Unless the Rangers make a surprising free agent signing, there will be little change from the starting rotation that ranked last in the AL in 2008.
Aside from the addition of new pitching coach Mike Maddux, the rotation figures to be right-handers Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla and Scott Feldman and two question marks. The Rangers would like to add a left-hander to the mix, and Matt Harrison would probably have an inside track. Harrison won nine games as a rookie despite a 5.49 ERA. Harrison has just 15 major league starts but made more progress than any of the other rookies who got a shot at the rotation last year.
The big mystery is right-hander Brandon McCarthy. McCarthy has struggled through a slew of injuries in his two seasons in Texas. He has just 142 innings in those two seasons and is coming off a multitude of shoulder problems.
If McCarthy gives the Rangers what they thought they were going to get when they traded for him after the 2006 season, it could make a big difference in the rotation. If not, the club will be holding open auditions.
Right-hander Eric Hurley (1-1, 5.47 ERA) had some promising moments before a shoulder injury in 2008, right-hander Dustin Nippert had some impressive starts late in the season but still finished the year 3-5 with a 6.40 ERA and right-hander Tommy Hunter moved all the way from Class A but was pounded in three big league starts for a 16.36 ERA.
The Rangers will invite top prospects Neftali Feliz, a right-hander, and Derek Holland, a left-hander, to major league spring training. While neither is expected to break camp with the team, they could put themselves in position to get early season call-ups if the rotation fails.
