Mailbag: Can staff stay consistent?

03/06/2006
I moved to Texas from the United Kingdom less than two years ago and have become a huge fan of the Rangers. But I have to ask why they aren't able to play both halves of the season. Will they build the team so they can start strong and losing a few players won't cripple them for the second half as it seemed to last year? -- Andrew G.
The Rangers had a 4.78 ERA in the first half of last season and a 5.16 ERA in the second half, marking the 18th time in 34 seasons in Texas that the team ERA was higher in the second half than in the first half. It has also happened six times in 12 seasons in Arlington.
If you consider that lack of pitching and the summer heat have often been pointed to as the biggest reasons the Rangers haven't had more success, one would think that the ERA is always higher in the second half. But that hasn't been the case. It was lower in the second half in both 2003 and '04.
The Rangers staff in 2004 had a 4.46 ERA after the break, the only time the postbreak ERA has been under 5.00 since 1996. The Rangers haven't had a pitching staff with an ERA under 4.50 for both the first and second half since 1993, and 1989 was the last time they were both under 4.00.
I want to hear more about pitching. I believe the Rangers have a good enough team to compete if we get the pitching. -- Benny M., Muskogee, Okla.
Oakland Athletics pitchers have a combined 3.89 ERA since the start of the 2000 season, the best in the American League. The Mariners are second, with a 4.18 ERA, and the Angels are third, with a 4.19 ERA.
The Rangers? Their 5.26 ERA since 2000 is the highest in the league.
The Rangers had the 11th-best ERA in the 1990s, the ninth-best in 1980s and the seventh-best from 1972-79 since moving to Arlington.
Will baseball ever be truly popular around the world, perhaps challenging soccer? -- Nick S., Lewisville, Texas
No chance. Soccer is truly amazing, a sport that has crossed all cultures, religions and nationalities. It is played anywhere and everywhere and by just about everybody. Baseball has been introduced all around the globe, but the number of countries that have actually embraced it is still relatively few.
Personally, I would rather watch the World Series than anything else, but the World Cup final ... nothing like it.
I thought I heard something last year about Tim Crabtree being in our Minor League system again and trying to work his way back. Where do we stand on him now? -- Randall S., Grand Prairie, Texas
Crabtree, who is from Michigan, is with the Detroit Tigers this spring.
Do Juan Dominguez, Josh Rupe and Kameron Loe have Minor League options left? Will Minor League options play a part in the Rangers' decision about who gets the first shot at the fourth and fifth spots in the rotation? -- Kevin O., Dallas
All three have options. Loe is locked up for the fourth spot, and ultimately it will come down to who pitches the best this spring for the fifth spot. Every start this spring by all candidates will be thoroughly analyzed, but this is probably something Buck Showalter and Mark Connor won't make up their minds about until the end of the spring.
I was shocked to see that the Rangers traded Chris Young. I thought he'd proved himself the past couple of years and was going to provide some stability in the rotation. What happened? -- R. Kline, Annapolis, Md.
The trade with the San Diego Padres comes with some risk, because Adam Eaton can be a free agent after this season while Young still has five years to go before he can be a free agent. But the Rangers believe the six-player deal made sense for them because they get Akinori Otsuka in the deal as a setup reliever.
What do you think of the new Triple-A catcher, Nick Trezniak? -- Greg E. St. John, Ind.
Everybody thinks the Rangers are loaded with ex-Diamondbacks because Showalter managed there. That's not the case.
There are no fewer than nine players in camp that at some point played in the Padres organization. Trezniak is one of them, having been the 51st overall pick in the 1999 First-Year Player Draft, when he was selected by the Padres.
The others are Eaton, Otsuka, Jayson Durocher, Adam Hyzdu, D'Angelo Jimenez, Gary Matthews Jr., Phil Nevin and Kevin Walker.
Should I be optimistic about how Vicente Padilla finished last season or more pessimistic about his health record? Same goes for Eaton's first half of last year and his health? -- Jim B., Arlington, Texas
They are both talented, healthy and can be free agents at the end of the year. That can be pretty good recipe for success. More interesting will be how they make the transition from the National League to the American League. John Thomson was able to do that. Chan Ho Park was not.
I just want to know why the Rangers have held on to John Wasdin. Since they invested in Kam Loe and Juan Dominguez, and they have a long reliever in Joaquin Beniot, why have they saved a spot in the roster for the aging veteran? --Joe D., Dallas
The Rangers had 14 pitchers who pitched at least 10 innings out of the bullpen last year. Out of that eclectic bunch, Wasdin had the third-lowest relief ERA and the third-lowest on-base percentage allowed. Only Benoit and C.J. Wilson were better.
Everyone knows that Michael Young was a second baseman until Alfonso Soriano came in, but I just read that Ian Kinsler was a shortstop until last year. Has anyone ever discussed why Young and Kinsler won't switch spots so that each of them could go back to their natural positions? -- Jeff V., Naples, Fla.
The plan now is for Young to play shortstop and rookie Kinsler to get his shot at playing second base. Joaquin Arias will play shortstop at Triple-A Oklahoma. Young made the sacrifice two years ago for the good of the team to switch to shortstop so that Soriano could play second. He has also made defense a priority this spring. The Rangers will let it play out one more year before making any decisions.

Source: http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/