In a season-ending countdown, we'll weigh in on the six most disappointing Rangers in what was arguably the most disappointing season in franchise history.
No. 4: Robbie Ross, LHP
2014 stats: 3-6 record, 6.20 ERA, 12 starts, 15 relief appearances, 51 strikeouts, 30 walks, 78 1/3 innings pitched
Robbie Ross seemed doomed from the beginning when the Texas Rangers were forced to take him out his comfort zone in the bullpen — where he'd succeeded in his first two big-league seasons — and put him in the starting rotation out of necessity and a vast array of injuries to the starting rotation. Ross pretty much fell flat on his face from the beginning, succumbing to a lack of command and a problem with walks that he worked around briefly but couldn't continue to.
As a starter, Ross was 1-6 with a 5.70 ERA and allowed opponents to hit .298 against him. Those numbers aren't good enough to keep you in a starting rotation of a bad team, much less a good one. But the big problem for Ross was that after he moved back to the bullpen, he was worse. As a reliever in 2014 — two stints that sandwiched a long demotion to Triple-A — Ross was 2-0 with a 7.85 ERA and allowed opponents to hit an unsightly .385 against him. Ouch.
The concern with Ross is that he might be forever ruined from a confidence standpoint after he was so good in 2012 and still pretty dang good in 2013 as a middle-inning reliever.
Previous entries: No. 6: Michael Choice, No. 5 Neal Cotts
