Teammates congratulate first baseman Chris Davis after his walkoff home run May 14th against Seattle
The Rangers, who currently sit 3.5 games atop the American League West, have the 3rd best record in baseball, have won 12 of their last 14 games, and not even a John Lackey fastball to Ian Kinsler’s ribs in the team’s first at bat on Saturday could slow their momentum. A number of factors have contributed to this team’s resurgence. First and foremost, John Daniels is a heck of a General Manager. Over the last 2 years, a number of savvy trades as well as a renewed emphasis on development throughout the organization demonstrate how much he has learned from past mistakes. Moreover, I believe that the plan he is currently implementing, puts him among the best GM’s in baseball. In addition to improvements in management, this team now has a winning culture at every level of the organization evidenced by four affiliates winning division championships last year. Add to that, a hands on approach by a hall of fame pitcher who just so happens to be the team’s president, and you get a 22-14 record through 36 games, and a team that is just beginning to scratch the surface.
Every one of the Rangers’ eight position players is under team control (i.e. the player cannot declare to become a free agent) until at least 2012. In addition, with the exception of the Michael Young or “The Face of the Franchise” as he is known in the Rangers blogosphere, each of those players is on the right side of 30 years old. All this and I haven’t even mentioned a farm system rated by Baseball America as the best in baseball. Have I got your attention?
All of these things suggest that a team who the national media is only now starting to warm to, is not the fluke that many assume will fizzle and fall out of the pennant race over the course of another hot Texas summer. Their pitchers are “pitching to contact,” which not only allows a much-improved defense to make plays behind them but it keeps their pitch counts down, leading to more innings. With the starters taking on a higher workload, potential holes in short-handed bullpen have been minimized, and more often than not, they are making those late game leads hold up. Oh, and a lineup which led the league in runs last year with 901, is on pace for 927 runs this year.
This is not to suggest that this team is the favorite to win the World Series just yet. First of all, after going so many years without playing a meaningful game, the team still has to gain some experience in those situations. But as the Rays proved last year and the Rockies the year before that, all the experience you need can be acquired in one year. Next, the bullpen remains a question mark. Closer Frank Francisco, who has yet to give up a run this year, is on the disabled list. Top prospect Derek Holland has had his duties reserved to special situations. Aging reclamation projects, Kris Benson and Eddie Guardado, have not been particularly effective so far this season, and with so many young players on their way to Arlington, they may not be long for this team. And although CJ Wilson, Jason Jennings, and the newly acquired Darren O’Day have been solid for the most part this season, due to these other problems, each player has been asked to pitch an awful lot of innings so far this season.
I like where this thing is headed though. I like the fact that this team will probably play consequential baseball in Spetember and October for the first time since I was in middle school. I like that the players seem to genuinely like each other and root for each other to succeed. And I really like the choice of “Day N Nite” by Kid Cudi for their locker room rituals, as the lyrics: “the lonely loner seems to free his mind at night,” seems to describe this teams focus every time out. But most of all, I like this team’s swagger. As Marlon Byrd said prior to Saturday’s game in which Angel’s starter John Lackey made the aforementioned fool of himself, “We’ve faced Lackey enough. They probably feel they need to throw him out there at some point in time, and why not against us? I don’t know what his success rate is against us, but he’d better bring his A game.”
I think that advice can go for the rest of the league as well.
After centuries, in the end of 14th century and in the beginning of 15th century Taimur made his invasions in India and Persia.