ARLINGTON, Tex. - A decade ago, the Texas Rangers were riding a string of seven consecutive 90-win seasons, and seven consecutive playoff appearances. But in the last ten years, the team has struggled just to play .500 ball. An active offseason and some pleasant spring surprises are bringing hope that 2035 may start a fresh string of playoff baseball in Arlington.

The offense has been upgraded with new catcher Eric Woods, a .300 hitter the last few seasons. It leaves Rafael Martinez as the backup, a role he is certain to not like, so look for the Rangers to deal him early in the season. At first base, a much improved Ray McKenzie is sure to get most of the playing time after a great spring. Second and third base remain the same with Bruno Robinson and Kevin Kouzmanoff expected to be in the leadoff and number two spots in the batting order. Shortstop continues to be an annual weakness with the Rangers, but they are giving 31-year-old Teddy Frank another shot at the Major League level. While slightly weak offensively, he makes up for it with stellar defense. Frank also brings a much needed right-handed bat to the starting lineup.

The Rangers are fortunate enough to have a number of quality outfielders to choose from. Angel Pagan will make his return in right field after a great 2034 season. While the bat is starting to slow down at age 38, look for Pagan to still draw over 100 walks this year. Left and center field feature two youngsters, Ramon Carmona and Diego Rodriguez. Carmona hit near .300 last season, striking out less than 1 out of every 30 plate appearances. And Rodriguez appears to be healthy again after missing much of last season.

The biggest surprise to Ranger fans was the signing of Adam Lind, a career .323 hitter, expected to be the every day designated hitter.

The starting rotation has two fresh faces: Wilbur Adams who had a spectacular spring, and Jeff Niemann, signed as a free agent over the winter. The Rangers also feature great bullpen depth including newcomers Tomas Garza, acquired from the Expos, left hander Dave Rodgers, and Dave Burton, acquired during the offseason.

Overall, management and the fans seem pleased with the changes. A few weak spots still exist, primarily in the starting rotation and at shortstop. But if the Rangers can stay healthy and perform as expected, there is great hope they will make a run at a playoff spot in 2035.

Special Announcement - Opening Day sim rescheduled for Monday: To allow CDL owners some time to get used to the changes in OOTP 10 and set up rosters we have rescheduled opening day to Monday, June 29th. That gives everyone three extra days to get exports in and allows us a bit of assistance time in case any owners need it.

*2035 Rookie Draft Starts Now* As we have done the last 7 seasons, we are using Getch’s online league Draft Utility and the link to the “Draft Utility” is on the upper left side of the http://cooperstowndiamondlegends.com front page. Draft Rule Reminders: As in previous seasons, the 24 hour clock is running when your pick comes up, and we’ll auto-draft for your team if no selection has been made in 24 hours. Also, if the 24 hour clock runs out on your team your remaining picks with be auto’ed unless you have a list. That means everyone only gets one chance to burn through the 24 hour clock. For instructions on how to use the utility see the CDL Draft Utility FAQ in the forum - here is the direct link: http://atthefrontsystems.com/cdlforum/viewtopic.php?t=2909 . If you have questions about this please don’t hesitate to let us know at commish@cooperstowndiamondlegends.com.

Summary of Changes for OOTP 10 and new CDL stuff for 2035
- New pitching rating logic: Pitcher “stuff” rating is now based on pitcher role (SP or reliever) and the number and qualities of his pitches. The game will recommend whether a pitcher should start or relieve, but we can always decide on our own who should start and relieve.
- Change in player development logic: Short term injuries should have no longer have the same chance of dev hits as long term injuries.
- New arbitration strategy: The end of season arbitration process will now allow you to submit arbitration offers, and the game will decide between your offer or the player request.
- Rating scale change: The rating scale has changed from 1-100 to 1-10.
- Finance rule changes: The key points being an increased max cash and using the game to determine available contract money. Also the old rules banning bonus contracts and contract length have been removed. Check the rules page or ask us if you have questions about this.