Can Tyson Ross Salvage the Texas Rangers Season?
By Reid Hanson
The Texas Rangers will soon be welcoming starting pitcher, Tyson Ross, to the team. Can he catapult Texas back into the postseason picture?
The Texas Rangers are slumping. Losers in seven of the last nine games, the Rangers need a boost if they hope to get back into the postseason hunt. Starting pitcher Tyson Ross may be just that pitcher.
Ross, an offseason free agent signing, has yet to play a game with Texas. In fact, Ross hasn’t thrown a pitch since Opening Day 2016. Diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, underwent surgery in October and has been rehabbing ever since.
The Texas Rangers recently moved him to the 60-day DL (backdated) making him available to pitch as early as next week. Considering the current state of the Texas Rangers pitching staff, his debut couldn’t come soon enough.
It wasn’t long ago Tyson Ross was considered one of the very best arms in the league. His 3.07 ERA between 2013-2015 was the fourth lowest in the NL. Expecting to eventually fall into the No. 3 spot in the rotation behind Yu Darvish and Cole Hamels, the Rangers could have one of the best 1-2-3 punches in the AL. The only problem is they have to stay afloat in order to show that pitching staff off in the postseason.
Cole Hamels is already lost for the better part of the summer. Together with the foundering bullpen, the Texas Rangers have quite the uphill battle if they hope to snag a wildcard spot this fall.
How Close is He?
If everything goes well, Ross could be in uniform next week. In rehab starts, Ross has had an up and down showing. His first start, on May 23rd, was a thing of beauty. According to CBSsports, Ross through strikes on 44 of 73 pitches and his fastball resided between 90-to-92 mph.
But in his second start this week, Ross fell back to earth, only throwing 39 strikes in 86 attempts. He made it 3.1 innings giving up 6 hits, 5 walks, and 6 runs. This performance is the primary reason the Rangers are asking him to make one more rehab start on Saturday.
Strikes are a key part of Tyson Ross’ game. Between 2013-2015 his 9.16 strikeouts per nine innings were 5th in the NL. The Texas Rangers are eager to get him in the rotation but they also must make sure he’s confident that he can deliver.
Now or Never
One thing is clear – the Texas Rangers are running out of time. With a 25-27 record, the Rangers are on the wrong side of the win column and 12 games behind the first place Astros. Having Adrian Beltre back lifts the field and the lineup significantly, but getting a potentially dominant arm like Tyson Ross’ added to the rotation, could make the Texas Rangers playoff contenders.
At a time when both the health and performance of the starting pitching staff are hurting, the debut of Tyson Ross couldn’t come sooner. He could round out a dominant postseason rotation for the Rangers, but Texas has to find a way to get to the postseason first.
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Can Tyson Ross save the Texas Rangers’ season?
Yes, but he can’t do it alone.