Pitching injuries have almost become the norm for the Texas Rangers. Is Colby Lewis the answer to this problem? Some fans love Lewis. Some fans haven’t been happy with his performances. Either way you look at it, Colby Lewis coming back to the rotation is being talked about.
For the second time this month, pitcher Andrew Cashner has been pulled. Cashner is experiencing what seems to be continual soreness in his right bicep. Pitching coach Doug Brocail has already stated that Cashner won’t be ready before Opening Day. Enter the talks of Colby Lewis.
At 37-years-old, soon to be 38, Lewis has a total of nine seasons with the Texas Rangers. In fact, in his 11 years in Major League Baseball, only two of them were spent with another team. In his time with Texas, encompassing 205 games, Lewis has a 4.65 ERA. Over the last three seasons, Lewis had an ERA of 3.71, 4.66 and 5.18. It was a rough last few years for him.
[Blake]
Because of the appearing downfall in performance, the Rangers opted not to bring Lewis back for the 2017 season. With lingering injuries to Andrew Cashner, that decision seems to be changing. The No. 5 slot was already a toss-up heading into Spring Training. A.J. Griffin, Chi Chi Gonzalez and Mike Hauschild are all eyeing that final position on the rotation. Texas can’t afford to have too many more uncertainties when it comes to pitching.
Bringing back Colby Lewis is, in fact, not the answer to the Texas Rangers pitching problems. At his age, and with the drop in ability, Colby Lewis won’t be much of an improvement. Yes, the pitching market is limited. There aren’t many options out there. But one thing is all but certain, and that is that there has to be something better than Colby Lewis.
The Rangers can’t afford to take a step backwards. Not in a division that will likely be strongly contested this season. If the team can’t find a way to make an improvement to the rotation, they need not settle for below-average.