COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- The 2013 Texas Rangers Winter Caravan came to Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park on the Texas A&M Campus on Tuesday. Pitchers Derek Holland and Josh Lindblom along with infielder Brandon Snyder and TV Broadcaster Steve Busby were on hand to look ahead to the upcoming season.
The Rangers will open the 2013 season March 31 against new American League West Division rival Houston at Minute Maid Park. The game will be televised on ESPN beginning at 7:05.
BRYAN/COLLEGE STATION CARAVAN PARTICIPANTS
DEREK HOLLAND (LHP)—Returns to the Rangers starting rotation in 2013 after winning 28 games the last 2 seasons…ranked 2nd on the staff win strikeouts (145) and was 3rd in wins (12), starts (27), and innings (175.1) in 2012 despite missing a month with left shoulder fatigue…was 5-0 in his last 10 starts of the year…posted a 16-5 record and tied for the A.L. lead with 4 shutouts in 2011…was 2-0 in 4 starts in the postseason that season, including a Game 4 World Series victory over St. Louis in which he pitched 8.1 scoreless innings…has gone 39-29 since 1st coming to the majors with Texas in 2009…is on the United States’ provisional roster for the 2013 World Baseball Classic…was a 25th round pick in the 2006 1st Year Player Draft.
JOSH LINDBLOM (RHP)—Joins the Texas bullpen in 2013 after being acquired from Philadelphia in the Michael Young trade on December 9, 2012…went 3-5 with a 3.55 ERA and one save in 74 relief appearances with the Dodgers and Phillies in 2012, his 1st full major league season…tied for 13th in the National League in appearances and holds (22) while holding opponents to a .232 (61-263) batting average, .209 (31-148) against right-handed batters…was 2-2, 3.02 in 48 games with the Dodgers and 1-4, 4.63 in 26 outings after trade to the Phillies on July 31… is 4-5, 3.31 in 101 career big league games, fanning 98 in 100.2 innings…was selected by the Dodgers in the 2nd round of the 2008 1st Year Player Draft.
BRANDON SNYDER (INF)—Is in his 2nd year with the Texas organization after being re-signed to a minor league contract in December…will be in major league spring training camp…spent 5 of the season’s 6 months with the Rangers in 2012, batting .277 with 3 homers and 9 RBI in 40 games…made starts at 1B, 3B, LF, RF, and DH and also made ML debut at catcher…was 3-for-5 with a homer and 6 RBI on May 7 at BAL…was optioned to Round Rock on August 2 but returned to the Rangers on September 1…was originally acquired from Baltimore in January 2012 after seeing brief action with the Orioles in 2010 and 2011.
STEVE BUSBY—Begins his 2nd season as the Rangers play-by-play announcer for all television games on Fox Sports Southwest and TXA21…moved to that role in June 2012 after joining the Rangers radio broadcast team in 2011…has been a part of Rangers radio and television coverage for over 25 years….originally joined the Rangers broadcast team in 1982 and spent 10 seasons calling Rangers games on KTVT-TV…right-hander had a 70-54 record and 3.72 ERA in 167 games over 8 major league seasons with the Kansas City Royals…is the only pitcher to toss a no-hitter in each of his 1st 2 big league seasons in 1973 at Detroit and 1974 at Milwaukee…posted 22 wins in 1974 and 18 victories in 1975 and was an A.L. All-Star both seasons.
