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Texas Rangers Player Grades: Jake Burger
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- Texas Rangers Player Grades: Jake Burger
(© Chris Jones-Imagn Images)
In less than a month, on Nov. 1, it will be the third anniversary of the Texas Rangers winning their first World Series. Since then, the Rangers have suffered a playoff drought.
In 2026, the Rangers finished with an 80-82 record, marking the third straight year since they won the World Series in which they have also failed to capture a winning record.
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The Rangers have talented players, but some of them, such as Jacob DeGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, and Corey Seager, are aging. Despite their talent, they have not been able to translate it into winning baseball. Now, Texas' front office has decisions to make this summer.
One such player whose future with the organization needs to be evaluated is Jake Burger. So, how did Burger do this season?
Burger's 2026 grade with Rangers: B
Overall, Burger had better results in his second season with the Rangers than he did during his first year with the club in 2025. In his first season, Burger appeared in 103 games and logged a .236 batting average, a .269 on-base percentage, a .419 slugging percentage and a .688 OPS with 16 home runs.
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In 2026, he was more available, and most of his numbers rose slightly because of it. Burger took 556 at-bats this season, and while his batting average was slightly down to .228, his on-base percentage rose to .302.
His slugging percentage also rose to .421, and his OPS went up to .723, which is just above the Major League Baseball average of .719 for the season.
Perhaps most impressive was that Burger nearly doubled his home run total, as he went deep 28 times in 2026. He also had 90 RBIs compared to the 53 he contributed in 2025.
In terms of his splits, Burger was better on the road than he was at home. In 79 away games, he posted a .241/.315/.458 slash line with a .773 OPS and 18 home runs.
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Meanwhile, in 76 home games, his slash line fell to .215/.286/.379 with a .665 OPS. The only identifiable categories in which Burger was better at home were strikeouts (80 versus 87 on the road) and doubles (13 hit at home versus 10 on the road).
All told, the Rangers got good value out of Burger's one-year, $3.2 million contract he signed in January to avoid arbitration. Perhaps the 30-year-old has done enough to be included in Texas' future plans, and if the organization decides to hold on to him, he may prove to keep being a reliable hitter.
