Friday, October 11, 2013

Decisions: #38 - #42.

Moving on in T.R. Sullivan's list of Top 50 Decisions that have Shaped the Rangers.

#38 Staying West - Baseball was looking at a serious realignment that would have included the Rangers. Owner Tom Hicks helped counter the movement when he agreed to stay in the American League West in exchange for an annual home-and-home series with the Houston Astros. (Seems to me like it's time to re-visit this one with the Astros now in the AL West.)

#39 The Surprise move - The Rangers moved into one of the best Spring Training facilities in baseball when they moved to Surprise, Arizona in 2003.

#40 Josh Hamilton - Opinions differed at the time and there are still some who don't like it but trading Edison Volquez for Josh Hamilton was huge. Hamilton may not be able to control his mouth, but he could hit and field when he was with Texas and helped put them in their first World Series.

#41 Young to Designated Hitter - Michael Young, shown here on card 230 of the 2005 Donruss Diamond Kings set, switched positions three times after coming up as a second baseman. His 2011 switch to DH/super utility man was probably the biggest. His reaction to that move likely contributed to his being dealt to Philadelphia during the 2012-2013 off-season.

#42 Buck Showalter - He brought some success when he was hired in 2002. Just like Billy Martin and Bobby Valentine though, his early success created too much false hope.

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