Rangers To Finally Develop Via Pitching? From the group of Ivan Rodriguez, Rafael Palmerio and Juan Gonzalez, the Rangers seamlessly went to Michael Young, Hank Blalock and Mark Teixeira (with Alex Rodriguez peppered in there from 2001-2003), but the wins haven’t followed, but that could change with the recent trade for Brandon McCarthy.
To Quote Kenny Rogers.. Rookie GM Jon Daniels made a flurry of moves last offseason, completely re-vamping the starting rotation (4 of the 5 starters were in their first year in a Rangers’ uniform), traded Alfonso Soriano, and then traded to get Carlos Lee just before the trading deadline. However, it is this upcoming offseason that will determine the direction the Rangers are going. They have 8 upcoming free agents and need to extend a few players.
Rangers Dig Wells, Climb Creaky Stairs Like much of the trading deadline, there was a lot of talk that never materialized, but still plenty of action. While names like Miguel Tejada, Roy Oswalt, Brad Lidge, Jason Schmidt and Jon Lieber were attached to them on rumor mill, the Rangers quietly picked up two players that could have an impact on their trek towards an AL West division crown.
Grading The Deal: Carlos Lee To The Rangers The Rangers get Carlos Lee, who immediately becomes the Rangers' leader in home runs, RBI’s, steals, and OPS. Lee is a career .343 hitter at Ameriquest field, and after the Rangers were swept by the Yankees, questions were raised about the offense in the clutch. Lee gives the Rangers a cleanup hitter, and more importantly, a sense of confidence in the clubhouse.
A Texas-Sized Pitcher For The Rangers To Acquire The Rangers must avoid acquiring a pitcher just for the sake of acquiring one. It takes a special kind of player to pitch at the Rangers home park Ameriquest Field. The intolerable heat and favorable hitting conditions can easily break a pitcher (see Chan Ho Park and Mark Clark) if he lacks mental toughness. For a pitcher to thrive in a Rangers uniform they must have a short memory, little concern for dazzling statistics and must pitch aggressively to opposing batters. That said there is only one pitcher available who fits all those criteria: Livan Hernandez.
How The Rangers Have Done It The Texas Rangers currently sit 2 ½ games atop the AL West, to the surprise of many. The Los Angeles Angles of the Western time zone of the United States of America of Anaheim were in the ALCS last year, and Oakland had a starting rotation every other team except the White Sox were drooling over. Pre-season, the Rangers were considered wild-card contenders at best. So how have they done it?
Rangers Spend Money at Exactly the Wrong Times The Rangers’ financial decisions just don’t make much sense. It’s hard to believe that the people making these moves are professionals. You know who is a real, smart man when it comes to what he does? Scott Boras, who just got his client (Kevin Millwood) the richest deal of the offseason, matching the $60 million Paul Konerko received.
Rogers Should Lead By Example Texas Rangers veteran pitcher Kenny Rogers is having a superb season at 9-3, however, his recent bout with a water cooler not only jepordizes his pitching, it threatens his ability to lead.
