2012 Texas Rangers Batting Order Overview

There's no question that the 2012 Texas Rangers will be able to generate runs. They have a talented group of hitters and no real bad area in the batting order. If you want additional info on how we believe this franchise will finish up, check out our complete 2012 Texas Rangers predictions.

Projected Lineup
Mike Napoli (Catcher) - Napoli put together a fantastic 2011 season on each side of the ball. His was top quality on defense and he had a career season offensively. He ended up batting a solid .320 with 30 HRs and 75 RBI in just 113 games. It'll be tough for him to replicate those stats in 2012, but he figures to make a big impact for Texas and be one of the best all round catchers in the MLB.

Mitch Moreland (First Base) - Early in the season, Moreland was looking like he was on his way to a breakout season after hitting .300 with 7 home runs in his first 160 at bats, but he wasn't able to keep up his play and struggled down the stretch. He finished the year with a .259 average to go with 16 home runs and 51 RBI. He's still pretty young, as he just turned 27, so a few individuals expect a breakout year to eventually happen for him in 2012.

Ian Kinsler (Second Base) - After a below average performance in 2010, he rebounded back in 2011 to have an analogous year to the one during his breakout season in 2009. The 29-year-old batted just .255, but made up for it with 32 HRs, 77 RBI, and 30 robbed bases. He is still in the peak of his career, so expect similar if not better production in 2012.

Elvis Andrus (Shortstop) - Andrus put together a career year in his third season in the big leagues. The Rangers hope this ultra-talented 23-year-old can continue his stellar play in 2012. His average of .279, 96 runs, 60 RBI and 37 steals were all career highs for this accomplished kid coming along on his own.

Adrian Beltre (Third Base) - Though Beltre is certainly getting along in age (he's 32), he still has 1 or 2 good years in him. He played in 124 games in his first year with the Rangers, posting solid numbers when he was on the field. He helped brace the team on the defensive end, and his offense failed to take a big dip, as he hit .296 with 32 home runs and 105 RBI.

Josh Hamilton (Left Field) - Injuries kept Hamilton from copying his MVP performance from 2010, but he was still a force offensively when he played. He hit .298 with 25 home runs and 94 RBI in just 121 games. The Rangers will try to keep him healthy by moving him to left field. If it's working, expect him to be in the thick of things in the AL MVP race in 2012.

Craig Gentry (Center Field) - Despite not being very good on offense, Gentry is a defensive master on the diamond, so it looks as if he's going to have the edge in the battle for the field job this spring. His price lies defensively, as he just batted .271 with one HR and 13 RBI in 133 ABs last season. But with all of the offensive firepower this squad has, so long as Gentry plays well on defense, he might be able to keep his spot in center field.

Nelson Cruz (Right Field) - It is kind of disheartening that Cruz isn't able to remain healthy for a full year, because the guy is a beast on the plate. He was restricted to just 124 games last season, but still managed to hit 29 HRs with 87 RBI. The Rangers hope this is the season Cruz can keep healthy, so that they can ultimately judge what they have in the guy during a full year.

Michael Young (Designated Hitter) - Regardless of not really liking the situation he was put in after being moved to DH, he did not seemed fazed and had another spectacular performance last season. He finished the year with a career-high .338 average with 11 HRs and 106 RBI. He will probably not return to his power form from two seasons back, when he was a 20-plus HR hitter, but he is still one of the best hitters in the game.


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