The Texas Rangers lost their biggest player in the offseason. Josh Hamilton, the biggest slugger in Texas, parted ways with the team by signing a five-year, $125 million deal this offseason with division-rival Los Angeles Angels. Can the team win without their biggest offensive producer? Rangers' CEO Nolan Ryan believes they will still contend for the AL West Crown.
"You don't just replace a talent like that and we all know that. But also, there's a dimension that's brought to the ball club that very few players if any other play in baseball would bring. It's so unique and unusual that you can't put other players in that category," Ryan said.
Ryan understands that Hamilton was a critical component to the team that won the American League pennant in 2010 and 2011.He says that when Hamilton left for the Angels there was a certain "puke factor" that went up with the move.
"Josh had a big impact on our organization and we wouldn't have gone to two World Series without him," Ryan said.
The CEO is however pleased with the team adding Lance Berkman and A.J. Pierzynski to the roster. He believes the Rangers are a better team today than when Hamilton left for Los Angeles. Bringing in Pierzynski gives the rangers a veteran presence in the bullpen.
The Rangers are coming off a season that did not end as planned. Texas blew a five-game lead with nine games left in the season to lose the AL West title to the Oakland A's. Ryan believes the team has learned from the way 2012 ended and will come out better at the start of the upcoming season. He claims the team was drained both emotionally and physically which led to a poor performance in the final games of the season.
Hamilton recently made news for claiming the Dallas is not a baseball town and does not have any real fans. Ryan shrugged off the accusations, claiming it was just Hamilton adjusting to a new surrounding.
"Josh is probably making an adjustment mentally and emotionally to new surroundings and being with another ballclub and with the way the season ended last year," Ryan said.
The addition of Berkman will help fill the void of Hamilton. Last season, he batted .259 with an on-base percentage of .381. However, he only hit two home runs on the season. Hamilton hit 43 home runs in 2012, so while the Rangers feel they did a good job of replacing him, that kind of number cannot be duplicated.