Wait, have you heard this one already? Darn. Anyways, as you could've probably guessed, today we're taking a look into the Ranger's rotation, with returning club leader C.J. Wilson, who had fifteen wins last year, injured Cy Young award winner Webb, who is looking better and better everyday, and possible wild card Neftali Feliz, who walked away with Rookie of the Year last year for his forty saves as Rangers' closer all playing huge factors. And, since the departure of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Name (I refuse to say his name, damn it!), there is no true number one on the pitching staff. Yet, that is.
The true question here is whether or not Webb is going to return to his Cy Young form, and if he can stay there. I think we can all agree that, before his injury, he was at the top of his game. The Rangers have already made it clear that they won't rush him back, to protect that shoulder he had surgery on. If he does, he'll easily be the number one pitcher in the Ranger rotation. But until then, there's a huge question mark hovering over Webb's head.
C.J. Wilson made the transition from bull pen pitcher to full on starter last year, and from the moment he stepped on the mound, he took the bull by the horns, so to say. He led the club with fifteen wins, and had a 3.35 ERA by the end of the regular season. Not bad for your first season as a starter. Now, the question is whether or not the lefty can repeat, or even improve, his stellar pitching from last year. He did struggle a little in the play offs, but he still is one of the best pitchers the Rangers have. I personally think that C.J. Wilson is even better than he was last year.
Colby Lewis electrified Rangers fans last year in the play offs, being the only pitcher to snatch a win from the San Francisco Giants, pitched like a mad genius against the Yankees. Seems like that time spent in the Japanese League did some good for him. Now, he's back for a second season, and hopefully he'll be able to carry over his post season success into the start of the 2011 regular season. He had a 3.72 ERA, which is higher than most pitching coaches want. We'll just have to see with Lewis, as he's the only other pitcher to be guaranteed a spot in the starting rotation. People may be quick to defend Lewis, but let's not forget the Scott Feldman fiasco from last year.
Which brings us to the next segment of today's article; who's going to fill the other 2/3 spots on the rotation (remember, Webb is probably not going to be ready by the time the regular season rolls around)?
There's a lot of talk about transforming electrifying closer Neftali Feliz into a starting pitcher. He's got a triple digit fast ball, as well as a mean curve ball, yet lacks that coveted third pitch that starters are almost required to have. He struggle a bit last year with his accuracy (especially when shooting to break 100 mph), but as soon as he began controlling his speed, his accuracy picked up. He does tend to hang his fast balls sometimes, leading to ugly home runs or long fly balls. But, forty saves is nothing to scoff at. He did win AL Rookie of the Year, after all.
Now, the only thing standing in Feliz's way is long reliever Alexi Ogando, another kid with a pair of strong pitches but lacking a good third one. To me, when comparing Ogando to Feliz, I see two of the same kind of pitchers. Ogando commands a high ninety's fastball, and his slider has some ridiculous movement on it. While he did make some knuckle headed plays during the 2010 regular season (cough, Red Sox, cough, cough), he did settle down some as the season went on. In my opinion, we're going to see either Feliz or Ogando in the starting rotation during the 2011 regular season, and whoever loses will take over as closer. I'm making the prediction that that person is Ogando, not Feliz, simply because Feliz was so good closing last season.
The rest of the spots on the rotation are a toss up, really. I see Tommy "Big Game" Hunter making the rotation again, since he had thirteen wins last season (but did not meet expectations in the play offs). The pitcher who is awarded the fifth spot on the rotation, or the "Webbed" spot as I like to call it, will act like more of a custodian taking care of it until Webb is healthy. It's most likely going to come down to Matt Harrison, Derrik Holland, and Kirkman. My money's on Holland, as the Rangers still like what they see in the young pitcher.
This year, there are a lot of holes to fill, thanks to you-know-who, but the Rangers (in my opinion) sport some of the best young talent in the American League, and have a solid shot at being able to repeat and head back to the World Series. They just have to handle it right.
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