Dan Szymborski’s ZiPS projections are a good measure of what to expect from players in the upcoming baseball season. We'll take a look at the Rangers' projections on a position-by-position basis. Szymborski can be found on Twitter at @DSzymborski.
Today we'll look at the projections for the Rangers at third, which is locked down by veteran Adrian Beltre, who has carried the Rangers' offense since his arrival in 2011. He'll be looking to bounce back from a low-power year, in which he still finished second in the AL in batting.
Beltre: 579 plate appearances, 28 doubles, 1 triples, 21 home runs, 72 RBIs, .300 batting average, .351 on-base percentage, .475 slugging percentage
Beltre has been the one constant in the Rangers' offense since the 2012 season, when Josh Hamilton began his massive, staggering decline over the season's second half. But last season was his first as a Ranger without 30 home runs, as he hit just 19. He did miss a month due to injury and had no protection in the lineup around him, something the Rangers hope Prince Fielder can provide this year.
These projections suggest another down power year, but another strong season at the plate with another .300 batting average.
