Biggest Offseason Additions
Prince Fielder: On November 21 the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers shook up the baseball community with a blockbuster trade. Prince Fielder was traded to the Texas Rangers in exchange for second basemen Ian Kinsler. The Rangers will have to pay Fielder his remaining 138 million contract over the duration of his time in Texas. Fielder is a great addition for the Rangers and could very well see his home run total rise with the short porch in Arlington. His 2013 numbers were very low compared to years past as he only hit 25 home runs which is the fewest in his career. He also had career lows in batting average (.276) and walks (75). Although he may be on the decline Fielder is still a very formidable player and will play a big role in the Rangers campaign.
Shin-Soo Choo: The Rangers signed free agent Choo to a seven year, 130 million contract. This makes them a huge threat for years to come as they have one of, if not the best leadoff hitter in the game. In 2013 he batted .285, hit 25 home runs all while scoring 107 runs which was the third most in all of baseball. The runs scored is staggering but what is most impressive about 31 year-old Choo is his plate discipline. Last year he walked 112 times which was the second most in the entire league. Look for Choo’s runs scored to break 100 for the second consecutive year. He will also steal 20 bases which never hurts.
Biggest Offseason Losses
Matt Garza: I know that he is still a free agent so this might be a bit premature but things are looking like the Rangers will not be re-signing starting pitcher Garza. Garza had an up and down year in 2013 as he pitched for the Cubs and the Rangers. He had a 3.82 ERA to go with ten wins and 136 strikeouts. The Rangers really need another starting pitcher to help out their rotation and Garza would have been the guy to go after. Even though scouts believe he is hitting a “wall” this guy would have been a good addition to their squad.
Ian Kinsler: Yes, he was traded to the Tigers and the Rangers got Fielder but it is very hard to replace a guy like Kinsler. He is a career .273 hitter who plays second base. Second baseman are so hard to come by these days and the loss of a legit fielder like Kinsler is going to hurt them. Obviously it is nice to have Fielder on your team and the trade worked out well for both teams but it has to sting a bit for Rangers fans. This guy has been in Texas since 2006 and has never played under 100 games in each of his first eight seasons. It is not exactly easy to replace a consistent second basemen and it will show this year.
Name to Watch in Spring Training: Jurickson Profar
At only 20 years-old Profar has a whole lot of expectations that have been put on him. He had a huge buzz coming into the season but really disappointed as he only managed to bat .234 with 63 strikeouts in 286 plate appearances. Thankfully for him the 2013 season is over and he can focus on the future. At only 20 years-old he is only going to get better and better. Elvis Andrus is one of his biggest mentors and will likely be the guy showing him the ropes in 2014. Profar will have a chance to start for this big league club but will have to fine craft his tools. The knock on Profar has been that he is solid in every category but isn’t amazing in any category at the same time. 2014 is going to be a very telling year for this youngster and the sky’s the limit. Keep an eye out for this guy.
Biggest Spring Training Battle: Neftali Feliz vs Joakim Soria for closing duties.
As of right now you might assume that the Rangers would have Feliz be there closer in 2014 but things aren’t so black and white. Feliz was an amazing closer in 2010 as he recorded 40 saves. His 2011 was equally as impressive as he recorded 32 saves but then came the injuries. Feliz is now recovered from Tommy John but you never know how well a pitcher will rebound after an injury like that. Soria who will likely be the set up man to Feliz has a chance to become the closer if things go south for Feliz. He has some closing experience as he has recorded 160 saves since 2007. The only problem is that he did not record a single save last season. Things should be very interesting on the closer front come March.
What Went Right in 2013:
The Rangers had a better season than most expected in 2013. They finished second in the AL West with a record of 91-72 and lost to the Rays in the wild card tie-breaker game. The best player on their team was Adrian Beltre who led the team in batting average (.315), home runs (30) and RBIs (92). As a team their main strength was their offense who had the fourth best batting average in the American League at a .262 mark. They also had a good pitching staff that accumulated the fourth best ERA in baseball at 3.62. Overall this team was pretty well rounded all the way around.
Biggest Areas of Improvement in 2014:
The biggest knock of the Rangers in 2013 was their lack to move baserunners. They were very poor at bunting and found it very hard to get runners into scoring position. This will likely be the main thing that they will focus on coming into the new season. The fact that they have Choo on their squad should really help this offense out immensely. Another thing that the Rangers didn’t go well is hit the long ball. With the addition of Fielder you could see those numbers rise.