| Starting Pitching: Kbel has really turned the team around from what it was last year. The staff has been solidified with Schilling, Rueter, Pineiro as the 1-2-3 punch. Steve Trachsel and Joe Mays round out what is a pretty solid rotation. Schilling was definitely one of the best pitchers last year, and should be good to be a 20 game winner. Rueter had one of his better years, going 14-8 with a 3.23 ERA, and makes for a fairly solid top of the rotation lefty. Pineiro posted a 3.28 ERA last year, and is only 24 years old, and makes for a pretty good #3 starter. As a starter, his ERA was higher at 3.52, but had 9 relief appearances where the ERA was a razor thin .50, bringing it down. New addition Steve Trachsel had a solid campaign last year too, posting a 3.37 ERA in 173.2 IP. Mays had a down year, but was hurt through most of it, and makes for a decent #5 starter if he can bounce back to his 2001 form again. SP Grade: B+: 1-2-3 of Schilling, Rueter and Pineiro will be tough, and Trachsel isn�t too shabby of a four. Bullpen - The bullpen is solid, too. Wagner is one of the games top closers, and a setup trio of Karsay, Embree and Timlin is pretty good. Lloyd serves as the teams second lefty, and Pavano is long relief/mopup work. The pen isn�t the deepest pen in the league, but, you can�t really argue too much with Wagner/Karsay/Embree/Timlin. RP Grade: B+: Very solid here as well. Lineup - lacks a leadoff man, but Todd Walker is suitable for the job. Hinske had a solid offensive campaign, but his defense is less than stellar. Jim Edmonds is one of the games top centerfielders, both in offense and defense. Klesko makes for a solid cleanup hitter. Brian Jordan is a solid outfielder, but he may be batting a little high. .338 OBP and 18 HR in the 5 hole. However, Jordan is the first righty in the lineup. Walker, Hinske, Edmonds and Klesko are all lefties. Brown is the teams carryover man, and should be a solid catcher with the carry over numbers. Travis Lee is a mediocre 1B, and really isn�t anything to get excited over. Mike Lamb posted a .354 OBP and a .283 average last year, and makes for a fairly solid #8 hitter. Larkin really isn�t too solid of a shortstop, and his career is pretty much circling the toilet right now. Lineup Grade: B: The lineup is fairly solid, Hinskes glove isn�t the best. 1-4 in the lineup is pretty solid, although there is no true leadoff man, but Walker will fit the bill. After that the lineup gets thin, but its still pretty solid. Bench - The bench is thin, Knoblauch and Butler aren�t really that great. Vizcaino is a pretty good switch hitting SS off of the bench, and had a good year last year. Cota had a brief MLB Stint and did OK, but it was only 17 at bats. And Tyler Houston rounds off the bench, and he�s a solid 1B/3B/C to have coming from the bench. Bench Grade: B-: It�s a tad thin, but it is the AL and you don�t need a deep bench. Vizcaino and Houston are solid options off of the bench, but, I can�t really say too much about Knobs and Butler, though� Minors - Some good pitching in Harden,Jenks is inconsistent but could be a star. A pretty deepsystem, with any luck it should produce 4-5 quality players. Overall Grade: B/B+- The teams made quite a turnaround since the off season began, and the rotation is the strong point of the team. The B/B+ is good, but will it be enough to win the AL West? Prescription: Get a righty bat in the top 4, because a good lefty coming in during a close game in the late innings and at the top of the order could shut the 1-4 down. The team is solid, but stuck in a tough division with Seattle and the defending champs in Anaheim. Not surprised if the team makes some noise during the year. |
| TEXAS RANGERS *NOTE - This breakdown is completely the opinion of JP of AZ and is meant for entertainment purposes |
| GM Keith Belix '02 RECORD 66-96 Current Power Ranking: 11th |
| Lineup 1. Todd Walker 2. Eric Hinske 3. Jim Edmonds 4. Ryan Klesko 5. Brian Jordan 6. Kevin L. Brown 7. Travis Lee 8. Mike Lamb 9. Barry Larkin Rotation 1. Curt Schilling 2. Kirk Rueter 3. Joel Pinerio 4. Steve Traschel 5. Joe Mays |
| Bullpen Billy Wagner - LHP Steve Karsay- RHP Alan Embree - LHP Mike Timlin - RHP Grame Lloyd - LHP Carl Pavano - RHP Bench Chuck Knoblauch OF Jose Vizcano SS Humberto Cota C Tyler Houston |
| Minors 1. Rich Harden P 2. Bobby Jenks P 3. Dontrelle Willis P 4. Corey Hart 3B 5. Julio DePaula P 6. Mario Valdez OF 7. Angel Guzman P 8. John-Ford Griffin 9. Travis Hughes 10. Javier Lopez |
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