The Rangers offense has been vaunted as the best in baseball for the past couple of years. But, how good is it really. Or should I ask, how overrated? They are bringing in their 3rd hitting coach in 3 seasons (Bosley, Coolbaugh, Magadan). But are they the problem?

The Rangers culture, for many years, has centered around the long ball. They have a leadoff hitter that smacked 30 of them, TWICE. They have a home ball park, with it's heat, low dew point and swirling wind vector, creating a friendly environment for the slugger. This began to change, somewhat, with the arrival of Ryan and Washington.

The Rangers offense, however, remains deep-slump prone. How often have the Rangers arrived on West coast, only to see runs dry up in Oakland and Seattle?

I like Wash. However, his insistence on using Kins in the leadoff spot hurt the Rangers. IMO David Murphy and Craig Gentry belonged there. Andrus, the 2010 leadoff hitter, is too valuable in the 2-hole. He handles the bat better than anyone on the roster.

FACE declined, dramatically, YOY.

Nelson Cruz was healthy all year. Despite this, his play keeps getting further away from his 2010 career year performance. I like Nelly, too. That being said, his declining numbers and, specifically, free falling defensive play are souring me on him as a player.

Josh Hamilton has been spoken about ad nauseum.

Mike Napoli was Superman for about a month. He then promptly turned and ran into a telephone booth, changed into some other dude, and never came back. Mission accomplished. When Napoli plays his best, so do the Rangers. Buried in all the other talk, is the fact that Nap GETS ON BASE. It's important that the Rangers re-sign him.

Soto sucks. However, remember who our C was when Yu Darvish became dominant in Aug/Sep? It was Soto. He handles pitchers well. I hate him, but wouldn't be surprised if he were back as Yu's catcher. Getting ON BASE is out of the question. I'd just take a little bit of offense and timely hitting out of him. This is about Yu, not Soto.

Exactly who, or what, is Mitch Moreland? Is he the guy who made Justin Smoak and Chris Davis expendable with a sweet lefty swing and occasional, breathtaking power? Or the guy that underwhelms you with his final stat line: .275/.321/15/50? Is this acceptable from your 1B? He's built for RBIA. Enough said.

World Series winners don't seem to have a bunch of 30-50 HR guys. These guys sell tickets and get people excited. But it's chemistry, getting on base, fielding and pitching that wins. Basic baseball.

Peace

I would take their massive clout,
If 75% of their ABs were an out,

They did hurt with men on base,
in large part due to Mikey Face.

Trade for a bat and all is fine,
Upton is the choice of mine.

Is the Rangers offense overstated,
merely average or overrated?

Perhaps it's 'cuz they led in runs,
for no one cares of Wins Above.

And what about this Kinsler guy,
his body language and lack of try?

And why trade Andrus? He's the best!
But Ham is leaving, a hole's in left.

How about that Upton fellow?
He's got 5 tools, but is he mellow?

They say cut Ron, cut face, trade Kins,
But when Elvis leaves, oh my, what then?

@Rev: Well done, sir.

I'd say the Rangers is certainly less overrated than the Yankees. Also, Clint Hurdle was the hitting coach in 09. That's 4 hitting coaches in 3 years.

I mean, for a team that had scored the most runs in baseball it sure didn't seem like we were getting them when it mattered the most. It always seemed like after a 12 run game we would put up 1 run the next night. It was disappointing to say the least. Also when we'd be facing a nobody pitcher that has an ERA hovering 5 or a rookie called up from AAA we seemed to be at our worst.

The worst part is our power bats are getting older, but I'd blame the power number drop from off years from most of our heavy hitters. Hopefully Cruz puts up 30+ in his contract year, Kinsler gets back to form and Moreland surprises people plus another MOTOB, ie Upton/Cabrera/Hamilton.

2013 will be another good year for The Rangers.

Nicely done Revsader and Eric. But:

Would like Profar here (ss) ...... or there (2B)?
Would you like him anywhere (minors)?

Would you, could you, trade Kins?
Or Nellie Cruz?
Maybe, perhaps, you'd just rather lose.
Every night they'd hear the boos.

Defense, defense....Anyone?
What? This is Texas. We win by HOME RUN!

Can someone please place a bunt?
Not I said Kins.
Nor I said Young.
It's too much fun to hit a ton!!

We all get excited when Nellie's bat goes BOOM!!!
Yet, most times, it appears, he's working hard to seal your doom.

Seriously, if you are Zach Greinke, why sign here? It's 108 degrees at game time. You look behind yourself and see:

- a mid 30's 3B
- a 20 year old SS
- the worst fielding 2B in the AL
- Who's on first?
- A RF who, at times, looks more like Fred G. Sanford, from the TV series, than a quality defender.

Let's pitch, catch and DEFEND please.

Peace

The offense was disappointing, despite the fact that the team led the league in runs scored.

The lineup is an issue. Ron Wash is going to have to be more flexible. I wouldn't say take a Joe Maddon approach, but definitely be open to change.

I just think that we don't need to go out and replace Hamilton's power if he decides to leave. And even if he stays, I think it is the approach of the hitters as a whole that needs the most work.

Magadan is going to be a bigger commodity than people realize. His approach to hitting and playing the game I think will make a big difference on next year's squad.

This team already has enough solid MLB hitters to have a playoff team lineup, even if all FAs leave, and no additions are made (which won't be the case).

I'm excited to see what Magadan can do with our hitters.

I like this. Dr. Seuss guy.

The one aspect of this team I've really liked is it's togetherness. So we trade Elvis and someone else for Price. We sign Greinke. Or we trade Elvis for (shiver) Justin Upton. And/or we sign BJ Upton (I'm looking for a bridge to jump off of).

Chemistry, cohesion...what is that?
I thought all you had to do was just swing the bat.

Milton Bradley, Roy Oswalt, oh my!
They played well at times.
But how did it feel...... when they said goodbye?

Elvis is a leader. When Roy O. was pouting, over not getting his way, who was the only player who would talk to him in the dugout?

When someone hits a home run, who is the first guy out of the dugout to greet that player?

Be careful of what you wish.

Peace, out.

@drseuss I think Kinsler is far from the worst 2nd baseman in the AL. I would even say I think he's an above average 2nd baseman in the AL.

AFA Moreland goes, he was benched when hot, played sporadically because Wash has to jack around to let everyone know he is the manage, and never really got a true chance, as Olt and Profar never did either. Change the team or change the driver.

Hi Kyle.

Oh, I don't think Ian's the worst 2B in the AL. He is, albeit arguably, the worst defensive 2B in the AL. Here is a quote from Scout John Perotto:

“He’s a good hitter, I’ll grant you that, but he might be the worst defensive second baseman in baseball. It’s not only the errors he makes, but the plays he doesn’t make that don’t get called errors because he doesn’t get to the ball. They should either stick him in left field or make him a DH.”

The Rangers, by keeping Kinsler and trading Andrus (probable gold glove), will undermine any offensive edge that they'll gain through a COF aquisition.

Peace

According to the doughty Fangraphs
A stat-head web site nonpareil
Ian Kinsler, despite some gaffes,
Did not succeed, nor did he fail.

In the season that just ended,
(Prematurely, we agree)
Kinsler’s 2B numbers blended
Into mediocrity.

But though his defense wasn’t nifty
He was far from worst of all.
His final UZR/150
Would leave him standing semi-tall.

He did so well last year, it's true
And in 2009 he did well too

They say to judge a player's defense
You need at least three years, so, hence

We shouldn't panic, never fear
Let's wait see how he is next year