Sammy Sosa: Sosa hit his first homer of the year yesterday and has started in all five of the Rangers' games this year. Before he took a year sabbatical from baseball, Sosa's power was in a steep decline, 2002/2003/2004/2005 home runs of 49/40/35/14. The Rangers' home stadium has a reputation of being a home run haven, but the real advantage is for left-handed hitters. For right-handed batters, the stadium is about league average for power. In fact, Camden Yards, where Sosa managed just 4 home runs in 178 AB in 2005 is actually better for right-handed batting power. A year away from the game and being 38-years old will not help. Do not expect big things from Sosa this year.
Jered Weaver: Weaver allowed one run in 4 innings during a Single-A rehab start and will make one more rehab start before facing the Red Sox on April 16th. He had a fantastic rookie season, going 11 and 2, with a 2.56 ERA, 7.7 K/9, and a 2.4 BB/9. However there are a few warning flags that Weaver could be in for a minor sophomore slump. His BHIP% of .234 and strand rate of 82% deflated his ERA. With a very high fly ball rate of 52%, he was fortunate that he only allowed 15 home runs in 123 innings. If that high rate continues, he may not be so lucky this year.
Javier Vazquez: For a pitcher with such a solid skill set, 8.2 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 last year, Vazquez has been one of unluckiest pitchers over the last couple of years, 64% strand rate last year and BHIP%'s of .298 in 2005 and .296 in 2006. His 2007 debut of 6.2 innings of one-hit ball against the Twins shows that Vazquez could be ready to shake off his poor spring, 9.70 ERA in 21.1 innings.
Chris Ray: Ray blew a save yesterday when he allowed a grand slam to Alex Rodriguez. His 2006 season of 33 saves in 38 opportunities and a 2.73 ERA was not as impressive as it looks. He was really helped by a .196 BHIP% and his skills faded in the second-half of last year, 5.2 K/9 and a 52% fly ball rate. It would not be surprising to see him lose the closer role at some point this year.
Bobby Jenks: Jenks hasn't let all the talk about him losing save opportunities negatively affect him. He picked up his first save of the season last night and in three appearances, he has 5 K's, 1 walk, and no ER. When he is on, Jenks' combination of a high K/9, 10.4 last year, and a high GB% rate, 59% last year, makes him a very dangerous pitcher. Lack of control has plagued him at times. The difference in his 2006 first-half ERA of 2.49 and second-half ERA of 5.71 can partially be blamed on his BB/9 ballooning from 2.7 to 5.4. Keep an eye on the walks, as long as he keeps them down, he should be effective.
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