big leagues with five teams, including 1993, when he played on the pennant-winning Phillies. Incaviglia also had a rule named after him (which required drafted players to be kept with their initial team for a least a year and was later changed in 2015), played two seasons in Japan and was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. He is currently the manager of the Cleburne Railroaders, an independent team based in Texas.

Juan Gonzalez played two seasons in left field before splitting the rest of his time in Texas alternating between right field and designated hitter. He earned his first All-Star selection, won a silver slugger and finished fourth in the MVP race in 1993 after leading the league with 46 home runs and a .632 slugging percentage, while also posting a .310 average,105 runs, 166 hits and 118 RBIs. Gonzalez finished second in putouts at the position the following year but fell off at the plate (.275-18-85), leading to his move across the outfield.

5. David Murphy – The Houston native was a solid starter for six of his seven seasons with the Rangers (2007-13) after coming over in a trade from the Red Sox. Murphy played all three outfield spots, and his best season at the plate came as a right fielder in 2008 when he batted .275 with 15 home runs and 74 RBIs. He was a part of Texas’ back-to-back World Series teams in 2010-11, totaling 11 runs, 18 hits, one home run and six RBIs in 27 playoff games, but his fly out ended the 2011 Fall Classic in favor of the Cardinals. Murphy signed with the Indians after the 2013 season, ending his Rangers career with a .275 average, 85 home runs, 362 RBIs, 733 hits and 1,173 total bases in 826 games. He finished his career with the Angels in 2015 and, after tryouts with the Red Sox and Twins, he retired and went into broadcasting.

4. Al Oliver – While he was best known for his time with the Pirates, the Ohio native spent four seasons with the Rangers (1978-81), earning two All-Star selections and a pair of silver sluggers. In Pittsburgh, Oliver was part of the first all-black starting lineup in major league history and was a member of the hard-hitting Pirates team known as the “Lumber Company,” which won a championship in 1971. He was sent to the Rangers in a four-team trade after the 1977 season and posted his best campaign in 1980, batting .319 with 19 home runs and career-best totals of 96 runs, 209 hits and 117 RBIs.

Despite hitting better than .300 in all four seasons in Texas and topping the franchise record book with a .319 mark overall, “Scoop” was traded to the Expos during spring training in 1982, won the batting title with a .331 average and led the league in several other offensive categories. After two seasons in Montreal, he bounced around to four clubs over the next two years and was a victim of collusion by baseball owners not to sign certain players following the 1985 season. Following his retirement, Oliver championed suicide prevention and became known as “Mr. Ambassador” of Portsmouth, Ohio, for all the work he did to improve his hometown.

3. Josh Hamilton – Hamilton’s primary spot in the field was in center, but he had his best season on the left side in 2010, when he was named American League MVP and earned an All-Star selection and a silver slugger after winning the batting title with a .359 average, adding 32 home runs, 100 RBIs, 186 hits, 95 runs, a career-best 40 doubles and a league-leading .633 slugging percentage. He missed nearly a month of the following season after suffering a fractured right humerus bone in his arm but returned to lead the Rangers to the World Series for the season straight year.

Hamilton totaled 18 runs, 30 hits, eight doubles, six homers and 22 RBIs over 33 playoff games in those two seasons. He spent a pair of seasons with the Los Angeles Angels before returning to Texas and hitting eight home runs in 50 games. Hamilton suffered a drug and alcohol relapse, underwent three knee surgeries in nine months (and 11 overall during his career) and was released and retired after suffering another injury to the knee.

2. Thurman “Rusty” Greer – A fan favorite due to his aggressive style of play, the Alabama-born star spent his entire nine-year career (1994-2002) with the Rangers before he was overcome with injuries. Greer finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting after batting .314 with 10 home runs in 80 games in 1994 while also making a diving catch in the ninth inning of a late July game to preserve a perfect game by Kenny Rogers. He went on to post three seasons with at least 100 runs scored, 40 doubles and 100 RBIs and four with more than 160 hits.

Greer’s final two seasons on the Texas roster were beset by injuries to his left hamstring, right knee (which required surgery in 2001), a procedure to fuse vertebrae in his neck and reconstructive elbow surgery, which cost him the entire 2003 campaign. He had hoped to try and make a comeback but finally retired before the 2005 season after enduring nine surgeries in total. The 1998 fielding champion sits high on the franchise list in many offensive categories including fourth in on-base percentage (.387), tied for fourth in average (.305), sixth in doubles (258) and walks (519), eighth in runs (643), ninth in RBIs (614), tied for ninth in triples (25) and tenth in hits (1,166) and total bases (1,831) to go with 119 home runs in 1,027 games. Greer added two runs and four hits in 10 postseason contests. The 2007 Rangers Hall of Fame inductee ran a baseball school and now coaches a Christian high school near Dallas.

1. Frank Howard – The Ohio native was drafted by the NBA’s Philadelphia Warriors in 1957 but instead signed with the Dodgers. Howard played six seasons in Los Angels, winning the Rookie of the Year Award in 1960 and a championship three years later. He was traded to the Senators after the 1964 and posted such prodigious power numbers in Washington that he became known as “The Capital Punisher.” Howard took a couple years to get used to American League pitching before belting 36 home runs (and a league-leading 155 strikeouts) in 1967. He earned his only career All-Star selections in each of the next four seasons, topping 40 homers three times and leading the A. L. in the category twice.

“Hondo” set career highs with 48 long balls (third most in team history), 111 runs, 175 hits, a .296 average and 340 total bases, which topped the American League in 1969. A year later, he led the league with 44 homers, 126 RBIs and a club-record 132 walks. Howard hit the final home run for the franchise in Washington and his first homer after the team moved to Texas in 1972 was also the first run scored by the Rangers in their new stadium. He was sold to the Tigers and also played one game in Japan in 1974 before he injured his back and retired. He ranks third in franchise history in home runs (246) and walks (575), fourth in strikeouts (909), sixth in RBIs (701), eighth in on-base percentage (.367), slugging percentage (.503) and total bases (2,074) and ninth in games played (1,172) to go with a .277 average, 544 runs, 1,141 hits and 155 doubles.

For more than 30 years, Howard was a minor league manager and a major league instructor with six major league clubs, and he had brief stints as manager in the early 1980s, first with the Padres and then the Mets. He spent the final nine seasons with the Yankees as a player development instructor. Howard passed away in late 2023 at age 87 due to complications from a stroke.

Center Fielders

Honorable Mentions – The third time was the charm for Illinois native Del Unser, who was drafted by the Twins and Pirates before he was picked in the first round by the Senators in 1966. Two years later, he was the runner-up in the Rookie of the Year voting after leading the league in putouts, assists and double plays, and the next season, he had his best at the plate in Washington, batting .286 with 57 RBIs, 69 runs, a career-best 166 hits and an A. L.-high eight triples. Unser was traded to Cleveland after the 1971 season, and he had his best time in Philadelphia, where he won a title in 1980. He was an instructor, coach, farm director and scout with the Phillies for the next 15 years after his playing career ended, and he helped bring in many of the talented players that starred for the club into the 21st century.

George Wright was a member of one of the better Rangers seasons during the club’s early years in Texas. He played in every game in 1983 and set career highs with a .276 average, 18 home runs, 80 RIBs, 79 runs and 175 hits for a team which was in first place in the A. L. West at the All-Star break and finished with 77 wins. Wright’s numbers fell dramatically after that season, and he ended his Rangers career by committing a three-base error in the bottom of the ninth inning that led to Charlie Hough eventually losing a no-hitter and Texas losing the game. He finished his major league career with the Expos and spent time in the minors, as well as Japan and Mexico, before retiring in 1997.

Leody Taveras has turned into a serviceable big-league player thanks to his speed and defense. The product of the Dominican Republic signed with the Rangers before his 17th birthday and appeared in the 2018 MLB All-Star Futures Game while he still was in Class A. Taveras made his major league debut in 2020 and spent his first three seasons as a platoon and bench player before getting his chance to start in 2023. He made the most of his opportunity, setting career highs with a .266 average, 15 home runs, 67 RBIs, 67 runs scored and 136 hits while also leading the league in assists and finishing second in fielding percentage among A. L. center fielders. After another solid season, Taveras agreed to a $4.75 million contract through arbitration for 2025.

5. Oddibe McDowell was a star in college, winning the Golden Spikes Award, played with Team USA in the 1984 Summer Olympics and getting drafted in the first round by the Rangers. He finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting the following season, which included him hitting for the first cycle since the team moved to Texas. McDowell had his best season in 1986, driving in 49 runs and setting career highs with a .266 average, 105 runs, 152 hits, 18 home runs and 33 stolen bases while also leading all American League center fielders in assists. He played with the Indians and Braves, then spent three years in the minors before returning to the Rangers in 1994 to play 59 games. McDowell finished his career ranked sixth in franchise history with 129 stolen bases to go with 322 runs, 503 hits and 195 RBIs in 572 games. He was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011 and currently is a head baseball coach for the high school team in his hometown of Hollywood, Florida.

4. Gary Matthews Jr. – A native of San Francisco, he bounced around with seven teams during his 12-year career. Matthews signed with the Rangers in 2004 and earned his only All-Star selection two years later after setting career highs with a .313 average, 19 home runs, 79 RBIs, 102 runs, 194 hits and 44 doubles. “Little Sarge” signed with the Angels in 2007 and was named in the Mitchell Report, although he denied using human growth hormone. He finished his career with the Mets in 2010 and returned to Texas as a coach for the National League team in the 2024 MLB All-Star Futures Game.

3. John “Mickey” Rivers – The Miami native was known for his speed and athleticism. Rivers began his career with the Angels and had a solid year in 1975, when he led the league with 70 stolen bases. He was traded to the Yankees after the season and earned his only All-Star selection and a third-place finish for the MVP Award in his first campaign in New York.

“Mick the Quick” appeared in the World Series three times and won a pair of titles with the Yankees before he was dealt to the Rangers midway through the 1979 season. He had a career year the following campaign, batting .333 and posting career highs with 96 runs and 210 hits, which set a team record. Arguably his best moment that year was scoring the game-winning run against his former team in an early April game. Rivers retired ranked eighth in franchise history with a .303 average, and he finished his six years as a Ranger (1979-84) with 276 runs, 596 hits and 168 RBIs in 521 games.

2. Don Lock – A native of a small farm town in Kansas, he signed with the Yankees in 1958 but never played a game with the Bronx Bombers before he was traded to the Senators four years later. Lock homered in his first game in July 1962 against the White Sox, and he put together solid campaigns in each of the following two seasons, totaling at least 70 runs, 25 home runs and 80 RBIs. In addition, he played above average defense and led American League center fielders in putouts, assists and double plays in 1963.

Lock’s production fell off over the next two seasons, and he finished his Senators tenure (1962-66) with 498 hits, 99 homers, 286 RBIs and 884 total bases in 653 games on a young team that struggled for runs and wins in its early ears. He was traded to the Phillies in 1967 and finished his career with the Red Sox two years later. Lock was a minor league manager in the Boston system before returning to his Kansas farm in the early 1970s. He passed away due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in 2017 at age 81.

1. Josh Hamilton – He was a former first overall draft pick of the then-Devil Rays in 1999, but he had a tumultuous career that included precipitous highs and maddening lows. The ex-North Carolina State slugger played in the MLB All-Star Futures Game the year after being drafted. In 2001, Hamilton injured his back in a car accident and began his foray into using drugs and alcohol. He tried to work through his issues, but four positive drug tests led to a lost season in 2003 and a full season ban the following year. A comeback attempt was ruined by an arrest before the season, and he missed all of 2006 thanks to another drug suspension.

Hamilton was taken by the Cubs in the Rule 5 draft and was immediately traded to the Reds. He finally made his major league debut, batting .292 with 19 home runs in 90 games with Cincinnati. Before the 2008 season, Hamilton was traded to Texas, and he found his most success in the Lone Star State. He broke out in his first season with the Rangers, batting .304 with 32 home runs, 98 runs scored, a career-best 90 hits and league-leading totals of 130 RBIs and 331 total bases. Hamilton also earned his first of five straight All-Star selections and set a record by hitting 28 deep flies in the first round of the Home Run Derby before falling in the finals. He was named and All-Star the following year but missed the Midsummer Classic after having surgery to repair a torn abdominal muscle.

Hamilton moved to left field for the next two seasons, winning the MVP Award in 2010 after setting a team record with a .359 average and finishing second in franchise history with a .633 slugging percentage. After hitting 25 more home runs the following season, he returned to center in 2012, finishing in the top five of the MVP voting and earning his third silver slugger after batting .285 with 128 RBIs, 160 hits and setting personal bests with 103 runs scored and 43 home runs, which included a four-homer game against the Orioles in early May. Hamilton was a major player during the Rangers’ run to back-to-back World Series appearances. He was the MVP of the 2010 ALCS after hitting four home runs, driving in seven runs and stealing three bases against the Yankees.

Following his stellar performance, Hamilton signed a five-year, $125 million deal with the Angels. While he did win the Lou Gehrig Award following his first year on the West Coast, he lasted only two seasons and hit just 31 home runs with Los Angeles thanks to thumb and shoulder injuries. Hamilton was traded back to Texas in 2015 and hit eight home runs in 50 games. He had four operations on his left knee over the next two years and was released by the Rangers in 2017 after injuring his right knee during rehab.

Hamilton finished his six-year career in Texas (2008-12 and ’15) ranked third in franchise history in slugging percentage (.542) and ninth in batting average (.302) to go with 150 homers, 531 RBIs, 441 runs, 814 hits, 164 doubles and 1,462 total bases in 697 games. In 39 postseason appearances, he totaled 18 runs, 33 hits, nine doubles, six home runs and 22 RBIs. Despite his production, Hamilton continued to have trouble with drugs and alcohol, announcing a relapse in 2015. He also had legal issues, having been arrested and charged with assaulting his oldest daughter. Hamilton pleaded down to misdemeanor unlawful restraint, which included a fine, a year of probation and community service.

Right Fielders

Honorable Mentions – Jim King was an Arkansas native who started his career with the Cubs and played in the first regular season major league game in the state of California. After two seasons with Toronto in the minor league teams, he was briefly acquired by Cleveland before he was selected by Washington in the first ever baseball expansion draft in late 1960. Although King hit for a low average throughout his seven seasons with the Senators (1961-67), he had his best season in 1963, when he set career highs with 61 runs, 24 homers and 62 RBIs. The following year, he hit for the cycle and blasted three home runs in a game, with both feats coming against the Red Sox. King was traded first to the White Sox and then Back to the Indians in 1967, which turned out to be his last major league season. He returned to his hometown, where he played and coached, laid line for a telephone company and worked on his farm. King passed away in 2015 at age 82.

Larry Parrish split his career almost evenly between playing third base for the Expos, who signed him as an undrafted free agent and both right field and designated hitter for the Rangers. With Montreal, he finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting in 1975 and earned his only All-Star selection north of the border four years later after setting career highs with a .307 average and 30 home runs. Following a trade to Texas (for Oliver), Parrish topped 20 home runs four times in seven seasons (1982-88). Arguably his best campaign with the Rangers came in 1984, when he batted .285 with 22 homers, 101 RBIs and career-high totals of 175 hits and 42 doubles.

Three years later, Parrish earned his only All-Star selection with Texas after posting a .268-32-100 stat line in which the home run total was a personal best. He was traded the Red Sox for the stretch run in 1988, ending his Rangers tenure with 419 runs, 852 hits, 147 doubles, 149 homers, 522 RBIs and 1,464 total bases in 872 games. Following his time in Boston, Parrish spent two seasons in Japan before retiring and focusing on a coaching career. He worked in the Detroit organization as a coach, manager and scout for all but one season in a more than 20-year span beginning in 1992 and ending with his retirement in 2015. Parrish has the distinction of being the last Tigers manager before the team moved into Comerica Park, and he amassed an 82-104 overall record.

Dominican Republic native Nomar Mazara signed with the Rangers as a 16-year-old for $5 million which, at the time, was a record for a non-American prospect. He rose through the minors and appeared in the 2015 MLB All-Star Futures Game before making his big-league debut the following year. Mazara hit exactly 20 home runs in each of his first three seasons and added 19 in his fourth, giving him 79 overall in his Texas career (2016-19). His best campaign was 2017, in which he set career highs with 140 hits, 30 doubles and 101 RBIs. “The Big Chill” went 1-for-6 with a run in two appearances during the 2016 playoffs and won a fielding title in 2020 after he was traded to the White Sox. Mazara also spent time with the Tigers and Padres, had a brief minor league stint with the Nationals and is about to embark on his second season in the Mexican League.

Joey Gallo is a Nevada native who has been known for his power but also his strikeout totals throughout his decade in the major leagues. He was drafted by the Rangers in the first round in 2012 and appeared in two MLB All-Star Futures Games, earning the MVP Award in the 2014 contest. Gallo appeared at all three outfield positions, as well as designated hitter and both corner infield spots during his tenure in Texas, earning two All-Star selections and two gold gloves in seven seasons (2015-21).

Gallo hit 20 or more home runs four times with the Rangers, smacked at least 40 on two occasions and hit a 494-foot blast during the 2021 All-Star Home Run Derby that was the longest of the contest. However, he also holds the top two single season strikeout marks in franchise history, including a club record 207 in 2018. Gallo was on pace to top the mark when he was traded to the Yankees three years later, and he finished the season with league-leading totals of 213 strikeouts and 111 walks. The 2020 fielding champion ranks seventh in franchise history with 797 strikeouts, and he also totaled 319 runs, 385 hits, 145 home runs, 317 RBIs and 908 total bases in 568 games. Gallo has also played for the Dodgers, Twins and Nationals, and he asked for his release from the White Sox during 2025 spring training so he can focus on converting to pitcher.

5. Adolis Garcia – He took a different route from Cuba to the United States, playing one season for the Yomiura Giants in Japan before defecting from his homeland and signing with the Cardinals in 2017. Garcia was traded to the Rangers in 2019 and, after a brief callup the following year, he finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting and earned his first All-Star selection after hitting 31 home runs in 2021. He followed that by hitting 27 homers, driving in 100 runs and setting a career high with 151 hits.

“El Bombi” had by far his best season in 2023, earning his second All-Star selection and first gold glove, posting personal bests with 108 runs scored, 39 home runs and 107 RBIs, and leading his team deep into the playoffs. He went deep in victories over the Rays and Orioles, then amassed 10 hits, five homers and 15 RBIs against the Astros to earn the ALCS MVP Award. Garcia homered against the Diamondbacks but missed the final two games with an oblique injury as the Rangers won their first championship. After re-signing with Texas, he had his worst full season to date, batting just .224 but still hitting 25 home runs. Even though Garcia has produced at least 25 homers and 85 RBIs in each of the past four seasons, his one drawback is his strikeouts. He holds two of the top five single season totals in franchise history, including 194 in 2021, which is third behind Gallo’s two record-setting campaigns.

4. Jeff Burroughs – The Long Beach native was selected by Washington with the first overall pick in the 1969 draft and, after playing first and third base in the minors, was converted to the outfield by the time he made his big-league debut the following season. Burroughs saw his career begin to take off when he hit 30 home runs in 1973, and he was even better the following year. He earned his first All-Star selection and became the first player in franchise history to win the MVP Award after scoring 84 runs, hitting 25 homers and setting career highs with a .301 average, 167 hits and a league-leading 118 RBIs. The year wasn’t all good for Burroughs, though. In an early June game, the Indians decided to hold a 10-cent beer promotion. In the ninth inning, two fans ran onto the field and tried to take the right fielder’s cap. Rangers players came out of the dugout to try and protect Burroughs, but more fans stormed the field, leading to a brawl.

Even though he amassed 29 more long balls in 1975, Burroughs saw his average fall to .226, and he led the American League with 155 strikeouts. After another down year, he was traded to the Braves for five players and cash. Burroughs finished his seven-year Rangers career (1970-76) with 332 runs, 645 hits, 108 home runs, 412 RBIs and 1,081 total bases in 700 games. His time in Atlanta included a .271-41-114 stat line in 1977 and an All-Star selection the following year after leading the National League with 117 walks and a .432 on-base percentage. Burroughs retired in 1985 after stints with Seattle, Oakland and Toronto. He later became a youth coach, with his sons, leading the Long Beach team to back-to-back Little League World Series championships in 1992-93 (the first being awarded after the team from the Philippines was found to have violated age and residency rules).

3. Nelson Cruz – A native of the Dominican Republic, he was signed by the Mets, traded to the Athletics and Brewers, and appeared in the 2005 MLB All-Star Futures Game with Milwaukee before he was moved to the Rangers along with fellow slugger Carlos Lee in 2006. Cruz was a part-time player for his first three years in Texas before breaking out in 2009 with 33 home runs and a career-high 20 stolen bases to earn his first of seven All-Star selections, and he finished second in the Home Run Derby. The campaign was his first of five straight in a Rangers’ uniform with at least 20 homers and 75 RBIs.

Cruz was an integral part of a Texas team that went to back-to-back World Series. He hit three home runs in a five-game victory over the Rays in the 2010 Division Series, then was named ALCS MVP the following seasons after smacking six homers and driving in 13 runs against the Tigers. His playoff totals include 26 runs, 35 hits, nine doubles, 14 home runs and 27 RBIs in 34 games with Texas. Cruz earned his second All-Star selection with the Rangers after hitting 27 homers in 2013, but his season was marred by a 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs linked to the Biogenesis lab in Florida. He signed with the Orioles the following season and finished his eight-year Rangers tenure (2006-13) ranked eighth in franchise history in home runs (157) and tenth in slugging percentage (.495) to go along with 403 runs, 773 hits, 170 doubles, 489 RBIs and 1,430 total bases in 796 games.

Cruz hit a league-leading 40 homers with Baltimore before converting to designated hitter on a full-time basis. He hit at least 35 in each of his four seasons with Seattle and smacked 41 more with Minnesota in 2019. The ageless wonder earned his final All-Star selection with the Twins in 2021 and also spent time with the Rays, Nationals and Padres before ending his career in 2023. Cruz totaled 464 home runs, drove in 1,325 runs and amassed 2,053 hits 19-year seasons. He now works as a special advisor for baseball operations with Major League Baseball with a focus on Latin America, and he served as a coach for the American League team in the 2024 All-Star Futures Game in Texas.

2. Ruben Sierra – A native of Puerto Rico, he signed with the Rangers in 1992 and made his major league debut four years later. Sierra was in the Rookie of the Year conversation, then earned MVP votes after posting a .263-30-109 stat line in 1987. After a slight drop off, he put together a career year in 1989, finishing as the MVP runner-up and earning his first All-Star and silver slugger selects. Sierra hit .306 with 29 home runs, 101 runs, 194 hits, and heled the league with 119 RBIs, a .543 slugging percentage, 344 total bases and 14 triples (which is also a team record). He also got national attention during his appearance in the Midsummer Classic by winning the Home Run Derby.

“El Caballo” (The Horse) had two more All-Star selections with the Rangers, including 1991, when he set career highs with a .307 average, 110 runs, 203 hits and 44 doubles to go along with 25 homers and 116 RBIs. He was traded to Oakland the following year in the blockbuster deal that sent slugger Jose Canseco to Texas. Sierra had several strong years with the Athletics, but his career hit the skids starting to his trade to the Yankees in 1995. The man who started his career as a brash and flamboyant star saw his production fall off, and he was both sent to the minors and released by multiple teams. Sierra even spent the 1999 season with an independent team and also played in Mexico the following year before signing back with the Rangers.

Sierra had a resurgence in 2001, hitting .293 with 23 home runs to earn Comeback Player of the Year honors. After a year with Seattle, he returned for a third go-round in Texas, playing 43 games in 2003. Sierra played 10 seasons overall with the Rangers (1986-92, 200-01 and ’03), and he ranks third in franchise history in triples (44), fifth in RBIs (742), sixth in hits (1,281), home runs (180) and total bases (2,166), seventh in runs (645) and doubles (257) and eighth in games (1,190) to go with a .290 average. In addition to earning three of his four All-Star selections with Texas, he led American League right fielders in putouts and assists twice each.

Sierra had a second stint with the Yankees, playing with New York in a losing effort in the 2003 World Series. He appeared with the Twins in 2006 and signed with the Mets the following year but was cut in spring training. In 20 seasons overall, Sierra played with nine teams, totaling 306 home runs, 1,322 RBIs, 1,084 runs and 2.152 hits. The 2009 Rangers Hall of Fame inductee came into the league with much fanfare and promise, but while he had a solid career, he never lived up to the expectations.

1. Juan Gonzalez – Like Sierra, he came from Puerto Rico, signed at age 17 and became a big-league slugger who spent a considerable portion of his career in Texas. Gonzalez was a teammate of future Yankees star Bernie Williams in his home country, and the two squared off many times against his future professional teammate, Ivan Rodriguez, who was a longtime Rangers catcher. After spending most of the next five seasons in the minor leagues, Gonzalez took off in 1991, blasting 27 home runs and driving in 102 runs. The following year, he won a silver slugger after amassing 109 RBIs and leading the league with 43 homers.

“Juan Gone” had an even better season in 1993, batting .310 with 118 RBIs and once again leading the A. L. in home runs with 46 while earning his first All-Star selection and winning the Home Run Derby. After signing a big contract, he had two injury-plagued seasons in which he combined to hit 46 homers. Gonzalez bounced back to win the MVP Award in 1996 after posting a .314-47-144 stat line to go with 170 hits and a franchise-record .643 slugging percentage. He posted a similar campaign the following year before being named American League MVP for a second time in 1998 thanks to a .318 average, 45 home runs, a league-leading 50 doubles (second in team history), 110 runs, career bests with 193 hits and 382 hits (third in team history) and an A. L.-best and franchise record 157 RBIs.

Gonzalez put together another stellar season in his final campaign in Texas during his first stint, posting career highs with a .326 average and 114 runs to go with 183 hits, 39 home runs and 128 RBIs. He was traded to the Tigers before the 2000 campaign and, after one injury-plagued year with Detroit and a stellar season with Cleveland, he rejoined the Rangers as a free agent. Gonzalez faced slow starts, injuries and steroid allegations during his second stint in Texas, and he had one final solid season when he batted .294 with 24 homers in 2003. He spent the following year with the Royals and played one game with the Indians in 2005 before tearing his hamstring off the bone in his final action in the major leagues.

“Igor” spent two seasons split between independent leagues in the summer and the Puerto Rican League in the winter. After a tryout with the Cardinals in 2008, he ended his playing career. Gonzalez was a well-deserving Rangers Hall of Fame inductee in 2015. He is the all-time franchise leader in home runs (372) and RBIs (1,180), and he ranks second in total baes (3,073), slugging percentage (.565) and strikeouts (1,076), fourth in runs (787) and doubles (320), fifth in hits (1,595) and sixth in games played (1,400) to go with a .293 average. In 13 seasons with Texas (1989-99 and 2002-03), he drove in at least 100 runs seven times and totaled at least 150 hits and 30 homers six times each. Gonzalez also was stellar in the team’s first playoff appearance, hitting .438 with five home runs and nine RBIs in a loss to the Yankees in the 1996 Division Series. Outside of his playing days, he was married four times and served as manager of his native Puerto Rico national team in 2019.