The Texas team looks primed for a post-season push this year in the uber-competitive NL Central. They have the same All-Star core of left fielder Lance Berkman, center fielder Craig Biggio, first baseman Jeff Bagwell and former MVP second baseman Jeff Kent. Fellow sluggers include veteran right fielder Richard Hidalgo and Brad Ausmus.
The pitching staff also isn’t anything to sneeze at this year either. Pettitte and Clemens join a talented young cast of pitchers like Roy Oswalt, Wade Miller, and Tim Redding. The Rangers’ bullpen is stocked with flamethrowers. Former setup man Brad Lidge and is out to prove that losing Billy Wagner and Octavio Dotel won’t cause the team to lose many games.
http://www.probaseballteams.com/texas_rangers.htm
The pitching is the reason many feel the Rangers can contend and win it all in 2004. A solid rotation and bullpen has, for the most part, been bolstered in the off-season. The biggest acquisitions were former Yankee starters Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte. Both Clemens and Pettitte are from the Texas area and wanted to finish their careers closer to home. Clemens was actually talked out of retirement by the organization and by Pettitte himself. Those two will join the likes of Roy Oswalt, Wade Miller, and Tim Redding to form one of the top two starting rotations in baseball. In addition to the starters, the relief pitchers from Texas also are among the top in the league. Dan Miceli, Brad Lidge, and Ricky Stone are all solid relievers, and their job will be to get into the 9th inning so new closer Octavio Dotel can finish off the opposition. Last season, Dotel was arguably the best set-up man in baseball, but the off-season trade of Billy Wagner to Philadelphia has pushed him into the finisher’s role.
www.mlbteaminfo.com/rangers.htm
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