Tearing it Up
YES, BUT ... Palmeiro wants to reach 500 career home runs, and should remain a .290/35/110 guy for a couple of years, but his current ESPN ranking (#6 AL 1B) is likely to fall; he is currently ahead of names like Vaughn, Thome, Fullmer, and Konerko. Keep that in mind. Gabe Kapler continues to look solid, and has actually single-handedly out-performed Juan Gonzalez (.302/14/66/8 in 444 AB compared to Juando’s .289/22/67/1 in 461 AB) but there are plenty of these types of OFs in both universe and AL-only leagues. Unless Kapler starts to run more -- unlikely under Johnny Oates -- he's not protectable.

Slumping
CLOSING TIME ... The question has been on the table since June -- will John Wetteland remain the Texas closer? The answer is probably "yes," because frankly none of the three main candidates to replace him -- Francisco Cordero, Tim Crabtree and Jeff Zimmerman -- have shown they can handle the job. Mike Venafro is just a situational lefty and Darwin Cubillan, acquired for Esteban Loiaza, makes Loiaza look positively consistent. Wetteland is probably worth protecting in leagues where saves are at a premium, but prepare for lots of nervous ninth innings, a la Rod Beck circa 1998.

At the Plate
LOTS OF QUESTIONS ... Either Rusty Greer or Ricky Ledee will be dealt for pitching come Spring. If Greer stays, lingering plantar fascitis could limit his effectiveness; if it's Ledee, he still needs to overcome "Ruben Rivera disease" as an over-hyped former Yankee uber-prospect. Royce Clayton has fallen so far off the map that ESPN's Player Rater ranks him behind TWO Minnesota shortstops, Denny Hocking and Cristian Guzman, and barely ahead of legendary ex-Ranger Benji Gil. Mike Lamb may well start 2001 in Oklahoma City. If you're looking at Luis Alicea or Frank Catalanotto, seek help.

Probable Starters Sept. 26, R. Glynn @ SEA Sept. 27, D. Davis @ SEA Sept. 28, R. Helling @ SEA Sept. 29, D. Oliver @ OAK Sept. 30, K. Rogers @ OAK

From the Rubber
ROTATION SITUATION ... The Metroplex loves Little Ricky Helling, but the bulldog righty is streaky to an extreme. With the excessive pitch counts he's run up the last three years, at 30 Helling is an arm injury waiting to happen. Kenny Rogers is 36 and on the downside of a nice career. Ryan Glynn has shown flashes of promise, but has a workmanlike Brian Moehler-type ceiling. The most exciting Texas starter in 2001 may be 25-year-old Doug Davis, who is developing into a younger, left-handed version of Helling. He’s not a "keeper" but grab him next Spring and you may stumble into 17 wins.

On the Mend
I-ROD AND RUBEN ... The best acquisitions the Rangers could make this off-season would be a healthy Pudge Rodriguez -- still far and away The Best Catcher In The World -- and Ruben Mateo. If you own Pudge and are wondering if you should protect him, you don't understand the game. Mateo is another matter; he has Andruw Jones talent, but looks like he may be one of those players who hops on and off the DL his entire career. And what about Justin Thompson? Forget it -- the Rangers aren't counting on him ever pitching again, and neither should you. He’ll be 28 next year and is 36-43 for his career.