Kinsler 1B
Andrus SS
Hamilton RF
Beltre 3B
Cruz DH
Murphy LF
Gentry/Martin CF
Soto/? C
Profar 2B

Play the hot hand and work in Moreland and Olt where you can depending on how things pan out.

Depending on who we get to play C this could be a very good lineup.

And with these guys starting we could have a championship caliber team.

Darvish
Ogando
Harrison
Holland
Perez
Feliz
Lewis
and perhaps DIckey

As far as the bullpen goes it will come together, we already have some nice pieces ready to go back there.

I am convinced that good Chemistry comes from a nice mix of youth and proven veteran talent. When you have too much youth or too much proven veteran talent things don't go well. The best thing for team chemistry could be to lean on the young unproven guys a bit more because if they succeed that will provide a boost to the whole team far greater than the performance of a proven veteran. Why is this?

Because humanity is based on three archetypal relationships: Parent/Child, Spousal, and Fraternal (or brother to brother). The most important relationship for baseball is the fraternal but there is also a very strong presence of the parent/child relationship in the baseball environment. A rookie is like part son and part little brother to his fellow veterans, and like a son to older managers and mentor types like Nolan and other coaches. If the rookie or young unproven player succeeds it provides a boost to the entire organization that far outweighs, on the level of chemistry and not necessarily statistics, the impact of the positive performance of a proven player. This is the key to success in baseball, a mix of veteran players and young players proving themselves on the field of battle, and everything in between. The success of a rookie brings joy to the club that another home run from a proven veteran never could. Such success buoys the spirit of a club during the long grueling season. Proven veterans tend to become self absorbed if they aren't working on helping out young guys to succeed, success tends to lose its luster as an energizing catalyst on account of the fact that the veteran has already had so much success. The joy that is needed to keep the team clicking can only be provided by young players that break through difficulties to bring success to the club.

So I am not saying we don't need a couple of FA's, but if this team makes it back to the postseason in an increasingly hostile AL West, it will not be because of the proven veterans that we sign. It will be because a community was developed based on the success of young players and the joy that such success brings to a clubhouse. It is these types of relationships that the human race is based upon on the most fundamental level.

Thank You! Why are people so obsessed with the notion that if there is no trade this team is doomed. This is a good lineup. There are not a lot of pieces this team needs.
Trust JD. You don't know better than the best GM in baseball.

I agree it's a good linup except we haven't signed Hamilton yet so if you can't get him signed that good lineup turns into a not so good lineup that would need a better pitching staff to compete.

I agree that lineup could be good maybe very good. But without Hamilton that lineup look sscary close to the mariners lineup of last season. The pitching is not bad. But again that one final piece to push you over the top is what is needed.

@Tabe
I do know the playoff benches JD set-up for 2011 and 2012 was flat out lousy. Trust? OK

@PT: you mean you didn't think Esteban German was a weapon coming off the bench?

Ah yes, my nemesis Roy Hobbes, the greatest baseball movie character known to man. He was part rookie/youth and part father/veteran all at once. Old man rookie, the culmination of the deepest human elements of the game. The lightning is the favor of the baseball gods upon those who follow the path of glory.

He knocked the cover off the ball! And I lost a lot of damn money because of it. But who can't stand in awe at the culminating event of baseball glory, the menacing natural, the young hurler, the elderly hitter, the bombardier of baseball glory.

His name is Josh Hamilton, and if you want to win the pennant you won't refuse him a modest overpay.

But then again: are you going to take advice from the devil. All I want is this team's downfall, I make more money that way.

Sincerely,
Your Nemesis,

The Judge

@PT - Was the bench failure a product of poor signings by the FO... ? or a product of poor preparation by the manager... ?

Bedraggled

Wag Wag Wag
At the Sun
As if it ought not shine

As if it drolls
And its fire is
As cold as night

Why then do we
Draggle Dragging our
Dark hearts in day

AGREE, DO NOT MAKE PANIC TRADES. FA SIGNS OK: HAMILTON, SWISHER (maybe), PIERZYNSKI. Play PROFAR, MARTIN, OLT, even play LEURY GARCIA, if needed at utility infielder. Go with ROSS and/or PEREZ, as #5 starter. Give MORELAND the opportunity to be the regular First base man. A MITCH WILLIAMS MLB answer to 'WHAT DO YOU DO WITH STANTON? REPLY: TRADE TO TEXAS FOR ANDRUSS, OLT, PEREZ' may be worth exploring.

This nothing more than a defeatist attitude. We need at least one more heavy hitter in addition to an unsigned Hambone. Therefore, we need 2. Pitching will be fine. Sign lefty catcher AJ P and Hambone then we will compete. Not until then. People are foolish and fail to see the reality the lineup is right at this moment!

So many experts.

How about someone call the Athletics and ask them what you can do with a bunch of young guys that have potential?

A's had something called luck in their starting lineup! The opening post has Hambone in the starting lineup. He's not on the teamanymore! Maybe we will have luck this coming year. We won't apparently have much else!

^^^
The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

Romeo, you live in fantasy land if you think the Rangers will be fine as is!!

1) There are still moves that can be made to improve this club, and I believe there will be some made. They may not be the ones we had in mind, but the rangers FO will find a way to improve the club.

2) If you really think that a team infused with ridiculously talented young players, and surrounded by multiple veteran all stars are cellar dwellers then you really show your lack of baseball knowledge.

The lineup has 4 all-stars as is and the rotation has three which is also loaded with young talent. We've got one of the best closers in baseball and will get more pitching back in June and July. Does the team need some tweaks? Yes. Does that mean they need to grossly overpay and gut our top young talent to get players x,y, and z just to make a trade? Absolutely not. I really think Hamilton will be re-signed and then our lineup could have some real teeth.

So calm the eff down and remember its barely December. Let things play out and let's see what team we take to spring training. If the team can stay in contention through the all-star break they can make a deal or two to fill any gaping holes, and the nice thing is they'll have the ammo to do so.

These all-stars were hand-picked by Wash. I am calm and will always love my Rangers. However, I am concerned that they will not make the playoffs and contend unless we have more power to support our pitchersm Again, Hambone is not on the team and we also lost Nap. Pitching good! Offense (as of now) not good. We will need to improve pitching too if we ant to win the WS. Right now though, the Ran need to win the regulasr season.

Just calm down and let the offseason happen. This team needs a couple tweaks to be considered front runners for the division. Hell, getting young out of the middle of the lineup was a huge step in the right direction. That was addition by subtraction in itself.

So many fans are talking about our offense as though it's completely terrible, largely based on the fact that we're losing so many HRs and RBI if we lose Hamilton and Napoli. The reality is that you don't have to hit homeruns to produce runs, and speed and defense actually do help you win ballgames.

I like to look at stats like Runs Created and Defensive Runs Saved to get a better idea of where we may stand this year versus last. Even if you look at WAR, you'll find guys like Hamilton and Napoli are FAR from irreplaceable. And if you're saving $30-40M per year by letting them walk, I think we can find some suitable replacements. Now, if you just look at the current roster, it's tough to replace them, but I don't think it's the incredible dropoff some on here expect, nor do I think that the FO is going to roll with what we have today.

If the last move the FO makes this year (and its very doubtfull that it would be) is sign Hamilton the 2013 Texas Rangers would most likely contend all year. Like i've said before just go back and look how our 2010 roster was on opening day...none of that screams AL CHAMPS, but they got a little fire under their belts made a move or two at the trade deadline and went straight to the World Series. The roster we have today +Hamilton would be better than what we rolled out with in 2010. If they can get back to having fun while playing and jumping up and down and all that good stuff that they didn't quite have going down the stretch last year the Rangers will be fine.

Fajita, I'm not sure that Hamilton is having all that much fun anymore, and I'm equally unsure about his overall influence on the team (from a mental standpoint). I'm not saying he's a cancer in the clubhouse or anything, but I can see where having one guy who gets very special treatment can cause some tension. Whether that's the case or not, I don't know.

Personally that is what I think was the difference in 2012...they weren't having fun. During 2010/1011 we were all having a great time jumping around throwing up Claw & Antlers...2012 just wasn't the same. What/Who the reason was behind this i'm not sure, but I think that could play as big as roll as anything.

Without question. Was it last offseason that Michael Young threw his little hissy fit? If so, that may have played a role. Josh's weird issues played a role. The way they lost the WS had to be a factor. And throw in the fact that they played more games than any team over the past two seasons, it's no wonder they were down a little bit.

Heightened expectations had an impact as well, I guess.

That was before the 2011 season, DDan.