1976 Texas Rangers season
Encyclopedia
The Texas Rangers
season involved the Rangers finishing 4th in the American League West
with a record of 76 wins and 86 losses.
All-Star Game
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
season involved the Rangers finishing 4th in the American League West
American League West
The American League West is one of three divisions in Major League Baseball's American League. The division currently has four teams, but it has had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams currently only reside along the west coast and in Texas, historically the...
with a record of 76 wins and 86 losses.
Offseason
- November 12, 1975: Dave NelsonDave NelsonDavid Earl Nelson is a former Major League Baseball player and one of the current broadcasters for the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team on Fox Sports Wisconsin...
was traded by the Rangers to the Kansas City RoyalsKansas City RoyalsThe Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
for Nelson BrilesNelson BrilesNelson Kelley "Nellie" Briles was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Cardinals , Pittsburgh Pirates , Kansas City Royals , Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles...
. - December 9, 1975: Stan ThomasStan Thomas (baseball)Stanley Brown Thomas is a former professional baseball pitcher. Thomas pitched in all or part of four seasons in Major League Baseball from 1974 until 1977....
and Ron PruittRon PruittRonald Ralph Pruitt is a former professional baseball player. He played all or part of nine seasons in Major League Baseball for the Texas Rangers , Cleveland Indians , Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants...
were traded by the Rangers to the Cleveland IndiansCleveland IndiansThe Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
for John EllisJohn Ellis (baseball)John Charles Ellis , is a former professional baseball player who played first base and catcher in the Major Leagues from 1969-81. He played for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, and Texas Rangers....
. - March 12, 1976: Mike KekichMike KekichMichael Dennis Kekich was a Major League Baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, and Seattle Mariners between 1965 and 1977...
was released by the Rangers.
Notable transactions
- May 10, 1976: Danny DarwinDanny DarwinDaniel Wayne "Danny" Darwin , known as the "Bonham Bullet" and "Dr. Death," is a former pitcher of Major League Baseball. He amassed 171 wins and 182 losses over his career for 8 different Major League teams with a 3.84 earned run average...
was signed as an amateur free agent by the Rangers. - May 17, 1976: Bobby Jones was selected off waivers from the Rangers by the California AngelsLos Angeles Angels of AnaheimThe Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
. - May 28, 1976: Stan PerzanowskiStan PerzanowskiStanley Perzanowski is a former Major League Baseball pitcher, born in East Chicago, Indiana. He was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 16th round of the 1968 amateur draft. He threw right-handed during his baseball career....
and cash were traded by the Rangers to the Cleveland IndiansCleveland IndiansThe Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
for Fritz PetersonFritz PetersonFritz Fred Peterson is a former Major League Baseball player who played for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, and Texas Rangers from 1966 to 1976...
. - June 1, 1976: Bill SingerBill SingerWilliam Robert Singer is a former baseball pitcher with a 14-year career from 1964 to 1977. He played primarily for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the California Angels , spending his final two seasons with the Texas Rangers , Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays .-Los Angeles Dodgers:Singer made...
, Roy Smalley, Mike CubbageMike CubbageMichael Lee Cubbage in Charlottesville, VA was an American baseball player who played Major League Baseball from 1974 until the close of the 1981 season...
, Jim GideonJim GideonJames Leslie Gideon is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for one season. He pitched for the Texas Rangers for one game on September 14 during the 1975 Texas Rangers season.-External links:...
, and $250,000 were traded by the Rangers to the Minnesota TwinsMinnesota TwinsThe Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
for Bert BlylevenBert BlylevenBert Blyleven is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from to , and was best known for his curveball. Blyleven was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011...
and Danny ThompsonDanny Thompson (baseball)Danny Leon Thompson was a professional baseball player, a major league shortstop from 1970-76.Born in Wichita, Kansas, Thompson grew up in tiny Capron, Oklahoma, and played college baseball at Oklahoma State, where he was an All-American. He broke into the majors with the Minnesota Twins in 1970...
. - June 8, 1976: 1976 Major League Baseball Draft1976 Major League Baseball Draft-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1976 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :The 1976 Arizona State University team, considered by many to be the best collegiate team ever, played a major role in the draft. Floyd Bannister was picked number one...
- Billy SampleBilly SampleWilliam Amos Sample , is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues primarily as an outfielder from 1978-1986. Sample played for the Texas Rangers , New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves ....
was drafted by the Rangers in the 10th round. - Andre RobertsonAndre RobertsonAndre Levett Robertson is a retired Major League Baseball second baseman and shortstop. He played during five seasons at the major league level for the New York Yankees. He was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 4th round of the amateur draft...
was drafted by the Rangers in the 12th round, but did not sign.
- Billy Sample
Roster
| 1976 Texas Rangers | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers |
Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders |
Manager Coaches |
||||||
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CF | 145 | 478 | 122 | .255 | 0 | 33 | |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | 196 | 42 | .214 | 1 | 13 | |
| 85 | 137 | 33 | .241 | 0 | 13 | |
| 41 | 129 | 29 | .225 | 1 | 8 | |
| 14 | 32 | 7 | .219 | 0 | 0 | |
| 11 | 31 | 13 | .419 | 1 | 8 | |
| 9 | 20 | 6 | .300 | 0 | 0 | |
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | 210 | 11 | 9 | 3.26 | 98 | |
| 24 | 202.1 | 9 | 11 | 2.76 | 144 | |
| 13 | 90.1 | 1 | 7 | 3.49 | 36 | |
| 10 | 64.2 | 4 | 1 | 3.48 | 34 | |
| 2 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 2.40 | 7 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 124.1 | 8 | 8 | 3.62 | 63 | |
| 20 | 67.2 | 2 | 6 | 5.59 | 27 | |
| 4 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 3.60 | 4 | |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 3.33 | 41 | |
| 23 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4.25 | 21 | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.03 | 6 | |
Awards and honors
- Jim SundbergJim SundbergJames Howard Sundberg is a former professional baseball catcher known for being one of the best defensive catchers of his era. He played for a number of Major League teams, most significantly the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals, with whom we won a World Championship...
, C, Gold Glove, 1976
All-Star Game
1976 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1976 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 47th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played on July 13, 1976 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, home of...