The Rangers? lineup is about to get a boost, not that it needs one.
Texas already leads the American League in scoring and hitting. Just in time to tune up for the postseason, one of last year?s postseason heroes, catcher Mike Napoli, is scheduled to return Saturday. The 30-year-old hasn?t played since Aug. 10 because of a strained left quadriceps.
Napoli hasn?t come close to repeating his success of 2011, but his return shows the depth of the Rangers? lineup. Not many teams have gotten 17 homers out of a guy who typically hits seventh or eighth.
Napoli is not the only bopper in the bottom third of the Rangers? order, either. Mitch Moreland has 15 homers and David Murphy has 13.
?When we?re healthy and can go with Murphy, Napoli and Moreland seven, eight and nine, that?s where we?re able to separate ourselves, ? general manager Jon Daniels says.
The Rangers own the American League?s best record even though few of their players are enjoying career years. Josh Hamilton has hit 41 homers and Adrian Beltre has 32 to go with a .320 average ?but they?ve had monster years before,? Daniels points out. Most of the Rangers are performing at or near the level the club expected.
One batter who has stepped up this season is Murphy, who is hitting a career-best .313 with a .392 on-base percentage. With a .391 average against lefthanders, the lefty-hitting left fielder no longer looks like a platoon player.
?He?s hitting lefties, he?s having consistent at-bats, he?s using the whole field,? Daniels says. ?You look up and he qualifies for the batting title and he?s hitting over .300 with over a .900 OPS. He has been really good.?
On the other hand, Napoli?s average has fallen to .223 from last year?s career-best .320, and his homers are way down from the 30 he hit in 2011. But he is reported to be healthy and his confidence figures to rise as he nears his comfort zone: the postseason.
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