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The two time defending American League Champs go into the 2012 season with 
a team that (in my opinion) is as good or better than the 2011 team. The Rangers kept almost all of the pieces of the 2011 season (minus C.J. Wilson, Andres Blanco, and a few others) and they added a potential ace in Yu Darvish. So, will the Ranger repeat as AL West Champs for the third straight season? I tend to think so. Lets break them down.
Starting Pitching
1. Colby Lewis – The Angels and Mariners have a true ace at the top of their rotation, but the Athletics and Rangers do not. The Rangers have 5 good pitchers, but none of them are considered and ace. Colby is the Rangers
opening day starter for the first time, and I think he is a good pick for that roll. He is the “old guy” on a very young staff, and he is a beast come post season time for the Rangers. In 2011, Colby was 14010 with a 4.40 ERA, but he gave up 35 home runs. That needs to come down in 2012. Colby is a pitch to contact kind of guy, as he only struck out 169 in 2011. Colby will be fine, and I can’t wait to see him pitch today at 1:05!
2. Derek Holland – If Yu Darvish does not wind up being the ace of the Rangers in the future, then Derek Holland will be. Watching him over the past 3 seasons and talking to him on the podcast, he is quickly becoming a great left handed pitcher. His numbers in the second half of the season and the post season in 2011 were amazing. He almost threw a complete game shutout in the World Series. Derek won 16 games in 2011 with an ERA of 3.95, and I expect him to have as good if not a better season in 2012. Derek signed a big contract during spring training, so get used to seeing this very talented young pitcher in a Rangers uniform for a long time.
3. Matt Harrison – Matt had a season that surprised a lot of people in 2011. Matt had not made it through a full season as a starter yet as a Ranger until 2011, and he really made it through in 2011. Mat was 14-9 with a 3.39 ERA in 2011, and I think he will be close to the same in 2012. Look for Matt to have the best numbers of a no. 3 starter of all the AL West pitchers.
4. Yu Darvish – Monday, April 9th is one of the most anticipated starts in 
Rangers history. The world is ready to see what Yu can do as a starter in major league baseball, and so am I. I hope that Yu will be as good as everyone in this area hopes he will be. I would not be too surprised if he struggles a little early and then becomes a beast later on in the season. I think the Rangers agree with me and that is why Yu is the no. 4 starter. But don’t worry Rangers fans, Yu will be a great pitcher for the Rangers. Just give him a little time.
5. Neftali Feliz – If you do not keep up with Rangers baseball and the minors league system very intensely, you may not know that Feliz spent all of his minor league career as a starter. He will go through some bumps in the road early as a major league starter, just like Derek Holland did, but I believe that the end result will be worth the wait. Neftali was an all star closer, and he has the potential to one day be an all star starter. I look forward to seeing what Feliz will be able to do in the 2012 season and beyond.
Bull Pen
The Rangers have the best pen by far in the American League West. The Angels have a pretty good back end, the M’s and the A’s have very young, inexperienced pens, but the Rangers have a great pen. The only 2 question marks going into the 2012 season are how good will Robbie Ross be and will Joe Nathan be a good closer again? We will have to wait and see on those. Ross was very impressive in spring training, and Nathan has been great in the past. If Nathan does not work out, then either Adams or Ogando (not Feliz) can take over the closer roll pretty easily. I feel good everytime the starters turn the ball over to the pen for the Rangers, and for that matter I feel pretty good when the other AL West teams turn it over to their pens against the Rangers!
Offense-
The Rangers have the best offense by far in the American League West, maybe in the American League as a whole. As a pitcher, how would you like to face Ian Kinsler (.255, 32 hr’s, 85 bb’s), Elvis Andrus (.279, very good at infield hits and hit an runs), Josh Hamilton (.298, 25 hr’s, .536 slugging), Adrian Beltre (32 hr’s, 105 rbi), Michael Young (one of the most consistent hitters in baseball history), Nelson Cruz (.263, 29 hr’s), Mike Napoli (2011 had a career year in hits, total bases, doubles, homeruns, rbi’s ,walks, average, slugging percentage and ops), David Murphy and Mitch Moreland, both young talent that can hurt you at anu time during a game. The Rangers will be fun to watch pitch and hit in 2011, so, lets get the season started!
