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Once the original pieces of Rangers’ rebuild, these 3 now make up foundation of the roster

Nathaniel Lowe, Jonah Heim and Dane Dunning were with the franchise during its nadir. Now they’re playoff-bound.

Update:
This story was originally published on Sept. 28.

SEATTLE – They are not the core. That is Corey Seager and Marcus Semien.

Nor are they the future. That is Josh Jung and Evan Carter.

They were, however, the foundation.

As the Rangers prepare for their first postseason run since 2016, Nathaniel Lowe, Jonah Heim and Dane Dunning share a special place in the turnaround. It started with them.

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It also means they share a special bond: They know first-hand how bad things were at the nadir. Lest anybody forgot, they were this bad: The Rangers lost 102 games in 2021.

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“There were times when it felt like we were trying to put the plug in the tub and there were four other holes popping up at the same time,” Lowe, who has appeared in more games as a Ranger than any other player on the roster, said Thursday. “The low point was maybe all of 2021. All the losing. You come to a new organization. You are looking for a fresh start. You are looking for something good to happen. And we just got beat every night.”

Said Heim: “It just felt like we were expected to lose. It’s not enjoyable to lose. It was great to be a major leaguer, but it’s not quite the same when you are losing every day.”

When the Rangers decided to commit to rebuilding after an abortive and ill-timed attempt at jumping back into contention in 2020, Lowe, Heim and Dunning were the first pieces.

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Chris Young joined the organization as GM on the first Friday of December. The Rangers were already at work trying to find ready- or near-ready major leaguers on the trade market. They weren’t looking to “win” trades by acquiring hyped prospects, but to get guys who were young enough to grow as the team did.

By the middle of Young’s first week on the job, working in concert with then-President of Baseball operations Jon Daniels, the Rangers had peeled off veterans Lance Lynn to the White Sox for Dunning and a pair of prospects to Tampa Bay for Lowe. Heim joined the organization two months later as part of the deal that sent Elvis Andrus to Oakland. Trading Andrus, the last real connection to Rangers’ playoff teams, in a salary dump left the Rangers without an identity.

The Rangers tried to create an identity for the team by giving out a Texas-themed cowboy hat after every win. A couple of problems. First, it wasn’t really organic. Second, they didn’t get to give out the cowboy hat very often.

Lowe was the first winner after driving in three runs with a homer against Kansas City. The post-game presentation in the clubhouse was filmed. Lowe was caught giving out a Ric Flair “woooooo!” The Rangers tried to turn it into a social media commercial. It might have felt more humiliating than the losses that followed.

“I’m the sleeveless guy wearing a cowboy hat and yelling, like it’s a travel ball team,” Lowe said. “It was embarrassing.”

It was first of many learning moments over the course of the next two seasons, but the lessons all came with playing time. Lowe, who has started more than 150 games in each of his three seasons, was a Silver Slugger at first base in 2022. Heim was the starting All-Star catcher this year.

The two combined to drive in four runs in the Rangers’ playoff-clinching win over the Seattle Mariners.

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And Dunning?

Well, after being the team’s Rookie of the Year in 2021, he dealt with a hip injury in 2022 and found himself out of a rotation spot before spring training even began this year. He pitched the first month of the season out of the bullpen and was a rarity — an effective reliever — before being moved to the rotation. All he’s done is go 12-4, tying Nathan Eovaldi for the team lead in wins. His 169.1 innings lead the team.

“He’s been our MVP on the pitching staff,” manager Bruce Bochy said Wednesday after Dunning pitched seven shutout innings against Los Angeles to trim the Rangers’ magic number for a playoff berth to one. “The versatility he’s shown has been so important for us.”

“This is where we’ve gotten to flourish,” Lowe said. “We’re still figuring things out, but we’ve gotten the chance to grow together. It’s been an amazing journey, being where we are, seeing where we came from, it’s just special.”

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Twitter: @Evan_P_Grant

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