Key to the Season: Getting better

Getting better, by inches

The Texas Rangers are in Surprise, Ariz. getting ready for the 2011 season. I'm here in my mom's basement blogging. This is an installment of posts about those Texas Rangers and what they'll need to do to win. Keys: Tinkering, Neftali Feliz and Mark Lowe.

My sports religion is based around the idea that vast team improvements bank more on the smallest of incremental gains rather than wide, far-reaching career years from individuals.

The Toronto Blue Jays can not wait for Jose Bautista to launch another 50 home runs and compete in the AL East. They need anywhere from eight to 12 guys to simply be better. Same goes for any team.

If you want to pinpoint any one player on the 2010 Texas Rangers as they reason they made it to the World Series, feel free. It was Colby Lewis -- not Cliff Lee -- that beat the New York Yankees twice in the ALCS. It was significant impact from C.J. Wilson. It was Tommy Hunter getting a little better. It was Darren O'Day and Neftali Feliz being better.

It was Ian Kinsler, David Murphy, Elvis Andrus, Mike YOung, Nellie Cruz and, certainly, Josh Hamilton, getting better.

No, Murphy didn't have a career year. Instead, he took a more patient approach to the plate. Drew a lot more walks. Start getting choosy and bad pitchers (and most pitchers are either ordinary or bad) throw you something to hit. Kinsler also took a new approach. A lot more picky. He also quit upper cutting. Power numbers dropped, but he was a better hitter. Kinsler has had better seasons, statistically. He's not had a better season as a Major League hitter.

That's what the Rangers need. They need fielders to catch and throw better. They need hitters to do all the little things. They add up and it makes a huge difference between pulling out close games and losing 5-4.

Consider C.J. Wilson. Put up a very good 2010 winning 15 games and notching an ERA under 3.35. However, he walked 93 hitters. I believe that's the most in the American League. Thus, his WHIP skyrocketed to 1.25 despite allowing just a .217 BAA.

What does Wilson need to do? Walk less batters. I'm not assuming he'll walk just 50. But why not shoot for 75 or 65? Doesn't seem like much and those numbers are still high. But that puts less runners on base and if Wilson can just maintain the number of hits he gives up, he'll be significantly better. It's the small changes that can add up and make a huge difference. Or its the small change that dominoes, affecting other parts of a game.

I think this little sports religion applies mostly to baseball. Baseball's got a ton of moving parts. Games within games. Moments that turn games. Moments that turn three-game winning streaks to four-game losing streaks. A game where a run is a run, and if Wilson can keep another 20 baserunners off the bags, how does that turn two or three games?

What if Kinsler can swap 30 dumb flyball outs for 20 groundballs? And if 5-10 of those find a hole in the infield?

It's all what-ifs and bullshit. Luck is a huge part of the game. Maybe unlike other sports, baseball players have the opportunity to increase their opportunites for good luck or mitigate the damage to bad luck.

It's the small things.

Spring Training 10.0: Dealing with Tommy Hunter's weight

Big Game

Tommy Hunter has timing.

Mere hours after being named to the starting rotation, shipping Neftali Feliz to the weak bullpen, Hunter hurt his groin in a Spring Training game.

He's out six weeks.

So, we have a whole in the rotation. More than likely, Dave Bush or Michael Kirkman will fill the hole.

It's not big deal. Hunter was primed for the rotation a year ago and he hurt himself late in Spring Training and missed the first few weeks of the season. The Rangers will not lose the division because Hunter missed several weeks.

However, this latest injury brings up the issue of Hunter's weight.

He's listed at 6-3 and 280. I assume he slims down some coming into camp. As time wears on, he approaches 280, if not more.

Hunter has always been a big, meaty guy.

His size became an issue when he was first called up when the Texas heat regularly hit 100 degrees during the day and the Ballpark would swelter during night games in the 90s.

Every year its an issue dealing with his stamina in a game. I think it's a bigger issue dealing with injury.

Pitchers put a lot of stress on their bodies. From the feet, legs, midsection, arms and hands, pitching is something humans shouldn't really be doing. We're not fit for it.

Add on layers of fat and weight and that stress is amplified. Generally, fatter pitchers have had shorter shelf lives. Then again, almost all professional athletes do.

Then again, give me a successful fat pitcher and I'll give you a dozen successful skinny pitchers.

I like Hunter and I hope his future is in Texas. He gets outs. However, he does no one good huffing and puffing on the mound and getting hurt every Spring Training. Surely, it can't hurt losing 40 or 50 pounds.

Spring Training 8.0: Questions and more questions

Cruz

Spring Training for our Texas Rangers rolls on and after taking a week's sabbatical, I find I have more questions now than I did 10 days ago.

I don't know if this is a good or a bad thing. Questions typically mirror uncertainty. Questions also open doors for opportunity.

I'm confused.

My questions:

1. What do you do with Chris Davis? He's hitting .405 and leading the team in RBI (15). Adrian Beltre and Mitch Moreland push him out of the infield. Mike Young's the DH. Is he tradeable? Surely, you don't give him away? Can he fetch some pitching help? This is why you never give up on a young player. You never know when he'll "get it."

2. Is Neftali Feliz a starter or reliever? I leave town with the story that he prefers to be a reliever. Then everyone realizes that they don't have a proven closer (!!!) and then the story is that Feliz's wishes might not fit the Rangers' needs. He went five innings over the weekend. Seems like he's getting nice and stretched out.

3. Do Mark Lowe's and Darren O'Day's springs scare the shit out of me? Yes. Especially Lowe, who's as unproven as they come.

4. Is Julio Borbon's time up with the Rangers? You'd think he was going to be executed at sundown on Wednesday, the way people are talking. He's struggled in centerfield. Frankly, he's not that great of a hitter (altough I love what he can do) to be an ordinary fielder. With those wheels, he needed to nail down center and he hasn't. Ron Washington isn't hot on him. He makes mistakes. And now everyone's talking themselves into the "Well, Josh Hamilton will get hurt no matter where he plays" discusssion. Which is dumb. The physical toll center takes as opposed to left or right field is not a discussion.

5. Is Mitch Moreland for real? Since he was drafted, all he has done is hit. Hit and hit. Nothing spectacular. Just hitting. I wonder if he has that extra gear turning him into a doubles hitter into a guy that can hit 25 home runs a year. I wonder if I sports crush on Moreland.

6. Is Brett Tomko making this team? Is he this team's No. 5 starter?

7. Do I love a rotation of C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis, Derek Holland, Neftali Feliz and Matt Harrison? Not entirely. But I can be wooed.

Spring Training 7.0: The rotation

Matty ice

The Texas Rangers must be pretty excited about the quality of pitching that they are getting two weeks into Spring Training.

Matt Harrison did it again today in a 4-1 win over the Chicago White Sox.

The Rangers went into Spring Training with two spots nailed down: C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis. Brandon Webb is probably guaranteed a spot, if healthy. He ain't. So that opens three spots to six or seven guys. None of whom is guaranteed a spot and I would daresay each are fighting to make it.

Here's who I'm talking about:

	IP	Hits	BBs	Ks	ERA
Eric Hurley	5	0	2	0	0.00
Tommy Hunter	5	6	1	5	7.20
Matt Harrison	9	5	2	5	1.00
Dave Bush	8	9	4	5	4.50
Michael Kirkman	9	7	2	8	3.00
Derek Holland	5	5	0	6	1.80

Honestly, Holland's probably been the best so far. Followed by Harrison and Kirkman. Then Hurley and Hunter. Then Bush.

Bush, however, has experience. That matters. If he continues at this pace, he'll be in trouble. If he shows a little something in the next two weeks, he might be plugged in until Webb's return.

I would think Hurley might be on the outside looking in. He didn't pitch in 2010 and throwing him in the Majors probably isn't wise. He's striking out no one and those batted balls tend to find holes in the bigs.

That leaves Kirkman, Hunter and Harrison.

Kirkman is also probably getting a short straw, for the moment. He's a lefty. The Rangers have Wilson, Holland and Harrison ahead of him, all lefties. It'd be crazy to go into the season with potentially four lefties in the starting rotation.

I didn't include Neftali Feliz, although he's pitched well. I'd still like to see him prepped for the rotation, but it just feels like he's bullpen-bound.

For the moment, I'm going on performance over intangibles and experience. If Spring Training is the proving ground for these guys, why should Bush get a leg up on a younger playing pitching better?

With our decisions made, our rotation projection, as for the second:

C.J. Wilson
Colby Lewis
Derek Holland
Tommy Hunter
Matt Harrison

Again, this is for the moment. It's going to be hard to keep Bush out if he steps up his game. Hunter's not been the sharpest. Harrison is primed for a breakdown.

Needless to say, it's all a good problem to have.

Spring Training 7.0: Spring Training is about pitching or Brandon McCarthy returns, again!

Washington: That's the way baseball go

Mike Rhyner says Spring Training is about pitching.

With that in mind, Wednesday as full of pitching for the Texas Rangers. They wound up beating the Oakland A's 9-2. Some very important arms got good, long looks.

Derek Holland turned in what some are calling his best set of innings of his big-league career. Consider this: Holland pitched three innings. In those, he threw 37 pitches. Thirty (30) were for strikes.

Needless to say, it was a great success. He struck out four and allowed two hits. Holland, my friends, just sealed his spot in the Opening Day rotation.

Neftali Feliz also logged three innings. He wasn't near as crisp, but who is? He allowed a hit and two walks, but allowed no runs and struck out four.

There's mixed reaction as per Feliz' feelings, his current skillset and the Rangers' need regarding his role. Someone at the Dallas Morning News poked Jean-Jacques Taylor with a stick and he pooped a soulless column about how Feliz should be in the bullpen.

I still think you push him. I think sending him back to the bullpen is a decision you make in a couple of weeks as you see how Eric Hurley, Holland, Brandon Webb and others develop. And how Feliz develops. There's plenty of time to get Feliz back in as closer. Now is the time that you see exactly what the kid has.

I pitching news that is not nearly as impressive, the A's rolled Brandon McCarthy back out there. On cue, he allowed four hits and a run in three innings.

The Good
Pedro Strop recorded another scoreless inning. Perfect this spring.

Elvis Andrus' two hits dragged his average up to .174.

Mike Young's hitting .526 and drove in runs Nos. 5 and 6.

The Bad
Chris Davis went hitless, struck out twice.

Calling Arthur Rhodes and Darren O'Day "shakey" is looking at a half-full glass.

Nellie Cruz: .190 average.

Stepping up: Eric Hurley

Hurley, no longer lost

With Spring Training happening, we look at specific Texas Rangers that need a big 2011. For various reasons. Stepping: Derek Holland.

Eric Hurley's participation and relative success this Spring Training is like opening all the gifts on Christmas morning, only to find out there's one that slipped under the sofa. And it's for you.

Hurley pitched a sweet three innings allowing no hits and two walks. In five spring innings, that's all Hurley's allowed. Period.

For a lot of people, Hurley is an unknown. What they don't know is that Hurley was the Justin Smoak or Blake Beavan of the Rangers' minor-league system. He was No. 1. He was it.

Mind you, it was before GM Jon Daniels started nailing draft after draft and it was before we realized the impact of the Mark Teixeira trade.

But, in the day, Hurley was the top-rated pitcher in the Rangers' organization.

He started five games in 2008 to marginal mediocrity. In 2009, he tore his rotator cuff and didn't factor. Hurley's only 25 years old and there's little reason to think he won't make the starting rotation in 2011 out of Spring Training.

Hurley's ascension to the No. 1 prospect was due to attrition: Hurley was solid, but not great. And the rest of the Rangers' prospects sucked. Before 2007, Hurley was rated the No. 68 prospect in MLB. In 2008, he rated No. 77.

He typically put together a decent-to-ordinary ERA along with a strikeout per inning (approximately) with his share of walks and hits. Good. Never great.

The Rangers need good. They need stability at the bottom of the rotation and Hurley has the opportunity to do that. Maybe a year off has rejuvenated his arm and given him a little rest.

Fact is, Hurley's not old. He's proven himself in the minors. Who's not to believe that he won't win 12 games this year? Who's not to believe that Hurley won't be a factor in the rotation for the next five years?

I'm pumped about the Eric Hurley era.

Key to the Season: Mark Lowe

The Texas Rangers are in Surprise, Ariz. getting ready for the 2011 season. I'm here in my mom's basement blogging. This is an installment of posts about those Texas Rangers and what they'll need to do to win.

Keys: Tinkering and Neftali Feliz.

There are many names on the Texas Rangers' 25-man roster that might appear more important than the others.

I'd daresay that Mark Lowe matters more than most of them. And getting 50 appearances out of Lowe is of the utmost importance.

Why? Because Lowe is the hinge on the door. He makes everything swing.

Lowe might end up manning the seventh inning. Or the eighth inning. Or the ninth inning. All depending on the final resting place of Neftali Feliz and Alexi Ogando. He's the big reason the Rangers are able to possibly displace Feliz and/or Ogando.

He's the third-biggest right-handed arm in the bullpen. He can hit mid-90s on his fastball. He's just 27 years old.

The rub on him his health. He's been in the Majors since 2006 and he's pitched more than 20 innings in only two seasons. Last year, he missed most of the season due to a bad back. Bad backs are typically bad news.

There's a reason the Mariners threw him into the Cliff Lee-Justin Smoak deal.

Why care? He's a product of The University of Texas at Arlington and actually lives in Arlington. As noted, he's young and seemingly healthy. He throws hard.

He also might be your closer. And if Feliz is worth his weight as a starter, he makes him expendable.

I can't say the same for Arthur Rhodes, Darren O'Day, Darren Oliver or any other reliever. They can't do what he can do.

If nothing else, you might have three guys with the ability to hit mid- to upper-90s on the radar gun from the seventh, eighth and ninth innings.

Either way, Lowe has a distinct possibilty of becoming a part of a really good bullpen. Keeping Lowe healthy is very important. It makes everything else -- personnel-wise -- possible.

Spring Training 6.0: Deja vu

Ogando: Starter?

Asshole San Francisco Giants. In game 6 of the World Series (we're still playing), they beat the Rangers (again) 4-1 behind the left arm of Jon Sanchez.

All we need is another eight games and we'll get our four wins.

By the way, I think we're being really shortsighted with the Neftali Feliz report that he would "prefer" to remain the closer.

Feliz said he's more "comfortable" as the closer because he knows what it takes to win in that position in the Majors. I totally understand this.

However, it's worth noting that Feliz hasn't started since early 2009 and was quickly swept into the bullpen when the Rangers needed some arms in relief. If the Rangers had been 30 games out of the AL West in 2009, I'm convinced that Feliz stays in the starting rotation.

Of course he's comfortable there. He's been there for two years. He's seen success. Are the Rangers comfortable starting Eric Hurley, Matt Harrison and Dave Bush? I sure as hell am not.

Two things do make me happy: the idea of Alexi Ogando and Neftali Feliz in the bullpen or starting rotation.

The Good
Yorvit Torrealba drove in the lone run. He is our starting catcher. He's hitting .200 in the spring.

Chris Davis hit another two doubles (four for the spring) and his average is at .435. He also struck out twice. As pitching gets stiffer in the spring, it'll be interesting to see how he does. He's got five strikeouts in 23 spring at-bats.

Fringe relievers Zach Jackson and Mason Tobin each pitched quiet innings.

Despite allowing four baserunners, Alexi Ogando had a sweet three innings allowing no runs and striking out four. Also, of his five outs from batted balls, four were groundouts.

The Bad
Julio Borbon, Josh Hamilton, Mike Young, Nelson Cruz, Elvis Andrus and Mitch "Tacos" Moreland all went hitless.

Andrus is hitting .100, by the way.

Tommy Hunter did strike out three in three innings. It's the five hits and four runs that concern me.

Spring Training 5.0: Ol' Greinke and Brandon Boggs

Doing the Deed

The Texas Rangers batted around the Milwaukee Brewers Sunday, 8-1. This following a 3-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks Saturday.

The Brewers' newest toy, Zack Greinke, went two innings allowing one run. But he also allowed five hits. The Rangers then produced to knock around three guys in Milwaukee's bullpen.

The game also featured a familiar face, Brandon Boggs. He had a hit in three at-bats. Boggs wasn't so bad of a player. Good defensively and a very good arm. He's also a walk machine. Whether he's getting wood on the ball, he's always getting on base. Frankly, there wasn't a spot with the Rangers for him and I, personally, think he'll do well with ample opportunity.

The Good
Cody Eppley and Pedro Strop had uneventful innings in each game. To my knowledge, Strop hasn't allowed a thing all spring.

Mike Young's playing pissed. He went 3-3 with four RBI Sunday. Hitting .571 this spring. If he bats sixth and gets 500 at-bats, he's due for 110 RBI, right?

Furthermore, Young had three triples in 656 at-bats in 2010. He has two this spring.

Attempting to wedge himself into the rotation, Mike Kirkman pitched three scoreless innings Saturday. He, still, allowed three baserunners, but struck out two.

Matt Harrison, too, is making a case for a job. He started Sunday and pitched three scoreless innings. Allowed just a hit and walk.

Finally. Nellie Cruz and Josh Hamilton combined for five hits, five runs Sunday.

What are the Rangers going to do with Chris Davis? Went 3-4 with three RBI. Has eight runs batted in for the spring. All the while playing third base.

The Bad
Colby Lewis allowed seven baserunners and two runs in his three innings Saturday.

Mitch Moreland went hitless Sunday. Had homers in three straight before then.

Mark Lowe and Darren O'Day had harmless, but unstellar outings.

Elvis Andrus: .125 average.

Spring Training 4.0: Brandon McCarthy returns!

Godzilla of northern California

The Texas Rangers beat the Oakland Athletics 6-3 today in Spring Training play.

The win was highlighted by an appearance of Brandon McCarthy and Willie Eyre, two Ranger ex-pats, for the A's. McCarthy went three innings allowing three hits, a run. He struck out three.

Eyre allowed a run in relief.

It's always amazing looking back at how we felt about a player or team. Remember McCarthy. He was the big piece of that John Danks deal. He was supposed to hold down the middle of the rotation starting three years ago. Every decent start just built up this unsubstantiated optimism. In the back of our brains, we knew.

Watch enough dumb sports and you start to just figure shit out. It's, like, weird.

The Good
Brett Tomko and Arthur Rhodes threw perfect frames.

Dave Bush went three scoreless innings. Two strikeouts and no walks. Better yet, he induced six groundouts and one fly out.

Jose Felix has four hits in four at-bats.

Julio Borbon kept up his torrid spring. Two more hits. Average up to .538.

Mitch Moreland went 1-3 with a two-run single. Second straight multi-RBI game.

The Bad
C.J. Wilson put together another lackluster start. Five hits, three runs and two walks in three innings. Of all people, I'd like him clicking as the season starts.

Engel Beltre has zero hits in 12 at-bats.

Spring Training 3.0: The day of Neftali

Young, old

Neftali Feliz made his first Major-League foray into the starting rotation today.

In lieu of me overexamining his line, I, instead, will rely on the expert eyes of our local media members and pundits from their Twitter accounts:

Evan Grant
"Feliz’s 1st. Hey, he hi 97 mph. But the bottom line is command and he needed 26 pitches, walked a batter, hit a guy. 13 strikes, 13 balls."

"By my count, Feliz threw eight offspeed/breaking balls in the first. Got one for a strike."

"Better 2nd for Feliz, who needed just 10 pitches despite allowing back-to-back singles to start inning. He got a double play grounder."

Scott Lucas
"Neftali Feliz’s 10 offspeed pitches resulted in 6 balls, 1 HBP, 2 called strikes, and 1 ball in play. I know it’s early. Just sayin’."

Lucas also charted all of Feliz' pitches. You can see it here.

Clearly, there was good and band with Feliz' start. Control is an issue. Mastering the second pitch is key. Throwing that third pitch effectively changes the game. If nothing else, it could have been worse.

In split-squad action, the Ranger beat the Cleveland Indians 11-9 and the Chicago Cubs 8-7.

The Good
Ian Kinsler hit his third homer of the spring. He's hitting .556.

Battling back, Eric Hurley pitched two perfect innings.

Chris Davis hit the game-winning two-run homer in the ninth inning. He added two doubles and three total RBI. Hitting .455.

Mitch Moreland hit a three-run homer. A quiet spring up to this point.

Prospects Mike Olt and Jose Felix each had two hits.

Mark Lowe faced three batters. Struck out two.

Fighting for a roster spot, Zach Jackson threw two perfect innings in relief.

David Paisano: A game-winning two-run triple.

The Bad

Against Cleveland, Rangers pitchers registered 11 walks.

Seth McClung allowed four hits, three walks and five runs. Seth McClung just managed to not make the team.

Yoshinori Tateyama allowed four hits and two runs.

Josh Hamilton went hitless. Hitting .111.

Tanner Scheppers allowed five hits, two walks and four runs. Then he complained about his back.

Spring Training 2.0: The day we beat Blake Beavan's ass and more

Oh whoa oh whoa Ogando!

The Texas Rangers followed a 5-4 loss to the Seattle Mariners Tuesday with a rollicking 10-hit, 10-run win over the hated California Angels.

Against Seattle, the Rangers faced two somewhat familiar faces: Blake Beavan and Josh Lueke, two of the prospects given up in the Cliff Lee trade a year ago.

Beavan allowed three hits, a walk and two runs in two innings. Lueke -- the guy accused of rape -- allowed a lone hit in an inning. Showed them who's boss.

We get Neftali Feliz' first start tomorrow.

The Good
Arthur Rhodes, Mark Hamburger, Zach Phillips, Jacob Brigham and Pedro Strop all turned in scoreless frames the last two days. For Strop, it was his second this spring.

Outfield invitee Doug Deeds is doing his thing. He hit his second home run of the spring and has a .400 average.

Dave Murphy finally had his day. Two hits and a three-run dinger.

Tommy Hunter had two scoreless frames, striking out two and allowing a lone hit.

Mike Young is just hating this. Hitting .571 this spring.

Ian Kinsler's hitting .429.

Julio Borbon's hitting .714.

Chris Davis had two doubles and two RBI against Seattle. Playing mainly third base, he's hitting .333 this spring and I don't think he's record a strikeout.

The Bad
Cody Eppley allowed two runs and three hits in relief Tuesday.

Nellie Cruz and Josh Hamilton are hitting .143. Elvis Andrus is hitting .125.

Alexi Ogando was stretched to two innings and struck out. Four hits. Two runs.

Prospect Corey Young's already had a forgettable spring. Another two runs allowed today.

Making the team: Brian Barden

With Spring Training comes a series of no-names and known names in camp vying for a roster spot somewhere -- maybe with the Texas Rangers, maybe in the minors or maybe with another team in need of a fifth outfielder, utility infielder or bullpen arm.

Here are those names for the Rangers.

I've always considered Brian Barden a name. I could have swore he's played a couple of seasons of 100+ games with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Nope. He's played in 119 total games in four seasons between Arizona, St. Louis and Florida. He played a career-high 52 games with the Cards in 2009. So, maybe I was thinking of that lone year.

The irony of his two doubles and three RBI he's already knocked in Spring Training games is that he has four career doubles in the regular season and 14 RBI in 175 career at-bats.

Barden was a sixth-round pick in the 2002 draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks out of Oregon State University.

Two years later, he was in Triple A - Tucson and from 2004-06 he hit 101 doubles and drove in 231 runs.

Ready for the bigs, right?

A brief call-up by Arizona resulted in being picked up off waivers by St. Louis. He spent most of 2007 and 2008 in the minors, where he again performed well. When Florida signed him last year, he spent a portion of it in Triple A - New Orleans and hit 14 doubles. Still, when he was called up, he had five hits in 28 at-bats and no RBI.

He was released in June. The Rangers invited him to Spring Training in December 2010.

Barden's biggest attributes are that he's still 29 (30 in April) and that he's proven all he can prove in the minors. It's Majors or bust.

Also, Barden's played every infield position outside of catcher and even a little outfield. He's probably more natural at third base or shortstop.

I definitely see him sticking around if another team doesn't come knocking, although he'll be in Oklahoma City. The Rangers are deep at the designated hitter, third base, utility infield spots and it'll take a lot to get any playing time in the Majors. But it's not out of the question. You can use a guy like Barden. He's a man that's good to have after time.

Spring Training 1.0

A bat in the belfry

The Texas Rangers officially kicked off Spring Training games Sunday and Monday against their bunkmates, the Kansas City Royals. Not that winning matters, but they split the pair 12-11 yesterday and 4-2 on Sunday.

Among various other notes, Mike Young made his debut at first base yesterday fielding with no incident, but with little opportunity.

The Good
Mike Napoli and Ian Kinsler had two hits each and a two- and three-run dingers, respectively.

Julio Borbon knocked a single and a double, and stole two bases. Borbon's got two doubles on the spring.

Colby Lewis pitched two near-perfect frames in his spring debut.

Mike Kirkman, a fringe rotation guy, was knocked early, but then put in a 10-pitch second inning. Watch him the rest of the spring.

Ryan Tucker, Pedro Strop, Tanner Scheppers and Yoshinori Tateyama each threw scoreless frames in the Sunday game.

Jurickson Profar with a RBI double.

The Bad
Fringey relievers Seth McClung and Yhency Brazoban walked two and allowed a run.

Fringey start Dave Bush walked two and allowed a run.

Engel Beltre's failed to register a hit. It's early.

'Adrian Beltre, you signed at a six-year, $96 million contract with the Texas Rangers. What are you going to do next?'

"Get injured in Spring Training, of course!"

Remember this, folks. You had that money burning a hole in your pocket. You wanted to blow your load. You did it for a guy who is notorious for contract years.

Out just 10-14 days, but it's a start.

"They bought their tickets, they knew what they were getting into. I say, let 'em crash."

Key to the Season: Tinkering

Kinsy

The Texas Rangers are in Surprise, Ariz. getting ready for the 2011 season. I'm here in my mom's basement blogging. This is an installment of posts about those Texas Rangers and what they'll need to do to win.

Arguably, the biggest factor that went into the success of the 2010 Texas Rangers was change.

When Frank Francisco blew a couple saves the first week of the season, management quickly pulled the plug, inserted Neftali Feliz and never looked back.

Never. Like, I don't remember there ever being a time when the thought of re-inserting Francisco into the closer's role ever was even hinted at. While we're at it, I'd like to retire the thought of conjoining the words "re-inserting" and "Frank Francisco" in a sentence for the season.

When Julio Borbon was clearly overwhelmed, the Rangers quickly put Elvis Andrus at the top of the batting order. And never looked back.

Give the Rangers credit. They're a decisive group of assholes.

And that was 2010. There were structures and borders. Everyone knew their role, no one publicly bitched and it worked out. This -- above all -- probably is what irks us about Michael Young. If everyone can be cool, why can't he?

Already the tinkering has begun. Evan Grant already brought this to the table two days ago. Yesterday, it was apparent in the first intersquad game.

Ian Kinsler is apparently the new lead-off hitter, Andrus will drop to the two-hole ("two-hole," "re-inserting," "Frank Francisco" ... what's wrong with me) and Michael Young will drop to sixth where he can pile up those jaw-dropping RBI numbers.

Although injuries limited him to 400 at-bats and 100 games, Kins put forth, most think, his best season at the plate in 2010 (I also feel Dave Murphy did the same). He rounded his walk-K ratio to practically 1:1 (56-57), notched a .382 OBP, quit the upper cutting shit and became a much improved hitter. Combine his skill at the plate, his penchant for getting on base and his speed (71 stolen bases in last three seasons) and he seems like natural fit at the top of the order. Furthermore, he's got quite a bit more pop than Borbon and Andrus.

Andrus, conversely, will be able to utilize his acumen with the lumber to move runners over, go hit and run and much more. Ideally, we're putting Kins and Tiny E in the perfect spots to do the most damage. Even with Young at six, he'll be able to swing free and easy, driving the ball to all parts of the field.

The Rangers are already making drastic changes and there isn't even a problem yet. The Rangers have seemingly mastered this: Identify the problem, find a solution and execute that solution with no apologies, little regret and with your eyes looking ahead. Making changes and bracing for the ridicule is a ridiculous way to run an organization. It may be a key for them in 2011.

Stepping up: Derek Holland

Dutch Oven

With Spring Training happening, we look at specific Texas Rangers that need a big 2011. For various reasons.

Locally, I don't think anyone's gotten a more raw deal than Derek Holland.

There are some -- although, these few are the least knowledgeable of baseball items -- that think Holland is washed up and useless.

I could not disagree more. Remember, he started his pro career in 2007. In 2008, he jumped from Low-A Clinton to Triple A Oklahoma City.

In one season.

Holland wasn't a four-year college kid. He went to community college and then into the Majors. By 22, despite not being a well-known, highly-touted prospect in the system, Holland started 21 games in the Majors. That's a lot for a kid to handle.

His 6.12 ERA that season was swore off by the sheer moments of brilliance he'd occasionally show and the fact that it was his first taste of the Majors.

Holland was better in 2010. His ratios were better even if he pitched less in the Majors due to injuries and opportunities.

However, that meltdown in the World Series is what is on everyone's mind. That is what's molding everyone's opinions about the guy.

Trust me, Holland has a lot more room to grow. He didn't get the grooming and the coaching that many get working their way, year by year, through the minors. He shot up and it's bit the Rangers in the ass and it's made the local media and fans grow weary of his act.

I do think Holland has plenty of time to get more consistent. I also think 2011 is a bit year for him. I think it's time for Holland to step up.

For one, it appears he'll have the opportunity. Brandon Webb's not as far along as it was perceived (or reported ... or both) and injuries to Omar Beltre and Scott Feldman help too.

Two, he's 24. One-and-a-half seasons is a good cross section of games to get your feet wet and understand how to pitch. Not ideal. But enough to the point that 2011 should be a year of noticeable and substantial growth. Holland's burnt out the minors. He can not get better there. His improvement will come on the big stage.

It's not Holland's last stand. But 2011 will be a good gauge to see where he's at, big picture.