Prior to the all-star break, Shin-Soo Choo was basically relegated to platoon duty — a $140 million platoon guy. Elvis Andrus probably would've been in the same spot, making $15 million per year, but there wasn't a viable option to platoon with him at shortstop.
But since the season calendar hit the second half, the two have largely carried the Rangers' offense not only out of the doldrums but into contention.
Since the break, Choo has batted .309 with a .424 on-base percentage — in line with the types of numbers he put up in Cincinnati before Jon Daniels gave him a big deal before last season. He has 17 extra-base hits and 22 RBIs with 23 walks in his 39 games since the break.
Andrus has posted a .301 average in that same stretch, but he's played in five more games than Choo since the break. He's actually slugging .422, which is pretty good for him, with nine doubles, a triple, three homers and 21 RBIs to go with seven stolen bases. Perhaps even more important has been Andrus' rejuvenation in the field as an elite defensive shortstop after spending much of the year as one of the worst shortstops in baseball — at the plate and in the field.
If you're a Rangers fan, you keep hoping you're not going to wake up and see this has all been a dream, but it appears the two guys who everyone wanted to run out of town over the first three months of the year are actually carrying the Rangers into the home stretch.
