Capital City Sports Report

Texas Rangers Pitching

If the Texas Rangers make it into the playoffs in 2009, the season will understandably be considered a huge success. Even if the Rangers get edged out by the Angels in the AL West or the Red Sox in the AL Wild Card, which are both possibilities, the season will still be considered a success not only because of the final overall record, but how it all happened.

It actually all started two years ago when Rangers owner Tom Hicks introduced Nolan Ryan as the team president. Since that time, the Rangers organization has gone from having one of the perennial worst pitching staffs in the Major Leagues, to one of the better ones.

While Ryan is the one who deserves the credit for making the moves, it was a move he made prior to the 2009 campaign that has resulted in the biggest improvement of the most troubling area of the Rangers organization for years of pitching.

Ryan approached Mike Maddux, the pitching coach for the Milwaukee Brewers. Ryan and Maddux had a history together in the same capacity as Maddux had served as the pitching coach for the Double-A Round Rock Expressóa Ryan-owned teamó for three seasons starting in 2000.

Maddux came to Arlington this season to oversee a group of pitchers that was woeful. In 2008, the staff finished last in the American League for the fourth time in nine years. In 2000-2008, under six different pitching coaches, the Rangers featured the worst team ERA in the Major Leagues at 5.14. The staff also surrendered the most hits and the second-most walks. The teamís combined ERA in 2008 was an abysmal 5.37. Not surprisingly, the Rangers have failed to finish the season with a winning record in eight of the past nine years.

This season the Rangers staff is fifth in the AL with a combined ERA of 4.23. The two main cogs are Kevin Millwood and unknown Scott Feldman, who came up through Rangers system. Feldman was drafted in the 30th round by the Rangers in 2003. After undergoing Tommy John surgery later that year, he worked his way up and from 2005 to 2007 he moved between Arlington and Oklahoma City, the Rangers Triple-A affiliate.

Feldman leads the staff with a 16-4 record and an ERA of 3.46. Millwood isn’t far behind with a 10-9 record and a 3.77

Posted in Baseball