Who should the Opening Day Starter be for the Texas Rangers?

With a few major names starting the season on the IL, who should take the bump for the defending champs on Opening Day?

The starting pitching situation for the Rangers is not ideal for the first half of the season. Three big time starters in Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, and recently signed Tyler Mahle are all out until after the All-Star Break. There’s a decent chance at least a couple of them will also miss some time in the second half. The Rangers have still not resigned Jordan Montgomery this off-season, With all that being said, the decision for Opening Day starter becomes pretty easy.

Opening Day is going to be pretty Nasty

“Big Game” Nathan Eovaldi should be on the bump to begin the 2024 campaign for the defending champs. Even with the hits the starting rotation has taken, Eovaldi is probably the best choice outside of generational talent Jacob deGrom. Eovaldi was absolutely essential to the success of the Rangers last year. He quickly became beloved among Rangers fans in his first year for battling deep into games and seeming to never let the pressure get to him, hence the nickname “Big Game”. Before his injury around mid-season, Eovaldi was pitching lights out with a 2.69 ERA. He didn’t go less than five innings in any start before his injury.

Eovaldi presumably came back too early from his injury last season. The Rangers began slumping heavily during his time out, and being the player and teammate he is, he tried to come back early and help the situation. He had some rough starts at the end of the regular season while still working through his injury, adding almost a whole run to his ERA finishing the regular season with a 3.63. I believe it was clear he was not 100% and it’s hard to hold those outings against him. Especially with how he bounced back in the playoffs.