| Michael Gould. 15th June, 2006 - 4:53 pm
 The Texas Rangers currently sit 2 ? games atop the AL West, to the surprise of many. The Los Angeles Angles of the Western time zone of the United States of America of Anaheim were in the ALCS last year, and Oakland had a starting rotation every other team except the White Sox were drooling over. Pre-season, the Rangers were considered wild-card contenders at best. So how have they done it?
Pitching
The Rangers signed Kevin Millwood to a 5 year, $60 million contract in the offseason, traded for Vicente Padilla and traded for Adam Eaton in an attempt to revamp their rotation. To get Eaton (who has yet to pitch an inning for the Rangers), rookie GM Jon Daniels had to give up Chris Young, who has been fantastic for San Diego (6-3, 3.25 ERA, 70 K?s in 80.1 IP).
But perhaps the biggest move was a small trade at the end of spring training, dealing Juan Dominguez to the A?s for John Rheinecker and Freddy Bynum, and then dealt Bynum to the Cubs for John Koronka. Both Koronka and Rheinecker have combined for 6 wins in 15 starts while Dominguez only won 5 games in 17 starts in Texas.
The Rangers, even with Francisco Cordero?s early season struggles, are in the middle of the pack in pitching in the AL with a respectable 4.68 ERA, including a 4.31 road ERA, 2nd best in the AL.
Small Ball
Normally a power-hitting team, the Rangers have been in the top 4 in home runs the last three years (including leading the league in 2003 and 2005). While it?s still early, the Rangers are in the middle of the pack, having hit 72 while the Reds lead the league with 87. Instead, the Rangers lead the majors in doubles, having 13 more than their closest competitor. They?re hitting .294 with runners in scoring position. And with 2 outs and runners in scoring position, Hank Blalock is hitting a robust .429 with 18 RBI?s in 36 AB. Michael Young has been even more clutch, hitting .444 with RISP and two outs.
However, the biggest part of the Rangers offense hasn?t been Mark Teixiera, Hank Blalock, or 2005 batting champ Michael Young. It?s been leadoff man Gary Matthews Jr. He?s hitting .330 with 23 doubles (he had 25 all of last year with twice as many at-bats) and has 30 RBIs. After Lance Nix struggled in the first 9 games (only 3 hits in 32 at bats), Matthews was activated and has been a sparkplug in the leadoff spot, getting on base at a .390 clip.
Luck
Like with most good things, a little luck had to be involved. The A?s have lost time to the DL from Rich Harden, Esteban Loaiza, Joe Kennedy, Milton Bradley, Mark Ellis, and top setup man Justin Duchscherer. Their team batting average is a mere .250 and their OBP is only .328. With rumors swirling that Barry Zito might be on the way out, this team probably won?t be in contention, even with Nick Swisher becoming the ?Moneyball? player he was destined to become.
With the Angels, their issues have been less defined. They lost Bartolo Colon to injury, but that?s the only key DL time they?ve had. Other than Vlad Guerrero, their offense has been sluggish. Chone Figgins is only getting on base at a .322 clip and is hitting 40 points lower than last year.
The Mariners are just bad.
When the Rangers get Adam Eaton and setup man Frankie Francisco back from injury, this team should run away with the AL West. |
