I miss the happy Texas Rangers.
Today, I was supposed to be getting ready to go to a game at RBiA to see the Rangers play. Instead I’m sitting at work and trying to figure out what I’m going to have for dinner tonight.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
Over the next few months, I expect to see a lot of changes in the makeup of the Texas Rangers. A few of the key players for this team over the past few years are free agents (i.e. Josh Hamilton and Mike Napoli, among others). Along with the possibility of not resigning at least one of those two, I expect a few trades. I think they need some new blood in the clubhouse that isn’t bitter or beaten down about the past couple of postseasons.
This team needs to start over.
You could see it on their faces during the last few innings of Friday’s game. (I was watching from a crowded bar and couldn’t hear the broadcast, but I didn’t need to. They had given up.) Honestly, it seemed like the only people who hadn’t given up were Yu Darvish and Jurickson Profar…a good sign for the future Rangers. Hopefully, they still have that come April.
Aside from the look of defeat on the team’s collective face, the other thing that really stood out on Friday night was Wash’s managing decisions…
Why was Michael Young playing at 1st? Does Wash really not realize how terrible defensively he is? Honestly, I think Wash’s undying loyalty to MY cost the Rangers at least one win over the season (probably several), and we all know what one more win would’ve done for this team.
For those of you OK with MY at 1st (I didn’t actually expect for MY not to play on Friday), then why the hell has he been continuing to play Mike Napoli? Through his last 15 games, Napoli was hitting a whopping .229, striking out 17 times in 48 at bats, and only walking 5 times. With 6 of his 11 hits being home runs, he pretty much became a one trick pony, no? Clearly, he should be given the DH spot.
Not that he’s been doing much better than Napoli or Young, but at least Mitch Moreland is a good 1st baseman.
And I’m still trying to figure out why he started Craig Gentry when he hadn’t played in a complete game since Sept. 27…
With 2 outs, down by 4 and a man on 1st, why would Wash choose that moment to pinch hit Profar? If he was going to trust him in that situation, why didn’t we see him in one of the other 3 games when they so desperately needed to win? Wash is so loyal to his veterans that he can’t see that sometimes what a veteran needs sometimes is a rookie who may threaten his spot in the lineup. Watching Wash throw out the same lineup day after day after day when the team couldn’t even scrape together a single win over 4 days WHEN THEY HAD TO makes me think that he puts zero effort into writing up the lineup in the first place.
And why was Derek Holland pitching at all in that game? Regardless of his performances over the previous week, Holland threw 113 pitches on Sunday and 50 on Wednesday. Why was he even allowed to pitch on Friday?! Sure the team is thin on lefty relievers, but come on. The kid hadn’t had a good outing since Sept. 19.
I would be utterly shocked if Jon Daniels got rid of Ron Washington…this season (another disappointing season, and it’s a different story). The man just led the Rangers to back-to-back World Series appearances, followed by a 93-win season. That said, I have to say I think it would do the team some good. For a manager who is touted as a “players’ manager” and for his clubhouse demeanor, I don’t think that having your team completely collapse in the month of September really demonstrates that you have a good grasp on your team or that you keep things “loose” in the clubhouse.
After a weekend full of fun with old friends, I’ve put Friday’s loss behind me. It just wasn’t the Rangers’ year. I think we all knew that…they just didn’t seem to have the pieces to make it very far in the postseason. That said, it’s still disappointing.
