Three Biggest Rangers Questions Ahead of Spring Training

Photography Credit: Fort Worth Star-Telegram

It’s that time of year again. Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in Surprise, Arizona today. Ahead of the beginning of Spring Training I thought I’d preview the biggest concerns that the Rangers will have attempting to defend their 2015 AL West championship this season.

1. Injuries

Like seemingly every season, injuries are going to be a major area of concern for the Rangers. Yu Darvish will be coming off the DL in late May or Early June, but don’t expect him to be the Ace that we’ve come to know and love right off the bat. Yu seems to think he is getting close to full strength at this time, but that’s pretty typical rhetoric from a professional athlete. The Ranger’s coaching staff isn’t going to rush things with Yu. Hopefully, he can be a solid #2 behind Cole Hamels while inching toward full strength.

Josh Hamilton is a constant injury concern. At this point, I think the Rangers will be happy if they can have him playing half of the games this season. Look for a possible platoon situation with right-handers Justin Ruggiano and Ryan Rua and uncertainty at the left field position once again. The Rangers haven’t given any indication that Joey Gallo will be experimenting in left field again, but you never know. Nomar Mazara is always a name to look out for, but the team may not want to rush him like they did Joey Gallo last season.

2. An Aging Middle of the Line-up

Another big area of concern is going to be another year old duo of Prince Fielder and Adrian Beltre. Adrian is turning 37 in April and Prince will be 32 in May. Last year, Prince seemed to be aging very gracefully. He replaced his power bat for a higher batting average and led the team in runs handedly over the season. However, Prince himself admitted that he slowed down late into late season and into the playoffs. Part of this has to be due to his size, but getting into shape for Spring Training and beyond gets tougher the older you get. I expect Prince to have a similar season as last year, hitting for average rather than power once again.

Beltre, on the other hand, seems to be a freak of nature. He just appears to be one of the players like Dirk and Tim Duncan who, while slowing down with age, can still be a star play on their respective teams into their late 30’s. I anticipate another productive season out of Beltre and perhaps one more after that. A contract extension certainly wouldn’t be a foolish move on the Ranger’s part as you await Joey Gallo’s development.

3. New Coaching Staff

This is possibly the biggest question heading into the season. Turning over both your hitting and pitching coach is a big step for any team. Honestly, I’m not as concerned about the hitting coach change. Anthony Iapoce appears to be the real deal and many of us were ready to be done with Dave Magadan at the beginning of last season. Magadan did seem to help improve certain Rangers hitters over the course of the season, but it will be intriguing to see where a new hitting philosophy leads the team.

Maddux, of course, is a big loss. He was a fan favorite with his calming demeanor and patented one handed shoulder rub. To be honest, I don’t know much about new pitching coach Doug Brocail. From what I’ve heard, he’s more of a motivational guy than the calming presence you got from Maddux. It will be interesting to see how the pitching staff responds to him. The Rangers also promoted from within with new bullpen coach Brad Holman. Jon Daniels has built excellent coaching depth down through the minors and Holman was no exception as pitching coach at AAA Round Rock. I’m expecting the bullpen to take another step forward this season.

Let me know what you think! 

This article was originally posted on BallParkWay: http://ballparkway.com/articles/three-biggest-rangers-questions-ahead-of-spring-training