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There is a lot of talk about Josh Hamilton being the full time left fielder going into the 2012 season for the Texas Rangers. If that is the case, we know that the Rangers will have Nelson Cruz in right field, Josh Hamilton in left field, and who in center field? There are three candidates right now that we are all hearing talked about, and a fourth candidate that is once again left on the bench in the discussion. The front runner, in the opinion of this website, is Craig Gentry. Gentry is fast, we all know that. He also has a great glove out there. In a small sample (a little more than a third of a season) in 2011, he batted .271, not bad at all. Gentry was never caught stealing a base in 2011 either, he was a perfect 18 for 18. Craig is a very likable guy, a good player and I think he gets the nod unless he gets hurt or is just ourplayed by a teamate in spring training. I look at Craig as the no. 1 to be the center fielder.
In 2010 and in 2011, the position of center field went to Julio Borbon. Borbon has had streaks where he looked terrible, and then he has had some serious injury setbacks. Borbon has had a streak of bad luck, basically. I think his time to be the full time Texas Rangers centerfielder has probably passed, especially with Martin looking over his shoulder. Borbon will most likely share responsibilities until the Rangers can either trade him (if he is playing well) or release hime (if he isn’t). I am a Borbon fan, but I just don’t see a place for him in the future for the Rangers.
Leonys Martin is a guy the Rangers payed a lot of money for, and he is the center fielder of the future for the Rangers. Gentry could also be that guy if it works out for him, but Martin makes a lot of money to be sitting down at AAA ball. Martin is a prospect who has almost nothing but upside, and I look forward to him getting to the show this season and showing Rangers fans what he is made of. I think he gets his big chance at some point during the 2012 season.
David Murphy has become the everyday 4th outfielder, but Ron seems to always find ways to get him into games. He is a professional’s professional, and he never complains. I would love to see what kind of player Murph could be if he could get into 150+ games in a season. He has averaged 128 games a season over the last 3 seasons. David has a solid batting average (career .280), decent power (13 home runs a season) and is a good fielder. I hope the Rangers are able to hold on to Murph for the long term.
