2008 Texas Rangers Predictions & Season Preview

2008 looks like another year where the Rangers will be forced to grow rather than contend. The Rangers have employed a number of young starters and will likely have to dip into their farm system for more players before this season is all said and done. Their veteran starter must bounce back from career-worst years last season. Overall, growth is a more realistic goal than getting to the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Below Larry Cook gives you his 2008 Texas Rangers Prediction along with a season preview of what to expect.

Starting Rotation:

The one constant that has kept the Rangers out of the postseason since 1999 is their horrible starting pitching. 2007 did not disappoint either. The rotation ERA was 5.50, the worst in the AL. Most of that responsibility fell on the shoulders of veterans Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla. Each was a 15-win, 200-plus innings guy in 2006. Both posted career-worst ERAs in 2007. Both of these starters will get more tan $10 million per season and return to head the head the rotation again this year. The Rangers acquired Brandon McCarthy, thinking he was primed for a breakout season. McCarthy pitched just 101.2 innings and dealt with 2 different injuries. Kason Gabbard came over from Boston at the trade deadline. He is still unproven as well and has a long history of injuries and didn't pitch over the final two weeks of last season for fear of arm fatigue. These guys will man the top 4 starts in the rotation. The fifth spot is wide open and should fall in the hands of rookies Luis Mendoza, Armando Galarraga and lefty A.J. Murray. This looks, at least on paper, to be the worst starting rotation in the American League with too many unproven starters.

Bullpen:

The Rangers have always counted on a strong bullpen to back up their shaky rotation, but even the 'pen is unproven this season. C.J. Wilson has the stuff to be the next great left-handed closer, but he must improve his control and probe that he can bounce back and pitch effectively without rest. Veteran Eddie Guardado will likely mentor Wilson, who could be the closer if C.J. struggles. The setup roles fall into the hands of Joaquin Benoit and Kazuo Fukumori who was a Japanese import. Benoit has been a reliable setup man in each of the last two seasons. Fukumori is known for being fearless with average stuff over in Japan. Kameron Loe has been inconsistent as a starter, but seems to have what it takes to be a successful long man. He has proven to be effective one time through the order when hitter's can only see him once.

Line-Up:

DH Rank Catalanotto will hit first when the Rangers face right-handed hitters. 2B Ian Kinsler will hit 2nd when they face righties, but will bat leadoff when the Rangers see a south paw. Kinsler had 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in his 2nd season, but is very capable of being a 30-30 guy. SS Michael Young is the ideal No. 3 hitter with a .316 average over the last five years which is fifth in all of the American League. CF Josh Hamilton comes over from Cincinnati to bat clean-up. His .922 OPS was second among rookies with at least 250 AB's. Hamilton could be the face of this franchise for years to come. RF Milton Bradley once again got traded after the Padres couldn't put up with his attitude. Now Bradley will use his 9th life in Texas and hit 5th for this ball club. He has a .395 OBP in the AL over the last 5 seasons. 3B Hank Blalock slugged .543 and had .901 OPS in an injury-shortened season last year. LF Marlon Byrd busted out as a 30-year-old last year. Can he repeat as the No. 7 hitter and a starting outfielder this season? 1B Ben Broussard should hit great in Arlington considering he is a career .509 slugger there. Broussard is a lefty and this field definitely favors the south paw. Jarrod Saltalamacchia has a ton of up-side and should blossom this season with another year of experience under his belt behind the plate. This catcher is not a great hitter though, thus batting in the No. 9 spot in this lineup. His .226 average against lefties may keep him on the bench if he doesn't improve. He is fortunate that his replacement in Gerald Laird is even worse at the plate. Laird's .621 OPS was 211th of 216 big-leaguers with at least 400 plate appearances. OF David Murphy will see spot duty after 16 extra-base hits in just 105 at-bats with the Rangers last year. 1B Chris Shelton has three HR's in four games at Arlington and will step in if Broussard cannot be productive. IF Romon Vazquez is a versatile infielder and jump-started his career last year with Texas. Vasquez will be the first guy called off the bench if any of these middle infielders or Blalock goes down to injury.

Rangers 2008 Predictions:

The Texas Rangers will finish ahead of Oakland in the AL West Division. The A's actually have more problems than the Rangers, believe it or not. Both teams have rot starting rotations, but the Rangers have some pop in their line-up which will give many opposing starters some trouble. This organization is building towards something. The Rangers seem to have a clear plan in place for the first time in nearly a decade. Still most of their talent is still in the minors or just now breaking into the majors. The Rangers are at least a year away from being counted as a contender in the AL West. They would need a lot to fall right in their starting rotation to surprise anybody this season. The Rangers are good enough for a 3rd place finish in the AL West in 2008.

Larry Cook finished with the #5 World Ranking with his baseball picks in 2007 last year. Hard work with research, analysis and starting pitcher breakdowns gives Larry the edge over your sportsbook and bookies. You won't believe the kind of profits you can make by signing up for any of Larry's long-term packages. By doing so, you will get in on all of his winning MLB action this season. Larry will guide you to profits you have never seen before once he makes his move up to the #1 spot in 2008.

2008 Texas Rangers Odds:
Odds to win AL West: 10/1
Odds to win 2008 AL Pennant: 50/1
Odds to win 2008 World Series: 100/1