Kevin Sherrington

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By Ron Washington's concession, this is the best Rangers team he's taken into a season.

Better starters. Better bullpen.

Better defense. Better bench.

Of course, "better" doesn't necessarily mean "good." No matter what anyone tells you, the team to be unveiled Monday was not built to contend. Not this year, anyway. No offense, but if it were, the new guy in the rotation wouldn't be Kris Benson.

Not that there's anything wrong with what Jon Daniels has assembled at this point. For the Rangers to at long last become contenders, they need more than one new starter. They need a proven bullpen. They need to find out if the catcher is Jarrod Saltalamacchia or Taylor Teagarden. Michael Young needs to get used to his new neighborhood. The kid at shortstop needs to grow up a little. And the players in general need to learn why God gave them gloves.

All these needs take time.

Washington has a month.

Prediction: If the Rangers get off to a start like Washington's first two Aprils, it's going to be a long year for everyone except the manager.

In his managerial debut two years ago, Washington's club went 10-15 in April and followed that flop with a 9-20 May. Last year, with a dubious new president looming over him and a 10-18 record at the end of April, the only thing that saved the manager was his birthday. Hicks couldn't bring himself to fire Washington on his 56th. When the team celebrated by ripping off a few good wins, no one wanted the party to end.

But from all I've gathered over the last year, including the last week in Surprise, it was only a temporary reprieve. Washington's job security is month to month, and April hasn't been kind.

Would the manager be surprised if April turned up bad again?

"Totally shocked," Washington said.

Here are some of the reasons he remains optimistic, in no particular order:

Even if Young still needs time to get used to third, he's a considerable upgrade over the line of succession that preceded him.

Elvis Andrus showed signs he can make most of the routine plays at shortstop and a few extra.

Benson, while no Ben Sheets, provides grit for the middle of the rotation. He won't nibble, anyway, which should help your blood pressure.

Benson's presence also elbows Brandon McCarthy and Matt Harrison to the back of the line, where they'll face like opponents. Their tender egos should also benefit from the beating their teammates administer to the back end of opposing rotations.

And, other than Andruw Jones, the bullpen made the biggest leap of spring. Scott Feldman and Jason Jennings filled huge holes in long relief.

Washington feels so encouraged about the improvements that, when told it was a club that would win 80 games, he said it would do better.

If the factors listed above mean anything, Washington makes a good point.

Take away the previous Aprils – when the manager said his charges pressed too hard – and Washington's record is four games under .500, which isn't bad, considering the material he's worked with.

But when the new boss didn't hire you – and Nolan Ryan is the boss, make no mistake – explanations don't matter much.

Either you're the man he wants for the job or you aren't. If April turns up bad again, particularly with the Angels' rotation in a state of disarray, Ryan could have just the excuse he needs. He could turn it over to the new bench coach, Jackie Moore, for the rest of the season or bring in his own man.

Kind of like how he brought in Moore and Mike Maddux, the new pitching coach.

The manager can still save his job. All it will take is one good month, and then another, and so on. Pick up the pace on the contending calendar, in other words. Godspeed on all that, Ron.