Look, we didn\u2019t expect this either.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Of all the possible World Series matchups, a tussle of the 90-win Texas Rangers against the 84-win Arizona Diamondbacks wasn\u2019t exactly at the top of our wish list. It\u2019s being already decried as a battle of who could care less, and we get it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But we also disagree.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Is this World Series custom-made for primetime? Of course not. But when asked to come up with a handful of reasons to watch, it took about two minutes for a small group of baseball writers to bat around more than a dozen storylines, personalities and raw talents that are going to be worth watching for the next however-long-this-lasts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Give us another Game 7, we say, because this might not be the series we expected, it might not even be the series we deserve, but it\u2019s going to be a series worth watching.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And here\u2019s why.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n These teams actually have star power \u2026\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n If you were expecting Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, you must not have been paying attention for the past decade.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But Rangers shortstop Corey Seager made a pretty <\/span>compelling case for American League MVP<\/span><\/a> this season (non-Ohtani division), and Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen is going to finish somewhere <\/span>near the top of the National League Cy Young<\/span><\/a> race (he already started the All-Star Game), and he helped beat his hometown Phillies to get here, even while reflecting on the declining quality of local institution Wawa<\/a>. That\u2019s pathos.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2026 and the hardware to prove it\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Speaking of All-Star Game starters, the Rangers had <\/span>five<\/span><\/i> of them this year, including three-quarters of their everyday infield. The Diamondbacks had three All-Star starters, plus their 23-year-old shortstop coming off the bench.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And you might not have noticed, but Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi has the track record of a postseason ace, and he\u2019s on a mission <\/span>to avenge his one World Series loss<\/span><\/a>. Casual fans might not know their names, but the league knows these guys can play.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s a matchup of power versus \u2026<\/b><\/p>\n Sure, it would have been interesting to see all those big boppers in the Phillies lineup, but the Rangers hit the third-most home runs in baseball this season, led by Adolis Garc\u00eda, a guy who was twice designated for assignment before <\/span>becoming a must-see offensive beast<\/span><\/a> who went deep 39 times this season and then went berserk for five more home runs and an MVP award in the ALCS. Whatever you do, <\/span>don\u2019t hit this man with a pitch<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u2026 speed.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Diamondbacks don\u2019t have the Rangers\u2019 offensive thump, but they did steal 166 bases this season (second-most in the game) while leading the majors with 44 triples. These guys can and will run wild \u2014 they stole four bases in decisive NLCS Game 7 \u2014 and their second baseman, Ketel Marte, has quietly been one of the game\u2019s best up-the-middle players of the past half-decade (top 40 in position player WAR since 2019) and is earning his place <\/span>among the best players in franchise history<\/span><\/a>. When the Diamondbacks do need a homer, they still have Christian Walker, who was <\/span>claimed off waivers three times in his career<\/span><\/a> but hit 69 longballs the past two years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Diamondbacks<\/a> might have baseball\u2019s most exciting young player \u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n The Diamondbacks might not have many household names now, but give it a few years and their leadoff hitter, Corbin Carroll, might be the name you remember from this series. The 23-year-old is a shoo-in for National League Rookie of the Year and has a tremendous blend of speed (54 stolen bases) and power (25 home runs) that could make him <\/span>one of the game\u2019s great players<\/span><\/a> for the next decade.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u2026 but he\u2019s not alone. There are young stars all over the place.<\/b><\/p>\n Carroll\u2019s not the only one who\u2019s just starting to make a name for himself. Rangers<\/a> third baseman Josh Jung<\/a> (he and Carroll were drafted within eight picks of one another in 2019) was an All-Star as a rookie this season, and Rangers left fielder Evan Carter<\/a> (who turned 21 in August) reached the big leagues in September and was one of the game\u2019s best hitters<\/span><\/a> in the final month of the regular season. Carter currently ranks as <\/span>Baseball America\u2019s 10th-best prospect<\/span><\/a> in the entire sport.<\/span><\/p>\n Diamondbacks infielder Jordan Lawler (a bench player for now) ranks ninth on that list, and his teammate Gabriel Moreno<\/a> (one of the best young catchers<\/span><\/a> in the sport) ranked 12th when the season began but has since accrued too much big-league time to qualify. Second-year center fielder Alek Thomas is still just 23 and <\/span>already has an all-time postseason moment<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n The Rangers went all-in at the deadline to get here \u2026\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n This year\u2019s trade deadline was a letdown for many teams, but not for the Rangers, who spent heavily the past two offseasons and still supplemented their rotation with deadline deals<\/span><\/a> for both Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery. They also traded for Royals flamethrower Aroldis Chapman and Pirates backup catcher Austin Hedgers.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2026 while the Diamondbacks built from within.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Diamondbacks made smaller deals at the deadline \u2014 closer Paul Sewald<\/a> was their biggest addition \u2014 but mostly grew their team from within. All told, the Diamondbacks\u2019 postseason roster includes four different players (Lawler plus pitchers Brandon Pfaadt<\/a>, Andrew Saalfrank<\/a> and Slade Cecconi<\/a>) who made their big league debuts this season<\/span><\/a> (and two of them weren\u2019t in the majors until September). Saalfrank pitched just 10 times in the regular season, and he\u2019s already made eight appearances in the playoffs.<\/span><\/p>\n Old-timers are riding off into the sunset \u2026<\/b><\/p>\n I didn\u2019t call Scherzer old, you did! But seriously, Mad Max is 39, joined the Rangers at the trade deadline, and hasn\u2019t gotten to do much this postseason<\/span><\/a>. He\u2019s already won three Cy Young awards and a World Series ring in his career, but <\/span>one more dazzling performance in October<\/span><\/a> would be an exclamation point.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2026 while chasing one last shot at a ring.<\/strong><\/p>\n In the other dugout is 38-year-old Evan Longoria<\/a>. He hasn\u2019t played in a World Series since his rookie year with the Rays<\/a> in 2008, and these days he\u2019s more of a complementary role player than the hot-corner superstar he was a decade ago, but he has a legitimate chance to finally win a ring in what could be his final season.<\/p>\n \u201cMost of the time, when you hear about guys\u2019 legacies, it\u2019s about a ring,\u201d Longoria said this month<\/span><\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s about a World Series. It\u2019s about the impact that they\u2019ve made in the playoffs. That\u2019s more of a legacy thing for me.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The fantasy football fight guy is here \u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n There\u2019s also 35-year-old Diamondbacks outfielder Tommy Pham<\/a>, an intense veteran perhaps best known to casual fans for his role in a fantasy football-inspired fracas<\/a> last season, in search of his first championship. He\u2019s joined by 34-year-old Rangers reliever Will Smith<\/a>, who is in pursuit of his third in a row title (all with different teams).<\/p>\n \u2026 while a certain big lefty with enormous postseason credentials isn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n And, if you\u2019re the sort who roots for awkward ring ceremonies, Madison Bumgarner could win his fourth career ring after the Diamondbacks released him in April with a 10.26 ERA.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n The Diamondbacks front office is worth rooting for \u2026<\/b><\/p>\n Seven years ago, the Diamondbacks cleaned house and brought in longtime Boston Red Sox<\/a> executive Mike Hazen to run the show. He brought some Red Sox connections with him \u2014 including manager Torey Lovullo \u2014 and has many in the industry rooting for him after his wife, Nicole, died of a rare form of cancer<\/span><\/a> in 2022.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSuch good, real people,\u201d one longtime executive said of the top Diamondbacks decision makers.<\/p>\n Hazen has defied the curse of <\/span>The Athletic\u2019s<\/span><\/i> own Ken Rosenthal<\/span><\/a> to get his team to its first World Series since 2001.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u2026 but believe it or not, the Rangers\u2019 front office is fascinating too.<\/b><\/p>\n No one tunes in to see the general manager clapping in his suite, but Rangers general manager Chris Young should be in the mix for Rookie of the Year at 44 years old. Young is in his first full year on the job having moved into the top seat at the end of last season. He was still playing \u2014 he was a good big league pitcher \u2014 as recently as 2017, worked in the league office for two years, and has been a front office executive only three years, but Young <\/span>was aggressive at the trade deadline<\/span><\/a> to help push the Rangers over the top and into this position.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And if you can\u2019t get into the man behind the curtain, there\u2019s always Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, back in the dugout after three years of semi-retirement, trying to win his fourth World Series title<\/span><\/a> and force another line onto his inevitable Hall of Fame plaque.<\/span><\/p>\n You could just watch because \u2026 it\u2019s the World Series.<\/b><\/p>\n OK, we\u2019ll acknowledge this is not the matchup anyone outside of Dallas and Phoenix wanted when the postseason got started. The Braves<\/a> were the perceived juggernaut,<\/span><\/a> the Orioles were <\/span>the flashy young upstarts,<\/span><\/a> the Dodgers were the iconic franchise <\/span>with an all-time ace,<\/span><\/a> and the Phillies had the world-beating offense with <\/span>a rocking home-field advantage<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s the Fall Classic! With a pitch clock,<\/span><\/a> so the kids can watch more than a half inning before bedtime!<\/span><\/p>\n Think of Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe<\/a>\u2019s mother and watch with a touch of sentimental optimism<\/span><\/a>. Think of all <\/span>the key players your least favorite team gave up<\/span><\/a> and watch with a healthy dose of vindictive cynicism. Or just watch because it\u2019s baseball in October, <\/span>one team hasn\u2019t won in two decades,<\/span><\/a> and the other hasn\u2019t won at all. The Rangers are trying to make history. The Diamondbacks are trying to shock the world. Goodness gracious, <\/span>snakes alive!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n (Top photo of Evan Longoria: AP Photo \/ Brynn Anderson)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n Corbin Carroll mixes elite speed with legit power. (Nick Wosika \/ Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.theathletic.com\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20203302\/USATSI_19293192-scaled.jpg\")
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\n Chris Young has delivered in his first full year as Rangers GM. (Jim Cowsert \/ USA Today)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n