Texas Rangers have one glaring absence from the roster and it’s not pitching
The Texas Rangers have been missing something for quite some time now that could put them over the edge, and it’s not at all related to pitching.
The Texas Rangers have been one of baseball’s best teams over the past six seasons. Sure, they don’t have a Commissioner’s Trophy to their name at this point, but they’ve fielded some outstanding teams since 2010. Yet, every season they just seem to lack just one or two pieces. The blame usually falls on pitching, but perhaps this time arms are not the problem.
More than just pitching
Remember those mid-to-late 90’s Rangers teams? Globe Life Park had just opened as “Rangers Ballpark in Arlington,” and names like Jose Canseco, Mickey Tettleton and Juan Gonzalez brought a charge of excitement to the stadium. But what about their pitchers?
Ken Hill immediately should enter everyone’s minds as a great pitcher during that time. But he still wasn’t a true ace. Granted, he had a heck of a year in 1996. But he didn’t amount to much afterward.
Rick Helling won 20 games for the Rangers in 1998. But wins are overrated when comparing pitchers. Team accomplishments should not be laid solely at the feet of individual players. He won those games with a 4.41 earned run average. He didn’t even sniff the top ten in ERA, fielding independent pitching or ERA+. So to whom does he owe his success? That potent Texas lineup.
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Look at the past two seasons, too. The Rangers had Cole Hamels for the postseason run of 2015 and Yu Darvish returned to join him this past season. Most teams would kill to have a 1-2 like Hamels and Darvish and an embarrassment of wealth on the mound. Yet, that wasn’t enough in the ALDS against the Blue Jays. They lacked a big bat.
More than just hitting
To see what’s missing, one has to look back no further than 2010 and 2011. The two biggest names that come to mind are Nelson Cruz and Josh Hamilton. Those two brought fear to opposing pitchers based solely on their ability to absolutely abuse baseballs. Say what you want about pitching, but offense is where it’s at.
This is no disrespect to Adrian Beltre or Carlos Gomez, but those guys are purely great hitters. What the Rangers need is a guy that can put a ball into the upper deck in left field. They need a guy that can send the ball into the stratosphere and think twice about hanging curves or grooving fastballs. Texas needs a longball hitter that will go yard 40+ times in 2017.
With a potent bat firmly entrenched in the cleanup spot, suddenly the offense comes to life. Beltre would take the number three spot and see some good pitches for fear of what the number four guy could do. Gomez would bat behind him and provide further protection. Odor could be flexed to either the second or sixth slot, where he did well last season.
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With a big slugger that instills fear, the Rangers offense could explode this next season. Late inning comebacks could become a thing of the past because they’d mount huge leads early and hold them late with great pitching. And it could all be done with one bat. One mighty, tenacious, blistering, supercharged bat that could make pitchers cringe.