What the Texas Rangers Should Do
SUMMARY
At 56-40, the Texas Rangers start today six games clear of the Anaheim Angels and 7.5 games ahead of Oakland for the AL West crown. CoolStandings.com gives the Rangers an 86% chance of winning the division and to boot they are just two behind the Rays for the Wild Card if they were to lose the West due to some insane hot streak reminiscent of Oakland’s 2003 run of 20 games in a row or Colorado’s September of 2007.
BUY OR SELL
Obviously the answer is buy, but I cannot pretend to make this retroactive and the Rangers have already bought. A more pressing question then is whether the Rangers have bought enough. Personally, I think so. Even without much help yet from Cliff Lee or Bengie Molina the Rangers performed as one of baseball’s best teams. Cliff Lee is a huge addition and Bengie Molina a decent addition of depth at catcher. I am still of the mind that the Angels are over performing in 2010 and the Athletics pose little realistic threat down the stretch especially is Ben Sheets ends up being dealt. Assuming the Rangers do not collapse in the Texas summer heat, they should waltz to their first postseason berth since 1999.
ON THE FARM
Neftali Feliz and Derek Holland are up with the team and Justin Smoak is now with Seattle so the biggest name left near the Majors is Tanner Scheppers. Scheppers has moved back into the rotation after beginning this Minor League season in the Double-A and eventually Triple-A bullpen. It is far too early to pass any sort of statistical judgment on his performance, but his ability to miss bats and get strikeouts is certainly holding over from his amateur days. The questions on Scheppers for the near future are going to be jointly related issues with injuries and control. So far they are being held at bay, but anyone with his history should be treated with caution.
BUDGET
Put bluntly, the Rangers budget is $0. Currently mired in an ownership and financial quagmire, the Rangers are not in a good position to be adding salary. They had to construct their trades for Bengie Molina and Cliff Lee around the sending teams eating large percentages of those contracts in return for better prospects heading back from Texas. Luckily, Texas is not in an immediate need to add payroll. Where it could get very sticky is if this drags out and runs into the offseason or who knows, even next year’s draft.
Matthew Carruth is a software engineer who has been fascinated with baseball statistics since age five. When not dissecting baseball, he is watching hockey or playing soccer.
Anyone see the fight in the Seattle dugout last night in yet another loss?
Now, if that isn’t the #6 organization in baseball, then I don’t know what is.
Seabiscuit has been beaten into the ground. They fucked up and it’s time to move on.
As for Texas their rotation was the weak spot and they made a big improvement with Lee. There’s not much else they can do.
Dead horse is kicking in his grave. Leave it to rest in peace.
Jared Fogle : I try to give aides to children and they all hate me. I tell my fiancee to get aides and she leaves me. What’s wrong with aides, why won’t anyone let me give them aides!?
Mr.Garrison (with angry mob) : There he is, beating up that dead horse!
I was hoping for a demand that the Rangers quit using Neftali Feliz in the bullpen, with the explanation being “Guess what Rangers, your rotation sucks too!”
Scheppers is in the AAA bullpen now.
A beat writer mailbag today suggests Holland may not pitch with the ML club this year. But he’s not with them anyway at the moment, he’s rehabbing in AZRL.
Oakland’s 20 game streak was in 2002.. kthxbai
The Rangers could use some help at first, no?
Well, Mr. Carruth, I’m not sure you should be writing about the Texas Rangers. Derek Holland is “up with the team”? “The biggest name left near the Majors is Tanner Schepper”?
And, how do you deal Ben Sheets when he’s on the DL? Yeah, I’ve seen it done too. But the odds….are….not good.
“Dutch” is about to to begin his rehab starts with the Arizona league rookies. Rich Harden has three rehab starts under his belt and, regardless of recent ML results, (and apparently regardless if those MiL ones too), is much closer to a plane ticket to Arlington than Scheppers – not to mention the name recognition factor, or his recent return to a relief role for Tanner which I believe is to accelerate his use in that capacity later this season.
Nah. I’m thinking you’re behind any Texas Rangers fans knowledge of their team and might want to investigate your next article before putting it out there for scrutiny. Luckily you kept it pretty short, used enough easily accessed info to keep it believable, and probably wrote this before Matt Treanor was hurt and replaced by Taylor Teagarden as back-up catcher.
I AM TEH 6ORG PROSPEKT
You have the grace of a 5 year old throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of the supermarket aisle because his mother won’t buy him Twinkies. I was as opposed to the Mariners being ranked as 6th as much as anyone, but you and the rest of the #6org crew make me embarrassed to admit that.
BUT I AM TEH 6ORG PROSPEKT!111111
Yep, Scheppers back in the pen now to get him used to pitching in short stints again. He’ll be called up in the next few weeks. Should be another nice power arm.
Matthew’s anti- every other AL West team except the Mariners bias is what will always keep him from being a good credible sports writer. At least Jeff Sullivan is able to step outside the Mariner bubble and write interesting and fair articles on other teams that are accurate and informative.
great ammisince that cographil oblent with fortataty and splism arivess. ipenfram all edint from misce velhatint from reress and foodic.