[情報] Athlon Baseball 2009 Rangers Preview
Athlon Baseball 2009 Texas Rangers Preview
The Rangers’ big accomplishment in 2008: They finished above third place in
the AL West for the first time since winning the division in 1999. It may be
just one small step, but this is an organization simply trying to walk in the
right direction. The Rangers will have to make a big leap forward if they
intend to make up the 21-game gap between themselves and the Angels. It may not
seem realistic, but if the club gets some bigger contributions from its
pitching staff, the lineup is dangerous enough to slug with anyone in the AL.
Rotation
As usual, there are a ton of questions in the starting rotation, which ranked
last in the majors in ERA (5.51) in 2008 and didn’t draw any new bodies for
2009. Will Brandon McCarthy ever be healthy enough to be a steady contributor?
Is lefty Matt Harrison ready for the big leagues? Can reformed reliever Scott
Feldman, a relative surprise in 2008, take another step? Those questions and
others won’t matter a lick if the Rangers don’t get more from Kevin Millwood
and Vicente Padilla. Both are making more than $11 million per season. Both
have had consecutive underwhelming seasons. And both are in potential free
agent seasons. Millwood was overweight and out of shape from the start last
year, and it resulted in one of the worst seasons of his career. Padilla seemed
to tire of having to carry the staff after a strong first half. He fell victim
to a nagging neck injury and was less effective when he pitched in the last
half of the season. The Rangers need the duo to lead the way for the rest of
the staff, and club president Nolan Ryan has challenged them to do just that.
Bullpen
The bullpen bore the brunt of the rotation’s failures last year, and it took a
toll on the group as the year progressed. It also didn’t help that Joaquin
Benoit, a workhorse the previous two seasons as a middle man and setup
reliever, was never really healthy. And closer C.J. Wilson cratered, lost his
job, then ended up having season-ending elbow surgery. Both Benoit and Wilson
should be back this season, and they may be pitching in front of Frank
Francisco, who was left standing as the closer at the end of 2008. All he did
was convert the five chances handed to him in the final five weeks of the
season without allowing an earned run. The Rangers have also taken a low-risk
flier on Derrick Turnbow, who has been hurt much of the past two seasons. If
Benoit, Wilson and Turnbow are all healthy, the Rangers could have a formidable
and secure back end of the bullpen.
Middle infield
Ready or not, here he comes. The Rangers believe 20-year-old Elvis Andrus is
major league ready and asked Gold Glove shortstop Michael Young to move to
third base. Andrus, who was acquired from the Braves in the Mark Teixeira deal,
has speed to burn, swiping 54 bases while batting .295 in Double-A Frisco last
year. Andrus teams with second baseman Ian Kinsler to make up a young and
speedy double-play combo. Kinsler made his first All-Star team last year and
was on his way to an MVP-caliber season before a sports hernia sidelined him
for the final six weeks.
Corners
Young made the All-Star team every year since moving from second base to
shortstop in 2004 and won his first Gold Glove award in 2008, but the Rangers
decided to move him to third base in the offseason in hopes of solidifying what
has been an inconsistent position since Hank Blalock’s injury woes began.
Young met the Rangers’ request with resistance initially, but agreed to the
move and will try to follow others who have successfully made the
short-to-third transition in their careers. Young’s switch also settles the
third-or-first debate for Chris Davis, a fifth-round pick in the 2006 draft who
zoomed through the minors and forced the Rangers to promote him to the majors
in late June. Davis hit 17 homers and drove in 55 runs over the final three
months of the season. Travis Metcalf, who likely would have started the season
at third, appears to be the odd man out.
Outfield
All outfield talk starts with Josh Hamilton, who proved that reaching the
majors was merely one chapter in his amazing comeback from years of drug abuse.
Last year, he proved he was a rising superstar. Hamilton will likely play
center field again, though there is some thought that chasing balls all over
the gaps in Arlington will wear down his big body. He’s going to end up in
right field eventually — he hit .372 in 34 games there last year, 90 points
higher than his average in center — but it may not be until 2010. Nelson Cruz
will get the chance to play right and hit cleanup. After tearing up the Pacific
Coast League for most of the season, Cruz came to the majors and hit .330 for
the final five weeks of the year with authoritative power. The Rangers will
likely use the tough-nosed combo of Marlon Byrd and David Murphy in left. Byrd,
who has hit .302 in his two seasons with Texas, could slide over to center
occasionally to either spell Hamilton or give him a day in the DH spot.
Catching
The Rangers would love for Jarrod Saltalamacchia, acquired in the 2007 trade
that sent Mark Teixeira to Atlanta, to establish himself as the everyday
catcher. Saltalamacchia, still only 23, hasn’t done that in parts of two
seasons with the Rangers. Saltalamacchia’s struggles in 2008 opened the door
for Dallas native Taylor Teagarden. To say he seized the opportunity would be
an understatement. He homered and called a shutout in his second start, went
off to the Olympics and came back to finish with six homers and 11 extra-base
hits in 47 major league at-bats. Max Ramirez is considered primarily a hitter,
but he could make the team as a backup and part-time DH.
DH/Bench
Young’s move to third also locks Blalock in as the primary DH. Blalock hit
well after his return from carpal tunnel syndrome surgery last year, and there’
s reason to believe that leaving the strain of playing the field behind him
will only help. Whoever is left out of the daily outfield lineup provides a
solid bat off the bench along with utilityman Frank Catalanotto. Catalanotto is
a lefty hitter, however, and the bench is already heavy on those. Veterans
Andruw Jones, trying to re-start his career, and Omar Vizquel signed minor
league contracts with the expectations they would have opportunities to play
reasonably regularly.
Management
Manager Ron Washington must get the Rangers off to a better start if he hopes
to keep his job. The Rangers are 20–33 (.377) in March and April in two
seasons under Washington. The club did recover after the horrible start and it
did finish above third place for the first time since 1999. The Rangers
replaced four members of his coaching staff. The hope is that Mike Maddux will
revitalize the pitching staff and bench coach Jackie Moore will help give
Washington a more steady hand in the dugout. Washington and GM Jon Daniels are
a team. It’s possible both of their jobs are on the line.
Final analysis
This is a team built to contend. In 2010. Or 2011. The Rangers have quite
possibly the best farm system in baseball, and there is a good balance of
pitching and position players. The club used 19 rookies in 2008 and will likely
break in a handful more in ’09, particularly some young pitchers. If the
veteran pitchers rebound in their contract years and McCarthy finally
establishes himself, this team is capable of surprising. The more attainable
goal, however, is the continued integration of the oodles of young talent
moving through the system with the major league team to create a long-term
contender.
Beyond the Boxscore
Coaching carousel Perhaps the biggest addition the Rangers made during the
offseason was to go out and get Maddux. Mike Maddux, that is. The club
convinced Maddux to leave Milwaukee behind for a two-year deal worth more than
$1 million to revitalize the Rangers’ pitching staff. Maddux got his start in
coaching for Nolan Ryan’s Round Rock Express. Maddux becomes the Rangers’
seventh pitching coach since the start of the 2000 season. He inherits a staff
that ranked last in the majors in rotation ERA (5.51). Also, Andy Hawkins, who
began 2008 as the Triple-A Oklahoma pitching coach and later served as interim
pitching coach, will handle the bullpen. Former major league infielder Dave
Anderson will handle the third base box and infield instruction and Jackie
Moore will take over as bench coach.
No down time There was little time to rest for outfielder Josh Hamilton during
the offseason. It began with the release of the autobiography, Beyond Belief,
which he co-authored with Tim Keown. It also included several faith-based
appearances for his Triple Play Ministries and the new iamsecond.com campaign.
Then, in January, he began a six-week tour at renowned training center API
(Athlete’s Performance Institute) in Arizona. Hamilton declined overtures to
join Team USA for the World Baseball Classic.
Walking into history Hamilton became the second player since the end of World
War II to be walked intentionally with the bases loaded. On Aug. 17, Tampa Bay
manager Joe Maddon, holding a 7–3 lead, had Hamilton walked to make it 7-4
with two outs in the ninth. Then he brought in Dan Wheeler to face Marlon Byrd.
Byrd struck out to end the game.
All in the family The Rangers have added one of the best pitchers in the world
to their family — softball star Jennie Finch. Finch is married to righthander
Casey Daigle, whom the Rangers signed to a minor league contract in December.
Daigle, who turns 28 on April 4, has 20 games of major league experience with
Arizona. He will compete for a long relief spot in the bullpen.
Farm System
2008 Top Draft Pick — Though pitching is an annual concern for the Rangers,
they were thrilled when switch-hitting first baseman Justin Smoak, who has
drawn some comparisons to Mark Teixeira, fell to them at No. 11. After
protracted negotiations, the first baseman from the University of South
Carolina played only 14 games during the regular season at Class A Clinton, but
he left a memorable mark with a .304 batting average and .873 OPS. Then he went
to instructional league and crushed everything he saw. He also played sparingly
in the Arizona Fall League. A September call-up would not be completely out of
the question.
2007 Top Pick — Blake Beavan, RHP, Irving (Texas) High School
Local product saw drop in velocity but showed significant maturation.
2006 Top Pick — Kasey Kiker, LHP, Russell County (Ala.) High School
Was surpassed by a number of prospects acquired in 2007 draft and trades.
2005 Top Pick — John Mayberry Jr., OF, Stanford
Disappointing product of disjointed draft effort traded to Philadelphia for
outfielder Greg Golson.
2004 Top Pick — Thomas Diamond, RHP, University of New Orleans
Returned from Tommy John surgery but was ineffective at Double-A Frisco.
2003 Top Pick — John Danks, LHP, Round Rock (Texas) High School
Now starring in the Chicago White Sox rotation; was traded for injury-prone
right-handed pitcher Brandon McCarthy.
Other Prospects (age on Opening Day)
LHP Derek Holland (22)
Hard-throwing lefty, who started 2008 in Class A, could be in the rotation by
midseason.
RHP Neftali Feliz (20)
Many believe 20-year-old has higher upside than Holland, but he is more raw;
could nevertheless pitch in majors in 2009.
CF Engel Beltre (19)
Could have the highest ceiling of any player in the system and doesn’t turn 20
until November.
RHP Michael Main (20)
Second first-round pick of 2007 amazes club officials with poise and
pitchability, but he doesn’t lack stuff, either.
LHP Martin Perez (18)
Heralded Venezuelan signee has huge upside, but a few years in the minors to go.
Statistician
572.2 >> Relief innings pitched by the Rangers last year, the most in the
majors.
901 >> Runs scored by the Rangers, which led the majors in 2008. It was the
fourth time in club history the Rangers had reached at least 900 runs.
The club won the AL West on the other three occasions.
376 >> Doubles by the Rangers in 2008, setting a new major league record.
132 >> Errors by the Rangers, the most in the majors. Texas also allowed a
big league-worst 107 unearned runs.
28 >> Wins for the Rangers in one-run games. It was the most one-run wins
for the Rangers since 1990 when they went 37–22.
19 >> Rookies used by the Rangers in 2008, setting a new franchise record.
90 >> Hit batters by Vicente Padilla since 2002, the year he became a
starting pitcher.
5.49 >> Composite ERA of Rangers starting pitchers since 2000. It is the
highest in the majors.
8 >> Consecutive losses at Fenway Park for the Rangers, dating back to 2007.
Difference Maker
Club president Nolan Ryan challenged Kevin Millwood to lose 20 pounds over the
winter and remake himself as a pitcher who is capable of anchoring the staff.
By December, Millwood had already lost 12 pounds. He’s essentially in a
contract year, needing 180 innings to vest his $12 million option for 2010, and
the last time he was in such a situation, in 2005, he led the AL in ERA. The
Rangers don’t expect to have the ERA leader, but 200 innings and 15 wins could
pave the way for a staff resurgence.
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