The Ranger Future-Part 1

I know this past week was rough for any Ranger fan. The Red Sox all but ended any chance the Rangers have of getting the Wild Card. I didn’t think the Rangers would get the wild card, but you can’t ever rule someone out when they are just a handful of games away. Now sitting roughly 10 games backs all hopes are over for the year. With that being said the future still looks bright for the Rangers squad.

Pitching is what did the Rangers in this past week, but one young pitcher did look good. Matt Harrison pitched a gem last night pitching 8 innings of 3 hit-ball in the shutout. He struck out 8, and issued 0 walks. Harrison has now won 4 out of his last 5 starts, surprisingly.

Matt Harrison has a future here, regardless of how he does the rest of the year. Harrison has been inconsistent from start to start I know, but that is to be expected by a rookie pitcher.

There isn’t any doubt in my mind Harrison would be more consistent from start to start if he would have had more time in the minors. Harrison only had 6 starts in Triple A before getting the call up. The Rangers didn’t have a choice though with all the injuries to the pitching staff this year.

Tommy Hunter was sent down earlier today, which no one should be upset with. Hunter was rushed to the majors to, even more so than Harrison because of injuries. Hunter began the year in Single A and had made just five starts in Triple A this year. He did pitch very well at every level though.

Hunter became the first player from last year’s draft to make his major league debut. I think Hunter will be good in time, but again he was called up extremely early so it’s hard to tell. I don’t expect to see him pitch again here in Arlington till at least late next year.

Kameron Loe got the call up today in place of Hunter. Loe will probably be a long reliever with a spot start here and there. Loe has thrived in the long reliever role before, but has never been able to be consistent while starting. I do like Loe, but he’s got to be able to pitch like he did back in 2005.  In all likelihood it will be Loe’s last chance to impress management with all of the upcoming pitching prospects.

Neftali Feliz is currently sitting at Double A, but has been nothing short of fantastic this season. He has a triple digit fastball that easily gets by batters as well as other pitches. For those that don’t know he is also part of the Mark Teixeira trade.  In his almost three seasons between Single A and Double A he has a 10-7 record with 183.2 innings pitched. He has 238 strikeouts compared to 83 walks. His era sits at 2.94.

A distinct line can be seen on his numbers when he got promoted to Double A this year, but those numbers are still really good. Feliz has recently has gotten the eye of top management Nolan Ryan who says he expects to see Feliz at some point next year. As a Ranger fan I’m excited to see the Rangers get a pitcher who can throw in the triple digits. I by no means want to rush him though.

Scott Feldman has showed signs of brilliance this year, before he was destroyed by the Red Sox. I don’t know if he is a part of the future either, but he certainly deserves a chance. This was his first year starting games. As a result the Rangers are pondering whether to shut him down for the year because he has pitched significantly more innings than usual. 

Kason Gabbard showed a lot of promise, but he is lost for the season. I have no idea if he will come back strong next year, or even make the squad next year. He has fallen off the map quick.

Brandon McCarthy has been a huge bust for the Rangers and will be remembered as one of the worst trades in history probably. Nick Masset and John Danks have been successful.   

Kevin Millwood continues to be a bust this year. I have nothing to say about him other than “bust”. He’s not a part of the long term plans.  

Vicente Padilla has been good this year, although not great. He had a rough July and is currently battling injuries. Before July Padilla was near the top of the league in ERA, believe it or not. Oddly enough he didn’t give up any home runs in July, but still managed to pitched worse. Padilla deserves to stick around another year. He’s earned it as far as I’m concerned. Longer term Padilla isn’t part of the plan either.

The bullpen for the Rangers is a strong point for the Rangers, contrary to what most people think. I’m not going to into numbers, but trust me when I say it.

C.J. Wilson was the only inconsistent guy for the most part. Now that he is done for the year, the bullpen should be a lot better. Wilson really messed up before he got injured, which may have angered management. Wilson threw the ball to the ground one time when Ron Washington came out to take him out of the game. He apologized the next day, but it was probably too little to late.

There are also rumors going around the Rangers found out about Wilson having surgery from his own blog. My best opinion on it, is Wilson got ahead of himself and got a little caught up having the closer role. His future now is up in the air.   

Eddie Guardado took over a closer role once more in his long and successful career and has been doing a good job. Guardado isn’t a long term option I don’t think because of his age, but there have been successful closers around his age of late.

Frank Francisco moved into the setup man role. Francisco has had success and has a lot of potential to be a good pitcher as well. Warner Madrigal has burst onto the scene of late and rumors are swirling about a possible closing job in the future. He probably isn’t a closer in the future, but who knows. The only thing a closer needs to do is get outs after all.

Jamey Wright and Josh Rupe also have been good for the Rangers this year. I have nothing bad to say about either.  Each one has a breakdown every once in awhile, but that happens to all relievers.  

The Rangers are loaded with young pitchers full of potential, another rare thing for the Rangers. Rest assured in the future there will be other Ranger pitchers

The Rangers are loaded with young pitchers full of potential, another rare thing for the Rangers. Rest assured in the future there will be other Ranger pitchers people will be hearing about sooner rather than later. The next part of my future Ranger series takes a look at the Rangers somewhat clouded infield future.

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