Saturday, October 07, 2006
The Season in Review- Texas Rangers
The Rangers’ season started out with hope, with a lineup featuring Michael Young, Mark Teixeira, and Hank Blalock. Texas couldn’t even finish with a .500 record, though, let alone make the playoffs.
It was one of Michael Young’s worst power years, hitting only 14 home runs, but as usual, he was able to reach the 200 hits mark and finished with 217 hits and a .314 average. He played in all 162 games for the first time and set a new personal record with 103 RBI. His 52 doubles put him 2nd in the American League, only behind Grady Sizemore’s 53 doubles.
Mark Teixeira also had a slight power outage, at least for the first half of the season. He finished with 33 home runs, an impressive total, but only 9 of them came in the first half. He was on pace for less than 20 home runs for the first time ever, before hitting .291 with 24 home runs after the All-Star break.
Hank Blalock was yet another power disappointment. He had hit at least 25 home runs in each of the past 3 years, and was expected to do so again this year, but ended up with only 16 homers. He hit .287 with 12 home runs and 60 RBI before the All-Star break, but after the break hit only .237 with 4 home runs and 29 RBI.
Their starting pitching, once again, was reason for concern. Their best starters were Vicente Padilla and Kevin Millwood, both of their ERAs just over 4.50. Adam Eaton came back from the DL, where he spent most of the season with finger issues, only to post a 5.12 ERA. In the bullpen, they had Akinori Otsuka as the closer saving 32 of 36 with a 2.11 ERA. Rookie Wes Littleton ended up leading the rest of the bullpen with a 1.73 in 36.1 innings. Control is an issue for him, however, as he walked 13 compared to 17 strikeouts.
If Teixeira, Young, and Blalock get their power back and Carlos Lee keeps hitting well, the Rangers have a shot at a playoff spot next season. Better pitching would also help, but in the run-scoring stadium that Ameriquest Field is, you can’t ask for much.
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