ARLINGTON, Texas — Mike Napoli agreed to a one-year deal with the Rangers in February. With the season coming to a close, does he expect to be back with the team next season?
"I hope so," Napoli said Friday night. "But we'll see what happens."
Napoli finished 0 for 3 with a walk in the Rangers' 5-1 wild-card loss to the Baltimore Orioles. On a couple of occasions, the Rangers faithful greeted the catcher/designated hitter with their signature NA-PO-LI chant as he stood at the plate.
Asked if he thought about that being the last time he hears that chant at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Napoli said he did not.
"No, it didn't go through my mind," he said. "I got to the ballpark today and expected to win. I never thought about that. It will be a long offseason. Hopefully I'll be here but we'll see what happens."
Napoli called the loss disappointing, saying, "We definitely didn't see us losing this game tonight and finishing our season today."
He later said: "We had it in front of us and we didn't take advantage."
