Texas Rangers June 13 Week in Review: Who’s Hot, Who’s Not

Jun 12, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers first baseman

(18) motions to the runs to advance after Minnesota Twins center fielder

(not pictured) commits an error on a fly ball that drove in two runs in the eighth inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Texas won 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The Texas Rangers have continued their strong play as they continue to catch up to the struggling Houston Astros. The Rangers are just 2.5 games behind the Astros, 1 game ahead of the Los Angeles Angels, 5 games ahead of the Seattle Mariners, and 8 games ahead of the Oakland Athletics. Of the five teams in the division, the Rangers are the only team to have won more than half of their last 10 games which has helped them climb the division but are also just 0.5 games behind for a Wild Card spot. With about 100 games left, there are endless options to what can happen.

The week started off with the 50th MLB Draft with the Rangers selecting Dillon Tate from UC Santa Barbara. Check out all the Texas Rangers draft news. The Rangers finished off their series with the Kansas City Royals by splitting the second and third games, winning the series overall. The team then traveled to Oakland for a three game series in which they took the opener but lost the final two games. They bounced back last night with a 6-2 win over the struggling Minnesota Twins. Looking ahead to the upcoming week, the Rangers will finish the series against the Twins, followed by a four-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers (two at home, two in L.A.), then head to Chicago to take on the White Sox.

So, which players were a crucial part of the Texas Rangers success last week? Which players struggled, as the Rangers were able to overcome their issues and win anyway? Let’s take a look back at the week that was for the Rangers, as we see which players were hot, and which were not.

Let us begin with those who struggled last week.

Next: Bullpen Struggles

Jun 7, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Texas Rangers right fielder Shin-Soo  Choo (17) reacts after striking out against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

2. Shin-Soo Choo

While he has struggled all season, Shin-Soo Choo took another step in the wrong direction this week, hitting just .208/.269/.250 with just five hits in 24 at-bats. For the month of June, Choo is one of five players with the Rangers with over 20 plate appearances who has struck out in more than 20% of the time, with Choo coming in at 21.7%. This week Choo struck out six times in his 24 ABs while drawing just one walk.

Choo is no longer the speedy outfielder capable of over 20 stolen bases in a season, having zero so far this season, which has decreased his ability to get on base at the top of the lineup and get into scoring position.

The Rangers have a strong middle of the lineup with Prince Fielder and Mitch Moreland and will need Choo to be able to reach base more so they can continue to drive in runs. As good as Fielder and Moreland have been, a double in the gap is a lot more helpful when somebody is on base.

Next: DeShields struggles

Jun 10, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Texas Rangers left fielder Delono  DeShields (7) is tagged out at third base by Oakland Athletics third baseman

(15) in the third inning of their MLB baseball game at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports

1. Delino DeShields Jr.

Delino DeShields has seen some ups and downs so far this season. After being selected as the AL Rookie of the Month of May, he has hit just .233/.283/.372 to start June. Like Choo, DeShields has struggled with strikouts, having struck out in 27.1% of his plate appearances in June and drawing a walk just 6.3% of the time.

This week saw his struggles continue, having hit just .125/.192/.208 with seven strikeouts in his 24 ABs and drawing just two walks. If DeShields wants to remain in the leadoff spot, he is going to need to start finding a way to get on base.

While DeShields continues to bring back his bat, playing defense the way he has as shown in the video above will keep him on the field. DeShields has speed and a strong arm that allowed him to make the move from center to left to fill in for Josh Hamilton. When Hamilton returns, DeShields is going to be in a battle for the centerfield spot and will need to show he can get on base at a higher rate than he managed this past week.

And now, a look at who has been hot in the past week.

Next: Martin battling for center

Jun 7, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Texas Rangers center fielder

Leonys Martin

(2) singles in two runs against the Kansas City Royals during the seventh inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

3. Leonys Martin

The bright spot in the lineup for June has easily been Leonys Martin. Martin is hitting .375/.444/.406 for the month and has been an impact although he has score only two runs. While two runs is lower than seven other players who have played in June, Martin is at a disadvantage than those early in the lineup who have the power hitters being them.

While he came back down to Earth a little, Martin still managed to hit .316/.409/.368 this week with six hits in 19 ABs. One thing that has set him apart from many hitters this month has been that he has struck out in just 13.9% of his plate appearances. With a .444 BABIP for the month, expect a likely trend towards the slash that he put up this week rather than what he has put up overall for the month.

While Martin struggled batting first this season, hitting just .229/.261/.305 in 24 games, he has only done so twice since he was take out of that role back in early May. With the struggles the team is having at the top of the lineup, it may be time to give Martin a chance to take this hot streak to the leadoff spot and allow him to see if he can get on-base at a higher percentage than either Choo or DeShields have managed.

Next: A Wandy-ful performance

Jun 12, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Wandy  Rodriguez (51) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

2. Wandy Rodriguez

While the bullpen struggled this week, the rotation is what kept the Rangers in each of the games this week. Even in the 0-7 loss to the Athletics, Chi Chi Gonzalez was the starter and gave up just one run in his seven innings. Wandy Rodriguez has two solid performances this week resulting in a 1-0 record for the week with a 1.32 ERA across 13.2 innings.

Rodriguez picked up the win last Saturday with a 7 inning, one run performance against the Kansas City Royals and followed it up last night with a 6 2/3 inning, one run performance against the Twins. While he pitched good enough to get the win yesterday, the Rangers did not manage to take the lead until late in the game so he ended up with a no decision. While Gonzalez and Gallardo both deserve to be on this list, Rodriguez kept his strong performance across two starts to he gets the nod here as the second hottest player for the week.

Rodriguez improved his overall season stats to a 3-2 record with a 3.03 ERA in 59.1 innings and has far outperformed many expectations anybody had when he was signed. With the group of young starting pitchers rising through the system, Rodriguez has supplied a strong veteran presence and is likely helping out these young pitchers in their development as much as he is helping the team win.

Rodriguez will likely face off against Clayton Kershaw when the series moves to Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Next: Martinez bounces back

Jun 9, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nick  Martinez (22) throws a pitch against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

1. Nick Martinez

Speaking of the draft, Nick Martinez was drafted in the 18th round (564th overall) by the Rangers in 2011 but has been the most successful of all starters this season. Last week, Nick Martinez took home the number 1 spot on the Not list to which I predicted that he would bounce back and make the Hot list this week. He did just that, pitching six shutout, one-hit innings in the only Rangers win over the Athletics.

With the bullpen struggling, the Rangers have asked a lot from this starting rotation and they have responded well. In June, they have a 2.32 ERA and a 4-2 record in 10 games. They are averaging 6.6 innings per start, well above the 5.76 innings/start they averaged in May when they had a 4.07 ERA. For the season, the starters have moved up to eight in the MLB with a team 3.85 ERA.

For the season, Martinez improved to a 5-2 record with a 2.65 ERA in 71.1 innings. He has continued to be an important piece of this rotation and with the future returns of Matt Harrison and Martin Perez, Martinez has pitched well enough to hold down his spot in the rotation. Martinez will face off against Phil Hughes in the final game of the series against the twins tomorrow at 2:05 PM CT.