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Rangers on and off the field
On the field, Texas has rallied back into a first place tie with Los Angeles, after falling out of the lead for the first time in almost two months last weekend, and trailing the Angels by as many as 2.5 games. Texas swept Tampa Bay over the weekend, running their win streak to five, the longest current winning streak in the Majors. The Ranger offense has seemingly awakened from its June swoon, as the Rangers have scored 29 runs in their four July games and at least nine runs in five of their last nine games.
Off the field, the team’s financial woes came to light again. Yahoo sports reported last week that the Rangers had borrowed perhaps as much as $15 million from Major League Baseball to keep the ship afloat, triggering fears that may or may not be justified. The team initially refused comment on the story, which was taken as confirmation that at least a portion of the report was true. Team officials are trying to spin the story that everything is pretty much normal, except for a few front office personnel that were recently let go. It is now thought that the funds Texas received were monies they were scheduled to receive, payments that were simply paid early.
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There is no question though that the team’s finances are in far worse shape than fans have previously been led to believe. Tom Hicks initially announced that he was seeking a minority partner to invest in the team. The story got worse when it became known that the Hicks Sports Group had defaulted on a $525 million note secured by the Rangers and Dallas Stars NHL franchise. Hicks later announced that he would be willing to sell more than 50% of the team, relinquishing managerial control, and that he expected such a transaction to be completed before the end of the current season.
The impact of all these financial woes could be far reaching. First, the Rangers finally find themselves in a playoff race. It’s been 10 years (another century) when Texas last participated in post-season play. The Texas farm system was ranked number one in baseball earlier this year, so there are desirable prospects that could be traded for pennant race help. However, team president Nolan Ryan has already stated that the team’s financial condition will preclude them from taking on additional salary in a trade. Apparently if the Rangers are to get pennant race help, it’s coming from AAA affiliate Oklahoma City.
The June draft could also be a bust for the team for the same reason. First round draft picks Matthew Purke and Tanner Scheppers were probably available to Texas at number 14 and 44 because they have indicated big salary expectations, certainly numbers that would significantly exceed their draft slot. Texas officials indicate they considered the pair’s salary expectations before the draft and drafted the two pitchers based upon the belief that both can be signed. However, with MLB now involved in the team’s finances, there is a question if the money can be found or approved to be spent if found for the duo. The 2009 draft will not be a success if the two number ones aren’t signed.
Adding to the problems were disappointing crowds last week. The three-game series with the Angels, with whom they are battling for first place, drew just 64,000, and the Fourth of July game did not sell out. However, the Rangers did sign five international players last week at a rumored cost of $2.5 million in bonus money.
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Back on the field, the team gets Josh Hamilton back for this week’s games on the West Coast. He finished his minor league rehab stint at AAA Oklahoma City by playing a double-header on Sunday. To make room for him on the roster, first baseman Chris Davis was sent to Oklahoma City. It’s surprising that Davis hasn’t been sent out sooner. An infield hit in four at-bats Sunday brought his average up to .202. He leads the Major Leagues with 114 strikeouts, and has struck out in every game but one that he started since May 24. Against the Angels, Texas’s first opponent on this week’s road trip, he’s batting .087 in 23 at-bats this season. It is amazing the Rangers continued to let Davis fail at the plate for so long in the Major Leagues, despite his outstanding defensive work at first base and 15 home runs.
By: Richard W. Humphrey
MLBcenter.com Texas Rangers Correspondent
> View all of the 2009 MLB team previews from Pro Baseball Fans
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