If you had been running the Rangers in a video game, you probably would have started the season over again following the March and early April they endured this year. The injuries that occurred in rapid succession would make even the most ambitious GM sweat. Unfortunately for first-year manager Jeff Banister, there was no reset button and they were stuck starting the season with a litany of their core players unavailable.
However, 46 games into the season, the Rangers are sitting pretty at .500, 6.5 games behind an Astros team which will likely fall back to earth at some point. Admittedly, as the Confederates can tell you, wars are not won in the first two months of battle. And of course the Rangers aren’t even playoff eligible at this point, but they have played above their expected level and considering their division, they very well could be left standing in October.
The offense has been respectable thus far and as we will see later, is the saving grace of this team. Prince Fielder has been white hot lately and is batting a stout .371/.422/.597 this season. This is good to see for Rangers fans. After only missing 13 games between 2006 and 2013 (playing for the Brewers and Tigers respectively), Fielder only played 42 games in 2014 for Texas in the first year of a 9-year, $214 million contract. Now, having played every game so far in 2015, Fielder is reminding people of the great talent he possesses. In the stretch from ’06-’13, Fielder averaged 35 homers, 108 RBI, and a .918 OPS. So far this season, he has ten homers, 38 RBI and leads the AL in hits with 69. In the most recent series against the Yankees, the 31-year old got eight hits in 14 at-bats including three homers. During the month of May, Fielder is hitting .402 and predictably the Rangers have a 16-9 record this month.
The team as a whole is ranked 4th in the league in runs scored and while they are far a murder’s row, the offense has been solid despite less-than-impressive names on paper. While Adrian Beltre and Shin-Soo-Choo are big names, they haven’t come close to expectations. The addition of prodigal son, Josh Hamilton, will help but there will likely be a waiting period for Hamilton to get back into the groove of things. Other than that names like Elvis Andrus, Carlos Pequero, Leonys Martin, and Delino DeShields do not strike fear into pitchers. It’s been guys like first baseman Mitch Moreland who has picked up the slack with a .306 average and a 0.9 WAR who have saved the Rangers offense from being a one-man show.
On the other side of the coin, the pitching could be the only thing standing in the way of a revival in Arlington. This was by far the hardest hit area on the team. Of course, staff ace Yu Darvish was the worst gut punch of them all when he opted for Tommy John surgery in April to effectively end his 2015 campaign. Darvish’s 2014 season was cut short in August due to inflammation in that right elbow. His season had been predictably excellent up until that point, a 10-7 record with a 3.06 ERA with 182 in 144.1 innings. Shutting him down was seen as precautionary as the Rangers were 45-71 at that point of the season and were already scheduling their winter plans. However, it was soon evident during spring training this year that there was more to it and smartly, the Rangers decided it wasn’t the worth the risk of their 28-year old investment and they shut him down again.
It didn’t stop there for the Rangers. Around the time of the Darvish news, Matt Harrison was placed on the 60-day DL due to spinal fusion surgery, which apparently sounds worse than it really is as he is expecting a June return. Harrison won 18 games as a starter for Texas in 2012, but has battled injuries since then. Having him healthy and effective would be a huge boost to the Rangers playoff aspirations.
Starters Derek Holland (elbow), Nick Tepesch (elbow), and Martin Perez (Tommy John) are all on the 60-day DL while reliever Neftali Feliz is currently on the 15-day DL. What is left behind hasn’t been stellar. Starter Colby Lewis has been solid and Nick Martinez has been fabulous (4-0, 1.96 ERA). Yovani Gollardo, Wandy Rodriguez, and Ross Detwiler (also on the 15-day DL) have had their ups and downs.
The bullpen has not horrendous, but hasn’t been great either. They have eight blown saves as a team, tied for the league high. The bullpen has pitched to a 4.29 ERA this season, ahead of just the Oakland Athletics in the American League. While their middle relief has been decent, the 8th and 9th innings have been adventures (not quite as bad as the Tigers).
Obviously the Rangers would benefit by getting healthy, but with all the long-term injuries, there is no guarantee that would be enough to get them over the hump. A pitcher like Cole Hamels would be perfect for this as they could use another lefty and obviously one of Hamels’ quality would be just what the doctor ordered. Of course the Rangers would need to part ways with some of their top prospects and while they have them, it doesn’t mean they will be willing to deal them when their will be plenty of mid-range options (Scott Kazmir, Jeff Samardzija, and Kyle Lohse to name a few) for starter around that time.
Rafael Soriano has been a name thrown around for bullpen help, specifically in the closer rule. Soriano is currently a free agent and their are plenty of teams who could be a player in that market.
Of course these moves and any other moves the Rangers could make come the trade deadline hinge on whether they are still in the hunt for the postseason by that point. The division is mostly mediocre, although the Astros continue to shock the world. The Angels and Mariners have under-achieved, but have the talent to turn the corner quickly. When you factor in Oakland, you could make an argument that the Rangers are the least talented team in the division which makes their current place in the standings even more remarkable. However, with that being said, this team appears to be one that could experience a mid-season swoon that completely takes away any hope of making a late season push, but do not rule them out.
