Well, there’s a new brand of hope hovering over the Texas Rangers. New Hope.

The Old Hope was peddled like laundry detergent. New and improved version were released on a regular basis. But all it was, really, was the same stuff in a different box.

Old Hope was the promise of prospects that were always two years away. Always just around the corner. They were always going to represent the core of the Rangers future. It was a future that never happened.

Old Hope was Mike Olt and Blake Beavan and Justin Smoak. Old Hope was Luke Jackson and Matt Purke and Jake Skoke. Old Hope and Chi Chi Gonzalez and Julio Borbon and Tanner Scheppers and Collin Whiles and Travis Demeret. All, failed first round picks. Old hope was Lewis Brinson and Rougned Odor and Ronald Guzman and Nomar Mazara and Eli White and Ryan Rua. All made it to the major leagues and never did anything.

Old Hope was Joey Gallo. He could hit home runs. But nothing else. 

Old Hope faded long ago.

Now there’s New Hope. Chris Young is at the helm. He has his work cut out for him. He needs to find a manager. The last six men who have held that job had zero major league managing experience: Ron Washington, Tim Bogar, Jeff Banister, Don Wakamatsu, Chris Woodward, and now Tony Beasley. 

There are a few jobs you don’t need experience for. Paperboy, dishwasher, sanitation worker, roustabout, Texas Rangers manager. Hopefully, that will change.

He has to build a competitive roster. He inherits a team that is 10.5 games behind a wild card spot. Never mind having to make up 23 games to be as good as the Astros or 11.5 games to be as good as Seattle, this team has a long way to go before it can even harbor illusions of being competitive.

That’s a ton of ground to make up.

But there’s New Hope now. New Hope hasn’t let us down or told us stuff we know isn’t true or insulted our intelligence.

New Hope is good.

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