2011年4月2日土曜日

Texas Rangers: Why the Rangers Should Win the AL West Once Again

Texas Rangers Lose Cliff Lee to Phillies, But In the End, They'll Still Win the AL West

The Texas Rangers finally lived up to the hype in 2010, thanks to the timely arrival of ace-for-hire Cliff Lee. Behind the lefty's steady pitching, Texas ran away with the AL West title, and made a run all the way to the first World Series appearance in franchise history. 

However, Lee is gone, headed back to Philadelphia, and the Rangers have many people asking: can they do it again? 

One look at this roster tells us that the answer is a resounding "Yes". 

The lineup is stronger than it was last season, thanks to the addition of sweet swinging third baseman Adrian Beltre and big bopping designated hitter Mike Napoli. Joining them are the usual cast of characters: power and speed from Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler, blazing speed from Elvis Andrus, and the consistency of Michael Young. It's hard to find a deeper lineup than the one in Arlington in 2011. 

The bullpen is excellent as well, led by flamethrowing closer Neftali Feliz. The Rangers' pen features a glut of solid, live arms who are capable of delivering an excellent inning or two if called upon, even if they're not high-profile names. 

The key to the Rangers' success will be the rotation. Brandon Webb could provide a Cliff Lee-like ace, assuming he gets healthy and returns to his Cy Young winning form, while veteran Colby Lewis looked sharp last season. After those two, you've got potential 1A to Webb's 1 in C.J. Wilson, and a trio of promising young starters in Matt Harrison, Derek Holland and Tommy Hunter.

If those three progress as planned, the Rangers could have an elite rotation, even without a dominant ace. If they don't, this team has more than enough talent to win a sneakily good AL West division crown this season. 

In the end, I think the Rangers will have little trouble defending their title, although Oakland will hang with them until late August. 

For more baseball, check out Fantasy Baseball 2011: Biggest Busts to Avoid In Your Fantasy Drafts

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/651788-dennis-rodman-april-fools-day-cam-newton-and-todays-top-sports-buzz/entry/58317-texas-rangers-why-the-rangers-should-win-the-al-west-once-again

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