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Fantasy baseball player profiles: Texas Rangers
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Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C, Texas Rangers
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2010 Fantasy Baseball Projections
| AB | R | H | HR | RBI | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 396 | 54 | 92 | 22 | 59 | 0 | .232 | .297 | .457 | .754 |
Sketchy health has impeded progress. Overhyped but still boasts some potential. Rangers have ample backstop alternatives; might not wait for Jarrod Saltalamacchia to develop, making him a shaky PT commitment in AL-only despite his pop potential.
Taylor Teagarden, C, Texas Rangers
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2010 Fantasy Baseball Projections
| AB | R | H | HR | RBI | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 106 | 10 | 21 | 4 | 14 | 0 | .198 | .267 | .358 | .625 |
Might start at Triple-A. Poor batting eye projects Taylor Teagarden as all-or-nothing power threat. His best chance at mixed value is to at least earn part-time work. He's a cheap AL-only speculation in two-catcher leagues.
Chris Davis, 1B, Texas Rangers
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2010 Fantasy Baseball Projections
| AB | R | H | HR | RBI | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 577 | 75 | 149 | 31 | 82 | 3 | .258 | .315 | .461 | .776 |
Chris Davis' ample whiffs weren't surprising. Positives? The contact improvements he made after he came up from the minors. Make him a middle-range first baseman for his power and hope everything else comes around. He hits enough line drives to give drafters some faith in a slight batting average rebound. Eligible at third base in many formats.
Ian Kinsler, 2B, Texas Rangers
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2010 Fantasy Baseball Projections
| AB | R | H | HR | RBI | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 615 | 109 | 161 | 22 | 70 | 23 | .262 | .339 | .439 | .778 |
Early signs point to Ian Kinsler batting fifth; dock some swipes. One gander at that clip - plus his medical chart - might send many packing. Look past it: His .245 BABIP screams rebound; his power growth led to a 31-31 season and kept him in the elite realm through his struggles.
Michael Young, 3B, Texas Rangers
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2010 Fantasy Baseball Projections
| AB | R | H | HR | RBI | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 608 | 83 | 175 | 9 | 71 | 3 | .288 | .326 | .396 | .722 |
Kiss Michael Young's shorty eligibility goodbye. Welcome ... more dingers? His lob rate has climbed in the last two years. Young's HR/FB was too good to be true, though. Batting average, as always, remains Young's selling point.
Elvis Andrus, SS, Texas Rangers
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2010 Fantasy Baseball Projections
| AB | R | H | HR | RBI | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 597 | 82 | 167 | 6 | 64 | 24 | .280 | .342 | .387 | .729 |
Elvis Andrus lived up to Texas' high billing. Work outward from his steals and runs contribution and wait for the power growth, which will probably give him moderate power (but above-average for a roto middle infielder).
Nelson Cruz, OF, Texas Rangers
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2010 Fantasy Baseball Projections
| AB | R | H | HR | RBI | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 532 | 81 | 143 | 27 | 92 | 8 | .269 | .327 | .494 | .821 |
I told you so, Nelson Cruz said about '08. More flyballs surfaced, even as he battled nagging injuries. His legit 30-20 line will ease his batting average "contribution," but you don't pay for that last part, anyway. Don't be scared by his potential seven-hole spot.
Josh Hamilton, OF, Texas Rangers
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2010 Fantasy Baseball Projections
| AB | R | H | HR | RBI | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 537 | 79 | 147 | 29 | 97 | 7 | .274 | .329 | .501 | .830 |
Josh Hamilton hit earth even harder than expected, helped by a nagging pinched nerve in his back. For what it's worth, reports say he'll focus on taking more pitches in the three-hole. The 28-year-old actually hit more liners and flyballs last year; regaining his strength should help. A potential steal.
Julio Borbon, OF, Texas Rangers
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2010 Fantasy Baseball Projections
| AB | R | H | HR | RBI | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 101 | 11 | 26 | 1 | 8 | 4 | .257 | .296 | .356 | .652 |
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Steal-happy newbie wasted no time showing high contact and groundball rates, which will help Julio Borbon's average. However, limited PT contributed to good luck in his on-play clip. He's not a lock for full-time duty, either; we may see David Murphy in often. This, and a downturn in his first full season, should keep your bidding chiefly to his steals potential.
Vladimir Guerrero, DH, Texas Rangers
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2010 Fantasy Baseball Projections
| AB | R | H | HR | RBI | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
A cleanup spot in a hitter-friendly park as a DH equals Vladimir Guerrero's roto paradise. A 20-homer season remains in play; reports say he still has bat speed. Roster inflexibility and his injury history will let Guerrero drop; don't overpursue.
Rich Harden, SP, Texas Rangers
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2010 Fantasy Baseball Projections
| W | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | K | ERA | WHIP |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Lasted through significant portion of season for second straight year. Disturbing increases in flyball percentage and HR/FB, but BABIP was much higher than career numbers. Rich Harden has true strikeout talent when healthy. Arlington stigma might drive his price down often; discounted price will make injury risk and homer vulnerability more tolerable.
Scott Feldman, SP, Texas Rangers
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2010 Fantasy Baseball Projections
| W | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | K | ERA | WHIP |
| 6 | 0 | 123 | 122 | 60 | 34 | 90 | 4.39 | 1.27 |
Embracing his cutter helped Scott Feldman increase his shaky dominance to, well, slightly less questionable levels. Win total inflated his value. Rangers' philosophy has helped their arms overall, but lack of K's points to a comedown. Mixed owners should pass until after the draft, but AL drafters could take a low-end stab to fill out their rotation.
Frank Francisco, RP, Texas Rangers
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2010 Fantasy Baseball Projections
| W | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | K | ERA | WHIP |
| 1 | 16 | 46 | 43 | 20 | 18 | 48 | 3.91 | 1.33 |
DL stints clouded productive season. Frank Francisco's splits favor road performance, especially with flyball vulnerability. Another year with frequent splitter use might temper the latter. Most important: his decrease in walks. Bid with his fragility in mind, but doesn't strip his value as a No. 2 stopper; don't be afraid to lock up his high-end K skills.
C.J. Wilson, SP, Texas Rangers
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2010 Fantasy Baseball Projections
| W | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | K | ERA | WHIP |
| 15 | 0 | 212 | 180 | 77 | 88 | 188 | 3.27 | 1.26 |
C.J. Wilson will move to the rotation after being a successful backup closer to Frank Francisco. It's typically hard to trust a reliever becoming a starter: Will Wilson's decent dominance hold up over five or six innings instead of one or two? Control improvement would be serviceable as a starter if he sustains it, though. He's worth a pick in AL-only setups as a No. 5 or 6 starter. There isn't much risk at that price.
Neftali Feliz, RP, Texas Rangers
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2010 Fantasy Baseball Projections
| W | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | K | ERA | WHIP |
| 0 | 0 | 16 | 13 | 6 | 8 | 15 | 3.38 | 1.31 |
Triple-digit velocity preps him for either starting or relief role; he could fill in at closer if needed. Rangers aren't rushing his top-end stuff. Warning: Neftali Feliz's velocity faltered late, and he might have been fatigued. He's worth drafting for his LIMA skills, but bumps in the road will hurt more if he isn't in line for many wins or saves.