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Rangers Hope for A More Competitive 2006

By YanksWS96, Section MLB
Posted on Mon Feb 06 2006 at 8:46 PM EST
More on: (all tags)

Ever since the glory days of the late 90's with Juan Gonzalez, Ivan Rodriguez, and Rusty Greer at the helm, the Texas Rangers have gone south.  Their pitching rotation in their division-winning 1998 season wasn't even that good by today's standards.  Aside from 20-game winner Rick Helling (20-7) and a 19-11 Aaron Sele, the Rangers rotation seemed less than ordinary, with Darren Oliver going 6-7, Esteban Loaiza pitching to the tune of a 3-6 record, and #3 starter John Burkett hitting a 9-13 mark.  Ever since then, the Rangers have had poor starting pitching.

Now, those days are gone...as are the faces of the organization.  Ivan Rodriguez moved on to Florida; now, he plays in Detroit.  Juan Gonzalez is still in the game, but he has all but dropped from the face of the earth.  Rusty Greer has retired.  John Wetteland (42 saves in '98) has also retired.  Yes, the pitching has gotten progressively worse.  2006 could be the year that all changes.

Outside of the Soriano/Wilkerson move, the Rangers offense remains potent.  Mark Teixiera, Hank Blalock, Michael Young, and Kevin Mench will be back.  Those 4 bats hit a combined 117 homeruns in 2005, which is quite an accomplishment.  Add in the fact that the Rangers will have Phil Nevin (acquired from the Padres at the midpoint of last season) and the Rangers offense is ripe with hitters.  The loss of Soriano won't sting as much.

Now, to the point of this article: Texas Rangers pitching.  The Rangers were able to unload the burdensome contract of Chan Ho Park on the San Diego Padres in the Phil Nevin deal.  In a Ranger uniform, Park was 22-23 over 3 1/2 seasons.  Not bad, right?  Well, his ERA in those 3 1/2 seasons was approximately 5.79.  Now you know why the Rangers NEEDED to dump him.

Kenny Rogers is also gone, signing with the Detroit Tigers in the offseason.  Even though Rogers was 14-8 last year, the Rangers most likely saw Rogers's departure as an improvement.  They may have lost some wins, but they got rid of a truckload of off-field problems.  That camera incident will stay with Rogers wherever he goes.

The Rangers also lost Chris Young, traded to the Padres in the offseason.  I see this as the only loss to the rotation that may hurt: Young, a mere 26 years old, was a relatively productive 15-9 in his two seasons in Texas.  But, you have to give a little to get a little.

The departure of Young brought in a quality pitcher for the Rangers in Adam Eaton.  Eaton was 11-5 for the Padres in 2005 with a 4.27 ERA.  Eaton gives the Rangers a solid #2 or #3 starter for next year.

Who's the #1 starter?  That would be Kevin Milwood, whose only season in Cleveland was somewhat a success.  Despite a 9-11 record, Milwood threw 192 innings and pitched to a sparkling ERA of 2.86.  With histories of high ERAs in Texas, Milwood might bring a little stability to that history.

Finally, the Rangers brought in Vicente Padilla from the Philadelphia Phillies.  The Rangers are hoping that Padilla's past two seasons in Philly will be put behind them.  I remember Padilla as an All-Star in 2002, a season in which he went 14-11.  He would go 14-12 in 2003.  If Padilla can get himself back on the right track, the Rangers may have struck gold.

The bullpen remains sturdy.  Francisco Cordero (37 saves in 2005) remains the closer.   The key bullpen acquisition is that of set-up man Akinori Otsuka from the Padres.  This is another pitcher whom the Rangers hope renews past success.  In 2004, the sidearm pitcher was 7-2 with a 1.75 ERA.  His 2005 was forgettable.  If Otsuka can pitch like he did in 2004, the Rangers have a strong combination in Otsuka and Cordero.

The Rangers have made strides in the past two seasons, as they have been able to compete with the Anaheim Angels and the Oakland A's.  With a strong lineup and an improved pitching rotation, the Rangers could be a surprise team in 2006.