Harrison's back.

Well, it's been a couple of good days for the Rangers as they won the last two games they played in Colorado.

On Tuesday Shin-Soo Choo hit for the cycle and Delino DeShields got his first four hit game as Texas hammered the Rockies 9-0. Choo completed his cycle with a triple in his last at-bat. Hopefully that feat will help him get his confidence back and get back in stride offensively.

The star of the night though was undoubtedly starting pitcher Matt Harrison. Harrison, shown here on a signed 2012 Panini Prizm card, pitched six scoreless innings to get the win. It was his first win since May of 2014. It also marked the first time a Major League pitcher has won a game following spinal fusion surgery. Very good news and encouraging to the Rangers and Matt. By all indications he should be able to continue his comeback.

Yesterday the guys had a little more trouble but won a see-saw battle with a 10-8 final score. Rougned Odor finished a double shy of the cycle but walked to lead off the ninth. That helped set up Elvis Andrus' two run single to win the game. Good to see both of those guys contributing offensively.

The second win gets Texas to 45-49 on the season, nine games behind the Angels. Going into a series in Anaheim the team has a chance to make up some ground. This could be a crucial series.

Hamilton Homecoming?

It seems the Rangers are all but done bringing Josh Hamilton back to Texas. Had somebody ask me my thoughts about the deal yesterday and I figured it would be a good topic for today's post.

I picked 2011 Playoff Contenders Season Ticket #1 for today's post because it's an unlicensed card. Makes it look like Hamilton is playing for the local semi-pro team and kind of sums up his situation with the Angels.

As Rangers fans know, Josh made his name with Texas between 2008 and 2012. He signed with Anaheim prior to the 2013 season. The signing and aftermath led to some hostility between Hamilton and Rangers fans. In his second season with the Halos, Josh suffered a relapse of his drug and alcohol problems. He'd done the same several times with Texas and had been able to patch things up. It must be noted though that his last apology to Rangers fans rang a little hollow. Major League Baseball decided not to suspend Josh for his antics but the Angels owner, Arte Moreno, wasn't having it. Hamilton missed Spring Training due to off-season shoulder surgery but he wasn't invited or issued a locker. He wasn't issued a locker at the Big A either and the team shops pulled all merchandise with his name or likeness on it. Moreno publicly stated he thought he had grounds to void Hamilton's contract. Josh has been spending his time in Houston in limbo, a player without a team or a chance to find one. He didn't waste his time though and reportedly filed for divorce from his wife in April. Rumors are that he caught her cheating but she denied that and said she was stunned by the filing. Either way it's a sad event.

Now the Rangers are offering the Angels $11 million for Hamilton. Supposedly the deal calls for the Halos to cover all but $15 million of the $83 million remaining on Hamilton's contract. If the deal goes through Josh will likely start in the minors and is not guaranteed a spot with the Rangers.

Why I like this deal: It's cheap and the Rangers can walk away without losing their shirt. There's also a slight chance Hamilton makes good and provides an impact bat.

Why I dislike this deal: It involves Josh Hamilton. Hamilton has become entitled and seems to feel like the world owes him. Add that to his inability to keep his mouth shut, the fans bitterness towards him, and his susceptibility to injury, and the gas is ready for the match. Josh needs support, lots of it. He gets it from the fans, team, and family. He's burned the family and fans so that leaves just the team. Of course the team has no real skin in the game on him at this point. That's not a good recipe for personal success.

All in all this deal feels like a mistake. Hamilton isn't the player he was with Texas two years ago. His numbers are down and he has been battling injuries to past couple of seasons. I can't see him making a real impact or surviving the booking of the fans when he doesn't. For Josh and the Rangers sakes, I hope I'm wrong.

2014 in review - Second Base.

Over to second base in the 2014 Rangers season review.

The Rangers decided to do with Jurickson Profar at second base in 2014 what they did with Elvis Andrus at short stop in 2010. Profar, shown here on card 275 of the 2013 Prizm set, got a look at the end of the 2013 season and was named the starting second baseman for 2014 before Spring Training even started. The decision, even though not yet announced, freed up Ian Kinsler to be traded to Detroit. 

Middle infield prospects Rougned Odor and Luis Sardinas got a look early in Spring Training but both got cut and sent to the minors for more seasoning. Then Profar came up injured shortly before the start of the season. He was supposed to be out for several weeks and the team started the year with a tandem of Donnie Murphy and Josh Wilson at second and backup middle infield. That tandem kind of worked until Murphy got hurt and Profar re-injured himself, ending any chance he might have to come back before the end of the season. Sardinas got the call in late April and Wilson went down shortly after with an injury. Odor came up in early May and Texas found their answer. Murphy was released in June and Wilson was assigned to the minors. Odor and Sardinas platooned for awhile but Odor eventually got the starting job nailed down. Sardinas got another stint in the minors for regular playing time when Adam Rosales was called up to handle the backup duties for Odor. Sardinas came back up when the rosters expanded and ended the season with the team. Guilder Rodriguez got a few innings in as a September call-up towards the end of the season.

Murphy's no longer with the team and won't be a factor in 2015. I doubt that Guilder Rodriguez will either. He was called up mainly because there was room and the club wanted to reward his long minor league service. Primarily a utility player, he put in 18 innings at second over two games without an error. His .167 batting average and being 30 years old will likely remove him from the equation.

As mentioned previously, Adam Rosales finished the 2014 season at first base. He'll probably get a shot at making the team in 2015 as a utility player.

In the time he was with the team, Josh Wilson played 19 games and 132.2 innings at second. He also played a smattering of games at shortstop and third base. Josh's play at second was flawless. He hit .239 with an on-base percentage of .271. Neither is very impressive and he had no power to go with it. Unless he can get something worked out with his bat I doubt he makes the team in 2015.

Rougned Odor was not supposed to see Major League action in 2014 outside a possible September call-up. Instead, the player Ron Washington referred to as “rough” in Spring Training became the everyday second baseman for the club. He hit some bumps in the road but made dramatic improvements almost daily. “Rougie” played 110 games and 933 innings at second and only one game anywhere else - DH. He ended the season with a .981 fielding percentage. That's about three points below the league average but acceptable for a 20 year old who started the season in the minors with the assignment of working on his defense. Odor hit .259 in 417 trips to the plate and put together a .297 on-base percentage. He needs to raise both those numbers but his .402 slugging percentage was nice to see. That came from his 14 doubles, seven triples, and nine home runs. The kid's got some power and his offense improved greatly throughout the season. As the youngest player in the majors, he's got some time to improve.

Luis Sardinas used his time in the Majors to show that Odor and Profar aren't the only prospects Texas has in the middle infield. Primarily used as a backup, he played 19 games and 141.1 innings at second base. He committed no errors there. Luis compiled a .261 batting average and .303 on-base percentage in his 125 plate appearances. Both are slightly better than Odor but Sardinas didn't display quite the power Odor did. His six doubles had to work alone to bring his slugging percentage up to .313. When the Rangers sent him back to the minors they were quick to state he was being sent back only for the increased playing time.

So, what about second base in 2015? Well, Rougned Odor put forward a convincing case in 2014 that he should be the Rangers starting second baseman in 2015. Luis Sardinas seems to have earned a look as well but he's facing an uphill battle at this point and may well be facing another season in the minors to get some seasoning. He's about ready though. If anything happens to Odor or Andrus, look for Sardinas to get some serious consideration. Profar? Well, things have certainly changed for him in one season. From one of the top prospects in baseball he's now in danger of being “Wally Pipped” as a friend of mine says. He's probably expendable at this point but his injuries have dimmed his trade value. The Rangers will have him in Spring Training but he's going to have to blow the doors off to unseat Odor. If he can't unseat Odor look for him to be used as a utility player or sent to the minors to rebuild his trade value.

Good news, Bad news.

Last night's game in Boston was full of good news and bad news.

First on the good news side was that the Rangers won. Bad news was the 10-7 score. Starter Martin Perez went 6.1 innings in the game and got the win. That was good. He allowed four earned runs and that was bad. Also bad was the three runs coughed up by closer Joaquin Soria in the bottom of the ninth.

The offense finally seemed to come alive and that was good. Prince Fielder and Adrian Beltre, shown here on card MVP28 of the 2012 Prizm set, found their bats. That was good. Manager Ron Washington lifted Beltre from the game in the fifth inning with tightness in his left quad muscle. That's bad. The team flew Beltre back to Texas after the game to get further evaluation for a possible muscle strain. That's real bad.

Today the Rangers called up Kevin Kouzmanoff from Triple A and designated pitcher Seth Rosin for assignment. That indicates they expect the news on Beltre to get worse. I guess when the injury bug bites, he just keeps chomping away.

On a bit brighter note, Matt Harrison made a rehab start in Frisco yesterday. He went 4.2 innings and apparently looked real good. The club says he's still on track for a late April return. Colby Lewis also appears to be on track. The Rangers are expected to call him up in the next couple of days. It's looking like he will start Saturday when the Astros come to town.

Obviously the loss of Beltre will be a huge blow to the Rangers. Hopefully the pitching staff can get the kinks worked out and the re-enforcements plugged in to hold the line until Adrian can return to bolster the offense.

Decisions: Three-for-one.

With the horrendous losses last night and tonight I decided to move on with T.R. Sullivan's Top 50 Decisions list. Two of the next three decisions deal with front office moves and one concerns a manager that I have already posted my only card of. As such I will bunch the three together in this one post with sticker number 450 in the 1989 Panini set serving to provide the Rangers team logo.

Number nine in T.R.'s list is the decision in 1973 to fire Whitey Herzog as manager of the Rangers. The gig was Herzog's first as a manager and he was given just 138 games before Bob Short fired him. Short should have let Herzog develop but he was impatient and committed one of the worst errors in team history. By 1975 Whitey was leading the Royals to a second place finish. By 1976 he was leading them to the first of three straight post-season appearances. Soon after that came his time with the Cardinals. Pure stupidity to let him go after such a short time.

Number ten is the 1994 housecleaning. General manager Doug Melvin and manager Johnny Oates were brought on board. Two years later the Rangers were in the post-season for the first time ever. Additional appearances in 1998 and 1999 followed.

Number eleven is also a housecleaning, this time in 1984 and 1985. Tom Grieve was hired as General Manager in 1984 and Bobby Valentine as manager in 1985. These moves didn't lead to a post-season berth but they did bring the franchise back from the steep decline it was in following the excitement of the mid to late 1970's. That would set the stage for Melvin and Oates to work their magic.

Decisions: Three-for-one.

Ok, the next three decisions in T.R. Sullivan's list deal with the ownership side of things. Between being a little behind on this aspect and not having many cards featuring owners I have decided to lump them all into one post. For the post I am showing sticker number 166 in the 1990 Panini set.

Number six is the decision to award a new franchise to Washington in 1961. Of course this impacted the Rangers because the new Senators would later move to Texas to become the Rangers.

In a way the awarding of the franchise was pretty amazing. There were plenty of other cities that would have taken a team and Washington had just lost their franchise to Minnesota. It seems a bit odd to think it would be able to support a new one. Perhaps the powers that be thought the city had learned its lesson and would come out and support the team.

Just as big as the awarding the franchise was the poor management put into place. General Elwood Quesada was the team's first owner. He made several bad decisions - including a ten year stadium lease, that haunted the team. Perhaps his style might be summed up in the rumor about him asking why he even needed to pay players who didn't belong in the Majors. Needless to say, by the time Quesada sold out in 1963 he had laid the foundation for a decade of futility.

Number seven on T.R.'s list is the sale of the team by Eddie Chiles in 1989. The new owners, headed by George W. Bush and Rusty Rose brought in financial and operational stability. For the first time the franchise could operate on more than a year-to-year basis. Early signings of key free agents would help build up to the first two playoff appearances in club history.

Number eight appropriately follows the Bush/Rose ownership. In 1994 George Bush left the ownership group after being elected to the governorship of Texas. With Bush gone the clock started ticking. In 1998 what remained of the group sold the franchise to Tom Hicks. One more playoff appearance remained before Hicks drove the team into the ground and led it into a decade of futility.

Stumbling.

A four game losing streak. An 0-4 loss to Baltimore. Going 0-5 so far on the season against the Birds. 12-22 against the A.L. East this year. A's and Angels pick up a game in the standings.

Come on guys!