5 New Year's Resolutions for Texas Rangers

I'm not sure how else to say it: 2013 was one hell of a year.

My work life also took a step forward in 2013, when I accepted a position as Senior Brand Content Specialist at CommunityAmerica Credit Union in Lenexa, Kan. After beginning my professional career in journalism, I've now been in marketing for more than two years.

So yeah, work has taken up a significant chunk of my time lately, but I naturally still think about the Rangers often.

The Rangers, at least on paper, seem like they took serious steps forward to end 2013 as well. They created an everyday spot in the lineup for Jurickson Profar by trading Ian Kinsler for Prince Fielder, and also signed free agent outfielder and on-base machine Shin Soo-Choo all before Christmas. The look of next year's outfit will be relatively different from last year. With that in mind, here are my five Rangers New Year's resolutions for 2014:

1. Stay healthy. 

Treacherous news hit Friday night, when the Rangers announced starting pitcher Derek Holland would miss the first half of next season with torn cartilage in his left knee. In a bizarre development, Holland claims he injured his knee on a freak accident after his dog tripped him on the stairs. Oy. Perfect, right? This news ruined my Saturday morning. I woke up and laughed to myself when the thought of Holland falling down on the stairs and missing half the season entered my mind. Those dreams, man, you know? Freakin' crazy sometimes. Can't control 'em. Wait a sec ... ugh, it was not a dream. The Rangers' No. 2 pitcher is indeed out. That really happened. Awesome.

Hopefully, this is all the bad injury news we'll hear about before the season. Does Yu Darvish live in a single-floor home with no stairs? I sure as hell hope so. If that dude goes down, we're history. The problem with Holland's injury is it increases our reliance on Matt Harrison and Colby Lewis to regain their pre-injury forms. Neither is a guarantee.

2. Martin Perez takes a big step forward.

Time to take the training wheels off. Sorry, bro. That's just the way this thing goes. Perez is only 23, but he took significant strides last season and pitched like an awesome No. 5 and solid No. 4 toward the end of the year. He ended with a 10-6 record, a respectable 3.62 ERA, 84 strikeouts and 34 walks. For a 22-year-old? Studly. With Holland sidelined, however, we need Perez to act like a No. 3 next season. Take that next step.

3. Middle of the order regains power stroke. 

Chances are the Rangers won't have issues getting runners on base next season. Choo will lead off fresh off a 2013 season that saw him sport a .423 on-base percentage. Elvis Andrus, who lead Texas in walks last year, will follow. Consider that Elvis was putrid in the first half of 2013 and still wound up with 42 stolen bases on the year. Chances are, we'll have guys on base. But can we drive them in?

Hitting with runners in scoring position plagued the Rangers last year. Texas hit .249 with runners in scoring position, 20th in MLB and 12th of 15 teams in the American League. Not good.

It will be up to Fielder, Adrian Beltre and Alex Rios to mash with runners on base next year.

4. Find a consistent closer.

With Joe Nathan, an incredibly reliable closer for the past two seasons, moving on to Detroit via free agency, the closer's job is up for grabs. This scares me because Nathan was so reliable. To illustrate:

2013: 43 saves, 1.39 ERA, 73 strikeouts, 22 walks.
2012: 37 saves, 2.80 ERA, 78 strikeouts, 13 walks.

Last year, as he made his way fully back from Tommy John surgery from 2011, he was just about as unhittable as it gets. If it wasn't for Mariano Rivera, he'd be the best closer of all-time. But Nathan's also 39 years old, and I can't blame Texas for passing on a two-year commitment.

Neftali Feliz, who's also recovering from TJ surgery, has to be considered the front-runner to close next year. When the Rangers made back-to-back World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011, Feliz was the closer. Now more than a year removed from surgery, it would be nice to see the 25-year-old return to one of these forms, preferably 2010:

2011: 32 saves, 2.74 ERA, 54 strikeouts, 30 walks
2010: 40 saves, 2.73 ERA, 71 strikeouts, 18 walks

5. Profar takes a big step forward. 

Profar, who will only be 21 on Opening Day, was universally considered the best prospect in the Rangers system for the past two years. He saw action in 85 games last year at every position imaginable, likely making it difficult for him to get in a consistent offensive rhythm. He hit just .234 (.308 OBP) with six homers, 26 RBIs, 63 strikeouts and two stolen bases. That line doesn't scream at you. Maybe it just whispers. But in Rangers circles, this kid is expected to be a staple at second base for the next several years while he's under team control. If Profar takes a noticeable step next year, this could be one of the most feared lineups in baseball:

1. Shin-Soo Choo
2. Elvis Andrus
3. Prince Fielder
4. Adrian Beltre
5. Alex Rios
6. Mitch Moreland (DH)
7. Leonys Martin
8. Geovany Soto
9. Jurickson Profar

I like Profar hitting as high as No. 6 if he matures as expected.

It's shaping up to be a memorable year in Arlington.