I understand that not a single person on the current Texas Rangers roster has ever heard of Bob Short. That doesn't matter. They are guilty by association, the progeny of the devil reincarnate. Once the Washington Senators left Washington and RFK for Texas and Arlington Stadium, they ceased being the Washington Senators. They no longer brought joy to my life. They were the enemy. Bob Short ripped from my life the only thing that made me happy, and he did it for all of Caesar's gold. Today, Washington is the better baseball town, has the better team, and hopefully, we'll prove it over the weekend. Finally, the ghosts of Washington baseball have the chance to get even.

The Rangers have a record of 35-29, 1 1/2 games behind the division leading Angels. They are 19-13 in the Ballpark in Arlington, one of those "cookie cutter" ballparks that were created during the stadium feeding frenzy of the past decade. The Ballpark is a suburban park created to give the impression of being an urban enviornment. The Rangers are a team built around their park, a team of homerun hitters, adequate fielders and so-so pitchers.

The Nationals are a team that, like the Rangers, seem to be built for the spacious green of RFK. The Nationals are a line-drive team with timely offense, quality defense and great pitching. The old axiom, good pitching beats good hitting, will be put to the test this weekend in Arlington.

Rangers Scouting Report:

1B] Mark Teixeira .286-17-50 .340 OBP, .540 SLG
Projected 2005 stats: .286-43-127
Mark is a pure hitter in the mold of Todd Helton, with a great swing from both sides of the plate. His plate discipline is the best and his power is unlimited. He is slow, however, and doesn't run the base paths very well. Defensively, he's a good offensive player. Don't look for Nick Johnson type moves from this young man.


2B] Alfonso Soriano .294-18-44 .332 OBP, .589 SLG
Projected 2005 stats: .294-47-116
Alfonso is a smaller frame version of Vlad the Implaler. He is a free swinger, and can drive most any pitch in most any locations to or over most any outfield fence. Once he takes that swing, he has the speed to turn outs into singles, singles into doubles, etc. Because of his strength and speed, he scores a lot of runs because he's always in scoring position. On the down side, he swings from the heels and strikes out way to often for a middle infielder. He also almost never walks as his .332 OBP indicates. He could be so much more if he just waited back on a few pitches each at bat. The reason his team[s] are always looking for a new position for Soriano is because he's a liability no mater where he plays.

SS]Mike Young .318-8-37 .373 OBP, .477 SLG
Projected 2005 stats:.318-20-84
He is like Nick Johnson in that he can hit to any field, and do it with power. He hits both righthanders and lefties equally, and his average speed is couterweighted by his Pete Rose like hustle. He could add 10 points to his batting average if he would only bunt, and isn't the best at hitting the breaking ball.



3B] Hank Blalock .286-11-33 .349 OBP, .483 SLG
Projected 2005 stats: .286-28-97
He is one of the few multidimensional sluggers on the Rangers' roster. Although he hits homers with the best of them, he walks often, although he is one of "those" 150 strikeout types. He's got good speed for a slugger, but doesn't run well on the base paths.



LF] Kevin Mench .300-11-36 .365 OBP, .570 SLG
Projected 2005 stats: .300-31-100
Mench hit righties decently, but absolutely destroys lefties. He is very adept at driving in runs. Mench's problem is that he is a dead pull hitter which severely limits his batting average. As good as Mench is, it is doubtful that he will become an everyday player anytime soon. He is a liability in the outfield and tends to wilt with the hot Texas summer.


CF] Lance Nix .244-4-27 .265 OBP, 410 SLG
Projected 2005 stats: .244-13-88
Finally, a Rangers player that you can get out without using Kryptonite. Nix is has played about 700 major league games, and has averaged a home run every 27 at bats, showing he has the potential to be a good mlb power hitter, but he's not quite there yet. In his best minor league year he hit 21 homers, so he can pop the ball. Nix strikes out too often; he is on track to strike out 120 times this year after 118 k's in 371 at bats last year. Good pitches are his enemy, bad pitches are his friend.

RF] Richard Hildago .227-12-33 .265 OBP, .410 SLG
Projected 2005 stats: .227-33-92
I guess there is nothing wrong with the Richard Hildagos of the world filling up the bottom of the AL lineup cards. He never gets on base, and his only hits are homeruns. Hildago is on track to hit 20 doubles, 0 triples and 33 home runs. He's going to walk 55 and strikeout 135 times. He has the power to change an occasional game with a homerun, but can do little else. He has a gimpy knee that slows him in the outfield. He's a dead pull hitter which allows the defense to set up to take away many of his would-be base hits.

C]Rod Barajas .252-5-23 .307 OBP, .411SLG
Projected 2005 stats: .252-15-64
At age 30, he's just now beginning to catch full time. He's got pop in his bat, but strikes out 3 times more than he walks. He's got a good arm but is slow, even for a catcher. Many of his swings result in ground balls right to the infielders.

DH] David Dellucci .253-10-23 .416 OBP, .506 SLG
Projected 2005 stats: .253-28-64
Dellucci is one of those very few DH's who is listed as a "very good outfielder." Based on how limited Hildago is in the outfield, it makes you wonder why these two aren't reversed. Dellucci as a career .261 batting average, so he's hitting within his range this year, although he's showing more power than in past years. He strikes out a lot - he'll end up with 125 this year, and that's no surprise. What is a surprise is that he'll end up 2005 with 125 walks as well. Don't expect to see him against any southpaws, as he simply can't hit them. Heck, based on his numbers, I'm not sure he sees them.