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+

35-year old righty swinging Vladimir Guerrero had problems staying healthy last season as the Angels still used him some in the outfield last year. That won’t be a problem this year as the Rangers brought him in to be the full time DH in 2010. Guerrero played in 100 games for the Angels last season and he was 113 for 383 (.295 avg, .794 OPS) with 59 runs scored, 15 homers and 50 RBIs. The Rangers hope that using him as a full time DH will keep him healthy and productive in 2010. Guerrero has averaged 91.0 runs scored, 31.2 homers and 101.3 RBIs in the last 13 years and the Rangers would likely be happy with numbers like that out of him. Guerrero has a career batting average of .321 with a .954 OPS in 1,850 games in the majors. I really like this signing for the Rangers and expect Guerrero to have a huge 2010 season for them.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE DH IN 2010: A

33-year old righty swinging Michael Young will be the starting 3B once again in 2010 for the Rangers. He played in 135 games for the Rangers last season and he was 174 for 541 (.322 avg, .892 OPS) with 76 runs scored, 22 homers, 68 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. Injuries cut short his 2009 season early but the Rangers have faith that he will play in at least 150 games in 2010. Young only made 9 errors in 134 games at 3B last season but he showed pretty awful range. Look for him to improve defensively in his second year at the position.

30-year old righty swinging Khalil Greene will be Young’s backup in 2010. Greene played in 16 games at 3B for the Cardinals last season and he made 1 error while showing outstanding range. Like Young, Greene is a natural shortstop so he should be able to handle the position.

32-year old righty swinging Esteban German will battle this spring for a backup job on the Rangers. German played in 19 games for the Rangers last season and he was 14 for 46 (.304, .751 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 4 RBIs and 1 stolen base. German also played in 105 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 124 for 389 (.319 avg, .833 OPS) with 63 runs scored, 4 homers, 59 RBIs and 35 stolen bases. German made 4 errors in only 10 games at 3B for the Rangers last season while showing awful range.

25-year old righty swinging Joaquin Arias played in only 3 games for the Rangers last season and he was 0 for 8 (.000 avg, .000 OPS). Arias has now played in 41 games in his major league career and he is 38 for 129 (.295 avg, .748 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 10 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Arias didn’t make an error in his 1 game at 3B for the Rangers. Arias is out of options so if he doesn’t look like he is going to make the 25-man roster look for the Rangers to trade him.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 3B IN 2010: A-