ESPN's Dan Szymborski is a computer and stat guru, and we love getting a look at his projections. Here are his numbers for the 2014 Texas Rangers.
Position: Right field
Player: Alex Rios
Last year: .278 batting average, .324 on-base percentage, .432 slugging percentage, 18 home runs, 81 RBIs, 42 stolen bases, 662 plate appearances
2014 projections: .272/.309/.417, 15 home runs, 74 RBIs, 25 stolen bases, 615 plate appearances
Rios is one of the most undervalued players in baseball. He's a guy with legitimate 25-home run power and, as evidenced by last season, has the ability to rack up 40 stolen bases. He's also a good defender and has a good arm. This year is setting up to be huge for Rios, hitting fifth in the Rangers' lineup behind the fearsome foursome of Shin-Soo Choo, Elvis Andrus, Prince Fielder and Adrian Beltre. Rios is going to have plenty of opportunities to not only drive in a lot of runs but hit with runners on base, which makes anyone more difficult to pitch to.
After moving over from the White Sox to the Rangers for his final 47 games of 2013, Rios flourished in the Rangers' lineup, which should be even better this year. He hit .280 with six of his 18 home runs and 26 of his 81 RBIs in less than half the number of games he played in Chicago.
