Chi Chi Gonzalez won't make Rangers starting rotation

 When Spring Training started, Chi Chi Gonzalez was the leading candidate to be the Rangers' 5th starter, now it doesn't appear like it. After been roughed up in nearly every spring training outing, Gonzalez has been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock to start the season. Nick Tepesch on a minor-league deal has also been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock. 

 This opens up the door for some competition between Nick Martinez, AJ Griffin, and Jeremy Guthrie to battle it out and determine the Rangers 5th starter.

Spike Owen is Rangers' interim 3B coach for Tony Beasley

Spike Owen will fill in as the 3B coach for Tony Beasley while Tony undergoes chemotherapy treatment. It is unknown how long Beasley will be out but he has said that he will try to help out the club as much as he can. Owen is the manager at Hickory, the Rangers' Class A team. He has been in the organization since 2009, he has worked as a minor league infield coordinator and on the staff at Triple-A Round Rock. The plan is for Beasley to have 4 chemotherapy treatments every two weeks during spring training

Dervish nearing date to throw off mound

Yu Darvish is getting ready to throw off a full mound for the first time since last year, he had been throwing off a half-mound. New Rangers' Pitching Coach Doug Brocail said Darvish looks ready to take the next step. Darvish is on track for a May return.

Tanner Scheppers to have surgery on left knee, out until after the All-Star break

Tanner Scheppers will return to Texas to have surgery on his left knee. He has been diagnosed with torn cartilage. The timetable for his return is not until after the All-Star break. He can't recall how he tore his cartilage, and the team believes it's not related to the knee injuries he had last season. This is a big blow to Scheppers as he was set to compete for a bullpen spot, but now he will have to wait yet again. Scheppers hasn't pitched in a full season since 2013.

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

Rangers, Moreland avoid arbitration with 1-year deal

The Rangers and Mitch Moreland have finally agree to terms on a 1-year deal to avoid arbitration. The deal came hours before Moreland was to have his arbitration hearing in Phoenix.

Moreland was asking for @6 million but the club offered $4.675 million. The midpoint was $5.338 million. The last time the Rangers have had an arbitration hearing was back in 2000 with first baseman Lee Stevens

Moreland comes off a breakout season in which he put up good numbers. He set a career high in batting average, doubles, RBIs, and slugging percentage. He also tied a career high in home runs with 23.

Rangers Minor League manager to manage the Philippines national team

Tim Hulett, a manager of the Rangers' Class A Short-Season team in the Northwest League, faces an interesting challenge: manage the Philippines national team in the World Baseball Classic qualifying round next week in Sydney, Australia.

Their first game is on Feb.11 against host Australia.

Texas Rangers place 5 prospects on the top 100 list

The Rangers even with dealing away many prospects in the Cole Hamels deal, still have plenty of hope. As they have placed 5 prospects in the top 100 list, and 4 of them are in the top 50. MLBPipeline.com placed RHP Luis Ortiz (No. 73), 2015 1st round pick RHP Dillon Tate (No. 36), OF Nomar Mazara (No. 18), OF Lewis Brinson (No. 16), and 3B Joey Gallo (No. 9). The future certainly is bright for the Rangers.

http://m.rangers.mlb.com/news/article/163091698/joey-gallo-dillon-tate-among-top-100-prospects

MLB is investigating after Sho Darvish was arrested in Japan in October

According to the Japan Times, Major League Baseball is investigating any link between Darvish and his brother's arrest in October, though the Rangers right-hander has not been accused of any wrongdoing at this point. The newspaper said Sho Darvish's arrest was announced by Osaka police on Oct. 27 after an investigation of more than one year. He was charged by the Osaka District Public Prosecutor's Office in mid-November with gambling and running a betting ring.

Yu Darvish denies that he hasn't done any wrongdoing and he just wants to get ready for the upcoming season looking to make a return from Tommy John Surgery.