Rangers Mailbag This Team is A Lot More

Rangers Mailbag This Team is A Lot More by seestyle seestyle
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  • The Texas Rangers are 9-10 through the first three weeks of the 2021 season. External expectations have the Rangers near the bottom of Major League Baseball. Yet, the Rangers starting rotation has the best ERA in the American League and, overall, they have been a pretty fun team to watch.The Rangers enjoyed an off day in Chicago on Thursday before they begin a three-game series with the White Sox this weekend. This is the perfect opportunity to take on some of your questions through a better-than-expected start to the season.Thank you for submitting your questions. For future mailbags, reach out to me on Twitter , like us on , or feel free to email me at Chris.Halicke@gmail.com.This Rangers team has been a lot more fun to watch than I thought po sible. For example, a comeback win to take a road series in Anaheim was never in my expectations set. How realistic is it to think they could sustain a competitive .500-ish record all season? (Barring injury, of course.)Ultimately, it depends on who you ask. If you ask New York Mets Hoodie guys like general manager Chris Young, he'd say he won't put a limit on this team regarding wins and lo ses. If you ask experts around the internet or on TV, they'll be lucky to win 70 games.Since you're asking me, I'm going to lean closer toward a Chris Young stance. In all honesty, I really think it's difficult to quantify. The rotation will eventually take their lumps at some point, whether it be struggles or injuries, so sustaining the best rotation ERA in the AL will be difficult.There are some alarming i sues with the lineup. While they are walking like crazy, they are mi sing a lot of pitches in the strike zone. That breeds inconsistency. Inconsistency breeds lo ses.For the sake of argument, let's just say the Rangersexceed expectations and are competing for a division title at the trade deadline.Still don't expect the front office to sacrifice the rebuild to add short-term help. If they would add at all, it would likely be another Cole Hamels situation. This season, regardle s of wins and lo ses, is all about this group they have.This group believes in each other. And they support each other.That leads me to believe what we are seeing, in terms of energy and unity within the clubhouse, can be sustained all season.Do you think Globe Life Field is a pitcher's park or neutral so far, and will it change during the summer months?It's still too early to truly tell, but I think it's definitely more neutral than anything else. If you look at how the Rangers play Brandon Nimmo Jersey there, it may look like a pitcher's park. But nearly every other team doesn't have any i sues hitting the ball over the fence.The 410-foot alleys to both sides of straight-away center field will help keep the ball in the ballpark more often than you would see acro s the street at the old ballpark.Obviously, the ball is more impacted with the roof open. Wilson Ramos Jersey While the Rangers have said they want to have the roof open as frequently as po sible, we've already seen them keep it closed for a game where the external temperature was in the mid-80s in April. If the same precedent is sustained, the roof will be closed for well more than three months of the season, if not longer, keeping the blistering Texas summer heat out.Why do the Rangers continue to bat Joey Gallo in the three-spot? Historically, he has relied on the deep ball; however, we are not seeing that this year. Obviously its early, but we are seeing a more disciplined guy who makes pitchers beat him at the plate.He leads the team in OBP and has the ability to set the tone for Rangers hitters with his good ABs. Further, IKF, in my opinion, is more of a situational/contact hitter who would work well in the 2 hole.I think what we're seeing from Gallo truly demonstrates how much pitchers don't want to pitch in the strike zone to him. They'll nibble like crazy, but he won't bite. If players like Nick Solak, Adolis Garca, or Nate Lowe can continue to do damage, he'll finally have some protection around him and inevitably see more strikes. Though he likely won't hit for the traditional high average of a No. 3 hitter, his on-base percentage makes up for it. That makes him a prime candidate for the three-hole.I wouldn't worry about the power with Gallo. Once he begins seeing more strikes, balls will be lined into the gaps and fly over the fence once again. However, I'm really interested to see how this improved approach plays out.Does Gallo have the launch speed to steal? If hes working all these walks can he swipe second?I don't want to take anything away from Gallo Pete Alonso Jersey 's athletic ability. Honestly, the only thing that can get in the way is his 6-foot-5, 250-pound frame. But that's a big body to get moving quickly.The Rangers study each pitcher's timing and how much they pay attention to each runner more than concentrating on their first jump. Obviously, the latter is still important, but we saw an instance in spring training where Khris Davis stole third base because the opposing pitcher was pretty much ignoring him.Scroll to ContinueThe other thing to take into account is keeping Gallo healthy. More stolen base attempts increases the risk of injury. It's more important to keep Gallo in the lineup than have him take too many chances to move up 90 feet. Plus, if hitters behind Gallo can learn to consistently hit, he'll score more often whether or not he's in scoring position.What are the odds we still have Gallo after the trade deadline? And why do you think he will or wont be a Ranger?It's still really early to truly tell. Teams will likely be blowing up the phones of Jon Daniels and Chris Young if Gallo sustains a similar patience at the plate as we're seeing now. He would be a great addition to any lineup in baseball, with Gold Glove caliber defense to boot.If I were a betting man and I had to place my wager right now, I'd bet Gallo won't be with Texas by the end of the year. The Rangers won't abandon the rebuild, and Gallo only has one more year of control after this season. He's the best candidate to bring the largest return that can help the team when they are competitive by 2023 or 2024.I want to add the caveat that while I have been right in the past about some things, I have been wrong plenty as well. So my answer does not guarantee anything. It's just how I feel at this point in time. I could easily change my mind. (I hope I didn't confuse you at all.)Do you see David Dahl & Nate Lowe being in the future for this team?I do. Maybe Lowe more than Dahl, but the Rangers could have gotten a steal with Dahl if he stays healthy. The Rangers have an additional two years of control beyond 2021 with Dahl due to service time. If things don't pan out with Willie Calhoun or Joey Gallo is inevitably traded, Dahl could be a legitimate option to fill in.With Lowe, the Jacob DeGrom Jersey Rangers have needed consistent offens

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