29-year old righty swinging Nelson Cruz finally found himself last season for the Rangers. He played in 128 games for the Rangers last season in which he was 120 of 462 (.260 avg, .856 OPS) with 75 runs scored, 33 homers, 76 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. Cruz could easily be a 30/30 man for the Rangers in 2010 if he remains healthy and focused. Cruz had 3 errors in 120 games in RF for the Rangers last season while showing outstanding range. Cruz also had 11 assists out of RF last season as he has a very strong throwing arm. Cruz is a late bloomer who is making up for lost time.

28-year old lefty swinging David Murphy played in 10 games in RF for the Rangers last season and he made 1 error while showing outstanding range there. Murphy also had a stunning 3 assists in only 10 games in RF last season showing an outstanding throwing arm.

27-year old righty swinging Brandon Boggs is third in line for P.T. in RF in 2010 for the Rangers. Boggs played in 9 games for the Rangers last season in which he was 1 of 17 (.059 avg, .229 OPS). He also played in 93 games in AAA-ball last season in which he was 89 of 332 (.268 avg, .778 OPS) with 45 runs scored, 8 homers, 47 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. He is a solid defensive player in RF but he didn’t play in any games there in 2009 for the Rangers.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RF IN 2010: B+

24-year old lefty swinging Julio Borbon had a breakout season in 2009 for the Rangers and they hope he keeps up the good work in 2010. Borbon played in 46 games for the Rangers last season in which he was 49 of 157 (.312 avg, .790 OPS) with 30 runs scored, 4 homers, 20 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. Borbon also played in 96 games in AAA-ball last season in which he was 125 of 407 (.307 avg, .753 OPS) with 71 runs scored, 2 homers, 34 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. Borbon didn’t make any errors in 4 games in CF for the Rangers last season while showing slightly below average range. Borbon should have no problem in CF as he has the speed to cover it well.

28-year old lefty swinging Josh Hamilton would shift from LF if anything happens to Borbon this year. Hamilton played in 56 error-free games in CF last season for the Rangers while showing slightly below average range. He had 2 assists from CF as he has a pretty strong throwing arm.

27-year old righty swinging Brandon Boggs played in 3 error-free games in CF last season for the Rangers but he showed poor range there. He is #3 in line for playing time in CF this season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CF IN 2010: B

28-year old lefty swinging Josh Hamilton will be moving from CF to LF for the 2010 baseball season. Hamilton played in 89 games for the Rangers last season and he was 90 of 336 (.268 avg, .741 OPS) with 43 runs scored, 10 homers, 54 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. The Rangers are fulling expecting him to make a huge comeback in 2010 for the Rangers as he has a career batting average of .292 with a .864 OPS in 335 major league games. Hamilton was a decent CF defensively so he should do fine in LF in 2010.

28-year old lefty swinging David Murphy is going to be the Rangers’ #4 outfielder in 2010. Murphy played in 128 games last season for the Rangers in which he was 116 of 432 (.269 avg, .785 OPS) with 61 runs scored, 17 homers, 57 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Murphy only made 1 error in 104 games in LF last season while showing good range. Murphy also had 4 assists from LF as he has a strong throwing arm.

27-year old righty swinging Brandon Boggs will also be around for the Rangers in 2010. He played in only 3 games in LF for the Rangers last season and he made 1 error there while showing outstanding range. Boggs will need a good spring to make the Rangers this April.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE LF IN 2010: B+

The Rangers have acquired 28-year old righty reliever Edwar Ramirez from the Rangers for cash considerations. Ramirez pitched in 20 games (0 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 0-0 with a 5.73 ERA and a 1.96 WHIP. He has now pitched in 96 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 6-2 with 2 saves, a 5.22 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. Ramirez has a strong arm and he is young enough to rebound so it was smart for the Rangers to take a shot with him in 2010.

The Rangers have signed 26-year old righty swinging 1B Wes Bankston to a minor league deal. Bankston played in 122 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 122 of 457 (.267 avg, .762 OPS) with 57 runs scored, 17 homers and 75 RBIs. Bankston last played in the majors in 2008 with the A’s. He has played in 17 games in his major league career and he is 12 of 59 (.203 avg, .543 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 1 homer and 4 RBIs. This was a nice organizational depth signing for the Rangers.