The Rangers have one All-Star. It’s not a hitter. It’s not a starter. It’s their closer, Jacob Latz. 

That’s it. 

Not to diminish what Latz has done this year. He’s grabbed the closer role that the Rangers have not had for the past two seasons, and has not only held onto it, he’s excelled at it. 

When the season began, Latz wanted to be a starter. He deserved it, But the Rangers had just traded for MacKenzie Gore and still had Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker to go along with Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi. So, there was no room in the rotation for him, no matter how much better he would have been than one of the other starters.

So, he was sent to the bullpen. He wasn’t the closer right away. The Rangers kept up with the same carousel of failed closers they’d been trying in 2024 and 2025. 

They tried Tyler Alexander. He did well, saving his first two chances. Then they decided he wasn’t the guy, Jacob Junis was. He saved his first three chances, then they decided he wasn’t the guy, Latz was. 

Since June 4, when he got his first ninth-inning save opportunity, Junis has been dominating: 22 games, 28.1 innings pitched with 31 strikeouts,  1.91 ERA, and 18 saves in 19 chances—many of the saves with two innings of work. 

He’s seventh in MLB in saves, and he’s been doing it only one month. 

That’s why Latz is headed to Philadelphia to be the Rangers’ lone representative. 

It’s well deserved. 

(Josh Jung deserved an All-Star selection, but that’s the topic of another rant. Chances are, he will be named as a replacement when there are the inevitable injuries.)

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