Best Seasons: Scott Feldman - 2009.

Well, today we come to the end of T.R. Sullivan's list of the Top 50 Seasons in Rangers History. Scott Feldman, shown here on card 198 of the 2006 Fleer Ultra set, gets the final spot. Feldman comes in at number 50 for his 2009 season.

Scott Feldman started the 2009 season in the bullpen. After just three appearances there, he moved into the starting rotation. He would make a career high 31 starts and pitch a career high 189.2 innings. What gets Feldman on the list is the wins. Scott won 17 while losing 8. He also set a franchise record for road wins since he was actually a better pitcher on the road than at home.

2009 was the edge of the launching pad for the Rangers. They would go to the World Series for the next two seasons. In 2009 they were just a piece or two from the trip and finished second in the the American league West. Scott Feldman was one of the main benefactors of the situation and won far more games than his 4.08 ERA and 1.281 would have suggested. However, following his win chase was a much needed shot of encouragement for Rangers fans.

So we are at the end of T.R. Sullivan's last list. Hope you enjoyed it a little and maybe even learned a thing or two about the Rangers and some of their past players.

Who's gonna be on first?

So Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals didn't reach an agreement by the start of Spring Training. Since Albert doesn't want distractions during the season it is very likely that he will be a free agent at the end of the season.

Of course Pujols is likely to remain a Cardinal but he is looking for an obscene amount of money and that might stand in the way. Wonder who could be out there that might outbid the Redbirds?

According to an article by Anthony Castrovince at MLB.com, one of the top teams coming hard will be the Yankees. No surprise there. Of course the Yankees have Mark Teixeira, shown here on his 2007 Fleer Ultra Hitting Machines card, at first base. Money Man's not bad with the bat but he is no Albert Pujols. The temptation could be there for the Yankees to try and squeeze both onto the roster - especially if the team misses the World Series again this year. Could be an interesting dance to watch.

Anyone care to venture a prediction as to where Pujols will end up for the 2012 season?

Excuses.

Sorry about the lack of a post yesterday. First thing in the morning Mrs. Spiff and I loaded up the family and headed off to see the Rangers play in Kansas City. We met some friends there for the game. Since they are Royals fans (yes, there are such people) we figured that both families could enjoy the day.

Scott Feldman, pictured here on a signed 2006 Ultra card, was the starting pitcher for the Rangers. He stumbled a bit early but entered the sixth inning with a tied ballgame. First to the plate was Billy Butler. I turned to my Royals fan buddy and told him that the sixth inning was melt-down inning this year and that I expected Scooter to fall apart in this frame. Butler took the next pitch over the left field wall. The Royals added one more run before the end of the half-inning. Guess I'm a prophet. Wish I wasn't so accurate.

The Rangers went on to lose 5-2. Bummer. I was surprised to see Derek Holland come out of the bullpen in the eighth and finish the game. Last I knew he was in the starting rotation. I felt bad about missing the change in assignments but felt a little better upon getting home and finding that there was no information on the Rangers' site about the move.

All in all though it was a great day at the park, even with the loss. After all that puts Texas at 5-1 on the season against KC. Can't beat a nice afternoon watching baseball. So there's my excuse for not posting, what's yours for not entering the Strat-O-Matic contest? Better get going, the results of the first week will be posted tomorrow.

1991 Ultra - Ivan Rodriguez

Pudge makes his weekly appearance on number U-58 of the 1991 Ultra Update set. Ultra was in the majority of brands when it left Ivan out of its regular set and had to make up the omission in the update set.

While not one of my favorite set designs, I don't mind the card. Plenty of picture and minimal borders. The back of the card has three different pictures of Ivan. A close-up, running the bases, and attired in his catching gear. There is no informational write-up and only one year of stats. Of course at this stage Pudge only had one or two years of stats.

While the overall design is good I do have one small gripe with the card. You would think that a hitter of Rodriguez' caliber could get a better shot on the front of his card than this one. It looks like he just shot a grounder along the line and is watching the third baseman make the snag.