No one asked Mike Minor to be the Texas Rangers’ ace. He sort of just became it. Cole Hamels left and Minor earned the claim of being the club’s top arm. Now, he’s the only returning starter and he threw more innings last year than every other projected member of the rotation. He’ll be the first pitcher to toe the rubber at Globe Life Park on opening day.
Is it fair to expect ace-like numbers from him in 2019?
Consider his 2018 season first. Minor went 12-8 with a 4.18 ERA over 157 innings pitched.