Texas Rangers place 6th in ESPN Future Power Rankings

The Texas Rangers place 6th in the ESPN Future Power Rankings which were released on Friday, a healthy improvement over their showing in March, when the Rangers were 11th.  The Power Rankings are based on major league talent, minor league talent, management, finances and mobility, and the Rangers scored well in all categories other than the latter one, since their hefty long-term commitments reduce the amount of flexibility the team has.

The Chicago Cubs were #1 in the rankings by a comfortable margin, followed by a clump of teams in the 2-6 spots -- Texas, at #6, was closer to the second place Dodgers than to the #7 Pittsburgh Pirates.

Among their A.L. West brethren, Texas finished, second, behind the #5 Houston Astros, but well ahead of the Angels, the Mariners, and the A's, who all were in the bottom half of the overall rankings.