The Rangers Clinch

For the first time since 1999 the Texas Rangers will be in the Major League Baseball Playoffs. The Rangers defeated the 2nd place Oakland Athletics yesterday 4-3 behind unlikely hero Jorge Cantu's solo home run in the 8th inning. This is the earliest date the Rangers have ever clinched the division and now have 8 games to rest players going into the playoffs. Lee and Wilson will get an extra day of rest or 2, as will guys like Vladdy, Andrus, Young, Cruz, and Kinsler. This is a great position for the Rangers to be in. Don't underestimate the importance of clinching early in order to give the key guys a couple of days to rest going into the playoffs while the Rays and Yankees battle each other for the right to home field.

This is a great moment for a franchise who has struggled for most of its existence. The Rangers are currently the only team in baseball to never win a playoff series. I am convinced that this year is truly a turning point for this franchise. We have a great ownership group in place with Greenberg and Ryan. We have a fantastic front office with Daniels, Levine, Preller, and so many others. We also have a core of players who are under team control for years backed by an excellent farm system. This team is in position to make a decade long run of division dominance similar to the Angels of the 2000s. This is the first step.

This is a great moment for so many of the Rangers players, but it is an especially sweet moment for Michael Young. Young currently is 2nd place among active players with the most games without a playoff appearance (1,502 games) behind journeyman Randy Winn. Young has spent all 11 years of his career as one of the best hitters on a bad Ranger team. Young has been the ultimate professional throughout his whole career. He has never asked for a trade, or created a locker room problem due to him being a great player on a bad team. A-Rod wanted out. Soriano asked to leave. Tex said he'd like to move on. But not Mike Young. Young signed an extension, and has become one of the most beloved Rangers of all time. On his way to becoming the Rangers All-time hit leader, Young became one of the most well-respected players in all of baseball. Young deserves this opportunity, and I expect him to make the most of it.

Now that the Rangers have clinched they can focus on getting ready for either the Rays or Yankees. It looks more likely each day that their first round opponent will the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rangers' biggest focus needs to be on setting up our playoff rotation, looking at potential bench players, and getting Josh Hamilton healthy. Hamilton expects to be ready to play for the last series. I would love to see the Rangers bat Hamilton lead-off each game to guarantee him the maximum amount of plate appearances each game, although I doubt it will happen.

The Rangers will also use these last 8 games to look at the 1B conundrum. Moreland has struggled hitting just .224 in September. Cantu has been terrible hitting just .231 with 2 RBI (both yesterday) since coming over from Florida. He will most likely make the team simply because he is right-handed. The third option is Chris Davis. Davis lost his job in May, and then again in July, but has looked excellent since returning in September. Davis is only 4-9 since returning, but he has walked 4 times with a homer and a double. Davis looks to have improved his plate discipline and looks very calm at the plate. In the past Davis has shown a tendency to have too much movement at the plate rather than just staying quiet. Davis is also the best defensive first baseman by far. Either Moreland or Davis will make the playoff roster, and I am in favor of Davis. I think he looks very good at the plate, and his defensive abilities could save us runs in the playoffs. All 3 are starting in the lineup today. Expect all of them to get significant playing time throughout the week.

This is a great time to be a Ranger fan. This team has a legit chance to be a force this year in the playoffs. This isn't the mid-90's where the Yankees were beginning a dynasty. All 4 teams in the AL have significant issues including the Rangers. However, this Ranger team has the ability to out-hit  and out-pitch any team any night of the week. A rotation of Lee-Wilson-Lewis will be very difficult to defeat. The Ranger lineup with Hamilton in the middle will be as good as any lineup in the playoffs. This team is without a doubt good enough to win the franchise's first playoff series ever. As CJ and Mike Young said last night during the celebration, "This is only the beginning."