The (sort of) halfway line is in sight. the last of the AL teams is the Texas Rangers who have had such a hard time in recent years that even the tried and tested method of hiring Buck Showalter for a few years to win the year after you fire him failed!
This year's team looks a lot different last year beginning with their mix-and-match outfield/DH combination of returnees Marlon Byrd and Frank Catalanotto and newcomers Josh Hamilton, David Murphy and Milton Bradley.
Bradley figures to see most of his time at DH with Byrd and Catalanotto splitting one spot and Hamilton and Murphy starting in the outfield pretty much every game. It doesn't look like they're particular settled on any particular outfield position on the whole willing to mix and match their alignments to (hopefully) best suit the defensive talents of the guys playing that night.
A platoon of sorts with Byrd and Catalanotto is passable and Murphy's ok but nothing special but the addition of Hamilton makes the outfield pretty reasonable bordering on decent overall.
Bradley's not really enough of hitter to justify a DH spot but viewed as a five-man rotation for the four lineup spots this group can hold its own.
The middle infield combination of Michael Young at short and Ian Kinsler at second provides this team a big offensive strength at traditionally light-hitting spots.
Michael Young's no secret and I've been beating the drum for Kinsler since his lucklustre days as a Sun Devil and am finally starting to look like less of an idiot. Neither is anything special with the leather but they bring enough lumber to more than compensate at their positions.
Hank Blalock and his surgically repaired shoulder make a return to the hot corner but his poor defense and over-rated bat are unlikely to return to their previous levels.
Ben Broussard fills out the lineup trying to replace Mark Teixeira at first. Unfortunately, he's a hell of a lot worse than Teixeira (no knock) and underscores how bad that trade was for the short term.
Gerald Laird returns to catch proving a solid target for the pitching staff which makes up for his bat.
Jason Botts, Nelson Cruz, Ramon Vazquez and backup catcher Adam Melhuse make up the bench along with whichever of the OF/DH group is sitting.
The team has an absolute glut of talent at the catcher position waiting in the minors in Jarrod Saltalamacchia (from the Teixeira trade) along with Max Ramirez and Taylor Teagarden.
All three of those guys are Major League ready hitters this year, but with serious questions about their abilities behind the plate. If those can be answered then the Rangers have some valuable commodities going forward but they lose a lot of value if they need to shift positions. Still, it would be a surprise if Texas doesn't move Ramirez or Teagarden for talent at other spots at some point soon.
The pitching staff returns Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla and last year's midseason steal (along with Murphy) Kason Gabbard and adds Jason Jennings and Luis Mendoza.
Millwood's the only one likely to post an even halfway respectable ERA, though Gabbard might step up to be ok. The rest is likely to get ugly especially with a weak infield and a home run haven.
Mendoza was jumped straight from AA last year and really needs some work before he has a shot. Even then he's a fringe player.
The bullpen isn't filled with big name closers but looks to be solidly effective.
C.J. Wilson is the closer with Joaquin Benoit, Kazuo Fukumori, Jamey Wright, Franklyn German, Josh Rupe and Dustin Nippert bridging the gap from the starters.
The main problem is a lack of left-handers outside of Wilson, though when veteran Eddie Guardado returns from the DL that should improve.
Nippert and Wright have been fighting through minor injuries as well, but shouldn't be a major worry.
The 'pen should improve again around the All-Star break if John Rheinecker (another lefty) is able to return well from his shoulder surgery as expected.
Rough estimates for offense: 830 runs scored +/-42 and defense: 850 runs allowed +/-43.
Pythag W-L based on those estimates would be:
High: 87-75
Medium: 79-83
Low: 71-91
This is another team in transition but the organisation as a whole is starting to look healthier again. How well they handle the Saltalamacchia/Ramirez/Teagarden situation is going to have a big impact going forward.
