With Spring Training nearing and the competition getting fierce early on, here are my starting lineup projection in order of depth with a brief analysis:
1B: Chris Davis--Showed he can play at the corner spots. Offense is a plus for him.
Frank Catalanotto--Decent defensively at that position. Needs to improve footwork.
Hank Blalock: Doesn't play much first and you'll see him there very seldomly.
2B: Ian Kinsler--Offense and defense; he's the complete package. If he stays healthy, he could be a MVP candidate.
German Duran--He's good defensively but looked uncomfortable at the plate at times.
Joaquin Arias--He'll get little playing time until he can get his feet wet. He played for Duran last season season after Kinsler got hurt and did okay.
3B: Michael Young--There will be growing pains early on because this will be his first year at that position.
Travis Metcalf--He'll play well when he gets there, but his throwing range is a little suspect.
Hank Blalock--If they need him, they'll use him there, but unless strenuous circumstances come out, don't count on it.
SS: Elvis Andrus-- We will see how well he does in his first year at the big league level.
Omar Visquel--He's been around for awhile, but Andrus can learn a thing or two from him.
LF: David Murphy--Played well last season before colliding with Pudge Rodriguez. He's fully healed now and looks to provide power at the plate.
Brandon Boggs--Started off well but then tapered off a little offensively. For his size he has great speed.
Marlon Byrd--Byrd plays better in right field; Byrd had two assists in right last season.
Frank Catalonotto--Big Cat plays better in the infield but his versatility shows that you can play him anywhere on any given day and be okay.
CF: Josh Hamilton--Not much needs to be said other than excellent.
Andruw Jones--Many think he will not make the team, but I disagree. His 10 Gold Gloves and working with Rudy Jaramillo should count for something.
Marlon Byrd--Byrd looked uncomfortable in Center Field. Center is the hardest outfiled position to play because there is more ground to cover.
RF: Marlon Byrd--He started the season off slowly at the plate, but found his groove. If he can break through that early mental block, he'll be a tough one to replace.
Nelson Cruz--Some asked why he wasn't called up earlier in the season last season. Cruz is amazing at the plate and he shows no signs of slowing that down.
Brandon Boggs--Boggs could see some time in Right Field, but chances are he will play more Left than anywhere else.
SP: Kevin Millwood--He's tough, but aging. He keeps coming back even after a bad outing and doesn't get fazed that easily.
Vincente Padilla--Needs a strikeout pitch, but he's very durable.
Matt Harrison--Showed lots of promise as a rookie. Another year of development and he could be a second or first starter.
Jason Jennings--Coming off an injury it will be interesting to see if he can adjust to a new pitching coach.
Kason Gabbard--I liked Nippert here, but Gabbard showed mental toughness even when he got into jams last season.
Dustin Nippert--Nippert's problem last season was walks, but if he can get those under control he'll move up in the rotation.
RP: Brendan Donnelly was good for so long, but injuries caught up to him. He will rebound wiith the help of Maddux.
CJ Wilson--Former closer has some heat, but can't find the strike zone that well.
Eddie Guardado--Good and reliable. He was a stallwart in the bullpen last season.
Derek Turnbow--Turnbow fell from grace as a Brewer, but he admitted he was "psyched out by his own expectations."
Scott Feldman--He saw plenty of starting time last season, but doesn't have a great amount of different pitches to work with.
Brandon Mccarthy--He'll be okay, but needs to stay healthy.
Doug Mathis--Needs to stay healthy.
Warner Madrigal--He came out of nowhere to be a good reliever and decent starter on occasion.
Luis Mendoza--Hot and cold is the best way to describe him.
Tommy Hunter--He very well could the odd man out, but he was called up and started twiice and did an okay job, but still lost.
Cl: Frank Francisco--He filled in for Wilson and did a good job.
Derek Turnbow--Don't laugh, he can do it.
C: Jarod Saltalamacchia--He struggled early last season, but this season will be different. Changing his swing will help him hit for a higher average. He has the ability to be a top-tier catcher, but needs to work on calling the game.
Taylor Teagarden--This battle will be the hardest battle off all the positions. Teagarden is a monster at the plate, but like Salty, he will have to get better calling a game.
Max Ramirez--He'll start the season at Triple-A, but is the obvious choice to call up should one of the above go down. He played well last season, but had trouble adjusting at the plate.
Keywords: Depth Chart, Hank Blalock, Josh Hamilton, MLB, Texas Rangers
