Rangers Countdown
/A quick countdown of the numbers that lead the Rangers to their unlikely American League West title:
50- The number of games that Josh Hamilton played this season. Broken down, this means the Rangers basically paid Hamilton $40,000 per game this season, while the Angels kicked in $460,000 for every game he played in a Rangers uniform. In all honestly, his performance in the final series was worth $2 million.
49- The age of Greg Maddux, who made several appearances in the Rangers dugout down the stretch. Sure, Mike is the coach, but every time I see a young Rangers pitcher sitting next to Greg talking pitching, I feel a little better about the future.
48- Estimated number of beers enjoyed by Mike Napoli during Sunday's AL West celebration, which is exactly 48 higher than the number of shirts he wore while celebrating.
47- Total pitching starts from Anthony Renaudo, Ross Detwiler, Phil Klein, Nick Martinez, and Wandy Rodriguez. For a playoff team.
46- The jersey number previously worn by Robbie Ross Jr, who ended the season strong in Boston after being used to the point of exhaustion in Texas. Ross was as good of a person as a pitcher during his time in a Rangers uniform, but the damage caused by his over usage scares me when looking at how Kela was thrown to the wolves this season.
45- Plate appearances by Thomas Field, who was actually the Rangers' starting second baseman for a while this season.
44- Approximate number of fans attending the last Oakland Athletics game.
43- Extra base hits by Elvis Andrus in 2015, including a surprising 7 homeruns. The Rangers also played 43 games against playoff teams this season.
42- The total number of extra base hits Lewis Brinson had during his 64 game stint at High-A. Brinson then bounced through AA Frisco and made a cameo in AAA Round Rock, batting .433 (SSS ALERT!).
41- Hits by Choo in the final 30 games
40- Strikeouts by Sam Freeman in 38.1 innings pitched, who could be huge in the series against the Blue Jays due to his splits vs RHH, but might get left off of the postseason roster altogether.
39- Innings pitched by Tanner Scheppers. I legitimately feel bad for him; the attempt to make him a starter broke him, much like it did with Feliz, Robbie Ross, and Alexi Ogando.
38- RBI by Adrian Beltre since September 1.
37- Age of Jon Daniels at the beginning of the season (he's now 38), who celebrated his birthday with a Rangers off day before the start of a three game regular season series with the Blue Jays
36- Games played by Chris GImenez, who provided a lift behind the plate and a number of clutch hits from an unexpected place.
35- Saves by Shawn Tolleson, with only two blown. Incredible for someone who is nothing like your prototypical closer.
34- RBI by Robinson Chirinos, who fought through injuries this season and seems to be 100% headed into the playoffs
33- Games started by Colby Lewis this season, resulting in a 17-9 record.
32- Walks allowed by Chi Chi Gonzalez, compared to 30 K's. Chi Chi showed his value moving forward, but must improve control in order to become a regular member of the rotation.
31- The jersey number of Mike Maddux, who has been absolutely superb this year, working with an ever changing staff and making the most of sub-par talent to begin the season
30- The amount of games it took Rougned Odor to get back on track at Round Rock this season. Whatever adjustment he made there was simply incredible.
29- Beltre. Adrian freakin' Beltre. I hope Beltre chooses a Rangers cap when #29 ends up in Cooperstown. Let's get a ring to help convince him.
28- The age of Kyle Blanks, who I thought was going to play a large role in the Rangers plans this season. Blanks contributed while healthy, but as is the norm for Kyle, that was not often. Blanks finished the season on the 60 day DL after having surgery on both Achilles.
27- The number that former Astro Lance Berkman wore during his short, yet overwhelmingly disappointing stint with the Rangers, which ultimately lead to Nolan Ryan and JD breaking up, with Ryan returning to the Astros organization. Berkman has been in the news again recently for a political commercial featuring his opinions, which has judgement being questioned more often than the Astros play down the stretch.
26- Appearances by Jake Deikman, the player who seemed like a throw in additive to the Cole Hamels trade, who ended up being a stud in Texas, sporting a .203 ERA over 21.2 innings of work.
25- Stolen bases by DeShields and Andrus, tied for the team lead.
24- Wins by the 2015 Texas Rangers over AL teams that made the playoffs, compared to 15 losses
23- HR by Prince Fielder and Mitch Moreland, tied for the team lead
22- Holds by Keone Kela, which is one higher than his age.
21- Age of Joey Gallo. And Kela. And Odor. This is about more than just 2015.
20- The age of Nomar Mazara, who I might be more excited about than any of the three listed at #20. Many thought he would be required for a deal to get Cole Hamels, but here he is, still in the organization, hitting .358 in 20 games at the AAA level.
19- Strikeouts by Mike Napoli this season in a Rangers uniform, as compared to 99 in Boston. Nap found a spark after returning to Arlington, forcing himself into the lineup, even against RHP, even in left field. Baseball is an odd game.
18- Number of games Neftali Feliz appeared in before the Rangers brass realized he just doesn't have it anymore.
17- The round in which Mitch Moreland and Mike Napoli were drafted, making an excellent 1B platoon.
16- Innings pitched by Matt Harrison in his heroic comeback before being shipped off to Philly as a minor part of the Cole Hamels trade. Get this man a ring and a World Series share.
15- Games started by Wandy Rodriguez. Yep.
14- Stolen bases by Leonys Martin, with 5 CS. Nothing went right for Leonys this season, which was magnified by the outstanding performance of Delino DeShields, but he is still an important piece moving forward due to his defense.
13- Wins by Yovani Gallardo, who tossed 184 innings for the Rangers this season, carrying the pitching staff for the first half of the season and being the workhorse that Daniels traded for.
12- Number of starting left fielders used by the Rangers this year. Wow.
11- Days of rest that the Blue Jays will have given David Price before facing the Rangers on Thursday, a move that has several writers suggesting that the Jays gave away games at the end of the season in order to face the Rangers
10- Games started by Derek Holland, who very well could be the key to the Rangers postseason success. If good Derek is present behind Cole, this team is very hard to defeat.
9- Innings thrown by Hamels on Sunday when the bullpen was at the point of exhaustion.
8- Homeruns hit by Hamilton this season during his 50 games, more than Andrus, DeShields, Martin, or anyone that could have been considered a LF option
7- Games started by Ross Detwiler, resulting in exactly 0 wins.
6- The number of playoff appearances by the Texas Rangers before this season. Seven is a much better number.
5- The Rule # used to steal Delino DeShields away from the Houston Astros, who had no room for him on their roster.
4- Earned runs given up by Sam Dyson in 31.1 IP since coming to the Rangers from Miami.
3- Percent chance Fan Graphs gave the Rangers to make the playoffs in the preseason.
2- Innings pitched by Adam Rosales in 2015; exactly 2 more than Yu Darvish
1- Year of experience from Jeff Banister, who lead one of the most surprising turnarounds in baseball, and gets to hang an AL West banner (and hopefully more) in his first season.