February 28, 2008

Another Season Of Mediocrity Hovers Over Arlington in 2008

It’s time for the pre-season predictions for our Texas Ranger baseball team.  We have seen another off-season of acquiring new players and a few trades to boot.  What does it mean for the fans who will be rooting for their hometown heroes?  Unfortunately, it looks like more of the same from a team that hasn’t found a way to be a contender this century.

General Comments – It does finally look like those who like to make predictions about baseball teams have come to grips with the reality that this Ranger team won’t be much better than the one that finished in last place in 2007.  Pretty funny last year to have well respected pundits like Evan Grant saying the Rangers would win the West when virtually every major publication in the nation was saying the team would be a last place finisher again.  No such declarations this year.  Even the hopelessly homer bloggers out there are being cautious.  Instead, everyone is touting the strong farm system and the hope for some future glory – most likely in 2010 and/or beyond.

That’s a clear consensus as to where the Rangers will finish.  And although there is also a consensus that Texas will not have a winning season, Ranger fans can be hopeful that the team won’t finish last again. 

Team Strengths – The bullpen should be strong again and it will have to be since there are questions about all of the starters.  C.J. Wilson seems to be the leading candidate for closer and will build on his successful audition at the end of last season.  The team did add some potential competition for this critical role with the addition of Eddie Guardado and Kazuo Fukumori, both of whom have been closers in the past.  Joaquin Benoit seems to have come into his own as a relief pitcher and posted a very impressive 7-4 record in 82 innings pitched.  Kam Loe probably has the long relief role locked. There are a number of other relievers in camp that have had varying levels of success who will compete for the remaining spots in the pen, including Scott Feldman, Frank Francisco, Wes Littleton, and Josh Rupe.  Longshots include Robinson Tejeda, John Rheinecker (now injured), A.J. Murray, and Matt Harrison.  Don’t look for Luis Mendoza or Eric Hurley in the as relievers, the team has them working as starting pitchers but their turn in the show is most likely later in the season.  Overall, this is a good bunch of pitchers and they will play a critical role in the team’s success this season.

The other area of play that was certainly a team strength last year was the infield positions (catcher included here).  Last season the team looked to go to war with Mark Teixeira at first, Ian Kinsler at second, Michael Young at SS, and Hank Blalock at third.  That’s an impressive group but the names have been changed and it’s not to protect the innocent.  Gone is Teixeira who was the team’s only legitimate star player.  His replacement at first will probably be Ben Broussard, late of the Mariners, and he won’t be confused with a power hitting first baseman as he clubbed just seven homers in 240 Abs for Seattle.  You also won’t be confusing his defense with Teixeira’s.  At second, Kinsler proved he was a player on the rise by hitting .263 with 20 homers while stealing 23 bases.  His defense is good but still a work in progress.  The Rangers rewarded him with a new contract for $22.5 million over five years and he looks to be a fixture in the infield.  At shortstop we find the “face of the Rangers,” Michael Young.  He again cracked the .300 mark by posting a .315 average but his power numbers were down and Young has always been considered only a little above average defender.  At third the team will find Hank Blalock returning from surgery and hopes are high that he can regain his previous form.  Blalock played in only 58 games last year and had 208 ABs.  The Rangers desperately need Blalock to make a comeback as team depth at the position includes only minor leaguer Travis Metcalf and journeyman Ramon Vasquez.  Although the infield was considered a team strength last season, they committed the most infield errors (73) in the American League and now Tex, their best defender is gone.  The infield still might prove to be a good one for the Rangers but they go into this season with more question marks than last year.  Can Broussard and Blalock bounce back, is Kinsler going to continue to improve, and is an aging Young on the decline?  For now, the infield still looks to be a plus for Texas, but it could so south very fast.

At catcher the team is in yet another quandary.  Gerald Laird boasts the best defense but manager Ron Washington has never been impressed with how he handles pitchers.  Moreover, Laird had been considered a solid hitter but had his worst year at the plate in 2007, hitting just .224 with nine homers.  The future supposed arrived last season in the Teixeira trade with Atlanta in the person of Jarrod Saltalamacchia.  Salty has tremendous potential but is young and still learning the position.  His defense and pitcher handling are still developing and he is not yet a force at the plate.  The Rangers now seem committed to making him a full-time catcher but he may have to make a trip to Oklahoma to refine his skills before he takes over the job on a regular basis.  If Saltalamaccia has a great spring and continues to improve behind, and at the plate, the catching position could quickly become a team strength and Laird could become expendable.

Team Weaknesses – The outfield has to be considered weak as there are concerns about all of the positions.  The Rangers fielded what most observers believed was the weakest outfield in the AL last season and the continuous rotation of players into different roles didn’t help matters much.  Indeed, the only solid player turned out to be Kenny Lofton who was traded during the season.  Two significant off-season acquisitions may prove to be winners for the team, but both arrive with high potential along with serious concerns.  Milton Bradley is a legitimate power hitter but is coming off of surgery that may limit his role to DH until later in the season.  Bradley also has a history of being a problem in the clubhouse and on the field.  Josh Hamilton is also a high ceiling player but his struggles with drug addiction are well chronicled.  He was impressive late in the season for the Reds but he has not yet put together a quality major league season.  The Rangers are hopeful that he is the answer to the centerfield problem that has plagued the team for so many years.  Unfortunately, all of the other Ranger outfielders that return to the team come with substantial question marks.  No doubt that Marlon Byrd had a career year in 2007, hitting .307 with 10 homers while playing decent defense.  Whether or not Byrd can improve, or turns out to be a fluke, is yet to be determined.  Byrd has some tools, including good speed and an above average arm, but his numbers in the second half of the season went down and his home field average (.356) was almost a hundred points higher than his away average (.259).  David Murphy came over to Texas in trade with Boston for reliever Eric Gagne.  He played well but was limited to only 46 games so his .343 average is a little misleading.  He is a good, but not great defensive player who might prove to be a quality big leaguer but, again, he is something of an unknown quantity right now.  Frank Catalanotto returns after having one of his worst seasons at the plate where the perennial .300+ hitter posted a .260 average.  Cat is a solid player, but in the outfield his defense is weak and he is much better suited to be a first baseman.  The three remaining players offer little hope for improving the outfield.  Nelson Cruz has clearly established that he is a great minor league player who cannot make the transition to the bigs.  Good defense but terrible at the plate.  And Jason Botts is another big time minor leaguer who can’t put it together as a hitter in the majors.  Botts, unlike Cruz, is very weak as a defender in the outfield. Lastly, the Rangers have brought back Kevin Mench for a try-out but he looks to be a longshot.  Mench was traded because he wasn’t believed to be good enough to be a regular in the Texas outfield and his performance for the Brewers would only seem to confirm his standing. If, and it’s a big if, Bradley can get healthy and stay that way and Hamilton realizes his potential and stays healthy the Rangers outfield will be greatly improved.  Either Byrd or Murphy has enough talent to hold down the third corner outfield spot without embarrassing the team.  This is one team weakness that could transform into a team strength in very short order.

Lastly, there is no doubt that the starting rotation is the team’s greatest weakness again going into the new season.  There is simply no pitcher in the starting five that you can look at and feel confident that he will have a big season.  Kevin Millwood was signed to be the top of the rotation pitcher but seems to be past his prime.  Last season was disappointing, to say the least, as he posted a 10-14 win loss record with a 5.16 ERA while battling nagging injuries.  The Rangers are hoping that his off-season conditioning program will allow him to return to form but it’s certainly an risky for an older player.  The number two man is Vincente Padilla and he stunk up the place last season after signing a nice three year $33 million contract with the team.  He was 6-10 with an ERA of 5.76 and really wasn’t that good.  He struggles early on in the game, doesn’t hold runners well and you just never know what he is going to do from game to game.  Hopes were high when the Rangers traded top pitching prospect John Danks to the White Sox for Brandon McCarthy.  But McCarthy failed to have the breakout season the team expected and, instead, posted an ERA of 4.87 while going 5-10 and breaking down during the season.  McCarthy has a high ceiling, but he must prove he can stay healthy and start putting some wins on the board.  Kason Gabbard, acquired by trade with Boston, did have a winning record last season, something no other regular starter could claim, but his 6-1 record was off-set by his 4.65 ERA and limited starts with Texas.  He is the Rangers’ only lefty and that helps in the Ranger Ballpark, and he may well be a rising star.  He has yet to prove he is the real deal over a full season but there is reason for optimism.  Finally, to fill out the rotation the Rangers signed Jason Jennings.  He is an intriguing player who has a past history of success on the mound.  Jennings was the 2002 Rookie of the Year while pitching for the Rockies.  However, injuries have derailed his career and as he joins the Rangers the bottom line is that he is a career sub .500 pitcher (60-65) who posted a 2-9 record with an ERA of 6.45 in only 19 games in 2007.  He clearly has potential but whether or not he can put it together, and stay healthy, in Texas is anybody’s guess.  A lot of questions in this rotation and that never works out well in a long season.  Look for upcoming prospect Luis Mendoza to challenge for a starting spot if he continues to pitch lights out in spring training.  If he doesn’t break camp with the team he will almost certainly be called up when the current crew starts breaking down.

Management – It’s hard to know what to make of Ranger management and ownership.  Ron Washington struggled early on last season and failed to deliver the winner he promised.  That was to be expected and when asked about how the 2008 team will do he now declares “I’m not in the predicting business.”  Smart move and, indeed, Wash seems to have grown a lot after a year of on the job training.  The team played much better the second half of the year going 52-45 in their last 97 games.  But success in major league baseball is measured by winning and the team was 75-87 and finished in last place.  There were certainly signs of improvement but Washington was promoted as a great teacher who would significantly improve team defense.  Instead, the Rangers made 124 errors last season, the most in the AL.  It’s hard not to like Wash, he seems like a good guy and a quality person, but whether or not he can lead this team to the promised land is something he has yet to prove.  As to GM Jon Daniels, I have made it clear that I think he is in way over his head.  He is getting a lot of praise for rebuilding the farm system and that’s a big plus for him and Ranger fans – if it translates to a winning team in the majors.  Daniels has shown that he is not able to make good trades for major quality league players and he has been unable to make significant free agent signings.  All of his best signings have been when a few of his scattershot acquisitions have come through for him, players like Lofton and Gagne, players that really have had no meaningful impact on the win-loss record.  His big ticket signings like Padilla have not worked out for the team and his trades have been embarrassing.  So, Daniels shifted gears and traded away major leaguers for prospects that resulted in the farm system jumping from one of the worst in baseball to one of the best.  The problem is that you never really know about prospects.  This was supposed to be the year that the DVD trio of John Danks, Edinson Volquez, and Thomas Diamond would arrive in Texas to dramatically upgrade the starting rotation.  You know the story – Danks and Volquez are traded for guys who may, or may not, make a difference in Texas and Diamond is a wounded warrior.  Most prospects, even the good ones, never become quality big league players due to injuries, makeup, or they just hit the ceiling on their talent.  And even if several of these prospects do make the bigs it won’t be enough as you still have to make good trades and free agent signings, something Daniels has repeated shown to be incompetent at doing.  Daniels has successfully distracted the fans and media from the major league team, probably prolonging his tenure in Arlington for a few more years.  Make no mistake, this team will never contend for a pennant with Daniels at the helm.  Unfortunately, one of those fooled by the current exercise in smoke and mirrors is owner Tom Hicks who is on the verge of extending Daniels’ contract.  What else would we expect from Hicks.  Don’t despair, there is some good news in Rangerland as Hicks added Nolan Ryan as team president.  At last the Rangers have someone who really knows professional baseball and will be in a decision-making capacity.  It may be a reach, but it’s hard to believe that someone of Ryan’s ability, character, leadership, and baseball smarts won’t make a huge difference for the Rangers.  We can only hope.

Readers Write – Readers are invited to email their comments on this column or any Ranger issue on their minds.  Click the address at the top of the page.

October 8, 2007

Rangers Wrap-Up For The 2007 Season

Another disappointing season has passed into the record books for the Texas Rangers.   It was a season of terrible baseball followed by good baseball followed by inconsistent baseball.  In other words, the same old Rangers.

Winds of Change – The 2007 season ushered in yet another new manager for the Rangers.  This time it was Ron Washington, formally of the Oakland A’s.  We were told over and over from Wash that he was a “player’s manager” and that he, unlike Buck Showalter we presume, would have the player’s backs.  Washington arrived in Arlington with some fairly substantial question marks concerning his readiness to take charge of a major league baseball team.  The two most interesting were;  his long-time team, the A’s had a managerial opening and had no interest in Washington and second, he had no major league experience as a manager and had managed only briefly in the minors, and not very successfully.

Questions remain based on the 2007 season.  Although Washington wanted to be in the player’s corner for all things baseball he quickly found out that the role of a coach is much different from that of a manager.  Managers must make decisions that will negatively impact some player’s careers, such as sending them to the minors or sitting them on the bench. You know Sammy Sosa was not happy even though he towed the company line and Gerald Laird made no secret that he did not feel supported by his new manager. Interactions with players can become strained, as we saw when Wash tried to get Mark Teixeira to work the count more.  It’s not easy being the boss.

Fans were also frequently bewildered by some of the in game calls that Washington was making.  His line-ups caused more than a few raised eyebrows and he often left starting pitchers in much too long.  Washington was not using his coaching staff effectively and was clearly trying to juggle too many balls himself.  To his credit, when the balls all ended up on the floor he made changes.  His strategy seemed to improve, the clubhouse tension lessoned, and he learned that his job description placed a higher priority on winning the games than winning the players over.  The learning curve was very steep for the new manager but there is no question that Washington goes into the next season as a much better manager than he was when he started this campaign.  That bodes well for the future and demonstrates that Washington is can be a smart manager as well as a popular one.

Lastly, when Washington was seeking the job he convinced the Rangers’ brain trust that he was not only an inspirational leader, but a very effective teacher.  Is it possible that we could have heard the Eric Chavez Gold Glove story anymore than we did?  Unfortunately, his teaching skills didn’t seem to translate into better students as the Rangers finished dead last (OK, tied at the bottom with the Devil Rays) in fielding in the American League.  The team fielding percentage was a lowly .980.  If teaching is Washington’s strength then he needs to figure out a way to help the Rangers play better ball in the field.

Once Again The Pitching Was Bad – No single weakness has plagued a baseball team more than the lack of starting pitching in Arlington.  This situation has become bizarre to say the least.  Everyone from the hot dog vendors to the General Manager is on the same page – we need better pitching.  And this not a new story, every year we hear it from fans and sportswriters alike.  And yet, the pitching problem continues year after year after year.  The Rangers have been both inept and unlucky when they try to find pitching.  Good young arms like Doug Davis and Chris Young have been traded away for no significant return.  Last year’s trade of hot prospect lefty John Danks for Bandon McCarthy is starting to look like another bust.  Big free agent signings for hefty contracts have been met with disappointment –think Chan Ho Park, Vincente Padilla, and even Kevin Millwood here.  The Rangers had a chance to land star pitcher Josh Beckett but failed to find a way to make the deal.  When pitchers like Chien-Ming Wang and Erik Bedard were rumored in the national media to be available the Rangers were sitting on their hands.  The result – the Rangers once again had one of the worst rotations in baseball, finishing near the bottom of the league with a team ERA of 4.75.  When the pitching improved this season about mid-way through the year the Rangers went from being the worst team in baseball to a team that was winning in the second half.  The Rangers were 53 -47 in the last 100 games of the season.

Since the free agent market offers little pitching hope and the Rangers don’t really have much to trade for a top arm, the team looks to enter the 2008 season with the same cast of characters on the mound.

Kevin Millwood – Seems like a long time ago since he was the    league’s ERA leader.  Millwood is a workhorse but never seemed to really be “on” this season.  Some have suggested he needs to dedicate himself to an off-season conditioning program.  A 10 – 14 record with a 5.16 ERA just won’t cut it for the team “ace.”

Vicente Padilla – Your classic “I’ll pitch well in my contract year but don’t expect it to continue” kind of pitcher.  Aside from winning just six games as the number two guy Padilla was a force for disruption of the team.  The only time you could count on him concentrating was when he was planning on throwing at the batter.  Not good in the clubhouse and not good on the mound.  Not good.

Brandon McCarthy – Thought to be good enough to justify trading away top pitching prospect John Danks, the Rangers were disappointed with the performance of McCarthy.  He was both inconsistent and oft injured.  His durability for the long term is an open question. He seems to have the stuff but his five wins were a far cry from what the team hoped they would see this season.

Kason Gabbard – Arrived by trade with a winning record as a soft tossing lefty in the mould of Kenny Rogers.  He seems to have the make-up to be successful but he has had four arm surgeries and that’s never a good sign for a pitcher.  His 6 – 1 record was easily the best winning percentage for a Ranger starter even though it was a small sample.  He should be a solid middle of the rotation pitcher if he can stay healthy.

The Final Slot – Numerous candidates probably starting with Edison Volquez.  Volquez returned from his pilgrimage to the low minors by pitching well for the team posting a 2 -1 record with a 4.50 ERA.  It’s still too early to tell if he is the real deal or the next Robinson Tejeda.  Kam Loe will be in the mix as well but he is probably better suited to be a long relief man in the pen.  The Rangers will take a long look in spring training at prospect Eric Hurley as well as sometime starters A. J. Murray, Josh Rupe, Armando Galarraga, Mike Wood and Tejeda.

The Hitting Was Hit And Miss – The Rangers have long been considered one of the top offensive teams in the league.  Although that changed last year and was followed by another mediocre season at the plate this year, many still think this is a top hitting outfit even if the numbers tell a different story.  Yes, the Texas Ironman Michael Young did get his 200 hits again, but his homerun number was down to nine and he failed to crack the 100 RBI mark.  Marlon Byrd was a pleasant surprise hitting .307 and playing decent defense but his homer total was also low (10) and he posted just 70 RBI.  The team lacked the solid core of big bangers that was so characteristic of past Ranger teams.  Frank Catalanotto, a career .300+ hitter, lost his stroke in Texas and didn’t recover it until late in the season.  To make matters worse, the Rangers kept sending Brad Wilkerson, Nelson Cruz and few other lesser lights out there in the hope they would somehow finally figure out major league pitching – it didn’t happen.  Outfielder David Murphy, acquired by trade, was a bright spot, playing good defense and hitting .343 in 46 games for Texas.  Again, a short sample but a good sign nevertheless.  Overall, the former Ranger hitting machine finished with a .263 team average and in 10^th place in the American League.  There’s a lot of work to be done by Ranger hitters if the team is to rebound next season.

The Bottom Line – The 2007 Rangers were not a very good baseball team and at one point in the season they were 19 games under .500 and had the worse record of any major league baseball team.  Prior to the season we were told by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News that the Rangers would win the AL West and several local writers and bloggers were on board with the team being able to compete for a pennant.  A little homerism can be forgiven, but readers of this column and virtually all of the major national baseball publications knew that the team was projected to finish with a losing record and in third place, or last in the division.  That’s exactly what the Rangers did in 2007, posting a final win-loss record of 75 -87, in last place in the AL West and 19 games in back of the division winning LA Angels.  In the final series against the Mariners the Rangers were swept to finish on a losing note as well.  This stellar performance resulted in contract extensions for Manager Ron Washington and GM Jon Daniels.  Strange.

Unfortunately, the immediate future doesn’t look much better.  The free agent market is weak and the Rangers lack trade chips.  Daniels isn’t exactly waving the white flag for next season but he has commented that “As an organization you expect to win, but at the same time we’re going to be looking to do it with the continued infusion of our young players.”  One improvement does seem imminent, however, as the Rangers look to sign an upgrade type player for centerfield.  The popular choice is Torii Hunter, a quality defensive and offensive player who is rumored to want to sign with Texas this off-season.  He’ll be expensive, but at some point owner Tom Hicks has got to start spending some of bucks he’s been saving up the last couple of years.   Hunter won’t be enough to turn the Rangers into winners next season but he will be a step in the right direction.  A full preview of next year will be available to readers in the Spring edition of the Ranger Roundup.

Other Concerns – It should come as no secret to readers of this column that I am not convinced that the Rangers have the right person in the managers job, and certainly not the right person as the General Manager.  As a team owner, Tom Hicks has been unpredictable, at best.  He shifts in philosophy more than a man with bipolar disease.  We have been treated to wild excessive spending on contracts and a large payroll to penny pinching and a relatively small team payroll.  We have seen Hicks go for leadership of the Rangers with an experienced and proven GM to hiring a GM who is clearly too young and inexperienced for the job.  We have seen Hicks go for a manager that was successful at the big league level to one with no managerial experience.  At various times over the past few years the team focus has gone from hitting, to pitching, to the farm system and all points in between.  And therein lays the danger.  It now seems as though everyone whispering in Hicks’ ear is telling him he just needs a plan and the ability to stick to it – stability.  He seems to be buying that philosophy now.  The only problem with that approach is that if you make a commitment for the long term you had better be certain that the key people in place are the right ones to get the job done.  In the Rangers’ case, it is clear that GM Jon Daniels will never lead the team to success.  As for Ron Washington, he’s improved a lot this season and he may have the makings for a successful manager but the jury is still out.  What we do know is that under the current brain trust of Washington, Daniels, and Hicks et al, we have another last place team.

As for Daniels he has failed miserably in his duties as GM.  Make no mistake, this sorry excuse for a baseball team that was never competitive in 2007, is Daniel’s team.  He is responsible for almost all the players and staff that call themselves Rangers.  As we have discussed before, a GM for any team must do three things.  He must make good trades, make good free agent signings, and build a strong farm system.  The free agent signings have not paid off for the Rangers and there is a lot of salary that could have been spent more effectively.  As to the trades, Daniels has been skinned in every important deal he has made.  So, this season we saw a major shift in direction from the young GM.  He traded away quality players like Mark Teixeira, Eric Gagne, and Kenny Lofton for young players, mostly in the low minors with the exception of Jarrod Saltalamcchia, Kason Gabbard, and David Murphy.  Of those three, only Salty is considered a prime prospect for the future.

So we have to ask why the focus has shifted so dramatically by Daniels?  There are two possible answers.  The first is that Daniels is trying to go the farm system route in the hopes that it will provide enough quality players down the road for the team to be competitive.  Build from within and stay with the plan, that’s the company line.  Unfortunately, that will only work if your farm system is much better than your competition’s farm system.  Certainly the Rangers’ minor league talent has taken a big jump upwards with the addition of players like Max Ramirez, Elvis Andrus, Matt Harrison, Beau Jones, Neftali Feliz, and Engel Beltre.  However, as with all young players and prospects you never really know what you have for several years.  We really don’t know yet if Salty, Gabbard, and Murphy will prove to be the real deal.  The minors are littered with high potential players who never made the jump to the show for a variety of reasons.  Furthermore, the Rangers’ farm system was so weak, rated 28 out of 30 by Baseball America, that even this infusion of talent only brings the farm system up to middle of the road.  How that translates to winning the AL West when other teams, the Angels in particular, still have better farm systems, more major league talent, and a willingness to spend on free agents, is anybody’s guess.  Well, at least, as everyone seems so fond of saying – it’s a plan.

The other explanation for this change in direction is a little more sinister.  It may well be that Daniels knows he can’t get the job done for the Rangers and postponing expectations is the only way he can keep his job for the next few years.  If we can be made to believe that the Rangers will be the team to beat if we just wait until 2010 it buys everyone a little time.  That could also explain why Daniels drafted so many high school players this year.  Everyone understands that high school players are four to five years from the majors.  It could be that the heralded plan for the future is just so much smoke and mirrors, something Ranger fans have certainly experienced before.  For now, I would like to believe that Daniels is sincere and is trying to build for the future with youth.  He seemed to be hedging his bets when he commented recently that “I’m never going to put a timetable on it.  From the day we get into spring training, the expectation for that day or that night is for the club we put together to win.”  Well, I guess the future isn’t exactly now, is it?

Thoughts on Sammy Sosa – Adding Sammy Sosa to the team this season was an interesting move, to say the least.  I was among those who thought Sosa would not contribute much, be a diversion, and block the development of Jason Botts.  I was dead wrong.  Sosa was a real trooper for the Rangers and his reaching the 600 homer mark this season was one of the few real highlights for the fans.  All the statheads that point to his weakness against right handed pitchers and his limited defensive skills are probably right.  But Sosa brought some excitement to the Rangers this year and was, by all accounts, a positive force on the field and in the clubhouse.  Don’t forget that even in a limited role Sosa hit .252 with a team leading 21 homers and 92 RBI.  But more importantly, he is the kind of player that fans like to see at the ballpark.  If you put all of the Ranger players at autograph tables at the park on the same night, who do you think would have the longest line at his table – Sosa, no question.  The Rangers have acted very decently to Sosa by giving him a chance, and being honest with him about his changing role.  We don’t always see this team’s officials act with this much class and respect for a player.  Washington has said he would like to see Sosa return and the Rangers have kept the door open.  Sosa is being given an opportunity to see if another team wants him for a full-time role, and, if not, the team is willing to talk to him about returning for another season in Texas.  I hope it all works out, but even if it doesn’t, having Sammy Sosa play for the Rangers in 2007 was a great move by Daniels and team.  Sosa can again provide some excitement and star power for a team that is rebuilding the next couple of years and fans would enjoy seeing that homerun total grow and grow.  Loves me some Sammy Sosa.

Readers Write – Readers are invited to email their comments on this column or any Ranger issue on their minds.  A reminder – due to work considerations, this column is only being run three times a year now, a pre-season report, a mid-season assessment, and a year-end wrap up.

          “I read your column in the middle of the year and wonder if you have changed your view about our Rangers now.  The team is definitely on the move up.  What I think you have overlooked is the number of injuries this team had.  This is a good baseball team and there second half record proves the point.  They may not have solid enough pitching to win yet but I think this is the first time that Kevin Millwood has had a losing record recently.  He will come back.  Lots of guys had off years this season and got off to slow starts.  It won’t happen again I’m pretty sure.  I’d like to see the Rangers get a couple of good bats and one good pitcher in the off-season and I believe they would be a contender next season.”

Jason, Waxahachie

Blair Lybbert
RangerRoundup@Nutzworld.net