The Top 25: Ranking The Rangers Roster

First pitch of the 2009 season is less than 15 hours from this moment, still plenty of time to preview the season. Let’s take a quick look at the roster from top to bottom. Below, you’ll find our rankings of the Opening Day roster in terms of how important they are to the team’s success (with some pithy commentary sprinkled in along the way). Not surprisingly, you may find a couple of pitchers atop the list.

1. RHP Kevin Millwood

2. RHP Vicente Padilla

During their time in Texas, the Rangers are 71-44 (.617) when these two pitch six innings and 59-27 (.686) when they make quality starts (six innings or more; three earned runs or less allowed). Plain and simple: If these two guys make all their starts and pitch six innings or more regularly, this team will win more than it loses. If they consistently make quality starts, the Rangers are going to be a very dangerous team.

3. CF Josh Hamilton

4. LHP C.J. Wilson

Set up guy more important than a closer? Here it is. The Rangers don’t have a legit right-handed set-up pitcher. Wilson held right-handed hitters to a .269 batting average last year and a .352 on-base percentage. If he can get right-handers out in those sticky eighth-inning situations, bullpen roles will be a lot more settled.

5. 2B Ian Kinsler

6. 3B Michael Young

7. RHP Frank Francisco

8. RHP Brandon McCarthy

No way around this: McCarthy must stay healthy, must make all his starts and must consistently get through six innings. As the No. 3 starter, he can make the difference between a competitive rotation and a contending one. Key will be staying efficient with pitch counts. Over two years with Rangers he’s averaged 18.2 pitches per inning (184th among 190 big leaguers with at least 20 starts over the last two seasons).

9. LHP Matt Harrison

10.  DH Hank Blalock

Somebody has got to replace Milton Bradley as cleanup protection for Josh Hamilton. Blalock will get first shot. He’s got a .418 slugging percentage in the No. 4 spot. It is the second lowest among active players (64th of 65) with at least 500 at-bats in the cleanup spot. It’s got to come up. Last year’s MLB average was .483.

11.  RF  Nelson Cruz

12.  1B Chris Davis

13. C Jarrod Saltalamacchia

He is not the defensive catcher that Taylor Teagarden is, but he has enormous offensive potential. If he realizes that and shows a bit of progress with his catching and throwing, Teagarden may never be able to force his way into the lineup. If he doesn’t, the path to a catching coup may be wide open if Teagarden can prove he’s durable enough to handle the starting job.

14. SS Elvis Andrus

15. RHP Scott Feldman

16. LF David Murphy

17. OF Marlon Byrd

The Rangers won’t call the Murphy-Byrd duo in left a platoon, but if it looks like a platoon and acts like a platoon, it’s probably a platoon. That said, it’s also a pretty good platoon. Last year’s stats, based on a 600 at-bat season would project to a .286 average, 41 doubles, 18 homers, 93 RBIs and a .351 on-base percentage. Or in other words: Rusty Greer.

18. RHP Josh Rupe

19. RHP Jason Jennings

20. C Taylor Teagarden

21. RHP Kris Benson

Most likely a space holder for Derek Holland. He’s had a history of solid first half performances followed by second-half fades. Strange as it sounds, doing just that in 2009 might be exactly what the Rangers need from him.

22. LHP Eddie Guardado

23. RHP Warner Madrigal

24. SS Omar Vizquel

25. OF-DH Andruw Jones

So much hoopla this spring over his drive to make the roster in spring training and yet Jones ranks at the bottom of the list. He could easily force his way up list with strong early-season performance, but could just as easily force his way off the roster, too.