Due up in the top of the first . . .
The lineup is set — let's get going with our leadoff story (plus a taste of what's on deck and in the hole).
In my introductory post on Wednesday, announcing the Newberg Report reboot just as pitchers and catchers were pulling into parking spots at 15850 North Bullard, I encouraged you to “trust that you’re going to get a focused, Rangers-from-all-angles approach — past, present, future, sometimes the big picture, other times zoomed in and laser-focused — that has driven me for 26 years, through the lens of an emotional, dedicated fan.”
So it made sense to me to line up my first three articles in those three categories. Past. Present. Future. It’s spring training, so . . . PFP:
PRESENT: What’s up with these national win-loss predictions for the Rangers?
FUTURE: Where does the Rangers’ farm system stack up league-wide (as a prelude to my coming-soon Top 72 Prospects series)?
PAST: At a reader’s request, I will take on the cool challenge issued by Baseball Prospectus’s Russell A. Carleton — to build the strongest 26-man roster possible by choosing one player from each Rangers club between 1998 and 2023.
We might even break it up a bit with a mailbag tossed in there somewhere; I’m still asking myself how often we want to do those. I’m thinking often. I want this to be our space, not just mine.
For now, let’s get to it — and look at those national forecasts projecting whether the Rangers have enough wins in them to get back into the playoffs in 2024 and make a run at a repeat.