TORONTO — From design to opening, the plan for Globe Life Field called for a citadel of a stadium, host to a bona fide major league team, packed with fans and exploding with noise.
Punch lists take some time to complete though.
They had a stadium but no fans, only cardboard cutouts in 2020, due to the pandemic. A year ago, they flung the doors open, but mostly what they drew was the ire of public health officials, a weird last-minute opening day boycott by the governor over a political fight with MLB and indifference from fans that watched — or, more accurately, ignored — a 102-loss team.
Welcome to 2022. Things are a little cleaner around the place. Sure, there are still some touch-ups to do to the roster, but when the Rangers step onto the field Monday afternoon for the home opener against Colorado, they will be a decidedly different team.
It’s still unclear if they will sell play in front of a sellout crowd since the opener was originally scheduled for March 31 against the Yankees, but, you know, the lockout kind of changed that. If it doesn’t sell out, it will be close. And there is an opportunity for the Rangers to build interest as the season goes on, rather than lose it.
The payroll has risen by $50 million from 2021 thanks to $580 million in long-term free agency commitments. The lineup is deeper. There are pitching prospects on the way. For the first time in years, things seem brighter even despite being going 1-2 at Toronto in the opening series of the season. On Sunday, the Rangers came back from a five-run deficit to defeat the Blue Jays 12-6 for their first win of the season.
“We want to win a World Series,” said $175 million Marcus Semien. “We want to play great baseball for these fans. We have talent and great men in this clubhouse. We are always going to play hard. We’re not going to go 162-0, but the effort is always going to be there. With the fans, the talent and the effort, we’re going to take things to the next level.”
In its first two seasons, Globe Life Field has been anything but a home field advantage. In 2020, the dimensions of the stadium seemed to mess with the heads of the hitters. The Rangers never really recovered. They’ve gone 52-59 in the first two seasons at Globe Life Field, the fifth-worst home winning percentage in baseball in that time.
The Rangers drew 38,238 for the home opener against Toronto. They drew as many as 30,000 fans just five times after the All-Star break. While the rest of baseball was opening up to more fans, the Rangers weren’t holding on to theirs.
With Semien and Corey Seager atop the lineup and Mitch Garver in the middle, the Rangers have the ability to significantly improve an offense that was MLB’s worst in OPS and third-worst in runs scored. The first step: Improve at home. There was not a great difference between their home OPS (.688) and their overall (.671). The Rangers averaged 3.95 runs at home, 3.77 runs on the road. Neither is acceptable.
“I think we’re just we’re going to bring it every day,” manager Chris Woodward said. “I think that’s the cool thing. Knowing that that group of guys, the way they prepare, the way they compete, it’s going to be a fun team to watch every day. You can rely on those guys every day. And I think that’s where fans are going to really start to enjoy and get to know these guys. They play together. And they are good. It’s going to be fun to watch.”
