So Darvish made his spring debut yesterday. He gave up a double that went past Moreland and also a deep ball to center that could have been a homer in a few parks around the league. But he also struck out three, and threw more than 5 different types of pitches. Video below:
All in all, expect BIG things out of Darvish. This debut though short is convincing. Real Deal. Look for us in the Series again!
*
In light of pitchers and catchers reporting to camp soon I'm jotting down my thoughts and predictions for our beloved Texas Rangers.
First and foremost, I'd like to say that our team looks great and as a homer I think we have a great chance to make it back to the World Series. However history has shown that across all sports it is difficult to achieve that kind of consecutive success. But here's to hoping.
(Show my glove some love Elvis!)
(Up top, short stop!)
Recent contract renewals for Cruz, Andrus and Napoli is huge. Getting offensive production out of your SS and C positions is very difficult. Napoli probably won't start at C often but because of his high winning percentage behind the plate last year maybe we'll see him catch more in 2012. All of these guys are great defensively and Cruz and Andrus will both steal a good number of bases.
(Bro...treat my hand like you did that girl's backside at the bar!)
Unfortunately we'll probably see some fall off from Hamilton and Kinsler. Kins because of his injury history and general lack of improvement thus far. The guy just can't get his average up. Hamilton, I've just got a bad feeling. We will surely see some fall off with Young and Napoli too…mainly because their production last year was nothing short of spectacular. We need to get similar or better production out of everyone else…especially Beltre. I'd like to see a big step forward from Mitch Moreland as well although I'm not predicting that. Here's the lineup:
Lineup
|
Player
|
POS
|
Team
|
AB
|
R
|
HR
|
RBI
|
SB
|
AVG
|
OBP
|
SLG
|
FVal
|
1
|
TEX
|
545
|
100
|
25
|
61
|
25
|
0.270
|
0.366
|
0.473
|
$22
|
||
2
|
TEX
|
575
|
86
|
4
|
60
|
40
|
0.285
|
0.359
|
0.360
|
$14
|
||
3
|
TEX
|
475
|
77
|
24
|
90
|
7
|
0.305
|
0.363
|
0.539
|
$20
|
||
4
|
TEX
|
585
|
88
|
13
|
98
|
5
|
0.313
|
0.363
|
0.455
|
$24
|
||
5
|
TEX
|
500
|
74
|
26
|
90
|
3
|
0.292
|
0.337
|
0.520
|
$16
|
||
6
|
TEX
|
470
|
66
|
28
|
79
|
11
|
0.272
|
0.331
|
0.521
|
$12
|
||
7
|
TEX
|
445
|
72
|
31
|
79
|
4
|
0.281
|
0.374
|
0.551
|
$23
|
||
8
|
TEX
|
380
|
49
|
11
|
51
|
10
|
0.279
|
0.340
|
0.421
|
$-7
|
||
9
|
TEX
|
395
|
52
|
15
|
54
|
3
|
0.268
|
0.339
|
0.433
|
$-7
|
We've got great depth in the outfield with David Murphy, Craig Gentry, Endy Chavez and Leonys Martin ready off the bench. And our infield is incredibly versatile with Young and Napoli rotating in and out of the DH spot and offering relief for other position players. Our depth is arguably the best in baseball but at worst top 3.
As much as I love our offense, I'm more in love with our pitching.
Projected Rotation (and guys on DL who will start at some point)
Starter
|
Player
|
POS
|
Team
|
IP
|
W
|
L
|
ERA
|
WHIP
|
K
|
BB
|
FVal
|
1
|
TEX
|
200
|
12
|
10
|
4.10
|
1.21
|
177
|
59
|
$4
|
||
2
|
TEX
|
200
|
12
|
10
|
4.19
|
1.37
|
165
|
69
|
$-2
|
||
3
|
TEX
|
200
|
15
|
9
|
3.33
|
1.17
|
180
|
40
|
$14
|
||
4
|
TEX
|
170
|
11
|
8
|
3.92
|
1.34
|
112
|
58
|
$-2
|
||
5
|
TEX
|
170
|
11
|
8
|
3.86
|
1.05
|
159
|
69
|
$9
|
The above rotation is exciting to say the least. If these guys pitch to their potential then the rest of Baseball is in trouble. But we can always bring Ogando or Feldman out of the pen if necessary. Both have shown that they can pitch quality starts in the Bigs. Feliz is probably the most likely to disappoint…in which case just throw him back in the bullpen where he is comfortable and effective. Booya.
(The Japanese C.J. ? Let's hope not...)
Signing Joe Nathan and Yu Darvish adds even more depth to what is already one of the deeper pitching cores in the MLB. Yu's numbers from Japan are fantastic ( 1.72 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 9.5 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 ). I think it's worth the risk to pay big for what should be our Ace of the future and potentially one of the best pitchers in the entire league. It's better than paying C.J. when we've already seen his ceiling. And I'm betting that his production falls off now that he's got the big deal he's been dreaming of. Have fun writing screenplays, chasing swimsuit models, and just being awesome out there in LA.
(Try my famous hot dogs...they make me smile!)
As for Nathan, he has been a dominant closer in recent history. He struggled some last year coming back from Tommy John's surgery but he was getting it back towards the end of the season. I hope for nothing but dominance out of our new closer.
Relievers (may include/exclude guys not on 25-man roster)
Player
|
POS
|
Team
|
IP
|
W
|
L
|
Saves
|
ERA
|
WHIP
|
K
|
BB
|
FVal
|
TEX
|
60
|
3
|
3
|
30
|
3.60
|
1.12
|
63
|
19
|
$5
|
||
TEX
|
60
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
2.55
|
0.87
|
63
|
14
|
$2
|
||
TEX
|
70
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
3.73
|
1.14
|
54
|
19
|
$-3
|
||
TEX
|
60
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
2.55
|
0.83
|
74
|
8
|
$3
|
||
TEX
|
60
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
3.45
|
1.08
|
59
|
15
|
$-2
|
||
TEX
|
40
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
4.50
|
1.00
|
30
|
15
|
$-6
|
||
TEX
|
60
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
3.60
|
1.45
|
55
|
25
|
$-6
|
||
TEX
|
120
|
8
|
8
|
0
|
4.35
|
1.39
|
70
|
39
|
$-8
|
||
TEX
|
110
|
5
|
5
|
0
|
4.75
|
1.36
|
90
|
53
|
$-9
|
The rest of the bullpen looks great with the likes of Alexi Ogando, Mike Adams and a solid cast of supporters. Washington will no longer have the temptation to bring in the old guys; Darren Oliver and Arthur Rhodes aren't here anymore. They're removing the handicapped ramps from the bullpen before the start of the season.
(Please don't go out of the park, pretty please)
One move we still need to make...we do need to rid ourselves of the useless Uehara who couldn't throw anything but home run balls once we traded for him. Sayonara Suckah!
(The new dreaded and feared...)
The AL West with the exception of the Angels should be a cakewalk. The Halos have improved with the addition of Wilson and Pujols. Their rotation is now Phillies-esque with Jared Weaver, Dan Haren, C.J. Wilson and Ervin Santana. But their bullpen and offense lack the talent and depth to match up against us. Still it should be a race to the end with these guys and I will be glued to all 18 games this season. Oakland and Seattle you can sleep on…neither team should sniff .500 .
(I can feel him kicking around in there!)
As for the rest of the AL...there will be some stiff competition. The Bo Sox will be back with a vengeance this year. Those games against Boston towards the end of last season were wildly unpredictable. We stomped them, then they stomped us. The Tigers will be better after adding Prince Fielder. The Yankees are always dangerous. But you can expect a drop off from the Rays. We need to dominate the stronger teams in the AL this year to help get us over the hump.
So there you have it. I predict 100 wins, the division title and a great shot at getting back to the World Series. GO RANGERS!
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