Banister has work cut out for him if Rangers are without Darvish
The Rangers had been operating under the assumption that nothing could be worse than the 2014 season. And while that might be true, losing Yu Darvish for the entire 2015 campaign feels pretty awful.
New manager Jeff Banister has put on a brave face in the aftermath of Saturday's sobering news that Darvish will likely undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery. The good news is that Banister has spent more than 20 years dealing with bad news in the Pirates organization. He apparently never gave in to the malaise that covered that big-league team.
He told WFAA-TV Channel 8's Dale Hansen on Sunday that Darvish was only "one of 25 players" on the roster. And while I understand his message, that seems a bit of a stretch. Darvish is the most important player on the roster...by a long shot. Rangers GM Jon Daniels had said the starting rotation would be the strength of this team. I'm not sure that's the case anymore.
Derek Holland now has a career-defining opportunity. If he can somehow emerge as a legitimate ace, it could change everything for him. He had the greatest performance by a starting pitcher in team history in Game 4 of the 2011 World Series. Unfortunately, he didn't follow that up with any dominating seasons. He was brilliant when he finally returned from microfracture surgery last September, but it's hard to know what to make of that.
The Rangers needed a lot to go right in order to compete in the AL West. And that was before Darvish's injury. Now, there's even more pressure on Shin-Soo Choo and Prince Fielder to be Comeback Player of the Year candidates. This lineup needs to bludgeon pitchers, and that's a lot to ask. It was easier when Nellie Cruz was hitting in the No. 7 hole. That era is officially known as the "good ol' days" now.
The one thing the Rangers don't need to do is send premium prospects to the Phillies for Cole Hamels. This team already has enough money tied up in aging stars. Daniels is right to see if someone such as Chi Chi Gonzalez can emerge as a No. 4 starter. By the time this season gets going, the Rangers may need him at No. 3.
The strength of this organization right now is Double-A Frisco. That's where slugger Joey Gallo will begin the season. He may end up being a September call-up. And it's probably wise to wait that long.
In the interim, the Rangers will try to survive without their best pitcher. Sadly, it seems too early to be discussing survival.
But at least Daniels and Banister have a little experience in that mode.
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