When Rangers third baseman Hank Blalock went on the disabled list back on April 29th, not much was going right in Arlington. The Rangers were 9-18 in last place of the AL West, there were rumors beginning to swirl that manager Ron Washington was on the verge of losing his job, and Blalock's injury was just another indicator that it was going to be a long season for the Rangers.Then the Rangers won 13 of their next 18 games without Blalock to improve to 22-23, and are now only 3.5 games out of first place. Having a front row seat for those games, Hank saw first hand the improved play and chemistry his team was showing, and he doesn't want to mess it up. That's why when he returns from the DL, he'll be playing first base.
The two-time All-Star third baseman figured the best way to help a lineup that has clicked in his absence was to switch to first base, where production has been a problem for the Rangers since Mark Teixeira's departure last July. So Blalock made the suggestion to Ron Washington on Friday, and general manager Jon Daniels agreed it was a good idea.
"I'm not doing anything to benefit myself here," Blalock said. "It's a new position for me, so I'm not sure how I'll do over there. Just watching the guys and how well we were playing, it crossed my mind."
In all likelihood, this is a move that should work out for the Rangers. The production the team has gotten from it's first baseman this season, after trading Mark Teixeira last year, has been pretty non-existent. Meanwhile, Ramon Vazquez and German Duran have done a pretty good job filling in for Blalock at third.
There's some question as to how Blalock will adjust to first base after never playing there in his career, but if you can play third base in the Majors, I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to play first. A week or so down in extended spring training should be enough for Hank to feel somewhat comfortable.
I don't think he's going to be a gold glover like Teixeira was, but he'll be good enough.
