Despite Perceptions to the Contrary, the Texas Rangers Are Just Fine - Gary Armida's Blog

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Gary Armida's Blog

Despite Perceptions to the Contrary, the Texas Rangers Are Just Fine Stuck

Posted on August 8, 2012 at 09:28 AM.

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If there is one problem with new and social media it is the race to get the news first often gets in the way of facts. When the slightest thing goes awry, beat writers, columnists, and bloggers race to post possible scenarios without really knowing the full story. When a team has a long period of success, this perceived problem �merits� national attention. The Texas Rangers know all about this after making two consecutive World Series appearances. Everything out of Texas is now dissected, interpreted, and made out to be the worst case scenario.

In recent weeks, the Rangers have been in the news for all of the wrong reasons. Michael Young can�t hit anymore. Yu Darvish has been awful for a month. Josh Hamilton had a mystery problem and lost his baseball soul in the process. Nolan Ryan then essentially said that Hamilton wasn�t focusing on baseball. Roy Oswalt refused to pitch a third inning in relief. The Angels is the league�s most dangerous team. The A�s have been a great story. One would think that the Rangers are in a freefall.

Let�s not let facts get in the way of a good story after all. There is something in our sports culture--actually, in all of society--that makes people want to see the negative. It is as if we love to see greatness fail. We want to see the negative at all times. We want to be the first to say that a certain player was �done�. Most love to see the Yankees fail; many are enjoying the Phillies being a last place team.

The Rangers have received that attention of late. It seems that they have some very serious problems. Michael Young is batting just .271/.297/.348 yet he is third on the Rangers with his 448 plate appearances. Ron Washington is being criticized for keeping the veteran in his lineup on most days. Washington�s loyalty is getting in the way of team success. Washington is also criticized for his lineup construction, batting Nelson Cruz in the bottom third of the order for much of the year. Again, Young is at the center of it as he often hits before Cruz.

But, the problems don�t end there. Josh Hamilton was doing his best Willie Mays-Mickey Mantle-Hank Aaron impression during the first two months of the season. Then he went into a mysterious funk.

Hamilton's aggressive approach and resulting extended cold streak have led him to have the worst swing and miss rate in the majors. He hit just .223/.318/.436 in June. It got worse in July as he hit just .177/.253/.354. Hamilton was so bad that owner Nolan Ryan criticized him in the media for giving away at bats. He went so far as to say that Hank Aaron would never do that. It was an odd situation as Ryan called out his star in the media. Few stars ever receive that type of criticism. A Hall of Famer should know better.

Then Hamilton�s situation was made worse by Washington. The manager stated that Hamilton�s problems had nothing to do with baseball. He said nothing else. That led to all sorts of speculation. With Hamilton�s history, speculation tends to be on the dramatic side.

The Rangers� problems don�t end there. Yu Darvish was pitching like an ace before the All-Star Game. Since, he is just 1-3 with a 7.76 ERA in five starts. The accepted reason for his five poor starts is his difficult adjustment to the schedule of Major League Baseball.

The rotation also lost the reliable Colby Lewis for the season. Neftali Feliz is lost for the season and having Tommy John Surgery. Derek Holland has a 5.18 ERA and hasn�t taken that next step that many thought he would after his World Series performance last season.

Roy Oswalt was supposed to make some of this better. The 34 year old was signed mid-season to bring stability and experience to a staff that wasn�t sure if it had a true ace (it doesn�t). In six starts, Oswalt compiled a 3-2 record with a 6.49 ERA and allowed an absurd 54 hits in 34.2 innings. He was removed from the rotation when Ryan Dempster was acquired at the trade deadline. During his second appearance, Oswalt pitched two scoreless innings. It was then reported that Oswalt refused to go out for the third inning. Again, Ron Washington did nothing to make the situation better, stating that Oswalt said he couldn�t go. Suddenly, Roy Oswalt was an enemy and a poster child for greedy, selfish baseball players.

And not to be outdone, Oswalt's rotation replacement, Ryan Dempster, was blasted in his first outing.

It doesn�t help that the Rangers are in the same division with the Angels. The Angels have added Zack Greinke, the ace that the Rangers so desperately needed. The Angels have Mike Trout and have been on a roll since Trout came up to the Majors in late April. The A�s have surged as well, leading the league in walkoff wins. The division has been tougher than expected and is effectively a three way race.

Isn�t it funny how some information can be presented and things can look so dire?

One would think that the Rangers are in severe trouble. But, reality is far different than the supposed reporting. Ron Washington is criticized for his lineup construction, yet the Rangers are first in the league in runs scored, batting average, and on base percentage and second in slugging percentage. One would think that Washington�s poor lineups would produce far less.

Hamilton finally had to admit that his problem was his trouble of quitting tobacco. Anyone who has tried to quit knows the difficulty. One can criticize Hamilton for quitting during the season, but one would be quite myopic in that view. Quitting that habit is important. Hamilton is still struggling, but has far too much talent to continue this way. And, even with his struggles, the Rangers still have the number one ranked offense. It�s not as if his struggles have slowed down their lineup.

The rotation has been a problem. Losing Lewis was devastating as he has been their one constant over the past two and a half seasons. Derek Holland has disappointed, especially with giving up 21 home runs. But, he is still averaging less than a hit per inning and a solid 7.2 K/9. The rotation has been boosted by the development of 26 year old Matt Harrison, who has been the Rangers most consistent pitcher. Scott Feldman has filled in admirably and abley. Ryan Dempster was pummeled in his first start, but he rebounded to pitch 6.2 innings, allowing 6 hits, 1 walk, 3 unearned runs, and 6 strikeouts against the Red Sox. He isn�t an ace, but he is a solid upgrade to the rotation for the rest of the season.

Oswalt�s situation is bit messier. Oswalt is a veteran with 12 years of success, some even with elite level success. A demotion to the bullpen is a slap in the face, even if it is the right move. Oswalt stated some negative things when the move happened, but that is to be expected. An athlete�s pride is one of the reasons why he becomes elite.

And, for the truth of the story about Oswalt�s supposed refusal to pitch, there was a plausible reason. Oswalt threw a long bullpen session in order to prepare for a start, which the Rangers said he may make. He then threw an inning of relief a few days before his two inning outing. In all, he threw about 200 pitches in a seven day span. Fatigue might have set in there. Competitors like Oswalt don�t refuse to pitch. Yet, that was the story.

Despite all of the rotation issues and struggles, Rangers� starters have pitched the fifth most innings in the American League. Their 4.28 ERA is mediocre, but in terms of WAR, the Rangers rotation ranks second in the American League. The rotation is certainly not a strength, but it hasn�t been a hindrance. The bullpen has also been mediocre in terms of ERA, but they rank third according to WAR. Again, not a strength, but enough when factoring in the offense.

The Rangers are not a perfect team. They have flaws, just like every other playoff team. Their pitching staff is a concern, especially in a short series as the Rangers don�t have a pitcher to match up with an ace. Yu Darvish has ace stuff, but his control problems have led to a very poor stretch. If he can find a way to get past his dead arm period and rediscover some control, he can be the ace that the Rangers lack. He was earlier in the season.

Their problems of late coupled with the Angels and A�s respective surges looks like a dire situation. Yet, for as many problems that the Rangers have endured and how hot the Angels and A�s have been, the Rangers still hold a five and a half game lead. Since the early season, they have never led by less than three games.

Are the Rangers facing issues and potential obstacles? Absolutely. But, are they in grave danger? No, they have too much talent.

The Rangers have supplemented their roster with Dempster, Geovany Soto, and their own young talent in Martin Perez and Mike Olt. The Rangers aren�t in chaos; they are simply trying to withstand the 162 game schedule.

Rarely does perception meet reality. In this case, it has certainly missed the mark. The perception is that the Angels are creeping in on the Rangers. The reality is that the Rangers are 64-45, which is the best record in the American League. And, they are currently six games ahead of those loaded Angels. Reality sounds a lot better than perception.