1-866-915-1308 Buy Texas Rangers Tickets, Get MLB Schedule information and more
Since 1961 the Texas Rangers have been playing baseball. The Rangers did not come to Texas untilThe Washington Senators played poorly for the length of their stay in the nation’s capital. The only bright spot was Frank Howard, who won the home run title twice. The rest of the tenure was defined by an average of 90 losses a season. 1972. The team began as the Washington Senators.
The team, hopelessly mediocre, lost its fan base and moved to Arlington, Texas to start over. The new team came through with a season above .500 seasons. The team collected several individual awards- Mike Hargrove was named Rookie of the Year, Billy Martin was named Manager of the Year, Jeff Burroughs was named MVP, and Ferguson Jenkins was named Comeback Player of the Year after winning 25 games in 1974.
>> More
Upcoming Schedule
More from the AL West
Success was brief and the Rangers descended into futility again in the following seasons. The ‘80s were a roller coaster for fans. The team either played horribly or somewhere around par. The team featured stars like power pitcher Nolan Ryan, power hitter Ruben Sierra, and Pete Incaviglia.
The ‘90s brought more star player and power hitters with a pitching staff of Charlie Hough, Bobby Witt, Kevin Brown, and Kenny Rogers and a lineup with Juan Gonzalez, Ruben Sierra, Julio Franco, Harold Baines, and Rafael Palmeiro. The team never rose above second place under Bobby Valentine’s watch.
Kevin Kennedy replaced Valentine as manager in 1993 and was replaced by Johnny Oates. Under Oates, the team took off. The Rangers won the AL West title in four years in the remainder of the ‘90s.
Unfortunately the team never turned those division titles into AL Pennants or World Series titles. The Rangers seemed to focus on power hitting. Ivan Rodriguez, Will Clark, Mark McLemore, Dean Palmer and others could hit the ball as hard as they wanted, but the other team was never very far behind.
The failure in the ‘90s turned into disaster in the 21st century. The Rangers signed bug name players like Alex Rodriguez and Alfonso Soriano to bring the fans and create some wins. The signing and trades failed, bringing the Rangers into last or next to last in the NL West every year since 2000.
The Texas Rangers spent the 2007 season trying to rebuild the team. The Rangers biggest move was a trade by Rangers general manger Jo Daniels that sent closer Eric Gagne, first baseman Mark Teixeira, and lefthander Ron Mahay away for eight prospects. The move signals an end to the big swinging, free agent franchise of years past.
The Rangers starting rotation is the biggest weakness of the team. Kevin Millwood is the ace and was team leader in wins last season with 10. He needs to improve his 5.00 plus ERA, but nobody appears ready to challenge his spot in the rotation. The rest of the rotation will be Vincent Padilla , who did very well at home surprisingly; Brandon McCarthy, who has never lived up to his potential; Kason Gabbard, who could be the ace of the staff in a couple of years; and Kameron Loe. The bullpen will remain strong despite the departure of Gagne. C.J Wilson filled in after Gagne was traded and did very well, recording 12 saves. Joaquin Benoit and Frank Francisco will be the main setup guys. Francisco needs to improve, but Benoit was excellent last season, posting a sub-3.00 ERA.
The offense in Texas may be deficient for the first time in the years. The team has some very good hitters but lacks the power of past teams. Ian Kinsler, the second baseman, is the leading returning home run hitter form last season with 20. Blalock was injured though, and his numbers should improve and he should take over the three spot. The rest of the lineup has a very good hitting outfield with Marlon Byrd; Josh Hamilton, who hit 19 home runs in just 292 plate appearances; and Milton Bradley. Shortstop Michael Young is an excellent hitter, but an average fielder for his position.
Baseball in the hitter friendly Rangers Ballpark in Arlington will be look different this season with a lot more single and doubles and a lot fewer home runs. The Rangers will figure out the pitching staff and continue building for the future. The long schedule of the 2008 season will ultimately decide where the Rangers are in the West.