Khalil Green - SAD

Social Anxiety Disorder is not a laughing matter. Khalil has my sympathies and best wishes. That being said, where do the Rangers turn now? If they thought that Joaquin Arias or Esteban German was the answer, they wouldn't have signed Greene and pretty much annointed him as their utility infielder. I've heard Felipe Lopez mentioned. We still have Joe Inglett. Frankly, I would like to see Arias come into camp and prove that his arm is in good enough shape to play shortstop. Give him some instruction at 3rd and 1st during camp (he is certainly athletic enough to play either position). He has always hit well enough when he has been with the Rangers and he would provide some more speed off the bench.

It was good to see Harden pitching live batting practice during his second workout. He had said that he wanted 3 bullpen sessions before facing live batters, so it is encouraging that he felt good enough in his second session to change his timetable.

Hopefully Derek Holland's MRI comes back showing only a knee strain. Derek said that he felt "way better" on Sunday. I would like to see him force his way into the starting rotation this spring. If he doesn't do that, my guess is that he will start the season at AAA. That way they can keep him stretched out and bring him up when needed (or when he forces the issue).

I also wouldn't mind seeing Feliz force the issue this spring, but I think the deck is stacked against him. It seems like the Rangers and pretty much set on using him in the bullpen this year. I really don't understand Ron Washington. That comment about preferring a super closer to an Ace just boggles my mind! Personally, I would take an Ace (or an excellent #2) over a closer. It is easier to find a 2-pitch pitcher who can shut down a team for 1 inning than it is to find a guy who can shut a team down 2-3 times through the order. There are A LOT more pitchers who can close than there are true Aces! As an example, we have 4 pitchers on our team right now who could close (3 have already been successful closers): 1) Frank Francisco, 2) Chris Ray, 3) C.J. Wilson, and 4) Neftali Feliz. We have 1 pitcher who has been an Ace when healthy (Rich Harden) and 2 who could possibly develop into Aces (Holland and Feliz). Perez and Scheppers could also develop to that level, but they haven't shown anything in the big leagues yet. Anyway, that is just my opinion!