2010 American League Playoffs: Texas Rangers Young Player Review

Finishing  up the American League, with a look at young players (24 or younger or rookies) for the Texas Rangers.

TEXAS RANGERS

Elvis Andrus, SS: 22 year old sophomore from Venezuela, hit .265/.342/.301 with 32 steals. Lacks power, but is so young that additional offensive development is very likely. Excellent defensive player, will be a regular for a long time.

Julio Borbon, OF: 24 year old sophomore, hit .276/.309/.340 with 15 steals. Lack of power and very low walk rate hamper him offensively; if he's not hitting .300 he's not really helping you with the bat. Very good glove means the Rangers will be patient with his hitting, at least for another year. Was a supplemental first round pick in 2007 from the University of Tennessee.

Neftali Feliz, RHP: 22 year old rookie, saved 40 games, 2.73 ERA with a 71/18 K/BB in 69 innings, 43 hits. The Rangers couldn't have asked for a better debut. It is still unclear if he will start or relieve in the long run, but the Dominican could be a top closer for a very long time if they keep him in that role.

Derek Holland, LHP: 23 year old sophomore, posted a 4.08 ERA with a 54/24 K/BB in 57 innings, 55 hits over 10 starts and four relief outings. He was much more effective this year after being rushed too quickly in 2009, with a notable improvement in his K/IP ratio and fewer hits given up. If he can get the walks down, he could take off in 2011. I think he has the ceiling of a number two starter if everything falls into place properly. Was a 25^th round pick in 2006 from Wallace State Community College in Alabama.

Tommy Hunter, RHP: 24 years old, this is his second year in the Ranger rotation but he is still young. 13-4, 3.73 with a 68/33 K/BB in 128 innings, 126 hits. He's a huge guy at 6-3, 280, and doesn't strike out many people, but he avoids walks and soaks up innings. He doesn't have a huge margin for error and can't afford many mistakes, so I'm not sure that he's going to be this effective continually. A University of Alabama product, drafted in the supplemental first round in 2007.

Mitch Moreland, 1B: Rookie turned 25 last month, hit .255/.364/.469 in 145 at-bats for Texas, hitting nine homers with 25 walks. He snuck up on people, but has out-hit more-heralded prospects and I don't think it's a fluke. Although he doesn't project as a star, he has a polished approach to go with his power and should be productive for several years at least. He was drafted in the 17^th round in 2007 from Mississippi State.  

Alexi Ogando, RHP: 26 year old rookie reliever, posted a 1.30 ERA with a 39/16 K/BB in 42 innings, with 31 hits allowed. He missed three years of play with legal problems revolving around a marriage/visa scam, but made up for lost time this year, vaulting into the major league pen unexpectedly. I don't see any  reason why he can't be a strong reliever going forward and perhaps close games eventually.

Max Ramirez, C: 25 year old rookie hit .217/.341/.348 in 69 at-bats for the Rangers. He looked like an excellent hitting prospect a couple of years ago, but has seen his production tail off sharply following a series of nagging injuries in '09 and '10. At this point, it is quite unclear if the Venezuelan can live up to the potential he previously showed.