Rangers ready to use 2022 as learning curve

ARLINGTON -- Tony Beasley sat at the podium in the Globe Life Field media room after managing the Rangers for 48 games of the 162-game season, and he quoted Nelson Mandela.

“Nelson Mandela said, ‘We only lose if we don’t learn,’” Beasley said. “So we have to take all of the lessons in life, whether professionally or personally, and learn from them. We definitely have a bucket full of things that we can learn from this year, everyone involved. … That was a message [for the team], and I thanked them. I know that I'm proud of the way they competed.”

It’s no doubt been a season of learning for the Rangers, who endured through the dismissals of manager Chris Woodward and president of baseball operations Jon Daniels midseason and a youth movement down the stretch.

The long 162 came to an end on Wednesday, when the Rangers defeated the Yankees, 4-2, to finish the season with two consecutive wins and a record of 68-94.

For Beasley, ending the season on a high note was important, even if it didn’t truly have any effect on the standings or postseason seeding for the opposition. The Yankees and Rangers split the four-game set.

“We played a really good series,” Beasley said. “I wanted the guys to come out and compete to the end and not quit or give up. We could’ve thrown in the towel … but they didn't do that. So that's a testament to the guys in that clubhouse and the character in the clubhouse and what they’re made out of. Those are positive signs moving forward.”

Of those positive signs, Nathaniel Lowe may have been the biggest bright spot for the Rangers in 2022. After being removed from the game after his second plate appearance, Lowe concluded his second full big league season.

For a guy that entered 2022 needing to prove he could be a long-term piece of the Rangers’ future in an infield with Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and top-ranked prospect Josh Jung, Lowe more than held his own.

Lowe slashed .302/.358/.492 with an .850 OPS, 27 homers, 26 doubles, 76 RBIs and 74 runs scored. He’s the first Texas qualified hitter to bat over .300 since Elvis Andrus (.302) and Adrián Beltré (.300) both did it in 2016. Lowe also joins Beltré as the only Ranger to hit .300 with 25 or more homers in the past nine seasons.

“It's an art that's kind of gone by the wayside I guess, with batting average being devalued or whatever it is,” Lowe said. “To know that I had a full season in the Major Leagues and played as much as I could and I hit .300, it’s truly a blessing. It’s a lot of hard work coming to fruition and it's an incredible feeling.”

For all the highs and lows -- of which there were many -- this season, Beasley emphasized embracing the events of the year and not forgetting them when the Rangers eventually come fully out of the other side of the rebuild.

“I want them to remember this season, everything that happened and how things happened, everything that transpired,” Beasley said. “We have to look at ourselves, everyone, every man should look at themselves and just reflect and say, ‘What could I have done better? What do I need to do better going forward?’ Ultimately, they want to win a championship here. That’s the ultimate goal.”