10 days until pitchers and catchers report

10 days until pitchers and catchers report to spring training for the Texas Rangers.

Since the Rangers came to Arlington in 1972, only 12 players have worn #10 for Texas.  My guess is that it will be quite a while before anyone wears #10 for the Rangers again.  Between Jim Sundberg and Michael Young, that number has been claimed by two of the best -- and most beloved -- players to ever don a Ranger uniform.  Checking out the Rangers' 40 man roster, it doesn't appear that number has been assigned to anyone this spring, and I expect we'll see that number retired at some point.

We all know about the acrimonious split that happened between the Rangers and Young prior to the 2013 season.  I understand why it happened -- why it had to happen, why Young had to be traded -- but I was sad at the time, and its still disappointing to me that Young spent his final season in the majors with the Phillies and then the Dodgers.

Nevertheless, Young is now back in the fold, having officially retired last year as a Ranger, and having joined the front office in a special assistant role that appears to have some meat to it -- Young was apparently actively involved in the search for a replacement for Ron Washington this offseason, and by all accounts, is going to have a "meaningful" role in the front office, rather than just coming out for a few days at spring training and talking to some players.  That's a very good thing, I think, for a whole host of reasons.