In an injury-ravaged 2014 season, Mitch Moreland was right in the center of the issue as he played in just 52 games before undergoing ankle surgery and missing the final few months of the season. In those 52 games, Moreland hit just two home runs after hitting 23 in 2013.
The 2015 season hasn't been injury-free for Moreland, who is perhaps in his final season of being able to prove himself worthy of sticking around with the Rangers, but he's back now, and he's producing.
Before Moreland hit the DL with an elbow issue that required minor surgery to remove "loose bodies", he was the only Ranger other than Prince Fielder doing anything at the plate, and actually hit the DL with a batting average just north of .300. The average has dipped a bit since his return, but he's hitting the ball hard, and hitting it far since his return, and now through 21 games this year he already has matched his 2014 home run total and is halfway to his RBI total.
Moreland is eligible for arbitration for the second time this coming offseason, and depending on what some of the Rangers' young kids do and where the roster stands, Moreland could be on another team in 2016 as he'll likely be due another raise after getting bumped up to $2.95 million this year in his first run at arbitration.
If Moreland can put up another year like the one he had in 2013, he could force the Rangers' hand in keeping him around to be the primary first baseman while Prince Fielder continues as the full-time DH. Moreland's future with the Rangers is pretty much up to him to determine.
