The Rangers enter 2014 with what appears to be the game's best offense, Buster Olney writes in an article for ESPN.com (Insider sub. required). With their aggressive moves to acquire Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo, Texas has added left-handed power and patience to a lineup that finished eighth in the majors in runs in 2013. Rounding out Olney's top five are the Red Sox, Tigers, Cardinals and Angels. Here are more Saturday night Rangers notes:
- Neftali Feliz is in position to close for Texas following Joe Nathan's signing with the Tigers, writes T.R. Sullivan in this week's mailbag. If Feliz is not ready, the Rangers could turn to setup reliever Tanner Scheppers or former Royals All-Star closer Joakim Soria. But, for right now, the job is Feliz's to lose.
- The Rangers are enthused about what Shin-Soo Choo can bring to the table, but Jeff Sullivan of Fangraphs looks at the outfielder's struggles against lefties and his reputation as a glorified platoon player. Choo inked a seven-year, $130MM deal with Texas this offseason.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
So is the Feliz to the rotation experiment officially off then?
I sure hope so.
The Angels as one of the best offenses in MLB? Seriously? They can’t get out of their own way and then they sign 107 year old Ibanez, trade for two mediocre starters, and lose the guy who actually hits for power the way Pujols and Hamilton were supposed to and the pundits are lauding their offseason so far. Ridiculous. Reminds me of all the Nationals hype last year.
believe it or not they were 4th in MLB in wRC+ last year as a team. If Pujols & Hamilton can improve from their awful 2013 seasons (by their standards) then the offense could actually be decent (not saying they will but if they do). Freese isn’t a bad addition.
I forgot about the Freese trade or I would’ve added that to my list. I agree that bounce back years from Hamilton and Pujols would go a long way in righting the Angels ship and turning them into a more dynamic offense. Top 5 though? I just don’t think that with any degree of certainty.
Yeah top-5 might be a stretch but they have the look of a top 10 offense easy and if things break right (seems Olney thinks they will) it could be an elite level offense.
Pujols posted a wOBA of .329, while Hamilton’s was .319 – that’s not good by any standard to which everyday corner position players should be held to.
Did you actually research before coming up with this? Might help to look at the evidence before refuting the pundits you are criticizing. 4th in wRC+ and 11 players with OPS+ of 100 or higher (10 w/ 100 PA’s or more). And that’s with Pujols missing 63 games and Hamilton having a bad first half. And most of that lineup is the same, plus Freese, Ibanez, and a full season of the surprising Kole Calhoun. There are good reasons Olney has this as his top 5. I suggest looking into them before writing anyone off.
I suggest you look up the term subjective opinion and then try and start a discussion. Buster Olney has one and I, along with everyone else on this board has one. Doesn’t mean anybody is right though…
Subjective or objective, evidence always makes for a better discussion.
Yes because the “surprising Kole Callhoun” is solid evidence in making your point. You’re obviously an Angel homer who doesn’t like to read when someone calls out your team for what is perceived as bad moves. You think stats tell the whole story always? Get real son.
I like the idea of Feliz as a closer, great difference of speed from all of our starters.
People have a short memory–Feliz couldn’t handle the closer role in the World Series and nothing he’s done since has changed that perception. I think the Rangers should be very wary of Feliz.
Don’t pin the guy’s entire career as a failure based on 1 game. This is short-sighted.
And you hold one bad inning against a player.
I don’t see any reason why Feliz can’t hold the closer position for the Rangers.
Every closer worth his weight has blown a huge game before.
Pence deal keeps looking better and better
Not really.