Power rankings

by Adam J. Morris on Jul 4, 2006 12:59 PM CDT in News

CNN/SI's new power rankings are out, with the Rangers coming in at #16.

ESPN drops the Rangers all the way to #17.

And BP's Prospectus Hit List, put together this week by Marc Normandin of SBNation's Beyond the Box Score, has the Rangers at #10 this week.

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The BP blurb sums us up nicely

"there is light at the end of the tunnel; that is, as long as Teixeira gets better before DeRosa gets worse."

But I'm starting to believe in Derosa. He's looking good and he's bene looking good for quite a while now. I've gotten to the point where I have more faith in Dumpmaster keeping it up than I do in Tex returning to form.

And if Eaton can come back and give us another decent starter to go with Padilla and Millwood... there's reason for optimism here.

Got trust factor?

by thedirkatron on Jul 4, 2006 2:33 PM CDT reply actions

Re: DeRosa

Spoiler alert of sorts I guess...I'm going to write a Prospectus Notebook piece that should run this Friday on Mark DeRosa's season so far.

I agree that adding Eaton will certainly make the rotation more formidable. The Rangers look pretty good this year, and for real. Having Teix back to form would make things shape up with a little more confidence in my mind though.

by Marc Normandin @ Lone Star Ball on Jul 5, 2006 5:22 PM CDT up reply actions

Derosa and Mench

Well, I'm at least getting closer to believing that DeRosa can at least avoid being a hole in the batting order. I went back and looked at his number for the past year (from the 2005 All-Star break until now), since he's now been playing with some level of frequency for the equivalent of an entire season now. His numbers for that year are .318/.380/.498, for an OPS of .878. He's not going to keep that up, but I wouldn't have ever thought he could do that for year before now.

At said, it's time to trade Mench. DeRosa is going to start for the rest of this year, and I would rather play Wilkerson in LF and Botts at DH. Plus, as a second year arbitration case this upcoming offseason, if you look at it objectively, I think Mench is a strong candidate for a non-tender. So, trade him now for the best pitcher you can get (or as part of a package for one).

by BurntOrange on Jul 4, 2006 3:58 PM CDT reply actions

Mench

How much do you think he'll command in arbitration?

He's having a mediocre-below average year right now and is only making $2.8 million this year.

I'd be perfectly willing to pay him ~$4 million next year as there really aren't very many good OF options right now for the Rangers.

I'm not as sold that DeRosa can sustain a high level of performance, so maybe that might biasing me towards keeping Mench.

Req

by Requiem on Jul 4, 2006 4:48 PM CDT up reply actions

mench

even as poorly as he's doing lately i'd be perfectly fine with aprx 4mil a year for him. non tendering him would be a big mistake.

Pimps be damned, it's harder out here for a Rangers fan!

by rentz on Jul 4, 2006 4:50 PM CDT up reply actions

Mench in arbitration

I think $4 million is about right, which is much more than I would want to pay for a below-average fielding corner OF with a career EqA of .265.

by BurntOrange on Jul 4, 2006 5:08 PM CDT up reply actions

I guess that's the difference....

between where you stand and where rentz and I stand.

So, who would target as the replacements for Mench since we also have the DH to fill?

Botts? DeRosa? Wilkerson?

Botts, we don't know if he can hit in the majors.

DeRosa, before last year was a MUCH worse hitter than Mench. And might be a worse OF than Mench.

Wilkerson, still has the shoulder concerns and not much better performance than Mench the past two years....

If we had say, Hafner and A Gonzalez still on the team, then, I could see that Mench might not be a person who's we'd want to arb, but as of now, I'm not really confident in the potential solutions to the situation....

Req

by Requiem on Jul 4, 2006 5:37 PM CDT up reply actions

re: Mench

Just to be clear, I don't think DeRosa is a long-term option in the OF.

With regard to replacing Mench, I don't know, but really don't care. I think teams get themselves into trouble by overpaying for average players in non-premium positions, because you can find near-equivalent players for substantially less.

For example, Dellucci will be a free agent, and probably won't get more than $1 million a year for a couple of seasons. His career EqA is exactly the same as Mench's. Or Craig Wilson, who will probably get about $3 million a year, and who is a good bit better player than Mench.

Unless you are looking a really good hitter, I just don't think you spend money on the corners. You spend it on starting pitchers or guys that play in the middle of the field.

by BurntOrange on Jul 4, 2006 7:05 PM CDT up reply actions

I tend to agree

you spend your dollars on stars and pitchers. But it's still tough for me to advocate just straight non-tendering someone like Mench. I have to think someone would be willing to send us a prospect of some consequence for him.

Got trust factor?

by thedirkatron on Jul 4, 2006 9:04 PM CDT up reply actions

I don't disagree

That we can likely get something for Mench, which is why I would trade him now, for something that can help us this year, rather than have to make that decision in the offseason.

However, if it got to Dec. 20 and he was still a Ranger, I think you have to strongly consider non-tendering him if he can't be traded. He just won't be worth what he would get in arbitration.

by BurntOrange on Jul 4, 2006 9:42 PM CDT up reply actions

Re:

I slightly disagree here.

If it's only for a year, it's not that big a deal. It's those expensive multi-year deals to the average players that are the killer, IMO. If it's a one-year deal, it's fine to me.

I believe Dellucci will most likely get more than $1 million a year. I also think that Wilson will get more than $3 million a year (he's getting paid $3.5 million this year). Besides, I don't WANT to lock up these players for more than a year, anyways.

Unless you are looking a really good hitter, I just don't think you spend money on the corners. You spend it on starting pitchers or guys that play in the middle of the field.

I don't know. I'd rather pay for VALUE then specify what positions to pay for. For instance, is overpaying for average starting pitching really better than overpaying for an average corner outfielder? They both suck, IMO.

Req

by Requiem on Jul 6, 2006 2:38 AM CDT up reply actions