Early Lineup Thoughts

Two days ago, one of the popular narratives floating around was that the Rangers were going to be doomed all season due to bad pitching. Yet, despite that thought, the club finds itself sitting at 2-1 after a series victory over the Phillies, and both wins coming in walk-off fashion.

In the first three games, the revamped lineup has provided some flashes of both new and old. On Tuesday, Adrian Beltre flashed a bit of the old as he came up with the walk-off single. On Wednesday, it was new left fielder Shin-Soo Choo doing exactly what the Rangers brought him in to do: get on base. His walk-off walk provided the Rangers with a series-clinching victory.

It's an awfully small sample size, but Choo's .467 on-base percentage provides hope that we'll see more of the same in the remaining 159 games.

Perhaps even better is that Leonys Martin is, so far, providing a spark at the bottom of the order. He's managed to work 2 walks in the season's first three games to go along with 5 hits, 4 RBI, and a stolen base. For the Rangers to do the kind of things they want to this season, Martin's continued development will be an important sticking point.

Then you have Prince Fielder. He hasn't hit a home run as a Ranger yet, but you know it's only a matter of time. When Fielder gets hot, I'd imagine we could see the entire offense take on a different dimension, which could be important with trips to Tampa and Boston up next.

The important thought here, I think, is that a renewed emphasis toward getting on base is the biggest reason the Rangers are 2-1 at this point rather than 0-3. A walk isn't as visually pleasing as a hit, but if the results continue to lead to winning baseball, we should all end up appreciating it that much more.

Today is an off day for the Rangers, who will be traveling to Tampa to take on the Rays starting Friday.