Baseball is a really weird game. The Texas Rangers, seemingly an afterthought in 2015, have come out of nowhere to win six straight games. Don't look now, but the Rangers boast an MLB-best 16-10 road record. However, they're only 6-13 at home. Remember when I said baseball's weird?
Add that up and you have a 22-23 squad whose stock is steadily rising in the AL West. What are we to make of this hot mess?
The question many Rangers fans are hesitant to ask because we didn't feel we'd be able to ask it is ... Can the Rangers actually contend this year?
Can this team give it a run, with their four best starting pitchers (Yu Davrish, Derek Holland, Martin Perez, Matt Harrison) on the shelf? It almost sounds crazy just to type it.
The short, easy answer, of course, is no chance. There's not a team in MLB that would contend with its four best starters sidelined. Baseball's a game of streaks. This winning streak is fine and dandy and the Rangers are the hottest team in baseball, but they have to come down from Cloud 9 sometime, right? That's the logical, safe answer.
Thennnnn there's the dare-to-go-there line of thinking. The adventurists. The risk-takers. The ones who tell their GPS, forget you man, I'm going a different way this time. This is the line of thinking that believes the Rangers can contend this year. And after each win, it's becoming more tempting to keep believing in it.
Here's what's caught my eye during this sweet winning streak:
Offense going nuts: The Rangers have exploded for 40 runs in their last 4 games. The offense has hit its stride with rookie Delino DeShields leading off, followed by Shin-soo Choo, Prince Fielder and Adrian Beltre. I wouldn't change that.
Prince on another level: Prince Fielder is the hottest baseball player on the planet right now. The dude's average is .365 after a 3-for-5 performance Monday. The 9 homers and 35 RBIs are nice, but I'm most excited about the .365. Prince is using the entire field. He's not trying to slug the ball out to right field every time. That's why his power numbers suffered a bit early, but the batting average has been well over .300 all year because he's willing to go the other way. Now, the power's back, too. What once looked like an ugly contract suddenly looks like a bargain in today's market. Remember, the Tigers are kicking in some cash on his contract, so the Rangers are on the hook for $15 million per year through 2020. That actually doesn't look half bad.
Keep DeShields in the lineup: To me, DeShields has been the spark plug of these recent offensive outbursts. For that, he deserves to stay in the lineup leading off most days. In limited action, he's hitting .278 with a .400 on-base percentage. He's easily one of the fastest players on the planet, so when he gets on, he's a serious threat to swipe. Consider that he's stolen 11 bases in only 30 games.
Hamilton impact: In his first game back with Texas since 2012, Josh Hamilton went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts on Monday. It's too early to tell what kind of impact Hamilton will have, but I hope he doesn't take too much playing time away from DeShields. Hamilton's presence in the No. 5 spot in the batting order will hopefully make the lineup deeper and more feared. The Angels are essentially paying Texas for his production, so that makes giving him a second chance much more palatable.
A different Choo: Shin-soo Choo is raking in May. Consider that at the end of April, the dude was not hitting .100. Seriously, .096. He's now hitting .237. Choo's hitting for power, average and taking walks (OBP at .316) again. This is the guy we need.
Tolleson closing the door: With Neftali Feliz ineffective and sent to the disabled list, Shawn Tolleson has quietly become one of the best relievers in the American League for the first two months. He's closed four straight games and his numbers go like this: 2.95 ERA, 30:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Yes please. Hopefully the ERA will come down a tad, but those ratios will play just fine in the ninth inning.
So with all that, I'll ask the question to you: What do you make of the Rangers in 2015? It's been a wild ride, but it sure makes following this team much more interesting.
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