MLB Top 5: Texas Rangers Pitchers

This is the fifth and final article in a series that looks at the five best players at each position for the Texas Rangers. In this installment are right- and left-handed starters as well as relief pitchers.

A quick check of the Rangers’ team history page on Baseball Reference shows that 20 of the top 24 players in WAR were batters. However, that does not mean the pitching staff is barren. Four right-handers who ended up in the Hall of Fame are featured in this article, and there are several others on the following lists who took the mound for the team during their World Series years.

The Best Pitchers In Texas Rangers History

Right-Handed Starters

Honorable Mentions – Jim Bibby was a big man (6-foot-5) with a big fastball who drove a truck for the Army in Vietnam. The North Carolina native started his career in the Mets organization before he was moved, first to the Cardinals and then the Rangers in June 1973. Less than two months later, Bibby threw the first no-hitter in franchise history, a 6-0 blanking of the defending champion Athletics. He finished the season with a 9-10 mark but then had one of his best seasons, winning 19 games (and setting a club record with 19 losses) to go with 11 complete games and five shutouts in 264 innings. After a 2-6 start in 1975, Bibby was traded to the Indians. He had his best season with the Pirates in 1980, earning his only All-Star selection and finishing third in the Cy Young voting after posting a 19-6 record. He missed all of the 1982 season with a shoulder injury, then pitched eight games with the Rangers two years later for his final major league experience and finished tenth in franchise history with 26 complete games. Bibby retired with a 111-101 record in 12 seasons, served as a minor league pitching coach for the next 15 years and passed away due to bone cancer in 2010 at age 65.

The move that sent Bibby to Cleveland brought Gaylord Perry to Texas. He earned a pair of All-Star selections during a decade with the Giants at the start of his career, and he had two more along with a Cy Young Award with the Indians in 1972. Perry used the outlawed spitball to win 42 games in three seasons with the Rangers before he was sent to the Padres in 1978. Although the Washington/Texas franchise has never had a Cy Young winner in its history, Perry won the second of his career in his first season in San Diego, going a league-best 21-6. He was sent back to the Rangers and went 6-9 before being traded to the Yankees in August, finishing his time in Texas ranked second in franchise history with 12 shutouts and third with 55 complete games. Perry played for six teams over his final six seasons, including Seattle, where he won his 300th career game in 1982. He retired two years later, worked as a baseball coach for Limestone College in South Carolina, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991 and passed away due to complications from COVID-19 in 2022 at age 84.

Bert Blyleven was born in the Netherlands and carved out a 22-year career mainly with the Twins. He feuded with notoriously frugal Twins owner Calvin Griffith and was traded to the Rangers in 1976 and finished the season with a 9-11 mark with his new team. The following year, Blyleven won 14 games and teamed up with Perry on a Rangers squad that won 94 games, a franchise record at the time. In addition, he beat the Angels in late September for the second no-hitter in team history. Blyleven’s time in Texas was short, as he was traded to Pittsburgh in a four-team deal after the season, and he is tied for third with 11 shutouts and is eighth with 29 complete games. He won a career-high 19 games with the Indians in 1984, earned his second All-Star selection the following year and ended his career with the Angels in 1992. Blyleven won 287 games, threw 242 complete games and 60 shutouts and struck out 3,701 batters. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011, his 14th year on the ballot, and spent 25 seasons as a color commentator for the Twins until his retirement in 2020.

A native of Puerto Rico, Jose Guzman made his debut in 1985 and posted double-digit win total four times in six seasons with the Rangers. He was plagued by shoulder injuries which caused him to miss most of the 1989-90 seasons. Guzman returned and went 13-7 to win the Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award in 1991. The following season, he had his best season, going 16-11 with a career-best 179 strikeouts. When he left the Rangers, Guzman ranked eighth in franchise history in wins (66-62), ninth in innings (1,013 2/3), 11th in starts (152) and strikeouts (715) and 12th in complete games (24). He signed with the Cubs in 1993 and threw a one-hitter in his first start with his new club. Guzman pitched one more season in Chicago before his shoulder began acting up again and he retired. He has spent the past two decades as a Spanish language radio broadcaster for the Rangers.

The Rangers won back-to-back division titles in 1998-99 thanks to a 1-2 punch in their starting rotation. Rick Helling is a North Dakota native who was selected in the first round in 1992 and pitched sparingly in his first three seasons. Although he struggled with control early in his major league career, he threw a perfect game in the minor leagues in 1996. After spending a little more than a year with the Marlins, Helling was traded back to the Rangers. He had his best season in 1998, tying for the league lead with 20 wins (third in team history) and setting career highs with four complete games and 164 strikeouts. Helling won 13 games to help Texas reach the playoffs for the second straight year.

Helling had two more decent seasons before signing with the Diamondbacks in 2002. In eight years with the Rangers (1994-96 and 97-2001), he produced a 68-51 record (seventh in franchise history), 159 stars (eighth), 1,008 innings (tenth) and 687 strikeouts. His biggest weakness was his penchant for giving up the long ball, giving up 163 with Texas and leading the league twice. Helling won a title with the Marlins in 2003, missed the following season with a broken leg and threw an immaculate inning during his final season with the Brewers in 2006. He was named a special assistant with the Major League Baseball Players Association in 2009.

Aaron Sele spent just two seasons with the Rangers, but he went 37-20 and joined with Helling to lead the team to a pair of division championships. The Minnesota native won 19 games and earned his first of two All-Star selections in 1998 and followed that with 18 more victories and a top five finish in the Cy Young voting. Sele signed with the Orioles, but the team wasn’t satisfied with the state of his shoulder, so they voided the deal, and he went to the Mariners instead. He won 32 games over the next two seasons, but then his production went downhill. Sele ended his 15-year career with the Mets in 2007 and finished with 148 wins, earning him exactly one vote for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Following his playing career, he was a minor league pitching instructor with the Dodgers and worked in scouting with three teams, including his current employer, the Royals.

Colby Lewis had injuries ruin what could have been a stellar career. A first-round pick of the Rangers in 1999, he won 10 games with Texas four years later despite control issues and a 7.20 earned run average. He missed the better part of three seasons after undergoing rotator cuff surgery and, after stints in Detroit, Oakland and Japan, he returned to the Rangers in 2010. He reached double-digit victories in each of the next two seasons and helped Texas get to the World Series both of those years. Lewis missed the entire 2013 campaign due to hip surgery, and he struggled in his return the following year, leading the league with 14 losses. He posted a career-high 17 wins in 2015 and had near-perfect games in that season as well as the next. Lewis retired and became a special assistant to the general manager in Texas in 2017, and he served as bullpen coach for the National League team in the 2024 MLB All-Star Futures Game.

Cole Hamels was a star for a decade with the Phillies before joining the Rangers at the 2015 trade deadline. He amassed 114 wins with Philadelphia and won both the NLCS and World Series MVP awards in 2008. Hamels went 7-1 in 12 starts for Texas after the trade then was an All-Star the following year after posting a 15-5 record with a 3.32 earned run average and 200 strikeouts in 200 2/3 innings. After 11 more victories in 2017, he struggled the next year and was traded to the Cubs. Hamels made one start with the Braves in 2020 before a shoulder injury forced him to miss the rest of the season. He had three surgeries and tried comebacks with the Dodgers and Padres, but further issues forced him to retire in 2023.

5B Bobby Witt – He was born in Virginia, starred in college at Oklahoma and was drafted third overall by the Rangers in 1985. The following year, he was in the major leagues, going 11-9 in 31 starts. Witt became known as “Wet ‘N’ Wild” for his control issues (he led the league in walks three times and wild pitches twice in his first four seasons) and the fact that the Rangers’ stadium was next door to a Six Flags amusement park by that name. Eventually, he settled down and in 1990, he posted career bests with a 17-10 record, a 3.36 earned run average and 221 strikeouts. Witt struggled the next two seasons and was traded to Oakland in 1992 along with closer Jeff Russell and outfielder Ruben Sierra in exchange for former MVP slugger Jose Canseco.

Two years later, Witt was robbed of a perfect game on a bunt single in which replay showed the runner was out at first base. He signed with the Marlins in 1995 and was traded back to the Rangers later in the year. Witt won 16 games in 1996 and the following year, he became the first American League pitcher to hit a home run during an interleague game. He finished off his 16-year career by winning a championship with the Diamondbacks in 2001. Witt spent 11 seasons with Texas overall (1986-92 and 95-98), and he ranks second in franchise history in starts (269) and strikeouts (1,405), third in wins (104-104) and innings (1,680 2/3), sixth in complete games (33) and tenth in appearances (276). His son, Bobby Jr., is an MVP candidate in his fourth season with the Royals.

5A Kevin Brown – The Georgia native played for six major league teams, and he had success with each one of them. He was selected fourth overall by the Rangers in 1986 and made one start for Texas at the end of the season. After nearly two full years in the minors, Brown returned to the Rangers and used a sinking fastball and a splitter to produce six solid seasons. After two straight 12-win campaigns, he had a rough season but recovered in 1992 to earn his first All-Star selection after amassing 173 strikeouts and leading the league with a 21-11 record and 265 2/3 innings. Brown won 15 games the following year but struggled in 1994 and signed with the Orioles after the player strike ended. He finished his eight-year run in Texas (1986 and 88-94) ranked fourth in franchise history in complete games (40), fifth in wins (78-64) and innings (1,278 2/3), sixth in starts (186) and ninth in strikeouts (742) to go with 3.81 earned run average.

Brown went 10-9 in his lone season in Baltimore and was an All-Star in each of his next two seasons with the Marlins. He won the ERA title and was the Cy Young runner-up in 1996 and threw a no-hitter and was a part of the team that brought a championship to South Florida the next year. Brown won 18 games and finished third in the Cy Young race for the pennant-winning Padres in 1998, and he spent the next five years with the Dodgers, earning two more All-Star selections and winning 58 games as well as another ERA crown. He ended his career with two seasons with the Yankees, going 10-6 in the regular season and 1-1 in the postseason for a New York squad that fell apart against their hated rivals from Boston in the ALCS. During his time in Los Angeles, Brown was named in the Mitchell Report, which listed potential steroid users in baseball. He was also known for having a temper during his career, and he had multiple incidents involving handguns once his playing days ended. The most famous of these occurred in 2018, when he held two alleged mall thieves at gunpoint in his hometown.

4. Yu Darvish – The son of a Japanese mother and an Iranian father, he began his career in his mother’s homeland and became one of the best pitchers in Nippon Professional Baseball. Darvish went 93-38 in seven seasons with the Nippon-Ham Fighters, and his Japanese baseball trophy case includes five All-Star selections, two golden glove awards, two Best Nine selections, three strikeout titles, two Pacific League MVP Awards, a Japan Series title and Asia Series MVP in 2006 and an Eiji Sawamura Award (the Japanese equivalent to the Cy Young Award) the following year. He decided to come to the U. S. in 2012, and he signed a six-year contract with the Rangers. Darvish went 16-9, made the All-Star team and finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting and followed that with a 13-9 mark, a league-leading 277 strikeouts (second in team history) and a runner-up finish for the Cy Young Award.

After a third straight All-Star selection in 2014, Darvish missed the next season thanks to a torn ulnar collateral ligament that resulted in Tommy John surgery. He recovered but did not regain his previous form, so the Rangers sent him to the Dodgers at the 2017 trade deadline. Darvish was a four-time All-Star with Texas, and he went 52-39 with a 3.42 earned run average and 960 strikeouts, which both rank fourth in franchise history. He spent three years with the Cubs, finishing second in the Cy Young voting in 2020, and he is in his fifth season with the Padres. Known for his ability to use 10 different pitches, Darvish was an All-Star in 2021 and tied his career high with 16 wins the following year.

3. Ferguson Jenkins – Two decades before the aging star at the top of this list, there was another hard-throwing righty gracing the field in Texas. Jenkins’ father was a chef and chauffeur who also played amateur baseball in Ontario, Canada, and his mother was a descendant of slaves brought over from Africa and traveled north on the Underground Railroad. The younger Jenkins began his major league career with the Phillies but made his mark in Chicago, where he earned three All-Star selection and won 20 or more games six times. The best of his seasons in the Windy City came in 1971, when he struck out 263 batters, had a 2.77 earned run average and led the league with a 24-13 record, 325 innings and 30 complete games while winning the Cy Young Award.

Jenkins was traded to the Rangers before the 1974 season, and he made and immediate mark with his new team. He set a franchise record with a league-leading 25 wins, and he added a 2.82 ERA and an N. L.-best 29 complete games while finished second in the Cy Young voting. After winning 17 games the following season, Jenkins spent two years with Boston before returning to Texas and posting two stellar campaigns, going 18-8 with a 3.04 ERA in 1978 and 16 wins the following year. Jenkins won 12 in 1980, but he was found with cocaine in his bag at a Toronto airport during the season and was arrested and suspended indefinitely. The ban lasted about two weeks before an independent arbitrator overturned the suspension, and the charges were dropped for lack of evidence.

In six years with the Rangers (1974-75 and 78-81), Jenkins amassed a franchise record 17 shutouts (including a record-tying six in 1974). He ranks second in team history in complete games (90), fourth in wins (93-72) and innings (1,410 1/3, including a club-record 328 1/3 in his first season), fifth in starts (190), seventh in strikeouts (895) and eighth in ERA (3.56). Despite allowing 271 career home runs, Jenkins finished his 19-year career with 284 victories, a 3.34 ERA and 3,192 strikeouts in 4,500 2/3 innings. He was voted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1987, the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991, and he is a member of the “Black Aces,” a group of 15 African American pitchers who have won 20 or more games in a season in the major leagues.

2. Charlie Hough – He was born in Hawaii and moved to Florida before being drafted by the Dodgers. Hough was used sparingly over his first few years but eventually latched on as a long reliever in Los Angeles. As with most knuckleballers, he struggled with control, so he moved on to the Rangers in 1980 and converted to a full-time starter two years later. Although his walk rate was still on the high side, Hough began to strike out more batters, and he posted nine straight seasons with double-digit victories, including six with 15 or more. He led the league with 17 complete games in 1984, although he was on the losing end against the Angels in his final start of the season when Mike Witt threw a perfect game. Hough went 17-10 and earned his lone All-Star selection two years later and set a career high with 223 strikeouts in 1987. He was also on the wrong side of history when his knuckleball led to a record-tying six passed balls by catcher Geno Petralli in a game in late August.

Hough spent 11 seasons in a Rangers uniform (1980-90), and he left as the all-time franchise leader in wins (139-123), starts (313), complete games (98), innings (2,308) and strikeouts (1,452). He was also tied for third on the team list with 11 shutouts, and he ranks fourth in appearances (344) and 11th in ERA (3.68). Hough played two years with the White Sox and two more with the Marlins, serving as starting pitcher in the first game of the Florida franchise. He ended his 25-year career in 1994, finishing with a 216-215 record, a 3.75 ERA, 107 complete games, 13 shutouts, 61 saves and 2,363 strikeouts in 3,801 1/3 innings. Hough went on to have a 15-year career as a pitching coach, mostly in the minor league, although he did have stints with the Dodgers and Mets.

1. Nolan Ryan – Despite being in his 40s and at the tail end of his career, he always seemed to have something left in the tank. Ryan began his career split between being a starter and long reliever with the Mets and winning a title in 1969. He was sent to the Angels in a much-criticized trade before the 1972 season, and he amassed accolades with his new team. During eight seasons on the West Coast, Ryan led the league in strikeouts seven times, which includes 300 or more on five occasions and a major league record 383 in 1973 (he was the Cy Young runner-up that year). He also had control issues, which is evident by the fact that he also led the A. L in walks six times. Ryan signed one of the first $1 million per season contracts with the Astros in 1980, and he won two ERA titles and two more strikeout crowns.

“The Express” moved across the state to the Rangers, signing as a 41-year-old before the 1989 season. He earned his eighth and final All-Star selection that year and cemented his place in the annals of baseball lore by throwing no-hitters in each of the next two seasons. Ryan’s final no-no may have been his most impressive. He was the oldest to toss a gem of that nature at age 44, and he beat the best team in the league, the Blue Jays, while striking out 16 batters. His 27th and final season was 1993, and he had one of his most-watched moments, a fight in which he got White Sox third baseman Robin Ventura in a headlock and began hitting him in the head (somehow, he wasn’t ejected but Ventura was for charging the mound).

Ryan ended his five-year tenure with Texas (1989-93) ranked fifth in franchise history in strikeouts (939, including a team record 301 in his first season) and earned run average (3.43) to go with a 51.39 record in 129 starts. In addition to the no-hitters, his pitching records are too numerous to list, but they include 27 seasons, 5,714 strikeouts, 2,795 walks, 6.6 hits allowed per nine innings and a .204 batting average against. Ryan was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame with 98.8 percent of the vote in 1999. He was president and CEO of the Rangers from 2008-13 and special assistant and executive advisor with the Astros from 2014-19.

Left-Handed Starters

Honorable Mention – Cliff Lee spent less than six months in a Rangers jersey, but he made an impact during the team’s run to the 2010 World Series. The Arkansas native was drafted by Montreal and traded to Cleveland, where he made his debut in 2002 and won the Cy Young Award after leading the league with a 22-3 record and a 2.54 earned run average in 2008. Lee was dealt several more times, first from the Indians to the Phillies late the following year (helping them reach the World Series), then to the Mariners and finally the Rangers four days before he pitched in the 2010 All-Star Game.

Lee went 4-6 in 15 starts during the regular season, then went 3-0 in the Division Series and ALCS, allowing just two runs and striking out 34 batters in 24 innings against the Rays and Yankees. He was shellacked in Game 1 of the World Series against the Giants and pitched six scoreless innings before allowing a three-run home run as San Francisco won the championship in the fifth game. Lee returned to the Phillies and pitched four more years before several elbow injuries forced him to retire after the 2015 season.

5B Claude Osteen – The Tennessee native was one of the star hurlers in the early years of the franchise. After beginning his career with the then-Redlegs, Osteen was traded from Cincinnati to Washington during the 1961 season. He was a solid and consistent starter that was hurt by his team’s lack of run scoring but managed to go 15-13 with a 3.65 earned run average, 257 innings and seven complete games in 1964. After posting a 3.46 ERA (sixth in franchise history) and 28 complete games (ninth) with the Senators, Osteen was traded to the Dodgers for slugger Frank Howard. He won a title in his first season and earned three All-Star selections in nine years. After splitting his final season between the Astros and Cardinals, Osteen became a major league pitching coach and a minor league coach and instructor.

5A Jon Matlack – One of the most underrated pitchers of the 1970s, he was the Rookie of the Year with the Mets in 1972, helped his team reach the World Series the following year and earned three straight All-Star selections with New York. Matlack was sent to Texas as part of a four-team trade in late 1977 and had a stellar inaugural season with the Rangers, going 15-13 and setting career bests with a 2.27 earned run average, 18 complete games (third in team history) and 270 innings (tied for third). However, his career was beset by injuries, including elbow surgery in 1979. Matlack spent six years with the Rangers (1987-83), going 43-45 with a 3.41 ERA (third in franchise history), 32 complete games (seventh) and 915 innings. Following his playing career, he became a pitching coach, mostly in the minor leagues, but he did hold that role with the Tigers in 1996.

4. Derek Holland – The native of central Ohio was a highly touted prospect in the Rangers farm system. Holland struggled a bit with control his first two seasons before putting things together in 2011. He finished 16-5, struck out 162 batters and led the league with four shutouts. After two more seasons with double-digit victories, Holland saw his next two campaigns derailed by injury. A brilliant start to 2014 ended with knee surgery and the following year was ruined by a shoulder strain. Holland never regained his prime form, playing with five teams over his final five seasons. After an eight-year stint in Texas (2009-16), he is tied for sixth in franchise history in shutouts (eight), and ranks eighth in strikeouts (790), ninth in starts (158) and tenth in wins (62-50). Holland helped the Rangers reach the World Series twice and went 3-1 in 14 postseason appearance, five of which were starts. A comeback bid with an independent team in Pennsylvania ended with Tommy John surgery, and he is now the pitching coach for Dallas College North Lake and served as the bullpen coach for the American League during the 2024 MLB All-Star Futures Game.

3. Martin Perez – He was signed out of his native Venezuela at age 16 and made his debut with the Rangers in 2012. After a 10-win season the following year, Perez underwent Tommy John surgery, costing him a fair amount of the next two campaigns. He returned to post a pair of seasons with double-digit win totals, he underwent surgery on his non-throwing elbow and struggled after his return. Perez spent one season with the Twins and two with the Red Sox before returning to the Rangers in 2022. He earned his only All-Star selection after going 12-8 while setting career highs with a 2.89 earned run average and 169 strikeouts in 196 1/3 innings. Perez saw his numbers fall off the following season but still won 10 games, ending his nine-year tenure in Texas (2012-18 and 22-23) ranked seventh in starts (180), eighth in innings (1,099 1/3), ninth in wins (65-61) and tenth in strikeouts (724). He went 0-1 in four playoff appearances and gave up four runs in Game 2 of the 2023 World Series, the only game won by the Diamondbacks. Perez split 2024 between the Pirates and Padres before signing with the White Sox.

2. C. J. Wilson started his career as a relief pitcher but found his greatest success as a starter with the Rangers. He missed the entire 2004 season with an elbow injury and struggled as a spot starter the following year before being moved to the bullpen. Wilson moved from setup man to closer, amassing 52 saves, including 24 in 2008, despite a 6.02 earned run average. His move back to a starter coincided with the team’s success in the standings.

Wilson won 15 games during the regular season and started four more during the 2010 playoffs. The following year, he earned his first of two All-Star selections and earned Cy Young votes after going 16-7 with a 2.04 ERA and a career-best 206 strikeouts. However, he struggled again in the postseason, going 0-3 in six appearances. Wilson signed with the Angels in 2012, was an All-Star his first year and won 17 games the following season. He experienced elbow and shoulder issues and underwent two surgeries, which ended his career. Wilson was known for using spin rate to fool hitters with his six-pitch repertoire. He is a Taoist who maintains a straight edge lifestyle.

1. Kenny Rogers – The 39th-round pick of the Rangers defied the odds to pitch for 20 years in the major leagues. Rogers started as a reliever with Texas, even leading the league with 81 appearances in 1992. The following year, he was converted to a starter and won 16 games. He won 11 games during the strike-shortened 1994 season, with his masterpiece coming in late July, when he shut down the Angels for the fifth (and most recent) no-hitter in Rangers history, as well as the 14th perfect game in major league history. He earned his first All-Star selection the next year when he won 17 games.

Nicknamed “The Gambler” after a song by the famous country singer who shares his name, Rogers signed with the Yankees and helped New York win the 1996 World Series. He also spent time with the Athletics and Mets before returning to the Rangers in 2000 and winning 31 games in three seasons. During this time in his career, Rogers was known was known for his fielding prowess (he won five gold gloves, including four with the Rangers) and his pickoff move (his 79 ranks fourth in major league history). He spent 2003 with Minnesota before returning to Texas for a third stint. Rogers won 18 games in 2004 and 14 more the following year, earning All-Star selections both years. He ended his 12-year Rangers tenure (1989-95, 2000-02 and 04-05) as the all-time franchise leader in games (528), and he ranks second in wins (133-96) and innings (1,909) and third in starts (252) and strikeouts (1,201).

Rogers’ career was not all positive. As a member of the Mets, he walked three batters, including one with the bases loaded to give the Braves the pennant with a 6-5, 11-inning win in Game 6 of the 1999 National League Championship Series. Rogers was also suspended 20 games and fined $50,000 in July 2005 after sending a television reporter to the hospital and throwing a camera. Rogers played his last game with the Tigers in 2008, ending his two decades in the big leagues with a 219-156 record, a 4.27 earned run average and 1,968 strikeouts. He served as pitching coach of the Tigers in 2010 and was inducted into the Rangers Hall of Fame the following year.

Relief Pitchers

Honorable Mentions – Ron Kline grew up in western Pennsylvania and began his career as a starter with his hometown Pirates in 1952. He missed the next two seasons while serving in the military during the Korean War, but he stayed in shape playing baseball in Kentucky and Maryland. Despite three seasons with double-digit wins in Pittsburgh, Kline led the league in losses twice. He spent time with the Cardinals, expansion Angels and Tigers before joining the Senators in 1963. Over the next four years, he became one of the most dependable relievers in the game, winning 10 games in 1964 and leading the league with 29 saves the following season. Kline finished his time in Washington (1963-66) with a 26-25 record, a 2.65 earned run average and 83 saves, which is tied for fourth in franchise history. After stints with five teams over the next four years, including another go-round with Pittsburgh, he retired in 1970 and became mayor of his hometown. Kline passed away due to heart and kidney issues in 2002 at age 70.

A native of Kansas City, Tom Henke began his career with the Rangers in 1982. After three years working through control issues, he signed with the Blue Jays, where he spent the next eight seasons, becoming Toronto’s All-Time leader in saves and helping the club with the World Series in 1992. “The Terminator” returned to Texas the following year, posting 40 saves and a 2.91 earned run average while striking out 79 batters in 74 1/3 inning. His numbers dropped considerably the next season, and he finished his five-year Texas tenure with 58 saves. Henke rebounded with St. Louis in 1995, winning the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award in his final season. He was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011.

5. Neftali Feliz – The native of the Dominican Republic signed with the Braves and was traded to the Rangers in 2007. Two years later, he played in the MLB All-Star Futures Game and made his major league debut. Feliz was named Rookie of the Year and earned his only All-Star selection after setting a career high with 40 saves in 2010. He followed that with 32 but lost most of the next two seasons with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament required Tommy John surgery. After amassing 93 saves (fourth in franchise history) in seven seasons (2009-15), Feliz was traded to the Tigers in 2015 and spent his final four major league seasons with seven teams, while also spending three more years in the minors. He played three seasons in the Mexican League and tried a comeback with the Mariners in 2025 but was released during spring training.

4. Joe Nathan – The graduate of Stony Brook in New York was drafted by the Giants but returned to college to get a business degree when the team asked him to convert from shortstop to pitcher. He eventually returned to the field and moved from starter to reliever before being traded to Minnesota, where he became one of the best closers in baseball. During his seven seasons in Minnesota, he topped 35 saves six straight years before missing the 2010 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He returned to the Twins for one more season, then signed with Texas in 2012. Nathan spent two years with the Rangers, earning All-Star selections both years while amassing 80 saves with 151 strikeouts in 129 innings and a 2.09 earned run average. Among those saves earned in a Texas uniform was the 300th of his career in April 2013. Nathan spent two years with Detroit but missed most of 2015 after a second Tommy John surgery. He ended his career where it began, in San Francisco, the following year, and he was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame in 2019.

3. Francisco Cordero – The native of the Dominican Republic began his career with the Tigers, played in the MLB All-Star Futures Game in 1999 and was sent to the Rangers in the trade for Juan Gonzalez after the season. Cordero was limited by ineffectiveness and injuries his first two years before being named closer in the second half of 2002 thanks to a 1.79 earned run average. Using a stellar fastball and slider, he racked up plenty of saves over the next four years. His best campaign was 2004, in which he was named an All-Star for the first of three times in his career, posted a 2.13 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 71 2/3 innings and set a team record with 49 saves. After amassing 37 more the following year, Cordero was traded to the Brewers for future All-Star slugger Nelson Cruz in 2006. He posted at least 30 saves in each of the next five years and made the All-Star team twice, once with Milwaukee and once with Cincinnati. Cordero finished his seven-year run in Texas (2000-06) ranked third in franchise history in both appearances (356) and saves (117) to go with a 21-20 record, a 3.45 ERA and 393 strikeouts in 397 innings. He retired in 2012 and was the pitching coach for the American League squad in the 2024 MLB All-Star Futures Game.

2. Jeff Russell – The Cincinnati native made his debut for the hometown Reds in 1983 and, after leading the league in losses the following year, he was traded to the Rangers for third baseman Buddy Bell. Russell spent his first four years in Texas alternating between starting and long relief, and he was named an All-Star as a starter in 1988. He converted to closer the next year, making the All-Star team again and winning the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award after finishing the season with a league-leading 38 saves. Russell struggled in 1990 but posted 30 saves in each of the next two seasons, including 28 in 1992 before he was sent to the Athletics as part of the Jose Canseco trade. He saved 33 games for the Red Sox in 1993 and spent time with the Indians before returning to the Rangers for his final two seasons. Over a 10-year tenure in Texas (1985-92 and 95-96), Russell ranks second in franchise history in games pitched (445) and saves (134) to go with a 42-40 record and a 3.73 earned run average. He became a pitching coach, most notably with the independent Texas AirHogs.

1. John Wetteland – He grew up in a log cabin in Northern California and wrote poetry before focusing on baseball. Wetteland was drafted by the Dodgers in the second round in 1985 and played three seasons on the West Coast. He was traded twice before the 1992 campaign, first to the Reds and then the Expos, and he became a stellar closer. Although he wasn’t selected as an All-Star in Montreal, he amassed 105 saves in three seasons before being sent to the Yankees. Wetteland saved 31 games in 1995 and earned his first All-Star selection, won the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award and led the American League with 43 saves the following year. Despite posting six saves in the 1996 playoffs and being named World Series MVP after closing out all four Yankees victories against the Braves, the emergence of Mariano Rivera made him expendable in New York.

Wetteland signed with the Rangers and finished his career with four consecutive seasons with at least 30 saves. He earned All-Star selections in 1998-99, became the first Texas pitcher to earn a save in the Midsummer Classic, and ended up with more than 40 saves in each of those seasons. Wetteland earned his 300th career save early in the 2000 season and retired after the campaign, finishing his four-year Rangers tenure (1997-2000) as the all-time franchise leader with 150 saves to go with a 20-12 record, a 2.95 earned run average and 248 strikeouts in 253 innings. The record holder for most saves in the 1990s (295), Wetteland was inducted into the Rangers Hall of Fame in 2005. He was arrested and indicted on child sex abuse charges in 2019, but the charges were dropped four years later.

The next team to be covered will be the Toronto Blue Jays