September 28, 2008 at 11:00 pm · Filed under AL West, Ben Sheets, CC Sabathia, Chris Davis, Derek Holland, Elvis Andrus, Ian Kinsler, Matt Harrison, Michael Young, Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers
Well, the 2008 Texas Rangers complete their season at 79-83, finishing second in the American League West, their highest ever finish since the Rangers last won the division back in 1999.
So what can we take away from this season:
- The Rangers’ Young Core Is Among The Best In Baseball. Hamilton, Kinsler, Davis, and potentially Taylor Teagarden are an excellent young core that should only improve as time goes by. All off them are on the payroll for at least the next four years, with Hamilton being the one with the most service time and without a long term deal. The building blocks for a potential pennant winner exists in those four.
- The Farm System Has Begun Bearing Fruit. The Rangers have seen a great deal come out of their farm system this season to contribute to the big league level. Aside from the mention of Davis and Teagarden, the Rangers still have Max Ramirez, who is a solid bat, as well as Matt Harrison, who showed that he could be the second coming of Kenny Rogers at times. Other young players made it to the big club, with Tommy Hunter, Joaquin Arias, Brandon Boggs, and fan favorite David Murphy all showing some good contributions. Warner Madrigal, who was shrewdly picked up from the Angels after they goofed on adding him to the 40 man, showed solid talent and could eventually become the Rangers’ closer.
- But The Farm Continues To Have Top Talent. The Rangers also have several other highly regarded prospects, which include two of the best young arms in baseball in Neftali Feliz and Derek Holland, a right and left hander that both flash top of the rotation stuff. Julio Borbon, the Rangers’ centerfielder of the future, also showed that he could at least be similar to Melky Cabrera (2007 Edition) if given a shot. And beyond that, the Rangers had other products continuing to make noise, with Elvis Andrus, Engel Beltre, Michael Main, and Justin Smoak to name a few.
- However, The Pitching Needs A Lot Of Work. The Rangers’ pitching staff, notably the starters, has been awful this year. The two most productive members of the staff arguably were Scott Feldman, who was a reliever last season, and Vicente Padilla, who was erratic. Kevin Millwood is looking pretty much done and aside from that, there were a cavalcade of young ptichers that came in and out of Arlington this year. Hopefully, this year did something well for their development. Strong starting pitching means that the bullpen won’t be severely gassed by the time June comes around…which is exactly what happened for the Rangers.
However, I feel that overall, the Rangers have done a lot of things right. The rebuilding effort undertaken by Jon Daniels a year and a half ago is now starting to show some promise, especially if the Rangers can acquire solid talent to augment the farm’s core. Staying away from unwise free agent dealings would be another good idea, though I feel that Texas is somehow going to try and swing for the fences with the Sabathia/Sheets/Burnett trio of free agent starters available. That would be a mistake, but hopefully, the Rangers can find those missing pieces, which would take this roster from a promising one to a contending one.
So, one final time this season, I say with enthusiam…
Go Rangers!!!
August 13, 2008 at 10:54 pm · Filed under AL West, Ben Sheets, Boston Red Sox, CC Sabathia, Derek Holland, Justin Smoak, MLB, Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers
Texas is officially out of the WIld Card Race.
I think that may have been the case all along, which is why Daniels and Co. didn’t make any moves at the trade deadline. It may have been one final shot to see just what this roster could do.
And as it turns out, it’s not much different than what the Rangers had been seeing.
A big problem has been the implosion of the rotation, which has seen five rookies starting on it this season, and has three-fifths of the Opening Day rotation hurt. This in turn has severely taxed the bullpen, resulting in it’s own implosion.
THe offense appears to be rolling on all cylinders, though a replacement for production at third base needs to be addressed this off-season. The Rangers will have to make a move at catcher and moving Gerald Laird and possibly one of the Saltalamacchia-Ramirez combo would do wonders at improving the starting rotation.
I do expect the Rangers to also cut some dead weight at the roster. Everyone that needed to be added to the 40 Man roster already has been, with the exception of John Mayberry Jr, who could wind up starting in left or right field come next year. The cutting of dead roster spots not only makes it easier to claim talent off of waivers or exploit the Rule 5 Draft, it also makes signing free agents easier and not have to deal with designating a talent for assignment for someone else.
Overall, it’s a better season than most expected. I’m hoping that a .500 record, and maybe a second place finish, would be a great way to finish off the year. At the very least, it builds momentum for 2009.
Draft Picks Down To The Wire
The General consensus is that the Rangers are going to sign Justin Smoak and Robbie Ross, their first and second round pick.
If so, they need to hurry it up a bit.
THe deadline is Friday and there has been virtually no news on Smoak and only a random quote from Ross, who feels optimistic on a deal being struck.
Smoak, a first baseman, and Ross, a left handed pitcher, both are highly regarded talents and both would go a long way towards helping the Ranger organization.
One complicated bit of business is that of Harold Martinez, who seems gung ho about the Rangers giving him first round money or him going to the University of Miami. I think Texas shoudl go ahead and pony up, as Boston and New York have done the exact same things.
In the prsopects race, you can’t afford to fall behind.
Powerful One-Two Punch Developing At Frisco
The Rangers have a powerful one-two pitching punch at Frisco with Neftali Feliz and Derek Holland now pitching in the same rotation.
Feliz you all know. Holland, however, is a left handed pitcher that can throw in the mid 90’s and compliments it well with two breaking pitches and clean mechanics.
2011 is their projected date. By then, a Major League ready staff should also have Eric Hurley, Matt Harrison, and Brandon McCarthy all ready for them to join in.
Making A Play For A Milwaukee Ace?
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe suggested that Rangers president Nolan Ryan will convince club owner Tom Hicks to spend this winter. It’s likely that Ryan will target either C.C. Sabathia or Ben SHeets.
I’m not against it, as the Rangers will have Padilla’s and Millwood’s contracts potentially leaving the books after 2009. However, a lot of the politics in signing one or the other depends on the draft pick we get in 2009, as anything from 16 on can be lost in compensation. Texas currently has the 18trh Pick in the 2009 Draft. That could change, depending on whether or not Milton Bradley and Eddie Gaurdado stay, as both currently merit Draft Pick Compensation. Either that or we do the Boston approach, meaning we pick off the top talent falling into the later rounds.