Location: Arlington, Texas | Ballpark: Rangers Ballpark in Arlington (49,200) | Spring Training: Surprise, Ariz.
Owner: Tom Hicks | GM: Jon Daniels | Manager: Ron Washington | World Championships: 0
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POWER RANKINGS
Power Rankings
Date
Ranking
Previous
10/06/2009
8
9
Season in seven words: "More like the Spurs than the Cowboys." ... Hero: Pitching coach Mike Maddux. Scott "Who?" Feldman and Kevin "Him?" Millwood combined for 30 wins and plenty of innings, plus nearly every pitcher in the bullpen pitched like nobody was watching ... Loserhead: There are many things about 2009 that Josh Hamilton probably wishes had gone differently ... Key need: Well, another starter or two. But also to manage expectations, as most Ranger fans are primed for a World Series run in 2010. Last year's Rays notwithstanding, young acorns don't become mighty oaks overnight ... Prognosis: They're gonna build something next summer.
09/29/2009
9
10
After they blew that big lead on Sunday, you could practically hear the Rangers shut it down for 2009 ... Still, kudos all around for a much better season than anybody could have expected. Who'da thunk our September conversations about the Rangers would include words other than "bankruptcy" and "lead the league in runs surrendered for the 37th season in a row"? ... I sure hope they shut down Neftali Feliz, though. In his last few outings, his fastball has lost its bluster. There's nothing to be gained by trotting him out there for a few final frames.
09/22/2009
10
8
Forget the lack of pitching depth and the aspersions cast by wiseass writers on Michael Young's moral fiber. The reason this team has faded has everything to do with its inability to get on base. Through Monday, the team ranked 25th in the game in OBP. ... Jarrod Saltalamacchia is officially down for the year with thoracic outlet syndrome, which sounds like the name of a so-so-so-emo indie band. ... No matter how this ends, Rangers fans have more reason to look forward to 2010 than those of just about any other team in the league, especially if the franchise gets bought by a Jerry Jones or Mark Cuban sort.
09/15/2009
8
9
Getting shut out at home by Brett Tomko is a nail in the coffin, or perhaps a nail in the thigh. Truly, metaphors abound. ... The financial issues currently ankling the franchise -- apparently groundskeepers have been reduced to raking the infield with their fingers -- sure suck some joy out of this little miracle of a season. The Rangers will be dangerous in 2010 even if they don't lift a finger, but some cash for bench and bullpen acquisitions could help them narrow the gap with the Angels.
09/08/2009
9
8
They just don't go away. They're like head lice at summer camp. Wait, that was supposed to be a compliment. ... The Michael Young injury is devastating, as there's no obvious fill-in on the roster. You could play Chris Davis there and hope your pitchers don't lose their crap over his lower-primate defense, or you could play Omar Vizquel there and sacrifice some much-needed offense. Either way, you come up short. ... Josh Hamilton's current malady required something/someone called a root nerve injection. That can't be good. ... But oh! The magic and mastery that is Neftali Feliz, who pitches like nobody's watching. The Rangers oughta ride him down the stretch like the Angels rode K-Rod way back in the 2002 playoffs.
09/01/2009
8
9
They ended a 10-day road trip to Tampa, New York and Minnesota with a not-unacceptable 4-5 record. Then the pitchers came home and barfed out 18 runs to a Blue Jays squad that's already packed for the offseason. It's fair to say that concerns about the rotation have not yet been addressed to anyone's satisfaction. ... The next stretch of the schedule goes: Toronto, Baltimore, Cleveland, Seattle, Oakland. If they can't win at least 10 of those games, they might as well jump. ... Michael Young is Jeteresque (Jeterian? Jeterbial?), in that media folks bored by the what-a-wonderful-player-and-human-being fawning regularly attempt to punch holes in his game. But heck, the guy just hits and shuts up, and has minimized the difference between his home and road splits somewhat. I humbly apologize for anything I've written in the recent past that besmirches his ability.
08/25/2009
9
5
Every time I knock them down a few spots, they come roaring back –- so expect a sweep of the Yankees in New York this week, then the delivery of a merciless flogging upon the Twins over the weekend. Yes, I am directly responsible for motivating the 2009 Rangers to new plateaus of competitive vigor, more so than clubhouse pep talks and professional pride combined. ... So much for all that depth at catcher, huh? Between the vaunted trifecta of Texas catchers and the supposedly deeper-than-an-oceanic-trench Red Sox pitching staff, the whole "you can never have enough ..." argument has been blown to smithereens.
08/18/2009
5
4
After one of the most wretched losses you'll see -– had it happened in a romantic comedy, the following scene would've shown a day-after Frank Francisco sitting on the couch in a bathrobe, his flowing hair pinned lazily atop his head and a lovelorn look on his face as he watched An Affair to Remember –- the Rangers somehow pulled themselves back together and claimed the next two games against the Red Sox. They are heroic masters of resilience. ... Cool stat: Francisco allowed five hits in April, but seven during the ninth inning on Friday. ... According to the advanced defensive metrics I don't quite understand, the Rangers' improvement can be credited in large part to their newfound ability to catch the ball. In years past, Rangers fans were treated to a golem-like Kevin Mench tracking fly balls with the grace of a sputtering lawnmower. Now, the team is fleet and instinctive afield, with the up-the-middle pair of Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler snaring everything in their area code. ... The schedule sounds a cautionary note: On Friday, the Rangers hit the road for 15 of their next 19 games, including a geographically haphazard Tampa/New York/Minnesota swing. They've been a much, much better team at home (40-22) than on the road (27-28).
08/11/2009
4
7
I can't say I truly, honestly, deep-in-my-heart-and-loins believe they're the fourth-best team in baseball, but there's nobody else who deserves to be ranked ahead of them about now ... Thru Tuesday, the Rangers have allowed the fewest runs in the AL and sixth-fewest in baseball. Current members of their staff include Eddie Guardado (cooked), Tommy Hunter (raw) and Doug Mathis (who?). I'm nominating Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux for the Nobel Peace Prize and an honorary Oscar ... The team didn't exactly lament the decision to part ways with headhunting jerkhead Vicente Padilla. Ian Kinsler congratulated GM Jon Daniels on the move; Marlon Byrd told reporters that it was "about time." Given the what-happens-in-the-clubhouse-stays-in-the-clubhouse mentality, can you imagine what Padilla must've done to prompt everybody to speak up? I'm guessing it involves an offense as serious as cranking Dave Matthews CDs before his starts ... The wild-card showdown vs. Boston starts on Friday. Giddy-up.
08/04/2009
7
7
The first impulse is to paint Ian Kinsler's hamstring injury, which landed him on the DL, as an apocalyptic event. But really: since his astonishing April, Kinsler has put up a line of .219/.293/.431. One would think the Rangers could find somebody to approximate that level of production easily enough ... Finally! Neftali Feliz and his 119-MPH fastball have arrived. His fastball is transcendent. It is mean. It is to fastballs what David Lee Roth is to frontmen. I am servile and supplicant in its presence.
Preseason Power Rankings
Date
Ranking
Previous
02/16/2009
17
-
Stop me if you've heard this one before: The Rangers will both score and surrender an ungodly number of runs. ... They'll be fun to watch in 2010 and beyond, when the fruits of their farm-system flowers start to blossom, or something. For now, they'll continue to play their particularly artless form of BludgeonBall. ... Kevin Millwood is both still alive and still technically an ace. ... Consider this season a wild success if they find some sucker to take the rest of Michael Young's contract off their hands.
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