A reader of the SB Nation Angels blog Halos Heaven has put together a very comprehensive look at the Texas Rangers, who start a pivotal three-game series with the Angels tonight.
↵The reader, who uses the screen name Suboptimal, breaks down the Rangers 25-man roster in astonishing detail, and comes to this conclusion:
↵↵↵I enjoy listening to a sportscaster in the New York area who sometimes says that in baseball “it’s better to be lucky than good, but if you’re both lucky and good, you have a chance to be great.” I think that is a very wise perspective on the game of baseball. The Rangers’ current 46-29 record is built on a lot of good fortune: they were blessed with a light schedule, their offense has over-performed thanks to the highest BABIP in baseball (.321), and their defense has an ERA over 50 points better than their xFIP (3.90 to 4.45). This is exactly the same situation they found themselves in after 75 games last year, except they’ve managed to make it to the same point in the season with six more wins. The 2009 Rangers won 87 games, so it’s reasonable to assume that the 2010 edition will win 90 games or more, even after regressing against tougher competition. They only need to play .500 ball to achieve this, and I think they’re better than a .500 ball club. They’re both lucky and good, and if they don’t pull it off this year, they should be even stronger in 2011.
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This is a great example of the strength of the communities at SB Nation. There is a lot of great discussion going on at each of the team sites, from both the writers and readers alike.