Live From Surprise!

We’ve got about two weeks until Opening Day here at Dallas Sports Fans, so I thought a report from Surprise Recreation Campus would whet your appetite a little bit for some Rangers Baseball! Don’t worry about that whole Ron Washington story out here – the weather’s too nice.

Out here in Surprise at Texas Rangers Spring Training, the biggest worry is who’s going to fill out the rotation (a usually impossible task for the local franchise). Rich Harden, Scott Feldman and Colby Lewis look to have spots filled up right now, with Tommy Hunter being penciled in for the fourth position up until yesterday (or what seemed like yesterday).

Two spots are open, with Derek Holland, Brandon McCarthy, C.J. Wilson and Matt Harrison gunning for the last two spots.

Well, after today, it’s down to three candidates.

I want Derek Holland to do well. I think he has the stuff to be an anchor for the Texas Rangers’ rotation in the future. But he is not ready right now. If this team is really going to compete for an AL West title like we all hope they will, Derek Holland is not currently one of the starters that will get them there.

He pitched four innings today against the Dodgers, surrendering three runs on four hits and one walk. All the runs were scored in one inning, with the big blow being a double coming off the bat of Lucas May and going over David Murphy’s head.

There were a bevy of ground balls, but there were no strikeouts, as the Rangers fell 5-4. He was constantly behind the hitters and failed to put any of them away. Still, he doesn’t even turn 24 until October, so there’s no need to panic. Let Derek work on his secondary stuff in Oklahoma City and let him be in a rotation every fifth day.

I certainly don’t want to incite any nervousness in the Texas Rangers fan base, but there are small doubts that are creeping into my mind about this crop of talent the Texas Rangers have turned into one of the best farm systems in the big leagues.

Derek Holland didn’t quite take the leap some were expecting. Justin Smoak was hurt by an oblique injury early on, and didn’t exactly have gaudy power numbers. Feliz had the most electrifying debut, but the debate over whether his future is as a starter or a reliever is just as strong as ever. Of course there are other prospects, but it’s hard to argue that these three are the most vital to the short and long term success of the franchise.

Are these doubts completely irrational? Absolutely. It’s far too early to make any kind of lasting judgment on what these youngsters will become. Derek Holland has thrown 61 minor league innings above A-ball. Not exactly the most experienced starter in the organization. Neftali Feliz and Justin Smoak are 21 and 23 years old, respectively. There’s still SO much time for these guys to develop. It’s silly to have doubts, but I suppose I’m just a disillusioned Rangers fan.

Back to the positives, because hope springs eternal.

David Murphy had a very nice game, knocking a homer and a triple in his first two at-bats. His center field play was not spectacular, but hopefully there won’t be a huge need for him to play center field this year.

Colby Lewis looked great after a shaky first inning when he allowed three baserunners and one run. He struck out six in five innings, was around the plate all day (one walk), and was changing speeds pretty effectively, getting a couple of nice swinging strikeouts.

Taylor Teagarden had a nice opposite field double off the wall that almost left the yard, but looked overmatched in his second at-bat.

Only one-third of the *hopeful* Opening Day lineup was there today, with Hamilton, Cruz and Davis all taking their hacks. Matt Brown had another home run, but his fielding has been a bit of a problem (which is like saying a plague of locusts is a bit of a nuisance), so his destination looks like AAA or another organization.

As for that whole rotation question, I think that the Texas Rangers have a tough call to make, especially with Tommy Hunter hurting his rib cage and likely heading for the disabled list. The two leaders for the last two spots are Matt Harrison and C.J. Wilson, and I have no problem with those two guys as the last two starters for the Rangers.

The problem is that Tommy Hunter (knock on wood) will not be hurt for a long period of time. The last starter only needs to be a guy that can fill in and head back to the bullpen when Hunter is healthy again. That’s a role I don’t particularly want to see C.J. Wilson in, for the simple reason of clarity.

C.J. Wilson, not unlike Derek Holland, should have a defined role on the team. Whether that’s in the bullpen or the rotation remains to be seen, but I think it would be cruel to give C.J. Wilson a fair shot to start in spring training, have him win a job, and then send him back to the bullpen after two to three starts. Especially if those turn out to be two or three solid starts.

The Texas Rangers have some tough decisions to make. Wilson heads to the mound again Monday against the Giants – things should be a little clearer after that. I’ll have one more report tomorrow after the game against the San Diego Padres.

Until then, the countdown sits at 15 days.

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