The Rangers finish out the 2008 season four games under .500, slightly off my prediction of finishing at .500. The Rangers have already made changes going into next season, the first casualties being bench coach Art Howe, who was responsible for the defense, which finished last, and third base coach Matt Walbeck. Both will not return to the organization next season, however, the Rangers will be looking for experience at bench coach. Don Baylor's name has been brought up in the mix, but it is too early to tell.
The main coach they will be looking for is pitching coach. When the Rangers let Mark Conner go at the beginning of August, the Rangers slightly improved in their pitching game, but it wasn't enough to carry them into the post season. The Rangers will have plenty to do this offseason with searching for coaches, working on better defense, and evaluating pitching. What they don't need to worry about is offense. The offense finished first in average, runs, RBIs, and total hits.
Possible returnees to the team are Marlon Byrd, who started the season very slowly, but rebounded to finish at .298. Byrd had an up and down season, but injuries marred his season at mid-season. He'll rebound and should have a solid year next season.
Chris Davis: Davis was a call up in June and did not disappoint. He lived up to his potential and finished with 17 homeruns, 55 RBIs and a .285 average. Davis will get a good look in Spring Training.
Taylor Teagarden: Teagarden may be used as trade bait for pitching this offseason and rightfully so. He finished the season strongly with a .319 average, and nine homeruns.
Nelson Cruz: Cruz was also a late season call up and destroyed the ball batting .330 with seven homeruns, and 26 RBIs. Cruz was a work horse in Triple A Oklahoma and he continued that for the Rangers. He'll get a good look in an already congested outfield, but his offensive prowess should help him get an early roster spot.
These are just a few of the names that shined for the Rangerts late in the season. The Rangers evaluated talent late in the season and they have some gems that could emerge very quickly. They did improve from their 75-87 record in 2007, but the Rangers will have work to do to put a contender on the field. They're getting closer. This season, like many seasons in the past have shown that you won't win lots of games with just a high powered offense. You have to have a blend of offense, pitching, and defense. Once the Rangers can find a better balance in the the latter two, they'll have a great season. In the meantime, don't give up. They're only getting started.
Keywords: defense, offense, sports, Texas Rangers
