Location: Arlington, Texas | Ballpark: Rangers Ballpark in Arlington (49,115) | Spring Training: Surprise, Ariz.
Owner: Tom Hicks | GM: Jon Daniels | Manager: Ron Washington | World Championships: 0
Today's duh-really assessment: they need pitching. Rangers fans are as bored reading it as I am writing it, but that doesn't make it any less true. Maybe it has finally sunk in that they should go after guys who keep the ball down -- which, of course, would require an overhaul of their middle-infield defense ... They've quietly built one hell of a farm system, plus they have what no other MLB organization does: a glut of catching.
09/23/2008
20
17
Guess where the Rangers rank among the 14 AL teams in ERA, hits allowed and runs allowed? Hint: not first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth or thirteenth.
09/16/2008
17
19
There are many, many worse problems to have than a catching glut. Since coming back from the Olympics, Taylor Teagarden is 12-for-30 with 16 RBI. I assume that Gerald Laird will be the odd man out during the offseason maneuvering.
09/09/2008
19
18
The past six seasons of Rangers baseball, summarized in 11 words: No pitching no pitching no pitching no pitching no pitching no.
09/02/2008
18
21
The New Orleans levees are the only entity on the planet more often characterized as "beleaguered" than the Texas bullpen, which could crack the team's own record for most relief innings pitched in a single season (601 1/3 in 2003) ... The Rangers could also claim Seattle's record for most bases-loaded walks issued (28) with a strong September push. Again: Move back the Arlington fences, expand the foul territory, whatever -- just do something to make it so that Texas pitchers have half a chance.
08/26/2008
21
19
Is Milton Bradley's leg bothering him again? Damn, guy -- hire a new personal trainer or cut down on the wind sprints or something. ... This could be interesting: Rangers poobah Nolan Ryan plans on installing a tough-love training regimen for Texas pitchers, which will feature more throwing and, ostensibly, less neck-craning as balls fly out of the park. Me, I'd just call in an architect to make the stadium less hitter-friendly.
08/19/2008
19
14
The only numbers you need to know from the Rangers' recent jaunt through Baltimore and Boston: 62 runs allowed in six games, with two starters allowing nine or more runs in a single inning. Nice knowing you, fellas. Hit the lights on the way out, will you? ... Congrats to Josh Hamilton -– the second-best MVP candidate on the team behind Ian Kinsler, despite pundits hyping his storybook candidacy -– on becoming the sixth player in MLB history to be walked intentionally with the bases already loaded.
08/12/2008
14
13
This week's series against Boston and Tampa will tell us all we need to know about their chances going forward. ... Even though he hadn't yet been given a final diagnosis by team doctors, C.J. Wilson announced the elbow-related demise of his 2008 campaign on his MySpace page. I tell you, these kids today, with the loud music and the hair and the Internets and the tattoos. ... One of the "Sunday notes" columns I read said the Rangers plan to open the vaults in the hope of luring either CC Sabathia or Ben Sheets this offseason. And I'm thinkin': most MLB teams are practically choking on gobs of currency. Unless the Rangers outbid the competition by millions, why would any pitcher worth anything subject himself to pitching in that mini-stadium? ... Kevin Millwood could return this weekend.
08/05/2008
13
13
I've read 13 stories over the past week whose general thrust was "C.J. Wilson remains the Texas closer. Honest." This usually means that he's one bad outing away from being deposed. ... It's 100-plus degrees in Arlington with no break in sight. I can't even begin to imagine what Sidney Ponson's undershirt will smell like after 75 pitches on Wednesday night.
07/29/2008
13
15
The Rangers are 45-34 since April 30. No, really, they are. Check for yourself. ... Michael Young is overrated as both a hitter and a sparkplug, but his broken finger shreds what little depth the team has. ... In an ideal world, phenom du jour Chris Davis would take a walk every so often.
Preseason Power Rankings
Date
Ranking
Previous
02/28/2008
27
-
We figured they would regret the Mark Teixeira trade more than they have, especially since they added a potential impact bat in Josh Hamilton, who we could see hitting 40 home runs in that ballpark some day. Their success (lack thereof?) is contingent on the pitching -- as it always is. Can Brandon McCarthy and Kason Gabbard prove to be more than just back-end guys?
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