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Reasons to stay positive for the 2015 season

By David Cash

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It’s already disappointing that middle-infielder Jurickson Profar and ace pitcher Yu Darvish will miss the 2015 season.

The loss of Darvish seems to have a lot of fans already thinking this will be a tough season. I do agree it is a huge loss for the Rangers, but it isn’t on him alone to get them to the playoffs.

For the Rangers to be successful this season it almost seems like they’ll need a little mercy from the baseball gods. Last season it seemed like the gods were not in their favor by the sheer number of injuries. By the end of the season, they were basically playing with a mixture of their Triple-A and Double-A team, which in my opinion helps out a lot this season. I think players like Rougned Odor, Nick Martinez and Tomas Telis could be huge contributors for the Rangers this season.

Some were critical of Nick Martinez’s performance last season. He finished the season with a record of 5-12 with an ERA of 4.55 over 29 games (22 starts). I agree that his stats are not amazing, but in my opinion I think coming up from the minors as quickly as he did to a bandaged team to be a starter he did an excellent job. He pitched with a lot of grit and heart and never complained. He has a very strong attitude and that helped keep his head straight throughout the season. I think this season Martinez is set to have a very good year. I think he’ll pitch well and will have the bats and defense to help support him. If you remember, the Rangers offense and defense was very poor last season due to injuries.

Besides some of the young players doing well this season, I think we’ll see a lot more from Derek Holland, Elvis Andrus and Adrian Beltre.

I think Holland will be the ace in the rotation and be a leader on the pitching staff. I think his personality works well for the Rangers with his mixture of strong work ethic to prepare for a game and his side of comic relief. Also, I think that Beltre and Andrus will have more fun and be more relaxed this season. Also, since they’ve had a full season together with Rougned Odor I think we’ll see a better defense. Hopefully, a healthy Prince Fielder will have a positive impact at first base also.

Video:

Rangers on new manager Banister

Derek Holland, Neftali Feliz, Prince Fielder and other players share their impressions of their new manager Jeff Banister

And lastly, Jeff Banister the new manager.

People were either happy, sad or confused when manager Ron Washington abruptly resigned near the end of last season. But, overall it seems like it was best for the team. Washington was a pretty good manager and at the time they hired him was the right choice. They needed a change in the clubhouse that the players would listen to. They couldn’t have found a better players’ manager. But, that voice seemed to get old in the clubhouse and it appeared that he lost the attention of several players. I think Banister brings to the clubhouse exactly what they need. He’s not as much of a players’ manager as Washington, but he does have the respect of the players. I think also he’s a very good motivational speaker, which is exactly what this team needs. Also, I don’t think Banister is stuck in his ways. I think he’s smart and is able to adjust when needed. That is a must for this team. They’ve already lost their ace pitcher, but if you listen to what Banister says you wouldn’t know it.

So, even though the Texas Rangers won’t have Yu Darvish this season it isn’t the end of the world. The young guys will play well this season, the veterans will step it up a notch or two from last season, the starting rotation is fine with Derek Holland as the number one guy and Jeff Banister is going to be one amazing manager. I’m excited for the season and can’t wait for Opening Day. Hope you feel the same way and if nothing else remember what Banister says…Never Ever Quit.

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