Rangers camp report
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Five things to know about the Texas Rangers:
1. Hey Rangers fans, take this however seriously you wish, but it is a fact: The previous two times a team has fired manager Buck Showalter, it has won the World Series the very next season. The Yankees fired Showalter after 1995 and won in 1996, the Diamondbacks fired him after 2000 and won in 2001. Now as for, ahem, the 2007 Rangers ...
2. For now, the pitching is in order. Texas' 2007 fortunes tie directly to how long it stays in order. Nobody expects closer Eric Gagne to be what he was during his Cy Young season with the Dodgers, but if he can handle the ninth innings, that not only takes care of that issue but sets up other innings as well. Akinori Otsuka scooped up 36 saves last season and should be an excellent set-up man -- unless Gagne's health fails and Otsuka returns to closer. Rick Bauer, C.J. Wilson and Joaquin Benoit add depth and power arms.
3. While the bullpen should be boosted by Gagne's presence, Texas' rotation, always an issue, sets up with Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, Brandon McCarthy (obtained from the White Sox over the winter), Robinson Tejada and one of three candidates for the No. 5 starter: Bruce Chen, Jamie Wright or Kameron Loe. "The rotation is the best since I've been here," All-Star shortstop Michael Young says. "One through five, the depth is the best I've seen." Chen, Wright or Loe? "They're making it tough," general manager Jon Daniels says. "They're all pitching well enough to be the guy." Tejada has been very inconsistent this spring, but Texas is inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt.
4. The Rangers always hit, and with Young, Mark Teixeira, Hank Blalock and Ian Kinsler, the line should keep moving again. Manager Ron Washington on his biggest concern as opening day approaches: "Honestly, I have none. My pitching has been very good. The one problem we might have is if they buy into pounding the strike zone. I'd rather see you knocked around the yard than walking people."
5. At his introductory press conference in November, the Rangers presented Washington with No. 38. Now he's wearing No. 37. What gives? Well, a fella named Gagne came along, and he always had worn No. 38, so the manager downsized by one digit. As for that other one-time superstar the Rangers signed over the winter, Sammy Sosa has exhibited a quick bat and a physique that's not much smaller than in his heyday. "Sammy's made a statement," Washington says. Says Daniels: "Probably the biggest surprise, in a positive way. There's no special treatment, no special rules, no entourage. There's been nothing that anybody had warned us about." At this rate, look for Sammy to be the Rangers' opening day DH.
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