Wesley's Favorite Forgotten Texas Rangers Players

2026 will mark 25 years as a Texas Rangers fan for me. Since 2001, I've enjoyed watching many Rangers players by attending my first game in person and on watching them on TV. For the following list, I'll be highlighting a few of my favorite players who you might know by name, either in passing or vaguely, but never heard of them in years. The following are not in any particular order. So, players like Hank Blalock and Yu Darvish will not be on this list, since we're already familiar with them. If you don't see a forgotten Rangers player that you loved on this list or if you have more than one player, please comment down below. Now, on to the list.

Frank Catalanotto

Frank Catalanotto was born on April 27, 1974, in New York and is of Italian descent. He played for five different teams. Catalanotto made his MLB debut in September 1997 for the Detroit Tigers. He played for the Rangers from 2000-2002 and returned to the team from 2007-2008. In June 2011, he retired from baseball. As of 2025, the now 51-year-old is a head baseball coach of the Hofstra Pride.

Kevin Millwood

He was born on December 24, 1974, in Gastonia, North Carolina. Millwood became an All-Star in 1999 and pitched a no-hitter in April 2003 during his time with the Philadelphia Phillies. He played for seven different teams, including the Rangers, where he played from 2006-2009. Millwood retired from baseball in 2013 and is now 50 years old as of the writing of this story.

Ben Broussard

Benjamin Isaac Broussard was born on September 24, 1976, in Beaumont, Texas. He played for three different teams: the then Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners, and the Texas Rangers, where he made his last MLB appearance for in 2008 for one more season. Broussard only played in the league for seven seasons from 2002 until his retirement in 2008. He won a silver medal in the Baseball World Cup in Taipei. Broussard is also a musician, having released two albums. The now 49-year-old resides in Austin, Texas.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia

This former catcher previously held the record for having the longest last name in MLB with 14 letters, until Minnesota Twins pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson surpassed him in 2022 with 16 characters. He was born on May 2, 1985, in West Palm Beach, Florida. Known affectionately as Salty, he played for eight different teams, including a World Series title he won with the Boston Red Sox in 2013. Saltalamacchia played for the Rangers from 2007-2010 and was loved by fans. In the 30-3 Game against the Baltimore Orioles in late spring 2007, which the Rangers won, he hit two home runs and seven RBIs in the contest. After 12 seasons, Salty retired from baseball in January 2019. Fun fact: his last name means "jump over the thicket." He is now 40 years old as of this writing.

Gerald Laird

Before Jonah Heim came into the picture and won a World Series title, Gerald Laird was well-liked among Rangers fans. He was born Gerald Lee Laird III on November 13, 1979, in California. He made his MLB debut in April 2003, starting with the Texas Rangers and remained on the team until 2008. Laird would play for five more teams until his 2017 retirement. Fun fact: He faced his former team (the Rangers) in the 2011 World Series, as he was with the St. Louis Cardinals at the time, becoming a World Series champion. The former catcher is now 45 years old as of the writing of this story.

Eddie Guardado

Finally, let's talk about former relief pitcher Eddie Guardado. He was born on October 2, 1970, in Stockton, California. Known as Everyday Eddie, Guardado started his professional career with the Minnesota Twins in 1993. The team selected him in the 21st round of the 1990 MLB Draft. He would play for the Twins until 2003. After that, Guardado played for three more teams. He played for the Texas Rangers in 2008 for one season, returned to Minnesota that same year before returning to the Rangers in 2009. After his MLB career came to an end, Guardado was a Special Assistant to the Twins and from 2014-2018, he was the Twins bullpen coach. In January 2013, he was inducted to the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame. The two-time All-Star is now 55 years old as of 2025.

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