Monday Notes on the Rangers

February 9th, 2010 | by Brandon Wilson |

Note: Evan Grant wonders how the Rangers will determine playing time for David Murphy. Need to know: Murphy will make the team and be the primary backup in the outfield. It would probably be better for Murphy if he was right-handed since the biggest question in the outfield is how Julio Borbon will handle left-handed pitchers. Having said that, Murphy is one of the more disciplined hitters on the team and while his ceiling may not be as high as some others, I always feel good when he is at the plate with runners on base (except when he was going 0-23 to start last season). Another way to get Murphy playing time could be at first, but even if Murphy learns first base well enough to play there in a game, he would again be replacing a left-hander in the lineup so there is no natural platoon for him there.

Note: Speaking of first base, Richard Durrett previews the position. Need to know: Chris Davis heads into spring training as the starter. Justin Smoak is expected to start the season back in Triple-A where he struggled a little bit after his promotion from Double-A. Smoak was fantastic for Team USA and could make things interesting this spring, but it couldn’t hurt to start him at Oklahoma City. Smoak is a switch hitter that has always show good patience at the plate (something this lineup needs desperately) and was projected to be a gold glove caliber defender when he was drafted. Of course, Chris Davis has made himself into an exceptional defender as well and while he will probably never be associated with plate discipline, he figures to have more power than Smoak at his peak. It’s a potentially tough problem for the Rangers if both turn into superior first basemen in terms of offense and defense, but a problem the Rangers would love to have.

Note: T.R. Sullivan writes about the left handed pitching the AL West foes will present. Need to know: The Rangers were 29-27 when the opponent started a lefty and had a weak .318 OBP against them last season which is one of the reasons a right-handed bat was a priority this offseason. The Angels, Mariners and A’s wil each have two or three lefties in their rotation. Sullivan uses the fact that the Rangers may face a left-handed starter half the time when playing against the AL West as a reason that Rocco Baldelli might still be in the picture for the Rangers (Baldelli was also written about by Joey Matschulat on Monday). Outside of Baldelli, the Rangers internal right-handed options might include Khalil Greene who will reportedly learn first base to go along with his other infield positions. Another option might be Craig Gentry who was minor league defender of the year and a good option for center field, the only question is whether his bat would play at the big league level.

Note: MLB.com’s Mark Newman has an article up about Ron Washington being from New Orleans and the recent Saints Superbowl victory. Need to Know: Not much really, other than Washington comparing the Rangers (one of three franchises to have never been to the World Series) to the Saints who went their first 43 years without making it to the Superbowl. Dream big Rangers fans, if the Saints can do it, so can the Rangers.