It's time to head "Deep in the Heart of Texas" for today's report card, which will be issued to the Texas Rangers! Let's go!
Texas Rangers:
Record: 87-75 (Second place in the AL West, 10 games behind Los Angeles).
Batting Leaders:
Batting Average: Michael Young (.322)
Home Runs: Nelson Cruz (33)
RBIs: Marlon Byrd (89)
On-base Percentage: Michael Young (.374)
Pitching Leaders:
Wins: Scott Feldman (17)
ERA: Kevin Millwood (3.67). Bullpen- Darren O'Day (1.94).
Strikeouts: Kevin Millwood (123)
Innings Pitched: Kevin Millwood (198.2)
WHIP: Scott Feldman (1.28)
Saves: Frank Francisco (25)
Highlight of the Season: After thrashing the Athletics at home on May 30 by a score of 14-1, the Rangers extended their lead in the division to 5.5 games, in what would prove to be their biggest lead of the season.
Lowlight of the Season: Getting blasted by the Angels 11-0 on September 28, which effectively eliminated them from postseason contention.
The Lowdown:
It was another year of dashed dreams for Texas, as they saw their hopes for their first division title in 10 years thwarted by the Angels yet again. Things looked so bright for this team in the early part of the season, when, at one point, they were in first place for 65 days before finally falling out of the AL West penthouse on July 10. However, the season was not a complete disappointment for Texas, as they improved their win total by eight this season, and saw their best season since 2004. This was thanks in large part to a vastly improved pitching staff, as well as their high-octane offense, which, once again, was one of the better ones in baseball.
Offense:
The Texas Lumber Company was in full swing again in 2009, as their lineup featured a whopping six people with at least 20 or more home runs (Marlon Byrd, Chris Davis, Michael Young, Hank Blalock, Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz). They would be paced by 29-year-old Nelson Cruz in the home run department, as he hit a career-high 33, to go along with 76 RBIs, another career-high. This season proved to be a breakout one for Cruz, as he would play over 100 games for the first time in his career, and judging by his numbers, he obviously made the most of his opportunity.
When looking at the six people in the lineup who hit at least 20 home runs, did you notice someone missing? If you did not, then you probably weren't paying enough attention, as Josh Hamilton was the major player missing from that bunch. After enjoying a breakout season in 2008, Hamilton was hampered by injuries in '09, as he played in only 89 games. In the time that he did play though, he was likely still playing through injuries, as he hit .268, with just 10 home runs and 54 RBIs. It was quite impressive that Texas managed to stay in contention throughout the season despite being largely without the services of their best hitter. That just goes to show you the depth of their lineup.
As a whole, Texas finished 10th in MLB in runs scored (784), second in home runs (224), 24th in on-base percentage (.320) and tied for 17th in batting average (.260). Despite the low on-base percentage, Texas proved once again that they have one of the best offenses in baseball. This is probably one of my easiest grades yet.
Final Grade: A+
Pitching:
The biggest secret to Texas' resurgence in 2009 has to be their rejuvenated pitching staff. They were led surprisingly enough by Scott Feldman, a 26-year-old righty who had an ERA over five in 2008. This year was a much different story for him though, as he went 17-8, with a 4.08 ERA in nearly 200 innings. He was one of the biggest surprises in baseball this past season, and Texas will look for him to repeat his success in 2010, as they continue their quest for the AL West crown.
Of course, in order to have a successful pitching staff, Feldman could not do it all by himself. His brilliant performance was backed up by the solid performances of Kevin Millwood and Tommy Hunter. Millwood fashioned another solid season on the hill for the Rangers, as he went 13-10 with a 3.67 ERA. Hunter also put together a solid year for himself, as the 23-year-old rookie from Indianapolis went 9-6 in 19 starts, with a 4.10 ERA.
Texas' bullpen was also pretty solid in 2009, as their top three relievers were C.J. Wilson, Darren O'Day and closer Frank Francisco. Wilson and O'Day were especially great, as each appeared in over 60 games and featured ERAs of under three (Wilson- 2.81 in 74 games, O'Day- 1.94 in 64 games). They also both split time in the set up role, as O'Day recorded 20 holds and Wilson recorded 19. Frank Francisco also proved to be effective in the closer's role, as he went 25 for 29 in saves this year. Perhaps the most electric arm to come out of Texas' bullpen this year was not any of those three, though. Neftali Feliz only appeared in 20 games for Texas this past season, but the stuff he brought to those 20 appearances was something to behold, as he threw a fastball that reached up to around 100 miles per hour. The fastball proved to be effective, as he put together a 1.74 ERA in 31 innings of relief.
Overall, Texas finished 18th in ERA (4.38), 19th in runs allowed (740), 19th in bases on balls (531) and 12th in opponent's batting average (.260). Their staff also compiled an impressive 11 shutouts, which tied for sixth in MLB. This staff has certainly come a long way.
Final Grade: B+
Wild Card: Team Speed
The Rangers finished second in MLB in stolen bases with 149, and their 81 percent success rate in steals tied with Philadelphia for the best in the bigs. Rookie Elvis Andrus led the team with 33 swipes, and Ian Kinsler also checked in with over 30, as he pilfered 31 bags himself.
Final Grade: A-
Overall:
One has to wonder just where this team would have finished if Josh Hamilton was healthy? If they were able to win 87 games largely without his services, then I truly think that they would have been a playoff team had he been healthy and playing to his full potential in '09. This was a very good team this year, and it will be interesting to see if they can prove that 2009 was not a fluke next year.
Final Grade: B+
Check back tomorrow for the report card on the San Francisco Giants!
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