Monthly Archives: April 2022


Dunning keeps the Rangers in it.

Dane Dunning did what Dane Dunning does. He struggled in the first inning. That was his downfall last year as well. In 2021, his first-inning ERA was 7.92. He gave up runs in the first in nearly half his starts. In the second inning, though, he had an 0.36 ERA. […]


Offense finally.

From the first batter, it was obvious this wasn’t the same old Rangers. This wasn’t the flail at three pitches then go sit down with your bat in your hands Rangers. This wasn’t the strikeout out ten or a dozen or fifteen times per game Rangers, where scoring runs was […]


Let there be baseball.

“I’m in the best shape of my career.” “The past is behind me.” “I am in a much better headspace.” “I have a new approach at the plate.” Cliché season starts today.  Every player is at the top of their game. Every player is looking forward to their best season […]


Opening days past.

When Jon Gray takes the mound tomorrow evening against the Blue Jays, it will be fourteen straight years the Rangers failed to have back-to-back opening day starters. In fact, in that time, only Cole Hamels drew more than one opening day start. That’s a sign of a team without pitching. […]


2022 predictions.

The placeholder Rangers are gone. The just-plug-in-someone-until-the-team-decides-to-try-again Rangers are gone. And, almost certainly, last place is gone. The Rangers go into 2022 with some new players and a renewed sense of wanting to be good again. They are interesting again. They are trying again. So, how good can this team […]


One more.

And now there’s only one left. Today is the final spring training game of 2022. Then, weirdly, two off days. Then, finally, Game 1 of 162 in Toronto.  Most of the roster is set. Most of the roster is always set before the first game of spring. If you recall, […]


Hometown kid gets hometown start.

Tyler Hearn’s journey hasn’t been an easy one. His first major league start in April of 2019 was a 14-2 loss to Seattle in which Hearn recorded a total of one big league out while giving up five runs, four of which were earned, with three hits and four walks.  […]


Waiting game.

Spring training is full of hope for most players. This spring, for Josh Jung, has to be misery. He was so close to the prize he had been working his whole life to get, only to have to wait.  Again. He was drafted with the eighth pick in the first […]


Moving up.

The much maligned, and historically unsuccessful, farm system seems to be making great strides under Chris Young’s GMship. MLB Pipeline, the publication that ranks farm systems and such for a living, has the Rangers system ranked ninth. Yes, ninth. From the top. Not from the bottom. It’s come a long […]


Rule changes.

Less than a week to go until opening day 2022. Thursday, April 8. The Rangers open in Toronto the following day. And then this long wonderful season unfolds in front of us. MLB announced, really more like made official, rule changes for 2022. 1 Rosters are expanding from 26 players […]