2009 Season:Nelson Cruz was the unquestioned starter, playing in 120 games in right field. And while his average hovered around .252, Cruz showed in 2009 that he can hit for power just like he did in the minors. He finished with 33 homers and a .524 slugging percentage.
Cruz, 29, earned that starting spot after performing well in September, 2008. He was actually put on waivers in 2008 and no one claimed him, allowing the Rangers to send him to the minors. He was so productive (again), that he earned another chance and took advantage. He came into 2009 as the starter in right field.
Cruz batted sixth more than any other spot in the lineup, hitting .270 there with 10 homers and 21 RBIs in 163 at-bats. But he had at least 100 at-bats in the No. 4 and No. 5 spots, hitting just .231 batting cleanup.
Cruz had three errors in right field in 2009, several behind the league leaders in the AL. He has a cannon for an arm, but getting to balls was sometimes a problem and Cruz did struggle to take the correct angle on some fly balls too.
Josh Hamilton played 24 games in right field as the Rangers attempted to limit the wear and tear on his body and keep Marlon Byrd's consistent bat in the lineup. The versatile David Murphy was out in right field for 10 games as well. It's not a position that gets a lot of notice at times, but knowing how to play the ball off the walls and being able to quickly get it into the infield can save runs and prevent big innings.
2010 Outlook: Cruz must improve his defense in right field. There's no question about that. But his power numbers are important in the lineup. The big question is where he best fits in that lineup. The Rangers tried to see if he could handle the cleanup spot, but he didn't perform quite as well there as he did later in the order.
The other factor in next year's outfield rotation in right is Hamilton. If the Rangers want to move him out of center, does he go to right field? If so, where does that leave Cruz? Do you just make him the fulltime DH, essentially? (Though if you do that, it's tough to get at-bats at times for the other outfielders).
What do you think the Rangers will do in right field next season? Evaluate Cruz's season. How did he do?
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Richard Durrett
Richard Durrett joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He writes about colleges, the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers. Richard spent nine years at The Dallas Morning News covering the Rangers, Stars, colleges, motorsports and high schools.
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Ben Rogers joined ESPNDallas.com in November 2009. He is one half of the "GameNight with Ben & Skin" show, heard weekdays from 6p-9p on 103.3 FM ESPN.
