Lineup:
1. Elvis Andrus, A; when Julio Borbon struggled in the leadoff position, Andrus took over where he'll be for the better part of his career. He'll be a lot like Pudge in his career...known more for his defensive skills, and VERY under-rated at the plate. He's as complete a ballplayer as you'll find in the major leagues today.
2. Michael Young, A; what would you expect from the all-time hits leader in the organization but for another solid year.
3. Ian Kinsler, B-; lack of power is a direct product of him trying to stop hitting fly balls with every swing. He is a key part of this club and the 2009 version was a disaster. So far, when healthy, he can be a top four 2nd baseman in all of baseball.
4. Vladimir Guerrero, A+; He's a flat out stud. He's putting up career-high type numbers.
5. Josh Hamilton, A; Since he eliminated the "toe-tap" and stopped trying to hit monster HR's in batting practice...all he's done is hit nearly .500 since.
6. Nelson Cruz A-; This guy is a VERY streaky hitter. Beware of him because as good as he will be for a week, he will be just as bad the next week. His DL stints seemed to take place during his normal cold streaks and he went from hot streak to hot streak. At times, he will carry this lineup.
7. Bengie Molina - N/A; I hope things turn around when he catches because the Rangers are 1-6 so far when he's behind the dish. I would expect this to turn around because he's a reliable veteran catcher. He'll be no worse than what we've had...but what we've had has been pretty bad.
8. Chris Davis, F; was the first baseman to start the season and was horrible enough for the organization to call up a kid prospect a year too early. Now that the kid has been traded, he gets another shot. He has tremendous power when he's not striking out everyother at bat. If he can walk a time or two and make contact...he can help this team.
9. Julio Borbon B-; his April and May were terrible. Most knee-jerking arm-chair managers would have sent him down..but he's good. And his 2nd half will prove why they believe in this kid so much.
Starting Five:
1. Cliff Lee, N/A; one start was not good and his stats at The Ballpark in Arlington are horrible. But no worries...this guy is a STUD and a FRONT END starter we've been searching for since Kevin Brown.
2. Colby Lewis, A+; He's as solid a starting pitcher we've had here since Kenny Rogers. The Rangers got a steal when they signed him from Japan.
3. C.J. Wilson, A-; Has transitioned remarkably well from the bullpen to the rotation. He should have a starting roatation spot in the major leagues for another 10 years.
4. Tommy Hunter, A; He doesn't have overpowering stuff. He is remarkably underwhelming. But all he does is dominate baseball games. He wins. And when he's done with that...he wins some more.
5. Scott Feldman, F; He hasn't been inconsistent...he's been consistently bad. He is Ryan Drese of 2005...had one good year and was handed the #1 role and has been a complete failure. Now is the #5 at best.
Other starters
Rich Harden, F; A 9 million dollar disaster. The Rangers are at their best when he's on the DL. He taxes the bullpen and makes everyone worse.
Matt Harrison, C+; Matt would be a #3 pitcher on the normal Rangers team. But this isn't 2003 and the Rangers are deep and unfortunately for Matt...he doesn't fit.
Bullpen:
Neftali Feliz, A; can be a bit erratic, but his stuff makes up for mistakes within the strike zone.
Frank Francisco, C-; was the closer to begin the season, but was awful. Seems to have turned things around in the setup role. Watchout for the blowup inning out of nowhere though.
Darren Oliver, A-; as long as he possesses that curveball, he can pitch until he's 48 like Jamie Moyer. He no longer has the 94 MPH fastball, but when you know how to pitch, it doesn't matter. He's a pro.
Darren O'Day, A+; what is there to say bad about him for the past two years now? he just simply gets people out.
Dustin Nippert, C; he's an average major league pitcher. Shows flashes of brilliance somedays and then gets his socks handed to him on others. Very inconsistent, but a good long reliever.
The Rangers are a good baseball team. They may even be a really good baseball team. The addition of Cliff Lee should not only get them the AL West Championship, but could actually win more than one game in the playoffs for the first time. Their pitching should matchup with anyone in a 5 or 7 game season. Right now, the Rangers are living off of the June that propelled them as one of the best. They must build on that if they want to even have a shot at the post-season. But I suspect, barring injury, this team is destined for a red October.
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