Why the Texas Rangers Season Has Not Been All Bad

The 2014 season for the Texas Rangers has been…. unpleasant, a roller-coaster, a disappointment, or any other adjective you’d like to say. You’ve read it all before. So, no need to go on and on about what this season has been like. So I won’t.

I’m the type of baseball fan who attempts to stay positive, or at least see something positive, in not-so-positive situations. Clearly this season is one of THOSE type of situations. But, what in the world can be seen as a positive? Not too much, but not too little either.

The Texas Rangers have utilized the disabled list 26 times, allowing the team to use 59 players, including 36 pitchers. As horrible as that sounds, and as horrible as it has turned out, those numbers gave fans, and General Manager Jon Daniels & Co. to take a look at some of the club’s top prospects and get a feel for their potential. And to see how well they fit in the Texas Rangers clubhouse.

Some of the rookies fell. Some rookies were so-so. But man, did some rookies take full advantage of the opportunity given to them.

Rougned Odor is now a household name.

Luis Sardinas showed that with some more work in the minors he’ll shine as a big-leaguer some day.

Kevin Kouzmanoff let us see what a Texas Rangers third base will look like without All-Star great Adrian Beltre. And it wasn’t that bad.

Robinson Chirinos and Tomas Telis let the Rangers breathe a little easier knowing that the young arms have strength. So much so the Texas Rangers traded Geovany Soto to the Oakland Athletics for cash considerations.

I’ll admit that Michael Choice was not the second coming of an outfielder that I wanted (and proclaimed) him to be. But that, too is OK. It let Choice and skipper Ron Washington know that he needed to go do some work down on the farm, and that isn’t such a bad thing.

The same could be said of J.P. Arencibia, Donnie Murphy and Josh Wilson, to name a few.

The Texas Rangers also got the chance to get a peek into their up-and-coming pitching staff. Texas Rangers fans had a chance to see Nick Tepesch, Scott Baker, Miles Mikolas, and Nick Martinez. Just like positional players, some exceeded and some fell short, which is fine with me.

I’d rather see these players come up during this type of setting than being called up or even start the season off with everyone thinking the player is ready for The Show when they are not. The Texas Rangers aren’t in a pennant chase. They aren’t even close to making a run for a Wild Card spot. So why not let these guys get a feel for big leagues?

Now, I’m not suggesting that this season is ending in rainbows, unicorns and puppy kisses.

I know that this is one of the worst seasons the Texas Rangers have had in decades. I’m merely suggesting that we keep rooting for and continue to show our love and support for our favorite team.

Let’s show that we are still behind the Texas Rangers. Let’s show the baseball world that the Texas Rangers have THE BEST FANS IN BASEBALL!