ARLINGTON -- When asked what one word he would use to describe his first camp as manager of the Rangers, Skip Schumaker said “trust.”
Spring Training was filled with joy and energy as the Schumaker era got off to a running start with the marathon of a baseball season beginning in Surprise, Ariz.
Now, on Thursday, it finally starts to count as the Rangers open the season in Philadelphia against Bryce Harper and Co. And everybody around Texas is optimistic about the club’s development entering the regular season.
“We're excited about this group,” president of baseball operations Chris Young said. “The performance this spring, the health has been unlike any spring I've seen. I'm really excited to get to Philadelphia and see what this team does.
“I just feel very good about where we are, but Spring Training is one thing. It's time for us. The lights are about to come on Thursday. We've got a very tough schedule to start the season. I want to see that switch flipped, and our guys come out hungry and playing with grit and fight and a determination that I know is in there. It's time to let that go to work and hopefully lead to a great season.”
Here’s a primer to get you ready for 2026:
What needs to go right? Any sort of offensive competence.
In 2025, the Rangers ranked 25th in wRC+ (92), 26th in slugging (.381), 26th in batting average (.234), tied for 26th in on-base percentage (.302), 22nd in runs (684) and tied for 22nd in walk rate (8.0%). Even with the best rotation in baseball and a good (but not great) bullpen, Texas could only muster an 81-81 record while missing the postseason for the second year in a row. Even an average offense would have had the Rangers closer to their expected win/loss record of 90-72.
The offense raked in Cactus League play, and while those stats don’t really count just yet, everything is pointing towards a true uptick in offense in ‘26. That could be the difference in the postseason and staying home in October once again.
Great unknown: Can Evan Carter -- 1) stay healthy and 2) produce consistently?
Carter was the “Little Savior” for the Rangers in 2023, when he hit .306 with five homers and 12 RBIs in 23 games as a 21-year-old before playing every game of the eventual World Series run. He hasn’t been fully healthy since then, dealing with nagging back issues in ‘24 and a broken right wrist in ‘25.
And hanging in the back of that sideplot has been his struggles with facing left-handed pitching throughout his professional career. It seems that Schumaker believes Carter has earned the right to face more lefties in ‘26. Now, he’s got to make the most of all the opportunities he gets in order to change the narrative.
Team MVP will be ... OF Wyatt Langford
There’s no doubt that Langford and Corey Seager are the Rangers’ two best hitters. And Langford has the talent to be a breakout star in 2026. Sure, all of baseball has known that Langford has the tools of a superstar since the University of Florida outfielder was selected No. 4 overall in the 2023 MLB Draft.
Langford has been good across his first two seasons, hitting .247 with a .758 OPS across 268 games and a number of oblique injuries. If he can take the next step into his All-Star potential, the Rangers will undoubtedly be better for it.
Team Cy Young will be ... RHP Jacob deGrom
deGrom may be on the wrong end of his 30s, but he’s still Jacob deGrom. He was an All-Star in 2025, posting a 2.97 ERA in 172 2/3 innings in his first full year off Tommy John surgery. He was bested only by fellow co-ace Nathan Eovaldi. deGrom made it clear that while he had a good season, he still knows he can be better in ‘26. There’s no longer any Tommy John training wheels on him. He’ll have every opportunity to unleash the best of himself.
Bold Prediction: Josh Smith, All-Star bid
The Rangers shipped off All-Star second baseman Marcus Semien to the Mets in a trade for Brandon Nimmo this offseason, opening the lane for super utilityman Smith to slide in as the starter at the position. Smith has thrived in the first half of each of the last two seasons (.769 OPS in 2025 and .861 OPS in ‘24 before the break), before tailing off after the All-Star Game.
As a utility player, Smith has never gotten much All-Star consideration, especially on a team with other stars like Seager and co-aces deGrom and Eovaldi. But Smith has had a hot spring and the Rangers have placed a lot of expectations on him to thrive as the second baseman this season. He’s just got to live up to it.