The two guys at the top of the rotation for the Texas Rangers did not perform well at all in the American League Division Series to end the 2016 season. If fact, they were as far from aces as they could have been. Cole Hamels managed an ERA of 16.20, while Yu Darvish had an ERA of 9.00. When the Rangers needed them most, they did not perform well at all. But that is all in the past, as they say.
The Rangers will head into Spring Training with these two guys heading up the rotation. Both have a proven track record, and for Darvish, this is a contract year. When we dig into their overall numbers, it is much better than one bad playoff series.
Cole Hamels had a successful 2016, going 15-5 with a 3.32 ERA, 200 strike outs, and 200.02 innings pitched. His WAR was 3.0 and his BABIP (batting average on balls in play) was .299. he left 79.1% of runners on base. He was the ace of the staff for most of the season. He did trend down in September and October, posting a 5.89 ERA in those months, and that does leave some Rangers fans worried. Cole is now 33 year old. While Hamels is no longer a young player, he is the type of player I expect to adjust his pitching style to continue to be effective. Hamels September and October appear to be a glitch, not the norm. I expect him to come out slow and work on some new things in Spring Training. This will mean bad numbers, but remember, it is spring training. I currently see no reason to worry about Cole as the number one guy.
Yu Darvish returned from the disabled list around the All-Star break, and had a pretty good season. He was 7-5 with a 3.41 ERA in 100.1 innings pitched. He struck out 132 while walking only 31. Darvish had a WAR of 2.7, a BABIP of .290, and he stranded 73.3% of runners. Having him back for a full season should be a great thing for the Rangers and their fans. Darvish has hinted that he wants to stay in Texas after this season, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Rangers try to get a deal done with him during Spring Training. Darvish struggled down the stretch as well, posting a ERA of 4.40 in September and October. I expect Darvish to be at his best right off the top of the season, and I expect him to have a career year. I do think if he wants to stay in Texas, he and the Rangers will get a deal done. If he doesn’t, I expect him to play lights out to showcase his talent for other teams to watch. I still think the likely hood of him staying in a Rangers uniform is very high.
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