The Rangers have handed the starting RF job to 28-year old righty swinging Nelson Cruz. Cruz played in 31 games for the Rangers last season in which he was 38 for 115 (.330 avg, 1.030 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 7 homers, 26 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Cruz also played in 104 games in AAA+Rookie Ball last season in which he was 132 for 387 (.341 avg) with 94 runs scored, 37 homers, 100 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. Cruz does have above average range in RF but he made 2 errors in 31 games there last season for the Rangers.

26-year old switch hitting Brandon Boggs played in 101 games for the Rangers last season in which he was 64 for 283 (.226 avg, .732 OPS) with 30 runs scored, 8 homers, 41 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Boggs only played in 3 games in RF last season for the Rangers without making any errors. He also played in 76 games in RF last season only making 3 errors while showing good range.

Marlon Byrd played in 39 games in RF last season for the Rangers making 3 errors while showing outstanding range. David Murphy played in 56 games in RF last season for the Rangers making 1 error while showing good range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: B

The Rangers have a lot of depth in CF for the 2009 season. It all starts with 27-year old lefty swinging Josh Hamilton. Hamilton played in 156 games for the Rangers last season in which he was 190 for 624 (.304 avg, .901 OPS) with 98 runs scored, 32 homers, 130 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Hamilton showed above average range in 111 games in CF for the Rangers last season while making 5 errors. His future is likely at a corner outfield spot but for now he’s a good enough defender to handle CF.

31-year old righty swinging Andruw Jones was a huge flop for the Dodgers last season. He played in 75 games for the Dodgers last season and he was 33 for 209 (.158 avg, .505 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 3 homers and 14 RBIs. Jones played 66 games in CF for the Dodgers last season and he showed below average range while only making 1 error. His whole game is on the downslide. Still, it was worth a gamble to give Jones a chance as he does have 371 career homers in the majors.

23-year old righty swinging Greg Golson is the Rangers’ #26 ranked prospect according to Baseball America. He played in 6 games for the Phillies last season in which he was 0 for 6 (.000 avg) with 2 runs scored. Golson also played in 106 games in AA-ball last season in which he was 120 for 426 (.282 avg, .767 OPS) with 64 runs scored, 13 homers, 60 RBIs and 22 stolen bases.

Veteran Marlon Byrd can also handle CF quite well defensively. He played in 57 games there last season showing outstanding range while making 3 errors.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: A

27-year old lefty swinging David Murphy and 31-year old righty swinging Marlon Byrd appear to be set up to platoon in 2009. Murphy played in 108 games last season for the Rangers and he was 114 for 415 (.275 avg, .786 OPS) with 64 runs scored, 15 homers, 74 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Murphy only made 1 error in 54 games in LF last season for the Rangers while showing good range. Marlon Byrd played in 122 games for the Rangers last season in which he was 120 for 403 (.298 avg, .842 OPS) with 70 runs scored, 10 homers, 53 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. He didn’t make any errors in 31 games in LF for the Rangers last season while showing outstanding range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: B

The Rangers have claimed 26-year old lefty swinging 1B off waivers from the Rockies. Koshansky played in 122 games in AAA-ball for the Rockies last season and he was 137 for 457 (.300 avg, .980 OPS) with 90 runs scored, 30 homers and 121 RBIs. He also played in 18 games for the Rockies in which he was 8 for 38 (.211 avg, .776 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 3 homers and 8 RBIs. Koshansky was the #29 rated prospect in the Rockies’ minor league system heading into this season according to Baseball America. Koshansky played in 35 games for the Rockies in his major league career in which he was 9 for 50 (.180 avg, .676 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 3 homers and 10 RBIs. This was a good move for the Rangers as Koshansky has a nice upside.

UPDATE: The Rangers have lost Joe Koshansky on waivers to the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Rangers have released veteran righty reliever Brendan Donnelly. He pitched in 6 games (0 starts) for the Rangers this spring and he was 0-0 with a 7.50 ERA and a 2.33 WHIP. Donnelly also allowed a stunning 13 hits in only 6 innings for the Rangers this spring. This could be the end of the road for Donnelly but some team might give him a chance. The Rangers feel like he wouldn’t have helped them this season and that’s the reason he was let go.