The Texas Rangers had long coveted catcher Danny Jansen . President of baseball operations Chris Young said as much when they signed him in December.
The Rangers wanted the right-handed hitting catchers so much they were willing to give him the security of a two-year contract worth $16.75 million. In return, Jansen delivered a relatively forgettable first season mired in an injury that took him three months from which to recover.
While his Statcast page looks like a sea of blue - which isn't good - there is one area and only one area in which he truly excelled for the Rangers in 2026.
Texas Rangers catcher Danny Jansen. Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Jansen didn't accumulate enough at-bats to qualify for any hitting leaders. In fact, his 227 plate appearances and his 197 at bats were a three-year low. But there was one area in which he was among the best in baseball and that was behind the plate.
Per his Statcast page, Jansen had eight blocks above average. Among catchers that was in the 90th percentile. Essentially, that meant very few baseballs got past Jansen in the regular season.
The rest of his campaign, however, was forgettable.
The Rangers hoped to use Jansen in a tandem with Kyle Higashioka, who was with Texas in 2025 and playing on the second year of a two-year contract. But on June 6 the Rangers put Jansen on the 10-day injured list with a right forearm strain and later moved him to the 60-day injured list.
When he was finally able to return on Aug. 18, Higashioka was on the injured list with a right flexor strain and Jansen was paired with Elias Diaz, who by season's end had a better offensive season than Jansen.
He played in 67 games, 60 of which were behind the plate, and slashed .203/.296/.381 with eight home runs and 26 RBI. He played his fewest games in a full season since his debut year in 2018, when he played in just 31 games with the Toronto Blue Jays. It was also the second time in three seasons that Jansen failed to hit at least 10 home runs.
While his Statcast didn't have enough qualifying at-bats, all the major hitting categories were blue except for one - his chase rate, which was 22.5%. Based on the red bar, that likely would have put him close to the 90th percentile.
It was not a good season for Jansen, who is committed to the Rangers next season. But the Rangers do have a catcher to pit against him in spring training. Texas acquired Logan O'Hoppe in July and while he didn't log any games behind the plate after the trade, he is expected to compete for reps behind the plate. The pair may be a tandem, but the Rangers hope O'Hoppe is the long-term answers. That puts Jansen's future past 2027 in doubt.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/rangers/onsi as One Area Where Danny Jansen Was Worth His Rangers Contract in 2026 .
