Texas Rangers

Jacob Latz

The reinvented lefty who anchored the Rangers' bullpen

Jacob Latz lost the fifth-starter competition in spring and, by his own account, was crushed. Then he channeled it into reinventing himself — and became one of the most valuable relievers in baseball for a first-place Rangers team.

After an emergency spot start to open the year, Latz settled into the bullpen and never looked back: a 1.65 ERA, a 0.62 WHIP, opponents hitting .120 through the break. What set him apart was his versatility — 18 saves in 20 chances, nine of them requiring more than one inning, the most multi-inning saves in the majors by a wide margin. His June, an AL-high 11 saves with a 1.13 ERA, tied a franchise record for a calendar month.

It earned him a debut All-Star selection as the Rangers' lone representative in Philadelphia. He made it count: entering in the seventh with two outs, he faced the toughest contact hitter in the game — the Giants' Luis Arráez — and struck him out swinging to end the threat. For a pitcher who began the year without a defined role, it was a first half that ended on the sport's biggest stage.