And the bleeding doesn’t stop; if anything, it’s getting worse.
The Rangers have more players done for the season than any other Major League club has players on the injured list. That comes after it was announced that Jurickson Profar likely won’t play a game as his shoulder rehab has met further complications – and now Prince Fielder, the guy who was supposed to single-handedly carry the club back to the World Series, is done the year and will have neck surgery, ending the year with a grand total of three home runs and 16 RBI in 42 games.
At the rate things are going, by September it will be the Myrtle Beach Pelicans playing at Globe Life Park – with a Class A level attendance as well.
Profar is fast becoming a concern for me, and looking like he could be the worst failed can’t-miss prospect since Ruben Mateo.
But the big problem is Fielder, who now may have become an albatross around this franchise’s neck, no pun intended. I’m not a medical expert by any stretch, but I know the neck is part of the spine, just like the back. And Matt Harrison’s career has been completely derailed by back surgeries. So I can’t hold my breath that Prince can come back from this operation and be anything close to player he once was. And this is a guy the Rangers have to pay around $130 million over the next six years after this.
It gets worse: Fielder supposedly had neck problems since last year and the Tigers surely knew something. And whiz kid Jon Daniels didn’t bother making Fielder taking a physical when the deal was made, and now is trying to use the sheepish excuse of “if we’d issued a physical, we still likely wouldn’t have discovered anything like this.”
Meanwhile, Ian Kinsler, the player who was supposedly finished and the Rangers had to get rid of because he was definitely never going to do anything? Only batting .326 now with 34 21 RBI in 44 games.
We have no choice to chalk this trade up as a failure now, and add Kinsler to the growing list of former players starring elsewhere while the Rangers are sadly heading down the road to nowhere.
The frustration on how this season has gone so far is not just the number of players the Rangers have shelved; it’s how many former Rangers are shining elsewhere while this team plummets, making the club look even more foolish.
How would the Rangers look if they had any of these guys right now?
Nelson Cruz: 15 home runs, 43 RBI in 45 games.
Darren O’Day: 0.95 ERA in 19 innings.
Koji Uehara: 1.02 ERA in 17.2 innings, nine for nine in save appearances.
Joe Nathan: 2-0, 11 of 14 in save appearances.
And yes, I’m sorry to bring THIS guy up, but…
CJ Wilson: 6-3, 3.00 ERA in 10 starts.
Rangers fans love to praise Jon Daniels for being the anti-Jerry Jones, mainly that he shows no long-term loyalty to players, treating them with a “what have you done lately?” attitude and casting them aside while looking for the player to actually improve the club, while Jerry gives long-term deals to players and sees them decline and eat up payroll.
Now, I would never say anyone should run a team like Jerry, anyone who knows me knows that. But JD now appears to perhaps be going too far to the other extreme. And this lack of loyalty to players may finally be biting Daniels in the rear, as his replacements are simply not playing up to snuff while those he spurned are having the last laugh.
I never held a grudge against Kinsler for his “I hope they lose 162 games” comment, because it takes stronger words than that to get me butthurt.
But in some way, Kinsler has to be enjoying this. And, barring a miracle turnaround with their Plan E players, Rangers “fans” are going to have to endure Ian’s team in the postseason while theirs is sitting at home.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: baseball prince fielder, ian kinsler, injuries, mlb, rangers | Leave a comment »
ROWDY TIME SPORTS 