there, the group has grown as the winter has progressed and they have stayed after it.

"It's been a lot of fun to watch, seeing everybody come together like that," Mazara said. "It's like a band of brothers, everybody working together as a team pushing each other, all close friends. It has been great."

That is the central theme of the Rangers' offseason, and it was amplified by Daniels and others at Fan Fest on Saturday at Globe Life Park. It is what will define the club in 2019.

Yes, Texas needs pitching, and there is still work to be done constructing the roster. But more than anything, the 2019 Rangers will be about the core group of players putting in the work every day in west Dallas.

"These guys are comingunique. They believed in themselves, they were in every game."

The Rangers were four games under .500 and six games out of first place in the American League West at the All-Star break in 2015, but that didn't deter Daniels. He gave up five valuable Minor Leaguers to get starter Cole Hamels and reliever Jake Diekman from the Phillies on July 31, and Texas went on to win the division.

"They were going to play better anyway, but we showed some faith in the club and we added some guys that helped that," Daniels said. "My expectation is, you are going to see the same things with this team. You've got a group that likes to be around each other and is going to fight and be in every game.