2007 Record: 75-87, 4th Place in the AL West
Abedi's 2008 Projection: 74-88, 4th Place in the AL West
Key Additions
Key Departures
Projected Lineup
- 2B Ian Kinsler
- LF Frank Catalanotto
- SS Michael Young
- CF Josh Hamilton
- DH Milton Bradley
- 3B Hank Blalock
- RF Marlon Byrd
- 1B Ben Broussard
- C Gerald Laird
The Rangers made some offensive improvements to their outfield this offseason when they decided to trade for Josh Hamilton and sign Milton Bradley. The team will also be looking forward to a full season of Hank Blalock, who was on pace for his best season as a pro before he got injured last season. However, I won't say the improvements are a significant upgrade. For one, all-star first basemen
Mark Teixeira now sports an Atlanta
Braves jersey and without
Kenny Lofton at the top of the order, the team really lacks speed. On the other hand, it really doesn't have too much power either. Josh Hamilton, if he hits like he did a year ago, is the only Ranger that could hit over 30 home runs. Meanwhile, I'm starting to question Ron Washington's decision making abilities as a manager. For starters, he doesn't know how to field a lineup. For one, he has Hank Blalock, arguably one of the teams best hitters, batting 6th in the order while he has Frank Catalanotto, who had a .337 OBP last season, hitting 2nd. It would make much more sense to move Blalock up to the fourth or 5th spot, put Bradley batting 2nd and move Catalanotto toward the bottom. Secondly, most reports are indicating that the Rangers are leaning towards starting Gerald Laird at catcher. This would mean that
Jarrod Saltalamacchia (who is ready for the big leagues) would be sent back to AAA and
Adam Melhuse would be carried as the team's backup. Lastly, why on earth Jon Daniel didn't trade Marlon Byrd (whose value was at an all-time high) this off-season is beyond me. At this point last season, opposing GM's wouldn't have traded a box of donuts to acquire Byrd, but after several team showed interest, the fact that the Rangers didn't trade him for prospects is a mistake.
The Bench
At this point in his career, Adam Melhuse has no business being on a major league roster. As for Vazquez, he's never been a good major league player and I'm surprised he still has a role as a backup. The Rangers could do much better here. The one bright spot in the Rangers bench could be outfielder David Murphy. Since coming over in a trade last season, Murphy has shown that he can hit big league pitching very well. Murphy batted .340 in limited at bats last season and has gotten off to a hot start this spring. It wouldn't surprise me if he eventually overtook Frank Catalanotto or Marlon Byrd in the starting lineup later in the season. As for Botts, I'm predicting he'll make the roster over
Kevin Mench and Nelson Cruz. For starters, Botts is out of options and Mench has a clause in his contract that forces him to accept a AAA assignment if he doesn't make the big league squad out of spring training. Nelson Cruz is the superior outfield defender, but doesn't really have much of an advantage with the bat and has gotten off to a bad start this spring while Botts also has the capabilities of playing first base. Even though Ron Washington has insisted Broussard will be the everyday first basemen against lefties, something tells me he will come to his sense and platoon him with Botts before long.
The Starting Rotation
- RHP Kevin Millwood
- RHP Vincente Padilla
- RHP Jason Jennings
- RHP Brandon McCarthy
- LHP Kason Gabbard
Watching the Rangers deal with their pitching problems is like listening to a song on repeat in your cars stereo. It's same old story or the Rangers and nothing has been done this offseason to fix it. The Rangers are the one team in the American League that doesn't have a distinguishable ace at the front of their rotation. All of their pitchers struggled to perform last season and I don't see how it will change too much heading into 2008. In fact the Rangers most effective pitcher last year, Edinson Volquez, was sent away in the trade that netted the team Josh Hamilton. So unless the Rangers intend to out-slug every single team in the league, it will be another disappointing season for them in the AL West.
The Bullpen
Unlike the starting rotation, the Rangers bullpen is actually a sign of hope for the team. Fukumori has looked outstanding this spring and could turn out to be one of the best signings this offseason. A combination of Fukumori and Wilson make a formidable late inning team that the Rangers haven't had since they traded away
Francisco Cordero a few years back. Meanwhile, gambling on Guardado wasn't that bad of a risk and Francisco and Littleton should be fine in middle relief roles. The Rangers would have been better off carrying
Robinson Tejeda instead of Jamey Wright at long relief, but with his poor performance this spring it looks as if Tejeda will be wearing a different uniform this year.
Abedi's Take:
I don't understand how a GM could make the same mistake every season and not attempt to fix it. Jon Daniels has done nothing for the Rangers since taking over as GM and I'm surprised he still has a job. The Rangers claim to be in a rebuilding state, but they aren't very far off from becoming a competitive ballclub once again. If they can get some reliable pitching, then they could contend for the AL West. However, I can't expect a GM, who has made mistake after mistake with the ballclub to suddenly run things correctly.
Bradley will be the Designated HItter at the start of the season as he's still recovering from that torn ACL that he suffered at the end of last year. Once he's fully healthy, then he'll move to right field, with Byrd going to left, and Catalanotto back to the DH spot.
