The Texas Rangers announced their seasonal awards and named Michael Young(notes) the 2011 Player of the Year and C.J. Wilson(notes) the Pitcher of the Year. Both are deserving choices but also remain interesting because of behind-the-scenes drama.

Starting with C.J. Wilson, no one deserved the award more than him in 2011. The entire pitching rotation was great this year, finishing with one of the lowest ERA totals in decades. However, Wilson tied for the lead in wins (16, shared with Derek Holland(notes)), had the lowest ERA of the starters (2.94) and the most strikeouts (206).

Of course, this brings up the sore subject with Rangers’ fans that Wilson is on his way out of the organization. Wilson is a homegrown talent, brought up through the minors before earning the job as the Texas closer. He then moved into the starting rotation before finally earning his role as the Rangers’ ace pitcher. Now, he is on his way out to a big free agent money deal.

It makes me wonder if this is the same future we will see for Neftali Feliz(notes).

Michael Young was an even bigger deal. When the season started, Texas did everything in their power to make Young feel like he was no longer wanted. They brought in Adrian Beltre(notes), moving Young to the DH position, the umpteenth time they changed his position over his career. Then they signed Mike Napoli(notes) to share the DH role with Young, making it look like Young no longer had a place on the team.

Michael Young asked to be traded, Texas refused when they found no suitable teams to work with, and it looked like the relationship was strained beyond repair.

However, Michael Young responded with a career-high .338 batting average, with 213 hits, 11 homers and 106 RBIs. He made his seventh trip to the All-Star game as well. The Rangers responded by giving him the Player of the Year honor for the fifth time, tying Juan Gonzalez’s team record.

While I love what Mike Napoli did for the team this year and believe Derek Holland is the new face of this pitching staff, both of these players deserve these honors.

The awards will be handed out at the Dr. Pepper Awards Show in the Arlington Convention Center on January 12, 2012.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has been a Texas Rangers fan his entire life, watching the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate play for over 30 years. While Texas has moved their Triple-A team, Shawn still remains a loyal Rangers fan and dreams of the year they finally win the big one.

Source: MLB.COM

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With the American League Cy Young award set to be announced today, the Texas Rangers will once again not have a pitcher on their staff as the winner. The Rangers have been in Arlington since 1972, yet have never had a single Cy Young award winner. The closest to winning the award was Ferguson Jenkins in 1974.

In 2011, the Rangers top pitcher was C.J. Wilson. Wilson went 16-7 with a 2.94 ERA and 206 strikeouts. Wilson did a phenomenal job in 2011 as he took over the role as ace of the Rangers’ staff and set himself up for a big payday heading into 2012. It is still unclear how aggressive the Rangers will be at re-signing Wilson or if they will be content in allowing him to move on to another team. While Wilson had a great year on the mound, it was still nothing like the season that Justin Verlander, Jered Weaver or C.C. Sabathia had in 2011. Wilson just adds to the list of Rangers pitchers who were able to turn in solid seasons, but were far from being the top arm in the league.

In 1974 when Jenkins finished second, he went 25-12 and was the runner up to Catfish Hunter who had the same exact record for the Oakland Athletics. Hunter had a slightly lower ERA at 2.49 to the 2.82 that Jenkins posted and that same year the A’s went on to win the World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jenkins had more strikeouts with 225 to Hunter’s 143. Ironically that same year Nolan Ryan finished third in the voting and trailed Hunter and Jenkins with a 22-16 record and a 2.89 ERA for the California Angels, yet he had 367 strikeouts. While Jenkins did not win the Cy Young that year, he did finish one spot higher than Hunter in the AL MVP voting. This year Justin Verlander will win the Cy Young today and has a decent chance of taking home the MVP a week from now.

Jenkins was the runner up in ’74 and no Rangers pitcher has even finished third in the voting since that season. Now the Rangers play in Rangers Ballpark in Arlington and the stadium will not play any pitcher the favor of helping him pick up the award. “The Ballpark” is a factor, but ultimately the Rangers will have a true ace that the stadium or even the Texas heat will not prevent from having that magical season and taking home the first Cy Young in Rangers’ history.

John Bowman is a lifelong baseball and Texas Rangers fan that loves to ponder the deeper aspects of the game. Some of his first baseball memories involve Arlington Stadium nachos, Charlie Hough’s knuckeball, dirt on Pete Incaviglia’s uniform and the voices of Mark Holtz and Eric Nadel as he fell asleep. Follow him on Twitter @TexasWinColumn.

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Texas Rangers starting pitcher Derek Holland throws during Game 4 of the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday in Arlington, Texas. The Associated Press

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Texas Rangers’ Nelson Cruz watches the grand slam home run off of the Detroit Tigers’ Ryan Perry that won Game 2 of baseball’s American League championship series 7-3, Monday, Oct. 10, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. The Tigers’ Alex Avila and Rangers’ David Murphy look on. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) / AP

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Yorvit Torrealba #8 of the Texas Rangers misses the tag on Lonnie Chisenhall #27 of the Cleveland Indians at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on August 6, 2011. (Rick Yeatts/Getty Images)

ARLINGTON—At the start of the game Saturday night at The Ball Park in Arlington, the temperature was a record 106 degrees, as the Cleveland Indians and the Texas Rangers sweltered through nine innings of play.

For six scoreless innings the two teams battled in the excessive heat before a crowd of over 38,000 as Cleveland pitcher Fausto Carmona and Ranger nemesis C.J. Wilson dueled to a draw.

The Indians drew first blood in the top of the seventh. A single sent Kosuke Fukudome to first, then a double to deep right field by Shelly Duncan scored Fukudome. A ground out by Lonnie Chisenhall sent Ezequiel Carrera, running for Duncan, to third. Lou Marson walked.

 Carrera scored and Mason took second on Rangers reliever Darren Oliver’s balk. Mason scored as Michael Brantley reached first on Ranger third baseman Michael Young’s throwing error.

In the seventh the Rangers would pick up four runs on singles by Mitch Moreland and Yorvit Torrealba. David Murphy had an on-base error. A shallow single by Ian Kinsler scored Torrealba and Murphy. The Rangers led 4–3 at the end of seven.

In the ninth inning the Indians sealed the Rangers’ fate. A double by Fukudome and a single by Lonnie Chisenhall started the rally. A Michael Brantley RBI double and a homer by Jason Kipnis were the stakes through the Rangers’ heart.

Elvis Andrus singled in the only Ranger run in the ninth. Two runners were left stranded. Two were also left to die on the bags in the first and second innings.

Adrian Beltre, the Ranger’s All-Star third baseman, aggravated a strained left hamstring Saturday during the pre game warm up. He will be out for several days.

The Rangers need a quality closer desperately, and the mid-reliever position is sorely lacking.

Durhl Caussey is a Dallas-based writer covering sports cars, and life in general.

The Texas Rangers will raise the height of the rails at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, the team said Tuesday, after a 39-year-old fan fell to his death while trying to catch a ball.

“Even though all current rail heights in Rangers Ballpark in Arlington currently exceed code, the Rangers intend to raise the height of all rails in front of seating areas to the highest standard in the United States at this time,” the team said in a statement.

As the rails are being refitted, the Rangers said they would take “interim” steps, such as posting new signs that will remind fans not to lean, sit on or stand against the rails. The team will also issue a warning prior to the start of each game via its public address system, the Rangers said.

The news comes in the wake of the death of Shannon Stone, a veteran firefighter and Rangers fan whose death prompted a national outpouring of condolences.

In the second inning of the ill-fated game on July 7, star outfielder Josh Hamilton tossed a souvenir ball into the stands after a batter hit a foul ball. Stone stuck out his glove and reached for the ball, but lost his balance and flipped over the railing of the outfield seats. He fell about 20 feet and crashed head-first into an area near a scoreboard, suffering fatal injuries.

Stone is survived by his wife, Jenny, and his young son, Cooper, who witnessed the tragic accident.

Another man fell at the stadium last year but survived. On July 6, 2010, a fan fell while trying to catch a foul ball. The man, Tyler Morris, survived the 30-foot drop but fractured his skull and injured his foot and ankle.

“The safety of our fans is our top priority,” Rangers CEO and President Nolan Ryan said in the statement. “The initiatives we are announcing today for Rangers Ballpark in Arlington will help to ensure that we meet that priority.”