The Team That Couldn’t Hit: The 1972 Texas Rangers

Counting the decade when the franchise was known as the Washington Senators, the team did not go to the playoffs for the first 35 years of its existence. So why write a book about the 1972 Texas Rangers, perhaps the worst team in club history? Because they’re the start of that history.

Articles in this book, written by members of the Society for American Baseball Research, cover the effort to bring a team to North Texas and the story of Tom Vandergriff, the man now known as “the father of the Rangers.” Biographies of every man to play–or coachfor the 1972 team are presented, including Frank Howard, Larry Bittner, Horacio Pina and Tom Grieve, and broadcasters Don Drysdale and Bill Mercer. Owner Bob Short and Arlington Stadium itself are given full write-ups as well.