With the additions of Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo, the Rangers once again have a fearsome lineup and look as if they could be one of the best teams in the AL this season. But general manager Jon Daniels has not assembled a perfect roster. (To be fair, has any MLB GM put together a flawless club?)
There are a couple of weaknesses that could prevent Texas from fulfilling its potential this season. One, in particular, could be significant, so much so that we may wonder why Daniels didn't do more to address it during the offseason. Starting pitching will be a concern during the spring and throughout the season until several starters show they can stay healthy. If not, the Rangers may have what amounts to a two-man rotation. That, along with uncertainty at designated hitter, appear to be the Rangers' two biggest weaknesses.
With Yu Darvish's emergence last season, the Rangers no longer necessarily had to pursue the No. 1 starter that Daniels has chased for the past couple of years. (The midseason acquisition of Matt Garza from the Cubs did not work out as hoped.) The 27-year-old right-hander made 32 starts, finishing with a 2.83 ERA and 277 strikeouts in 209.2 innings. But what do the Rangers have behind him in the rotation?
Martin Perez had a promising rookie season, making 20 starts for Texas, compiling a 10-6 record and 3.62 ERA. He'll probably line up as the Rangers' No. 3 starter. That is, unless injuries and health concerns force the team to move Perez up in the rotation, a role he might not be suited for at this point of his career.
Left-hander Matt Harrison is who the Rangers would like to put in that No. 2 spot, but he's coming off three back surgeries last year and has dealt with neck and back injuries early in spring training. (As of this writing, Harrison has been shut down after neck stiffness progressed to the lower back area where he had surgery. He's being flown back to Dallas for an MRI exam.) The Rangers are surely remaining hopeful, but must now have serious doubts as to whether or not Harrison can be part of the starting rotation to begin the season.
Alexi Ogando is someone else Texas is counting on to be one of its five starters this year. But he was on the disabled list three times last season due to shoulder inflammation and biceps tendinitis. A full offseason of rest and rehabilitation should help Ogando, and he won't be making the transition from reliever to starter this year. His arm should be ready for a larger workload this year. Yet Ogando will likely be monitored closely throughout the season. Ideally, he can provide 25 starts or more to the pitching staff.
Though the Rangers have plenty of question marks at the back end of their rotation, Daniels has accumulated enough arms to address those concerns. Nick Tepesch also had an encouraging rookie season and looks like a strong candidate to win a spot. Signing Tommy Hanson to a split minor and major league deal indicates that the team believes he can make the opening day roster. Derek Holland is expected to be ready by the All-Star break, though he may not fully recover from microfracture surgery until much later on, perhaps even next year. Colby Lewis is another possibility to contribute, as he works his way back from hip surgery.
Texas could also tap into its bullpen and use Tanner Scheppers, Robbie Ross or Michael Kirkman to fill a spot in the rotation. But that would weaken what looks like a deep bullpen and perhaps put more of a burden on Neftali Feliz and Joakim Soria, both of whom are in their second year recovering from Tommy John surgery.
On the position player side, the Rangers batting order appears to be loaded. As already mentioned, Fielder and Choo are significant additions to the lineup. First base and left field shouldn't be concerns for manager Ron Washington, as they were last season. With Choo getting on base and Fielder launching balls out of the park, Texas should score 800 runs and possibly lead the AL in that category.
Yet there is one position which should concern the Rangers, an issue which surely fueled the desire to trade for Fielder. Mitch Moreland is a better defensive first baseman than Fielder and should probably play in the field because of that. But Fielder doesn't appear interested in playing solely as a designated hitter at this point in his career, despite his major defensive shortcomings. Regardless, Fielder's bat should compensate for whatever issues he has with scooping throws out of the dirt.
However, will Moreland hit enough to justify playing primarily as a designated hitter? Last year, the 28-year-old popped 23 home runs — third-most on the team behind Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz — to go with 60 RBI. But he hit only .232 with a .736 OPS. Moreland ranked 12th among AL first basemen with an 0.7 WAR. That would've placed him 10th among designated hitters.
Moreland isn't necessarily in danger of losing his spot on the roster. He can play first base and right field, which gives Washington some options when he needs to give someone a day off or adjust his lineup to certain matchups. The Rangers might ultimately decide that they need him in the field, rather than deal with Fielder's inability to play first base well. Perhaps most importantly, there's no suitable replacement on hand that looks like an upgrade over Moreland.
The Rangers' bench isn't very strong as it is. (Perhaps that should be listed here as one of the team's two biggest weaknesses.) Later in the season, maybe Brett Nicholas could help out at DH or first base. Last year, he hit .289 with an .831 OPS, 21 homers and 91 RBI at Double-A Frisco. If Nicholas, 25, puts up similar production in Triple-A, perhaps he'll get a shot with the major league club by midseason or in September.
Had Moreland been more productive, perhaps Daniels wouldn't have felt the need to trade for Fielder. Those financial resources could then have been used toward strengthening the starting rotation. Instead, the team is banking on Fielder rebounding and most of the starting pitcher candidates staying healthy. But if Moreland fails to hit well (and suffers a decrease in power) while the Rangers have difficulty putting a starting rotation together, these are areas Daniels will likely have to address at the trade deadline.
