Random Ranger Thoughts

Yesterday, after Texas was destroyed by the Yanks, my dad sent me an email that pretty well summed up the afternoon. It wasn't a fun game to watch:

On a day when 7 of the major league teams scored in double digits (23% of the teams) and 4 of the games were decided by at least 10 runs (26% of the games) the Rangers were not quite as noticeable by their ineptness as they normally might have been. The game against the Yankees did reveal a concerning trend and no, it's not that Matt Harrison has been exposed as having only average major league stuff or that he might not be the real deal after all, it's the Ranger batting order showing an inconsistency that has almost reached the alarming point.

In a lineup full of bashers but very few "professional" hitters, once again the inability to make good contact and to know the strike zone was evident. A four hitter? Are you serious?? Against Phil Hughes? The ability to compete at the plate on a consistent basis requires hitters who know the strike zone, are able to hit the ball where it's pitched (see Michael Young) and hitters that can make good contact on a regular basis. This lineup is filled with too many 230 hitters at this point. Even Kinsler, who we can all agree is a star, is in a big slump mainly because of his insistence on pulling every pitch. There are not many major-leaguers that can swing at the pitches the Ranger swing at and get any better results than the Rangers do. Even Josh Hamilton is going to be prone to droughts of low power production and hitless nights if he doesn't become more selective at the plate.

I know we're going to stay with Davis even during his struggles but do we need to really stay with the Blalocks of the world? Is his flailing worth his once a week dinger? I know they've come at opportune times, but that won't always be the case. Let's start filling some of these holes in our batting order and work on the approach of our young stars. Staying in a slump for months (Davis) can irreparably harm a young players psyche forever. We have the best hitting coach in baseball so maybe it's time to lay down the law: learn the strike zone or grab a seat. Look in the farm system for a DH that has the potential to hit 300...we don't need more power we need more base runners. Just some random thoughts

That pretty much sums it up.