Dear Texas Rangers, We Have a Suggestion

The Texas Rangers are Who We Thought They Were

Being a critic is easy. Every fan loves to be an armchair GM. It’s easy for us to sit there and critique these men, many of them lifetime “baseball guys,” who’ve seen more from an insider’s view of a MLB organization than we will ever come close to sniffing. These GMs, backed by scouts, managers and assistants who have likewise watched players, at every level, from vantage points we have never been privy to and likely never will. So, perhaps it is unfair for us to sit here and criticize these individuals, while ignoring salaries, team payrolls and other considerations a GM must rightfully weigh. All that said, sometimes things just seem so simple.

So, our apologies if this statement is either ignorant and/or harsh. But, to the Texas Rangers, what the &^%! are you people doing??? Jon Hart, 30 year-old Jon Daniels (yes, he’s the youngest GM in baseball), it really doesn’t matter. Call me crazy, but hasn’t the story been the same with the Texas Rangers for years and years? It’s called PITCHING, and it’s something the ‘ole GM of this franchise may want to look into. As a season ticket holder for a National League ballclub since 2000, I’ve spent eight years looking at the out-of-town scoreboard. Eight years of seeing 10-8, 12-7, 8-6 and 9-4 scores pop up with frightening regularity next to TEX.

This weekend, I got to watch these Rangers play a three-game set against my often anemic 2008 New York Mets. The result? Two wins for the Metros. Eighteen runs surrendered by Texas pitching in three days. In other words, par for the course.

Win or lose, one thing is a veritable lock when it comes to Texas Rangers baseball. Lots of runs on both sides. Texas has boasted its share of sluggers over the past eight seasons, from Carlos Lee to Mark Texiera to, most recently, Josh Hamilton. Michael Young, Alfonso Soriano, Hank Blalock, A-Rod, Raffy, Pudge and Juan Gonzalez have also been a part of what were several vaunted lineups. Bats have never been hard to come by in Arlington.

On the other end of the spectrum, how about this list of team leaders in wins since 2000. Rick Helling, Helling, Kenny Rogers, John Thomson (13-14 in ’03), Rogers, Rogers, Milwood and Milwood (10-14 in ’07). Not exactly a murderer’s row. Then of course there were those years where the most intimidating pitcher next to these superstars was Chan Ho Park. That is never good. This year, Vincente Padilla paces the staff with eight wins, followed by Milwood and (recently released) Sidney Ponson each with four.

So, back to that suggestion. Based at least in part on above, the Texas Rangers may want to start putting some of that free agent and trade consideration energy towards pitching. And for those looking to play the “small market” sympathy card on the Rangers, let’s remember this is the same squad who shelled out $252M for Alex Rodriguez a little while back.

If the journey through the “aces” of the Rangers staff from 2000-2008 was too anecdotal, or maybe not strong enough “evidence” of an epidemic, here’s another set of numbers Rangers personnel and management should review for a few hints on which direction to head:

2000 American League team pitching rank: LAST, team ERA of 5.52
2001: LAST, team ERA of 5.71, nearly a full run more than the next-to-last place Tigers (5.01)
2002: 12th! 5.15. Take that D-Rays and Royals!
2003: LAST, 5.67 (so much for that)
2004: What?? Did that say fifth in the AL? What do ya know, Texas just happened to finish 16 games over .500 that season.
2005: Back to 12th, beating out only the Devil Dogs and Royals.
2006: 9th, 4.60. Respectable. Kind of.
2007: Sliding back down to 11th.

Like I said, I’m no GM but does anyone else notice a pattern here? Maybe just a little bit? To add insult to injury, underachieving Edinson Volquez, who boasted a 3-11 record in three seasons in Arlington is likely the favorite to start the All-Star game for his new team — the Cincinnati Reds. No big deal. It’s not the Rangers could use an arm or two.

Turning around the Rangers requires drastic measures. Our idea? Next amateur draft go for a pitcher in round one. And then take another one in round two. Take a chance in round three on another hurler. Rinse and repeat until no more rounds exist. At least it would be a start.