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Jerry Jones is bringing the Superbowl to Arlington, Texas in less than a week. The teams are set, the weather fits the two teams playing in the Superbowl, and it will be a good and exciting thing for Arlington. The one thing that Jerry didn’t count on thought was the fact that the Texas Rangers brought the World Series here first. I think that it is great that my neck of the woods had both the Series and the Superbowl just a few months apart from each other. Of course, the World Series was much better because it had a Texas team in it. Last year was the best season on Franchise history for the Texas Rangers, and I think that it could have not come at a better time. My question to you, the fan is, do the Rangers have a chance to bring the Series back to Arlington before Jerry hosts another Superbowl? I say yes, and here are 5 reasons why
1. Minor League Depth: The Rangers are still one of the top ranked minor league systems in all of baseball, even after trading away some of their prospects in 2010 to bring in guys like Cliff Lee, Bengi Molina, Jorge Cantu and Christian Guzman. The talent at that level is undeniable, with players like Tanner Scheppers, Ryan Tucker, Brian Barden, Esteban German, Endy Chavez, Craig Gentry, and others, the Rangers should be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. Does that mean the World Series, well, no, but it does mean the potential to be competitive every season.
2. Better Pitching:The Rangers obviously have a better rotation to start the season in 2011 compared to 2010. Rich Harden v. Brandon Webb? I will take Webb. Colby Lewis with a excellent year under his belt v. Scott Feldman? Give me Lewis. Again, a proven C.J. in 2011 compared to an unproven 2010 C.J. is a good thing. They are stronger, more experienced, and they have depth. They may move Feliz or Ogando to the rotation, and they will still have a great bull pen. The Rangers pitching is looking up in 2011, even with the departure of Cliff Lee.
3. A Stronger Infield: even with the question mark of Mitch Moreland at first (which by the way, I think will do a great job over an entire season, just in case you were wondering where I come down on Moreland) the Rangers infield has gotten stronger. Yes, I know Beltre had just as many errors as Young last season, but he has much more range than Michael Young and makes more plays. Elvis is only going to be better, Ian will either be healthy or Young will play second, either would be a good thing and an improvement from 2010, and again a whole season of Moreland at 1st will be a good thing. Torrebella/Treanor/Napoli as the catching tandem will also be better than what we had for last season, and do not forget about Tayor Teagarden, he could break out and become a great player this season.
4. More Offense: Even if Nelly and Josh do not stay completely healthy, the offense is still going to be a potent one. David Murphy had a break out season last year, and is by far the best 4th outfielder in baseball. Think about it. Elvis Andrus, Michael Young, Josh Hamilton, Adrian Beltre, Nelson Cruz, Ian Kinsler, Mitch Moreland, Yorvit Torrealba and Julio Borbon on most days. Number 2 – 7 all have the power to drive the ball out on any given at bat. This is more like the offense of Ranger teams past, the only difference is that they now have pitching to go along with it. This team is going to be difficult to pitch to in 2011.
5. Hunger for more: The fact is, the Rangers were in the World Series in 2010, and that will play into the passion that the team has in trying to get back into the World Series in 2011. The Rangers were not like the Florida Marlins, who put together a team to win the World Series for one season and have never been good since, the Rangers are pretty much the same team they were in 2010, and now they have success on their side. Success breeds success, as they say. The Rangers will have competition in the AL West, since Oakland, L.A. and Seattle should be better than they were last season, but Texas should also be better. The Rangers will be willing to do what ever it takes to get back to the Fall Classic (like Michael Young moving to DH), and I think they will do what ever it takes.
So, Jerry, enjoy the Superbowl in your stadium this coming weekend, but expect your parking lot to be filled with baseball fans in October again for years to come.
