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Rangers TEX

199777–85 (0.475)
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GM: Douglas Melvin

Overview

Ranks vs the 30 teams in 1997, or a custom range (defaults to every team-season since 1985, when our data starts).

to

Front Office

PoorAverageGreat
Value
Payroll $M
$50M
Surplus $M
-16
Win %
0.475
TAB
-4.8
WAB
-8.1
Roster composition
Roster fWAR
32.4
Dead money %
22%
Depth Players
6.0
Dead WAR
-4.5

Offense

PoorAverageGreat

Pitching & Defense

PoorAverageGreat

Roster

1997 depth chart — stacked by playing time

C

RIvan Rodriguez143
RHenry Mercedes23
RJim Leyritz⇄23
BMickey Tettleton6
RKevin Brown4

1B

LWill Clark100
LLee Stevens62
RBilly Ripken9
RJim Leyritz⇄8
RMike Simms2
BAlex Diaz1
LMarc Sagmoen1

2B

BMark McLemore89
BDomingo Cedeño65
RBilly Ripken25
BAlex Diaz1
BHanley Frias1

3B

RDean Palmer⇄94
RFernando Tatis60
RBilly Ripken13
BDomingo Cedeño3
RDave Silvestri1

SS

RBenji Gil106
BDomingo Cedeño43
RBilly Ripken31
BHanley Frias12
RDave Silvestri1

LF

LRusty Greer148
LWarren Newson20
RMike Devereaux5
BAlex Diaz3
LLee Stevens3
RMike Simms2
LMarc Sagmoen2
LTom Goodwin⇄2
BMark McLemore1

CF

RDamon Buford117
LTom Goodwin⇄51
LRusty Greer19
RMike Devereaux3

RF

RJuan Gonzalez64
LWarren Newson44
RMike Devereaux24
BAlex Diaz20
LLee Stevens19
RMike Simms17
LMarc Sagmoen16
LRusty Greer1

DH

RJuan Gonzalez69
LLee Stevens33
RMike Simms18
BMickey Tettleton11
RJim Leyritz⇄7
LWill Clark6
RIvan Rodriguez5
LRusty Greer2
LWarren Newson2

Starters

RJohn Burkett4.6 WAR
RBobby Witt1.7 WAR
RKen Hill⇄1.2 WAR
LDarren Oliver1.1 WAR
RRick Helling⇄1.0 WAR
RMatt Whiteside0.8 WAR
RRoger Pavlik0.4 WAR
RTerry Clark⇄0.3 WAR
RJulio Santana0.2 WAR
REric Moody0.1 WAR
RTanyon Sturtze-0.2 WAR
RJose Alberro-0.2 WAR

Bullpen

★ RJohn Wetteland31 sv
LEric Gunderson0 h
RDanny Patterson0 h
RXavier Hernandez0 h
RMatt Whiteside0 h
LEd Vosberg⇄0 h
LScott Bailes0 h
REric Moody0 h

Each position shows its top 3 by games (top = starter) — click "+more" for the rest. The letter is bats/throws; ⇄ marks a player traded mid-season. Starters are ranked by WAR, bullpen by holds; ★ marks the closer (most save chances). MLB Stats API.

Key additions (new vs 1996)

PlayerfWAR
John Wetteland1.7
Jim Leyritz0.6
Fernando Tatis0.4
Eric Gunderson0.4
Terry Clark0.3
Domingo Cedeno0.2

Key subtractions (gone from 1996)

Player1996 fWAR
Kevin Elster1.5
Dennis Cook1.5
Kevin Gross1.3
Dave Valle0.9
Mike Stanton0.5
Mark Brandenburg0.5

Contract Value

WAR translated into tier-adjusted market value, then compared with what the player was paid by Rangers. Guaranteed contracts from the 2015-present contract-data period use the known contract period through 1997; everyone else is shown as a 1997 season snapshot.

PlayerPeriodfWARTier Market $MPaid $MSurplus $M$ / WARTierContract
John Burkett 1997 +4.6 +80.2 3.5 +76.7 $0.8M 2.19× –
Rusty Greer 1997 +4.2 +60.5 0.4 +60.2 $0.1M 1.79× –
Ivan Rodriguez 1997 +6.2 +63.4 6.8 +56.6 $1.1M 1.28× –
John Wetteland 1997 +1.7 +26.8 4.6 +22.2 $2.7M 1.95× –
Will Clark 1997 +3.2 +27.4 5.7 +21.8 $1.8M 1.07× –
Bobby Witt 1997 +1.7 +20.5 2.0 +18.5 $1.2M 1.49× –
Danny Patterson 1997 +2.2 +17.2 0.1 +17.1 $0.1M 0.98× –
Juan Gonzalez 1997 +2.2 +18.0 7.5 +10.5 $3.4M 1.01× –
Rick Helling↔ 1997 +1.0 +8.4 0.0 +8.4 $0.0M 1.02× –
Darren Oliver 1997 +1.1 +9.2 1.1 +8.1 $1.0M 1.02× –
Ken Hill↔ 1997 +1.2 +10.0 3.0 +7.1 $2.4M 1.02× –
Lee Stevens 1997 +1.2 +5.3 0.3 +5.0 $0.3M 0.56× –
Matt Whiteside 1997 +0.8 +4.4 0.4 +4.0 $0.5M 0.67× –
Damon Buford 1997 +0.4 +2.6 0.2 +2.4 $0.6M 0.83× –
Terry Clark↔ 1997 +0.3 +2.5 0.1 +2.4 $0.5M 1.02× –
Warren Newson 1997 +0.4 +2.5 0.4 +2.1 $1.0M 0.83× –
Benji Gil 1997 +0.4 +2.2 0.2 +2.0 $0.4M 0.61× –
Jim Leyritz↔ 1997 +0.6 +2.5 0.6 +1.9 $1.0M 0.52× –
Eric Gunderson 1997 +0.4 +2.0 0.2 +1.8 $0.4M 0.67× –
Fernando Tatis 1997 +0.4 +1.9 0.1 +1.8 $0.4M 0.58× –
Ed Vosberg↔ 1997 +0.4 +2.0 0.3 +1.7 $0.9M 0.67× –
Domingo Cedeno 1997 +0.2 +1.0 0.3 +0.7 $1.2M 0.56× –
Julio Santana 1997 +0.2 +0.8 0.1 +0.7 $1.0M 0.67× –
Dean Palmer↔ 1997 +0.8 +3.7 3.2 +0.5 $4.0M 0.58× –
Roger Pavlik 1997 +0.4 +3.3 2.9 +0.5 $7.0M 1.02× –
Scott Bailes 1997 +0.1 +0.5 0.1 +0.4 $1.5M 0.67× –
Billy Ripken 1997 +0.1 +0.4 0.3 +0.1 $3.6M 0.61× –
Bryan Eversgerd 1997 -0.1 -0.3 0.1 -0.4 – 0.67× –
Xavier Hernandez 1997 -0.1 -0.3 0.6 -0.9 – 0.67× –
Dave Silvestri 1997 -0.2 -0.9 0.2 -1.1 – 0.58× –
Henry Mercedes 1997 -0.2 -0.9 0.2 -1.1 – 0.52× –
Mark McLemore 1997 +0.1 +0.6 1.8 -1.2 $12.6M 0.56× –
Wilson Heredia 1997 -0.2 -1.3 0.1 -1.4 – 0.67× –
Mike Simms 1997 -0.4 -2.2 0.2 -2.4 – 0.69× –
Mike Devereaux 1997 -0.3 -2.3 0.2 -2.5 – 0.83× –
Alex Diaz 1997 -0.5 -3.3 0.2 -3.5 – 0.83× –
Tom Goodwin↔ 1997 -0.5 -3.3 0.4 -3.7 – 0.83× –
Mickey Tettleton 1997 -0.5 -3.0 1.8 -4.7 – 0.69× –
Eric Moody 1997 +0.1 +0.3 – – – 0.67× –
Hanley Frias 1997 -0.5 -2.3 – – – 0.61× –
Jose Alberro 1997 -0.2 -1.1 – – – 0.67× –
Kevin Brown 1997 +0.1 +0.5 – – – 0.52× –
Marc Sagmoen 1997 -0.6 -3.9 – – – 0.83× –
Tanyon Sturtze 1997 -0.2 -1.4 – – – 1.02× –
Total—+32.2+354.150.2+312.3—

Trades

Every graded 1997 deal involving the Rangers — best expected value first. Surplus is realized value in $M; 7 total.

1997 · TEX / KCR
TEX · Douglas Melvin +$11.2M
Tom Goodwin
KCR · Herk Robinson −$11.2M
Dean Palmer
TEX came out ahead by $11.2M
1997 · TEX / MIA
TEX · Douglas Melvin +$90.4M
Rick Helling
MIA · Dave Dombrowski −$90.4M
Ed Vosberg
TEX came out ahead by $90.4M
1997 · TEX / ANA
TEX · Douglas Melvin +$44.0M
Jim Leyritz, Rob Sasser
ANA · Bill Bavasi −$44.0M
Ken Hill
TEX came out ahead by $44.0M
1997 · TEX / BOS
TEX · Douglas Melvin +$138.4M
Mark Brandenburg, Bill Haselman, Aaron Sele
BOS · Dan Duquette −$138.4M
Damon Buford, Jim Leyritz
TEX came out ahead by $138.4M
1997 · TEX / SFG
TEX · Douglas Melvin +$1.6M
Chad Hartvigson
SFG · Brian Sabean −$1.6M
Cory Bailey
TEX came out ahead by $1.6M
1997 · ANA / TEX
ANA · Bill Bavasi +$2.4M
Mike Bell
TEX · Douglas Melvin −$2.4M
Matt Perisho
ANA came out ahead by $2.4M
1997 · TEX / CHW
TEX · Douglas Melvin +$0.0M
Al Levine, Larry Thomas
CHW · Ron Schueler +$0.0M
Benji Gil
Even trade

Current & Historical Payroll

1997 payroll
$50.3M

What the front office was committed to as of 1997, 1997–2003. Pre-2015 has no contract-terms data — forward italic $ are realized actuals (hindsight, not commitments known then). Control labels (ARB/FA) are point-in-time.

current $ guaranteed $ actual $ (hindsight) arbitration (proj) pre-arb (proj) free agent

Guaranteed / signed (22)

PlayerAgeSvc1997199819992000200120022003
Juan Gonzalez278.000$7.5M$7.8M$8.5MFREE AGENT$11.0M$13.0M
Ivan Rodriguez256.000$6.8M$6.7M$8.9M$8.6M$8.2M$9.6MFREE AGENT
Will Clark3311.000$5.7M$5.8MFREE AGENT
John Wetteland308.000$4.6M$5.8M$6.3M$6.5MFREE AGENT
John Burkett3210.000$3.5M$4.0M$4.0MFREE AGENT
Dean Palmer288.000$3.2MFREE AGENT
Ken Hill319.000$3.0MFREE AGENT
Bobby Witt3311.000$2.0M$1.7MFREE AGENT
Mark McLemore3211.000$1.8M$2.3M$2.4MFREE AGENT
Mickey Tettleton3613.000$1.8MFREE AGENT
Xavier Hernandez318.000$600k$1.0MFREE AGENT
Jim Leyritz337.000$586kFREE AGENT
Warren Newson326.000$375kFREE AGENT
Tom Goodwin286.000$371k$2.4M$3.2MFREE AGENT
Ed Vosberg3511.000$320kFREE AGENT
Lee Stevens297.000$300k$1.2M$2.1MFREE AGENT
Billy Ripken3210.000$275kFREE AGENT
Mike Devereaux3410.000$250kFREE AGENT
Mike Simms307.000$200k$275k$625kFREE AGENT
Eric Gunderson317.000$160k$510k$450kFREE AGENT
Scott Bailes3511.000$150k$210kFREE AGENT
Terry Clark369.000$138kFREE AGENT

Arbitration-eligible (12)

PlayerAgeSvc1997199819992000200120022003
Roger Pavlik295.000$2.9MFREE AGENT
Darren Oliver264.000$1.1MARB 3FREE AGENT
Matt Whiteside295.000$375kFREE AGENT
Rusty Greer283.000$358kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Domingo Cedeno284.000$285kARB 3FREE AGENT
Alex Diaz285.000$250kFREE AGENT
Damon Buford274.000$225kARB 3FREE AGENT
Benji Gil244.000$200kARB 3FREE AGENT
Dave Silvestri295.000$185kFREE AGENT
Henry Mercedes275.000$180kFREE AGENT
Bryan Eversgerd283.000$150kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Rick Helling263.000$40kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT

Pre-arbitration (10)

PlayerAgeSvc1997199819992000200120022003
Julio Santana240.000$150kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Wilson Heredia252.000$150kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Fernando Tatis220.000$150kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Danny Patterson261.000$150kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jose Alberro282.000—ARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Kevin Brown241.000—Pre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Hanley Frias230.000—Pre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Eric Moody26–—
Marc Sagmoen26–—
Tanyon Sturtze262.000—ARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT

Graphs

How each 1997 acquisition stacked onto Rangers's playoff-odds curve. The side table is ranked by PPA.

Rosternomics — front-office performance, roster value, and transaction history. Follow @rosternomics on X.
Decision-maker records extend to 1933; resource-controlled WAR and payroll metrics cover 1985–2026. Data sources include FanGraphs, Baseball-Reference, the Chadwick Bureau register, the Lahman Database, prospect rankings from Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and FanGraphs, and public payroll records. Transaction and trade data was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Executive birth/death data via Wikidata (CC0).
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