There isn?t a team that has endured more newsworthy plot twists during the 2010 season, in every aspect of their organization than the Texas Rangers. The manner in which I will examine said twists will draw from none other than Charles Dickens? A Christmas Carol. You might think this is an odd pairing or even a metaphorical stretch, but I think, as I hope you will as well, it is quite apropos. You see, like Ebeneezer Scrooge himself, the Texas Rangers organization is undergoing a seismic shift in its ideological and philosophical outlook, not to mention their actual performance on the field. Gone are the days of the bloated contracts of Alex Rodriguez and Michael Young. Well, at least the days of handing out those contracts; they are still paying both of these players, ironically. Without further ado, here is something I can probably say with virtually 100% confidence, that this is the first time you will read about a baseball organization through Dickens-colored glasses. The Ghost of Rangers Past The fact that Tom Hicks can now be called ?former owner of the Texas Rangers? has got to be a delight to the team?s fans. What it took for that to happen is a story that began what must seem like a long, long time ago. To say that bad financial decisions were made under Hicks? watch would be like saying the folks at Enron simply bent the rules a tad. The vast number of zeroes preceded by dollar signs that were doled out while Hicks was running the team was mind-boggling given the lack of success the team experienced. In the order of least to most financially crippling, here are a sampling of the contracts handed out by Hicks and company coupled with a few stats to compare performance versus pay: Mark Clark (who?) ? two years, $9.3 million, 1999. In what turned out to be his last two seasons in professional baseball, Clark produced an 8.37 ERA in 27 games (23 starts) over two seasons whilst laughing all the way to the bank. Ken Caminiti ? two years, $9.5 million, 2001. The late Caminiti cashed in on his Houston and San Diego days, but didn?t even make it to August of 2001 before he was released by the team after posting a slash line of .232/.318/.432. Juan Gonzalez ? two years, $24 million, 2002. Long a suspected user of steroids, Gonzalez broke down physically during the life of this contract, producing what seems like a respectable 32 home runs over 642 plate appearances until you realize that it was over two seasons. Kevin Millwood ? 5 years, $60 million, 2006. In his nine years prior to signing with the Rangers, Millwood had six seasons with an ERA above 4.00. Hicks was obviously paying for the other three. Chan Ho Park ? five years, $65 million, 2002. While Park wasn?t the only starting pitcher signing an exorbitant contract during this time period (Mike Hampton, anyone?), in his three full seasons in Texas, he ended up compiling an ERA that was nearly 2.5 runs higher than his previous two seasons with the Dodgers. Michael Young - five years, $80 million extension, 2007. Young is different from those that precede him on this list, as he had a proven track record of success. However, he is now a full time third baseman, not a shortstop, providing slightly above average offense, but being paid like a superstar. Alex Rodriguez ? ten years, $252 million, 2001. A-Rod performed exactly as you would have expected him to before the Rangers traded him to the Yankees for Alfonso Soriano. The residual effect of this contract/trade continues to haunt the franchise as they still owe close to $25 million to the Yankees? third baseman. While, admittedly, all of the contracts listed were not solely Hicks? doing, as he had the ?help? of his General Manager at the time, contracts of this magnitude require the man at the top to sign off on the deal. What we eventually found out is that player payroll was not the only financial trouble that Hicks was in. He had racked up over $500+ million in debt, which led to a nasty sequence of events. In an attempt to get out from under the mountain of debt, Hicks was forced to put the team up for sale. While attempting to complete a deal with an ownership group led by Chuck Greenberg and Rangers legend Nolan Ryan, his creditors were not willing to sign off on the deal under the suspicion that there was a more lucrative offer out there. Hicks then decided that claiming bankruptcy was the answer to all of his problems, forcing Major League Baseball to seize control of the team for the time being. All the while, the Rangers were proving themselves to be one of the top teams in the American League and felt that they had significant holes to fill in order to be a legitimate World Series contender, but more on that later. The legacy of Tom Hicks will live on, but he will no longer be rubber stamping any more deals in the lone star state. The sale to Nolan Ryan and Chuck Greenberg eventually was approved via an auction overseen by a bankruptcy judge. Needless to say, it was a messy end to a messy era in Rangers baseball. The Ghost of Rangers Present Now that I?ve outlined the hole that Rangers ownership had dug and essentially left for someone else to fill, it?s time to take a closer look at some of the success that Texas has enjoyed in their brilliant 2010 season. As they push toward their first division title since 1999, there are many reasons to think that this team can be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs. The Rangers success begins and ends with their MVP frontrunner, Josh Hamilton. After a so-so April, Hamilton has been nothing short of the best hitter in baseball. Since May 1, he has produced a .380 batting average, .427 on-base percentage and a staggering .663 slugging percentage, all the while playing superb defense in left and center field. Hamilton is currently on the shelf dealing with some sore ribs, but the Rangers? healthy cushion in the AL West gives them some leeway to rest their superstar before the playoffs get started. While offense is always plentiful for a team that calls The Ballpark at Arlington home, it is pitching that comes at a premium. As The Ghost of Rangers Past can tell you, the Rangers have thrown a lot of good money at bad starting pitching. However, this year?s version of Texas? rotation has featured a couple really nice success stories. What other team can boast a starter that spent the last two years in Japan and one that hadn?t started a major league game since his rookie season in 2005? What?s more, these two starters, Colby Lewis and C.J. Wilson, lead their rotation mates in ERA at 3.96 and 3.10, respectively. That is a far cry from handing out long term, big dollar free agent contracts to underperforming starting pitchers. The guy who they thought would play a much more prominent role in the season?s homestretch, midseason acquisition Cliff Lee, has stumbled of late, but no one is doubting his ability to dominate come October. He proved as much last season with Philadelphia. However, since coming to the Rangers, Lee has pitched to the tune of a 4.69 ERA. His pinpoint control has not wavered, though, as he has amazingly walked only 12 batters this season in 184 1/3 innings, while striking out 161, good for a 13.42 strikeout to walk ratio. This figure is almost double that of Roy Halladay, in second place with a 7.0 ratio. Currently, the Rangers are taking it easy with Lee, who is experiencing back troubles, but the assumption is that he will be ready to go in the coming weeks. Speaking of Lee, the Rangers have been by far the most active in the trade market this season. Not only did they pick up the most coveted pitcher available at the trade deadline in Lee, but they have also picked up a ton of complementary pieces along the way. The Rangers dealt for Bengie Molina to shore up the catching duties, as well as Jorge Cantu, Christian Guzman and Alex Cora to provide infield depth. The Ghost of Rangers Future One thing the new ownership group is inheriting is a roster chock full of young, controllable talent. While their impressive minor league system has bore some fruit this year, having flipped Justin Smoak et al for Cliff Lee and utilizing Neftali Feliz?s electric stuff out of the closer?s role, the major league roster has proven offensive talent at several positions. Not only can these guys hit, they aren?t going anywhere anytime soon. Second baseman Ian Kinsler has the ability to be one of the top producers at his position for years to come. Having missed all of August due to a groin injury, the Rangers hope he will be back to his all star form by the time the playoffs commence. When healthy, Kinsler is an extra base hit machine with speed at the top of the lineup. He also happens to be signed to a team friendly contract. As a matter of fact, over the final three seasons of Kinsler?s contract, he will be making a little less than half of his teammate over at the hot corner, Michael Young. Since Kinsler came up to the big club in 2006, he has an OPS of .823, 90 home runs and 101 stolen bases, while, in comparison, Young has produced an OPS of .805, 77 home runs and 42 steals in the same timeframe. Another force in their lineup is also under team control for three more years, as Nelson Cruz will go to arbitration for the first time this offseason. Even though he has missed a couple weeks here and there this season due to injury, Cruz has put together a strong campaign at the plate. While the home runs aren?t as plentiful as in the 2009 season when he clubbed 33 in only 128 games, he has improved his offensive game across the board, posting an impressive slash line of .310/.367/.564. There isn?t any team in baseball that wouldn?t take that kind of production from a guy who is capable of playing all three outfield positions, and playing them very well at that. For a guy that is listed at 6-3, 230 pounds, it is also impressive to note that he can steal 20+ bases over a full season. Players like Cruz get paid the big bucks on the free agent market, however, the Rangers will have paid him a grand total of $440,000 for his services in 2010. Finishing up his second full season in the big leagues, Elvis Andrus is a commodity that all teams would love to have. He is a slick-fielding shortstop with the ability to get on base as well as steal 30+ bags per season. An all-star in is second year, Andrus just turned 22 years old and Texas controls his services for at least the next four years. A double play combination of Kinsler and Andrus has the potential to be one of the best in the game over that time period. Also on the major league roster with at least three years of team control are dynamic centerfielder Julio Borbon, hitting machine Mitch Moreland as well as fireballing 23 year old southpaw starter Derek Holland. There are also reinforcements on the farm waiting for their time as well, led by left-handed starter Martin Perez. While Perez has struggled in the minors this season at the AA level, he is only 19 years old and has plenty of time to polish up his repertoire for the major leagues. There are a lot of major league teams that envy the position that the Texas Rangers are currently in. They have a new ownership group eager to please the home fans, a successful on-field product headed for a division title, and a future bright with as many, if not more, rising stars than any other team in baseball. After suffering for a decade plus of bad ownership, terrible pitching and a team mired in mediocrity, Rangers fans can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. Please feel free to send comments, suggestions and feedback to Jason Follain directly at Jason.Follain@realgm.com