Did the Rangers lose to the Orioles in a one-game Wild Card playoff with Yu Darvish on the hill at home against Joe Saunders? Did Texas also squander a four-game lead in the American League West with six games left? Could the Rangers bats only muster one run against Saunders (don't mean to pick on the guy, but come on...)?
Unfortunately, yes, yes and well ... yes.
The Rangers season ended Friday night with a lackadaisical 5-1 thud to the Orioles in a Wild Card Playoff in Arlington.
The offense was once again hopeless. Josh Hamilton, whose impending free agency will undoubtedly be the story of the Rangers' winter, looked lost at the plate in an 0-for-4 freefall. This was a bitter end to a collapse of a season. The Rangers lost eight of their last 10 games, including their final four.
After two straight trips to the World Series, the third time won't be the charm. It's been difficult for me to accept.
This core group of guys - Hamilton, Michael Young, Elvis Andrus, Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz - will likely not win a World Series together. They were there when Texas celebrated its first playoff series win in franchise history in 2010, and they were there when the Rangers were one strike away (twice) from winning it all in 2011. I wanted it so badly for these guys, and in 2012, the dream ended so early.
The way it happened was devastating. In his last four games, Hamilton was 2-for-17 with eight strikeouts. Manager Ron Washington made several moves that made me scratch my head (and I rarely question the manager, even when things go wrong), including the bizarre decision to pull Yu Darvish in the seventh inning of a 2-1 game (Baltimore led) with two outs and a runner on second. Darvish had thrown 91 pitches and looked great (seven strikeouts, no walks). Washington summoned lefty Derek Holland, who threw 50 pitches on Wednesday at Oakland, to face lefty Nate McLouth. Holland, who looked atrocious for the final few weeks, threw a wild pitch and gave up a single for an Orioles insurance run. It made no sense.
All we're left with are questions to how the 2013 roster will shape up. Will the core be together for another run, or will the youth movement force its way forward? More specifically, here are some of the questions that the Rangers will have to think about:
- For what Hamilton will command on the open market, is he worth bringing back? From everything I've read, that answer seems to be no.
- What happens to the other free agents (Mike Napoli, Mike Adams, Koji Uehara, Ryan Dempster, Mark Lowe)? I'd like to bring back Napoli, Adams and Uehara, if possible, and let the other two walk.
- Will Ian Kinsler continue to lead off, despite his lackluster season? Is Elvis Andrus better suited as the leadoff man, as was the case in 2010?
- Is Jurickson Profar ready for full-time work in the majors? If so, that means a few things. Either you trade Kinsler or Andrus, or you move Kinsler to the outfield and plug Profar in at second.
- What happens to Mike Olt? The young third baseman is blocked by Adrian Beltre, who isn't going anywhere any time soon. Is he a key trade chip?
- What happens to Michael Young? He has one more season left on his contract, but his bat was completely missing in 2012 and his defense is well below average. No one's going to trade for that contract, so what can we do to make it work?
- What will the starting rotation look like? After Yu Darvish and Matt Harrison, it's a little unknown. Reports indicate Holland has a spot. Alexi Ogando voiced his preference to start next season. That still leaves one. Is Martin Perez ready? Colby Lewis and Neftali Feliz are going to be out until mid-season because of injuries.
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