Texas Rangers
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| Projected Lineup |
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| CF |
Doug Glanville |
| DH |
Carl Everett |
| SS |
Alex Rodriguez |
| RF |
Juan Gonzalez |
| 1B |
Rafael Palmeiro |
| LF |
Kevin Mench |
| 3B |
Hank Blalock |
| 2B |
Michael Young |
| C |
Einar Diaz |
| Projected Rotation |
|---|
| RHP |
Chan Ho Park |
| LHP |
John Thomson |
| RHP |
Ismael Valdes |
| RHP |
Ryan Drese |
| RHP |
Joaquin Benoit |
| CL |
Ugueth Urbina |
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By John Donovan, SI.com
They're bad and they know it. And it shows even more when everybody else in the neighborhood is really, really good.
Still, the Texas Rangers are who they are -- a very good hitting team, featuring the best player in the American League, with really, really bad pitching.
The Rangers didn't do much this offseason to help themselves, either. Their bullpen may be slightly improved. They have a closer now in Ugueth Urbina, who theoretically will help salvage a few of the 33 saves the Rangers blew last season. Francisco Cordero had a 0.71 ERA after the break last year, so he could provide some decent setup for Urbina.
But the Rangers don't have a starter who won 10 games. Their big-ticket pitcher, Chan Ho Park, is an ace in name only. The rest of the rotation consists of the usual suspects.
Luckily, this team can hit. Shortstop Alex Rodriguez is coming off what should have been an MVP season (.300, 57 homers, 142 RBIs), old reliable Rafael Palmeiro (43 homers, 105 RBIs) returns to take a shot at homer No. 500, while Carl Everett and Juan Gonzalez, if healthy, can be big offensive threats. All that means the Rangers will continue to score runs. They were fifth in scoring last season in the AL.
Can they score more than they let up, though? Probably not. Which puts the Rangers way behind the rest of the rugged AL West.
Hank Blalock was christened The Can't Miss Rookie of the Year last spring then laid an egg after wonning a spot on the big club. The Rangers, though, haven't lost faith. After his demotion last season (he hit .211 in 49 games with the Rangers), Blalock rebounded by hitting .307 in Class AAA Oklahoma. The Rangers reportedly will give Blalock, a natural third baseman, a look at second base this spring.
Settling the infield will be a big priority as the Rangers take to their new spring digs in Surprise, Ariz. Second baseman Michael Young is exceptional defensively and has the makings of a leadoff man -- if he can get on base more (a .308 on-base percentage just doesn't cut it). Third baseman Herbert Perry had career highs in homers and RBIs last season (22 and 77), but Blalock, or even slugger-in-waiting Mark Teixeira, could unseat him there. The unrest at those positions is making the Rangers look a little more closely at first baseman Palmeiro, too, perhaps considering a DH spot for him instead, which would open up first for one of the youngsters.
Shortstop ... that's pretty solid.
Last year, the Rangers shelled out $65 million in a five-year deal to get former Dodgers starter Park. So far, the move has been a disaster. Hitters teed off on Park at a .273 clip. He was a paltry 9-8 with a 5.75 ERA (the league's worst among regular starters). He also showed succombed to injuries, starting only 25 games. Park is the Rangers' ace, without a doubt, because after him things drop off considerably. Can he regain the form that enabled him to go 18-10 with a 3.27 ERA in 2000? If he doesn't ... well, you don't want to know.
He may not start the season with the big club, but Teixeira will get there sometime this season. And then the whole lineup will be affected. The switch-hitting third baseman -- that's what he's listed at for now -- hit .318 with 19 homers and 69 RBIs in 86 games in the minors last year. Still, he'd have to have a lights-out spring to make the jump to the majors out of spring training. If only he could pitch.
Arrivals: C Einar Diaz (from Cleveland in a trade), RHP Ryan Drese (from Cleveland in a trade), RHP Ugueth Urbina (from Boston as a free agent), RHP Esteban Yan (from Tampa Bay as a free agent), LHP Aaron Fultz (from San Francisco as a free agent), RHP Ismael Valdes (from Seattle as a free agent), RHP John Thomson (from New York Mets as a free agent), OF Doug Glanville (from Philadelphia as a free agent).
Departures: C Ivan Rodriguez (to Florida as a free agent), LHP Kenny Rogers (unsigned free agent, cannot re-sign with Texas until May 1), 2B-OF Frank Catalanotto (to Toronto as a free agent), RHP Aaron Myette (to Cleveland in a trade), 1B-DH Travis Hafner (to Cleveland in a trade), RHP Hideki Irabu (to Japan as a free agent), LHP John Rocker (unsigned free agent), OF Todd Hollandsworth (to Florida as a free agent), LHP Dennys Reyes (to Pittsburgh as a free agent).
Everett had a fine season after the All-Star break, hitting .327 with 10 home runs and 42 RBIs, and though Gonzalez was nursing a thumb injury that cost him much of 2002, he's someone who can give you a 120-RBI season in a blink. Did we say this team can hit? Well, the Rangers sure can. But unless unproven starters like John Thomson and Ismael Valdes can do a number, and the bullpen comes along, it doesn't matter what new skipper Buck Showalter can or can't do. Unless he can pitch, that is.
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