There is no denying what Colby Lewis has meant to the Texas Rangers over the last two seasons.
Since returning from his time spent pitching in Japan, Lewis has rebuilt his career and become the most consistent starting pitcher the Texas Rangers have and without a doubt the best postseason pitcher in Rangers history, compiling a 2.34 ERA in eight postseason starts for the Rangers over the past two postseasons with a 4-1 record.
He's also 32 years old, which is by no means old in starting pitcher terms, but compared to the rest of the Rangers staff, it's downright elderly.
The rest of the staff are guys that have yet to hit their athletic primes: Derek Holland (25), Matt Harrison (26), Yu Darvish (25) and Neftali Feliz (23).
That means if the Rangers let Lewis walk in the off-season, as they'll probably be unwilling to give him what he deserves in a contract with guys like Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz and Mike Napoli to worry about, Matt Harrison will be the oldest and Yu Darvish will be the most experienced (if you count his time in the Japan league).
The likely candidate to move up and fill the rotation would be Martin Perez, the 21-year-old uber-prospect who some have likened to Pedro Martinez and is starting the season in Triple-A Round Rock. The other candidate could be Alexi Ogando (28), who was an all-star starter last season and is back to wrecking shop in the Rangers bullpen this year, or possibly even Scott Feldman (29).
Whatever the case, the Rangers are set to have one of the best, youngest starting rotations in all of baseball. Things are looking up for Jon Daniels & Co.
