Developed Teams 2015: Texas Rangers

Both teams from Texas were eliminated from the 2015 postseason within hours of each other, but since the Rangers and Blue Jays played earlier in the day, here's a lineup made from the best homegrown players that came out of the Texas Rangers organization:

The first things to notice are that Texas has developed an abundance of both starting pitchers and first baseman. While you can never have too much of the former, too much of the latter can be a defensive liability, so let's talk about how to get them all in the lineup. Chris Davis is going to be the most talked-about first baseman of the hot stove season as he bounced back from a forgettable 2014 to lead the league in home runs in his walk year, but he's the most likely to spend the least time at first base on this squad. Not only did he play enough right field for the Orioles in 2015 to qualify as a fantasy outfielder (20 games), but if you turn the sample size clock back a year, he also qualified at third base while filling in for the injured Manny Machado in 2014. Even though Machado was healthy (and spectacular) for all 162 games last year, that doesn't mean Davis lost his ability (however questionable) to man the hot corner if necessary. Mark Teixeira was on his way to a season comparable to Davis's when he went down with a shin fracture in September, and he's also the most gifted defensive first baseman of the bunch, so it makes sense for him to get most of the work in the field when healthy. Mitch Moreland has very limited experience in right field (he hasn't played there regularly since 2012), so he'll likely occupy the DH spot for the majority of the time.

Second base is almost as equally stacked: Ian Kinsler is one of the best in the league, Rougned Odor proved that he has a very playable skillset, and there's also oft-injured superprospect Jurickson Profar waiting in the wings. The left side of the infield is spotty in that it relies on prospects that have yet to prove themselves at the big league level. Joey Gallo came up briefly this year when Adrian Beltre was injured, and played almost equal parts third base and left field (though not enough to qualify for either position), while the best option at shortstop is prospect Luis Sardinas who likewise didn't get enough games to qualify at either middle infield spot for the Brewers. There's also the curious case of Odubel Herrera who played primarily middle infield in his minor league career with Texas, but was used exclusively in center field after being taken in the Rule 5 Draft by the Phillies. Moving Herrera back to shortstop could be an option, but the lack of other impact outfield bats (the other three options, at least one of which would have to play, averaged just over 6 fantasy points per game in 2015) makes me question whether that move would be worth it.

Texas's number one developed starter wasn't developed in the minors at all, but rather imported from Japan; but since a healthy Yu Darvish would be an ace on most clubs (with the exception of the Dodgers, the Nationals, both Chicago franchises, and wherever Zack Greinke and David Price end up), he's simply too good to leave out of this project. The rotation after Darvish features a grouping of four pitchers with remarkably similar skill levels, at least where fantasy baseball is concerned: Edinson Volquez, R.A. Dickey, Colby Lewis, and C.J. Wilson all fell within two points per game of the 47.8 average between them. They're similarly stacked in the long relief department, where they have three more legitimate starters ready to take the mound. There is the injury factor to be concerned about - in addition to Darvish, who missed all of 2015, Wilson, Jesse Chavez, and Scott Feldman all ended the season on the DL, while Derek Holland didn't start pitching regularly until August. But just check out the depth this team has waiting in the "Developed Minor Leagues" - veterans John Danks and Aaron Harang, once and future real-life Rangers rotation hopefuls Martin Perez, Nick Martinez, and Chi Chi Gonzalez, and recently departed Jerad Eickhoff, who had a stellar debut for the Phillies after being involved in the Cole Hamels trade.

For the back end of the bullpen, Texas has Joaquin Benoit, who was projected to close in 2015 up until moments before the first game when the Padres made a last minute trade for Craig Kimbrel, and Robbie Ross Jr., who ended the season as Boston's closer, but will likely be relegated to lefty specialist on this team. Keone Kela had a solid rookie season for his homegrown team and Justin Grimm filled up some meaningful innings for the Cubs. And as for veteran depth pieces, they've also got former bullpen stalwarts Neftali Feliz and Alexi Ogando waiting in the wings. But what distinguishes this team is that all but three players on this roster - Rule 5 pick Odubel Herrera, reserve outfielder Jason Bourgeois, and long reliever Jesse Chavez - made their debuts for the actual Rangers, showing this organization's willingness to shepherd their homegrown players up to the majors.