BY PAT DORWIN
SPORTSWRITER
DALLAS MORNING NEWS
ARLINGTON - IMPATIENCE, IMPOTENCE AND INCOMPETENCE ARE NOT A COMBINATION ANYONE IS FOND OF.
UNLESS, OF COURSE, YOU HAVE AN INCLINATION TO BE IMPOSSIBLY SELF-DESTRUCTIVE.
THAT'S THE COURSE THE TEXAS RANGERS FOUND THEMSELVES PLODDING THROUGH IN SEASON TWO OF MLB: THE SHOW 2010, DAWDLING THEIR WAY TO A 54-108 RECORD, POOREST IN ALL THE LAND.
BUT OBSERVERS HAVE AN INKLING ALL THAT IS BEHIND THE FRANCHISE.
"NOW THAT THEY HAVE THE NEW OWNERSHIP IN PLACE (THE CLUB WAS RUN BY MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL UNTIL SUITABLE OWNERS WERE FOUND IN AUGUST), THEY HAVE A WHOLE OFFSEASON TO GET THE BAD TASTE OF 2010 OUT OF THEIR MOUTHS," SAID AN AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOUT. "THEY WERE BY FAR THE YOUNGEST TEAM, SO THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM FORE THEIR YOUNGSTERS TO BLOSSOM."
TEENAGERS SUCH AS NEVILLE CRUISE, LORENZO ORTIZ, CAYDEN WOOTEN. LEIGH WEIR AND OTHERS GOT TO EXPERIENCE THE BIGS.
"ALTHOUGH THAT EXPERIENCE WAS A LOSING ONE, THEY STILL GOT TO SEE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE CONSISTENT," THE SCOUT SAID.
THE TRIPS MADE BACK AND FORTH BY PLAYERS FROM ARLINGTON, CLASS AAA OKLAHOMA CITY AND AA FRISCO WERE SEEMINGLY MADE DAILY. THE TRADES WERE NUMEROUS - AND HARDLY SUCCESSFUL.
"(INTERIM GENERAL MANAGER DAN) RAJKOWSKI WAS BEHIND THE EIGHT-BALL FROM THE START," SAYS A NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOUT. "HE HAD A DECENT DRAFT OFFENSIVELY, GETTING YOUNG PLAYERS SIGNED TO LONG-TERM DEALS, BUT THAT LEFT THE PITCHING STAFF IN SHAMBLES."
INDEED, JOURNEYMAN RANDY WOLF WAS THE ACE OF THE STAFF UNTIL BREAKING HIS ARM, THEN RETURNING TO DUTY TO FIND THE RANGERS HAD ACQIURED FELIX HERNANDEZ, JOSH JOHNSON AND COLE HAMELS, A TRIUMVIRATE OF STARTERS ANY CLUB WOULD LIKE.
WOLF BARELY MADE IT OUT OF THE BULLPEN FOR A FEW LATE SEASON STARTS WHILE "KING FELIX" LOST 21 GAMES, JOHNSON WAS 10-13 AND THE INEFFECTIVE HAMELS WAS LATER TRADED..
"IT'S CERTAINLY EASY FOR A STARTER TO LOSE FOCUS WITH THE CATCHING SITUATION THE WAY IT WAS," THE NL SCOUT SAID.
INDEED, THE CLUB TRADED AWAY NELSON MYLES EARLY IN THE SEASON - WHERE HE EARNED NL ROOKIE-OF-THE-YEAR HONORS WITH WASHINGTON - AND IT WAS ALL DOWNHILL BEHIND THE PLATE AFTER THAT.
BELOW ARE SEASON STATS FOR MANY OF THE RANGERS, WITH PLAYERS ACQUIRED THROUGH TRADES MARKED WITH ASTERISKS, AND STATS FOR ALL MLB TEAMS COMBINED. ROOKIES ARE DENOTED WITH AN "R" BEFORE THEIR NAMES.
*AARON HILL, 2B, 155 GP, 637 AB, 176 H, .276 AVG, 86 R, 34 2B, 27 HR, 91 RBI, 1 SB
*MARK TEIXEIRA, 1B-DH, 154 GP, 588 AB, 168 H, .286 AVG, 93 R, 33 2B, 31 HR, 91 RBI, 0 SB
NICK SWISHER, RF-CF, 145 GP, 554 AB, 158 H, .285 AVG, 84 R, 22 2B, 44 HR 100 RBI, 0 SB
*CHRIS COGHLAN, LF, 115 GP, 437 AB, 137 H, .314 AVG, 56 R, 20 2B, 8 HR, 44 RBI, 8 SB
R-GRAHAM DOLAN, OF, 102 GP, 291 AB, 81 H, .278 AVG, 27 R, 12 2B, 6 HR, 32 RBI, 5 SB
SKIP SHUMAKER, 2B-OF, 101 GP, 279 AB, 71 H, .276 AVG, 31 R, 12 2B, 0 HR, 19 RBI, 16 SB
R-DERREK WILEY, DH-1B, 100 GP, 394 AB, 104 H, .264 AVG, 42 R, 16 2B, 11 HR 46 RBI, 10 SB
JASON JARAMILLO, C, 69 GP, 151 AB, 41 H, .272 AVG, 12 R, 2 2B, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB
R-HUGO GARZA, 3B-2B, 59 GP, 212 AB, 54 H, .258 AVG, 12 R, 12 2B, 0 HR, 12 RBI, 2 SB
*JORDAN SHAFER, CF, 48 GP, 132 AB, 42 H, .318 AVG, 19 R, 13 2B, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 4 SB
ALBERTO CALLASPO, INF, 39 GP, 118 AB, 29 H, .246 AVG, 9 R, 4 2B, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 0 SB
R-S. BERROA, SS, 37 GP, 123 AB, 30 H, .244 AVG, 11 R, 3 2B, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 0 SB
R-DIONER LOPES C .143, 0, 0 (2-14)
R-CAYDEN WOOTEN, OF, 19 GP, 45 AB, 10 H, .222 AVG, 4 R, 2 2B, 1HR, 2 RBI, 1 SB
DESHAWN WAECHTER, C, .248, 0, 13 (29-117)
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R-NEVILLE CRUISE, 3B, 2B, 1B
R-LORENZO ORTIZ, 3B-2B,
R-KING SNYDER, C, .159, 1, 3
STANFORD ZIMMER, C, .255, 0, 1 (13-51)
JOHN JASO, C, .000, 0, 0
T-YAMIL ZEPEDA. C. .282, 0, 3 (20-71)
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