Anatomy of a Baseball Train Wreck

How does your team that you think can contend for a division championship find themselves with the worst record in baseball after two thirds of a season?  The Rangers will field their 52nd player of the season tonight, by far the most players used in baseball in 2014.  This is why Jon Daniels and Ron Washington will get a pass.  Here's what it looked like in spring training:

1B - Prince Fielder
2B - Jurickson Profar
SS - Elvis Andrus
3B - Adrian Beltre
C  - Geovany Soto
LF - Shin Soo Choo
CF - Leonys Martin
RF - Alex Rios
DH - Mitch Moreland
SP - Yu Darvish
SP - Matt Harrison
SP - Derek Holland
SP - Martin Perez
SP - Colby Lewis
Setup - Tanner Sheppers
Setup - Robbie Ross
Setup - Neftali Feliz
Closer - Jokim Soria

Instead we lost all of these for all or most of the season: Fielder, Profar, Soto, Moreland, Harrison, Holland, Perez, Sheppers, and Ross.  In addition Feliz went to AAA and Choo decided to have by far his worst season as a pro.  We lost starters 2 through 4 and all 3 setup men, the whole right side of the infield, our only experienced catcher, and our DH.

Since most of the high level prospects were traded the last 4 years during failed playoff runs, there was little to fall back on.  I don't think I've ever watched a team have this kind of luck.  The good news is that Fielder, Profar, Soto, Moreland, Holland, Perez, Sheppers, Ross, and Feliz should be back, and there are some good prospects 1-2 years away.  The little 20-year old 2nd baseman Odor looks like a real player.

There is hope, but the lost season of 2014 goes on and on, and on and on.........

S