Tuesday things

by Brett Perryman on Aug 7, 2007 1:01 PM CDT in News

So last night was one of the most eventful games in a while. I think that most of it was inspired by a rogue home plate ump calling one of the sillier strike zones I've seen. One of my major pet peeves is that people seem to accept that umpires have different and unique strike zones. There is one correct strike zone, and if you are unable to judge it, you shouldn't be umpiring in the major leagues. The notion that if an umpire just calls it the same way for both clubs means that the game will be fair is just wrong to me. It completely changes the nature of that particular game. Just think, if the strike zone is increased one inch in each direction, it drastically changes the total square area in which a pitcher has to work - drastically. And Bill Miller was by no means limited to one inch outside of the strikezone last night.

Evan Grant updates the status of negotiations with Blake Beavan, Julio Borbon and Neil Ramirez. The Rangers are still keeping a positive attitude at this point. Failing to sign any of them would result in at-pick compensation in the 2008 draft, so the Rangers have pretty stable leverage.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia provides Anthony Andro with some of his thoughts upon arriving to DFW for the first time.

And several Rangers are getting mention in Baseball America's late season rankings and awards. Among today's positional top ten rankings, Max Ramirez and Taylor Teagarden were ranked as the seventh and tenth best catching prospects in baseball, German Duran the ninth best 2B prospect, Chris Davis the tenth best 3B prospect (ahead of Johnny Whittleman), Elvis Andrus the sixth best SS, Eric Hurley the tenth best RHP, and Kasey Kiker the eighth best LHP.

Saltalamacchia would have been number one at catcher had he been still in the minors, so that's confirmation of the strength of that position within the organization. Some will be surprised that Ramirez would be ranked ahead of Teagarden, but I think that it's the matter of being an offensively oriented catcher versus defensively oriented.

In BA's league "tools" categories, Johnny Whittleman was regarded as having the best Strike-Zone Judgement in the MWL and Chris Davis was voted the best Power Prospect in the Cal League. Anthony Webster was voted Best Baserunner, German Duran Best Defensive 2B, and Daniel Herrera best Changeup in the TL. No current Rangers were among the top three in any category.

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1st

exploding highfive

by sarnold on Aug 7, 2007 12:53 PM CDT reply actions

the notion

that not signing a draft pick is "no big deal" because you get at-pick compensation is ignorant.

its very ribby pulse of the rangers if they think that way.....with the 17th pick of the 2007 player man draft the Rangers.........pass.

I stand corrected

by rkh on Aug 7, 2007 1:00 PM CDT reply actions

They should have drafted

Ross Verba

Jaime Sharper "The Impressive" from Virginia

by badradiorules on Aug 7, 2007 6:11 PM CDT up reply actions

The question is

who will trade up for their pass.

by Brett Perryman on Aug 7, 2007 6:14 PM CDT up reply actions

I just hope

They don't forget to take a player... because that means that they. are. out of it.

by badradiorules on Aug 7, 2007 7:00 PM CDT up reply actions

people didnt do the first thing not too long ago

did yall just see that video on youtube? that crap is old

by slash on Aug 7, 2007 1:00 PM CDT reply actions

Awful night

for Bill Miller. Consistantly wrong on the inside fastball and not even close on the high curveballs. You can't call breaking balls at the letters for strikes and then call fastballs at the belly button high.

buffering....

by SteveP on Aug 7, 2007 1:01 PM CDT reply actions

Dont get me started on his ass

ill THA

by slash on Aug 7, 2007 1:07 PM CDT reply actions

TRSullivan mailbag

from last night. He had some interesting things to say, such as:

The Rangers will go after a CF this offseason, and Hunter, Jones, Rowand are at the top, followed by Patterson and Cameron.
Byrd is seen as a 4th OF. I like this. He's been a nice pickup, but he should not be viewed as a starter on a playoff team.
Botts and Cruz will get an extended look, but Cruz really needs to produce now.
Sullivan thinks Wilson should get the chance to close for the rest of the season.
a funny response to a question about SI and Arod.

Good stuff. http://tinyurl.com/24ath8

mmmmmm...64 slices of American cheese...

by t ball on Aug 7, 2007 1:11 PM CDT reply actions

Wash: Long Overdue

I was happy to see Washington get in an ump's face, even if it was too late (as in after his starting SS got tossed).

I don't expect the Rangers' manager to be Billy Martin or Lou Pinella when it comes to disagreeing with the umpires, but there's been many times this season when I've wondered why Miss Manners couldn't be bothered to come out of the dugout and defend his players a little.

by patrickindenton @ Lone Star Ball on Aug 7, 2007 1:43 PM CDT reply actions

Kinsler

might be time to find him a new position soon. i didnt know Duran was regarded so highly on defense.

by kumar75150 on Aug 7, 2007 2:40 PM CDT reply actions

Kinsler in the OF

I doubt anyone envisions him in CF.

At a corner spot, I'm disappointed with an ~800 OPS. This Rangers team certainly needs better.

For shits and giggles:

Duran, age 23 (AA Frisco)
104 G, 315/367/555
21 HR
28/57 BB/K

Kinsler, age 23 (AAA OKC)
131 G, 274/348/462
23 HR
53/89 BB/K

Duran clearly stands to suffer the bigger drop in OBP.

But I still remember several months ago reading about Kinsler turning down contract talks, preferring the arb route.

I sort of wonder if the team would see what his trade value is within the next year.

Anyway, just rumor-mongering.

Aaaaand Tommy Hunter is freed.

by hightowersmith on Aug 7, 2007 2:54 PM CDT up reply actions

Its kind of sad

that our strength is apparently good hitting middle infielders rather than good hitting COF/1B.

We can string all the good hitting MIF together, and move them all over the field, but unless they are a freak like ARod, the team as a whole still won't hit well. Simply put, unless they are ARod or Jeff Kemp, the best hitting MIF are fairly mediocre hitters.

Where are the good hitting CoFs/1B/DH on this farm? How come we don't seem to draft pure hitters since Teixeira?

by DJCahill on Aug 7, 2007 2:58 PM CDT up reply actions

Well

Chris Davis is passing the tests this year, skipping a level then getting another promo and hitting great all along the way. His biggest knock is OBP (lessened by his high AVE) but he has an alright track record as K/BB goes.

Might have another thumper in Botts.

Power hitters are really hard to get right, dude. Teixeira and Pronk to Carlos Lee, they're valued higher than starting pitching in most cases. Y'know, they're rare.

Aaaaand Tommy Hunter is freed.

by hightowersmith on Aug 7, 2007 3:11 PM CDT up reply actions

Kinsler

I wouldn't be opposed to moving him as part of a package for a young good starter or a true strong corner outfielder.

But that river of tears has dried for all of us.

by trza on Aug 7, 2007 3:04 PM CDT up reply actions

Remember

...that there are only 8 teams in the Texas League, so being the best defender among those eight might not be high praise.

I'm not familiar with the other second basemen in the league, just saying that this mention might not mean that much.

Saltalamacchia: one player, six vowels.

by tricer on Aug 7, 2007 3:08 PM CDT up reply actions

holy crap

You have the best ever signature of any LSB poster ever.

But that river of tears has dried for all of us.

by trza on Aug 7, 2007 3:23 PM CDT up reply actions

I think you commented...

...on my Joe Ely lyrics as well.

Saltalamacchia: one player, six vowels.

by tricer on Aug 7, 2007 3:34 PM CDT up reply actions

xxx

I feel a match made in heaven. Better move to Austin.

by isaacbrock on Aug 7, 2007 3:52 PM CDT up reply actions

whoa weird

How stalkerish of me.

But that river of tears has dried for all of us.

by trza on Aug 7, 2007 4:08 PM CDT up reply actions

Duran point, counterpoint

On the plus side, perhaps more relevant than the TX league accolades, that two prognosticators have recently placed him among the top 10 2B prospects in all of minor league baseball. I think one ranked him 9th and the other 5th, but I'm too lazy to look it up.

On the downside, 2B is a pretty weak position overall right now. Still, nice to have. Tough to say who will be better down the line, Duran or Kinsler.

mmmmmm...64 slices of American cheese...

by t ball on Aug 7, 2007 4:14 PM CDT up reply actions

One Player; Six Vowels

Did you come up with that yourself Tricer? It's outstanding.

by Brian Hayes on Aug 7, 2007 4:49 PM CDT up reply actions

well, yes I did

And thanks.

My comedic genius comes in fits and spurts - like once every few years.

Saltalamacchia: one player, six vowels.

by tricer on Aug 7, 2007 6:07 PM CDT up reply actions

Kinsler

I am not ready yet to say he can't play 2B. I thought I remembered Adam or Zy blogging about his improved defense lately. I certainly don't think it is time to say he can't play it yet.

Fire Ron Washington

by pblack on Aug 7, 2007 2:56 PM CDT reply actions

Tonight's Bakersfield game

Already Postponed due to "Tragedy"

That's all I can find out for now. Anybody have a clue? I don't like this at all.

Rangers Farm Probables

by shroomer on Aug 7, 2007 3:25 PM CDT reply actions

Bakersfield

All I could find was a comment on the Blaze website that said that there was an auto accident involving seven players on the opposing team (Visalia) last night, and that Visalia requested the postponement. The Oaks website had the same exact message. Hope they're OK.

"Then I met some friends for a beer, went to a BoDeans's concert, and son of a vondruke, if I didn't leave him at the concert hall."

by RCCook on Aug 7, 2007 3:56 PM CDT up reply actions

Man

For me, this had a "bad car wreck" vibe all the way. If there was nobody killed then it coulda been alot worse.

Make-up DH on Aug 26th - btw.

Rangers Farm Probables

by shroomer on Aug 7, 2007 3:58 PM CDT up reply actions

what the hell?

7 guys in 1 car?

I will not get my comeuppance!

by Brian Thomas on Aug 7, 2007 4:04 PM CDT up reply actions

sounds like

Ticket schtick.

Saltalamacchia: one player, six vowels.

by tricer on Aug 7, 2007 4:05 PM CDT up reply actions

Car accident per MiLB.com

7 Visalia Oaks players were in a car accident.

I hear there were no deaths - but not confirmed yet.

Rangers Farm Probables

by shroomer on Aug 7, 2007 3:56 PM CDT up reply actions

AZ Republic blurb on accident ...

Minor leaguers in accident
Nick Piecoro
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 7, 2007 10:51 AM

Seven minor league players on the Diamondbacks' Class A affiliate in Visalia, Calif., were involved in a car accident Monday morning.

Infielder Blake Sharpe's injuries appear to be the most serious, according to Diamondbacks General Manager Josh Byrnes, who said Sharpe is still in a Southern California hospital with a fractured skull.

Left-handed pitcher Brett Anderson suffered a mild concussion and right-hander Cody Evans had his back evaluated but neither was admitted to the hospital.

The others involved in the accident were catcher John Hester, right-hander Hector Ambriz and outfielders Cyle Hankerd and Greg Thomson.

Hankerd was behind the wheel of a Chevy Tahoe and apparently lost control of the vehicle as the players were en route to an amusement park on their off day.

Rangers Farm Probables

by shroomer on Aug 7, 2007 5:05 PM CDT up reply actions

Kinsler

I wish our lineup would imrove to the point that he hits around 7th or 8th.

1 - speedy obp guy (not currently on team)
2 - MY
3 - Botts (hoping OBP carries over from AAA)
4 - Cruz (most power potential)
5 - Salty (should easily develop into a 3-5 guy)
6 - Byrd
7 - Hank
8 - Kinsler
9 - Laird

I stand corrected

by rkh on Aug 7, 2007 3:29 PM CDT reply actions

power lineup

that would be a pretty powerful lineup if they dont get off the same start as this year. I kinda like it. Now pitching is another matter.

yo soy Horsedooty!

by horsedooty on Aug 7, 2007 3:59 PM CDT up reply actions

power lineup?

There's maybe one 30 HR guy in that lineup. Probably 3 at the absolute most.

by badradiorules on Aug 7, 2007 6:20 PM CDT up reply actions

maybe he's

referring to its ability to produce a lot of runs.

Put Mayberry Jr. back at First Base.

by Jukebox Joe on Aug 7, 2007 6:44 PM CDT up reply actions

That lineup

is below average. Optimistically slightly above average.

by badradiorules on Aug 7, 2007 6:59 PM CDT up reply actions

9-Laird

Replace "9-Laird" with something like "Carlos Pena" or "Chris Shelton" and it would look a lot better, IMO.

by Brian Hayes on Aug 7, 2007 4:53 PM CDT up reply actions

Chris Shelton

whats happened to him since his most beastly of starts last year?

didnt he hit like 9 home runs in the first 15 games or so?

Kinsler got my Chris Shelton award for his fist month of the season.

Chris Shelton - is he the real deal or the 1st base equivalent of Mench?

Has there ever been more questions asked about Chris Shelton in a blog entry?

FWIW - I guess if anyone googles Chris Shelton there is a good chance LSB might get a random visitor.

I stand corrected

by rkh on Aug 7, 2007 5:48 PM CDT up reply actions

Chris Shelton...

...will be Jack Cust in 3 years.

Put Mayberry Jr. back at First Base.

by Jukebox Joe on Aug 7, 2007 5:51 PM CDT up reply actions

but but

I thought Jason Botts is the next Jack Cust?

But that river of tears has dried for all of us.

by trza on Aug 7, 2007 5:56 PM CDT up reply actions

career path sure...

...but not body type.

Shelton has the same body type, same upper-cut all or nothing stroke from the right side of the plate that Cust has. Factor that into career path and Shelton makes for a better match with Cust.

Put Mayberry Jr. back at First Base.

by Jukebox Joe on Aug 7, 2007 5:59 PM CDT up reply actions

Salty at 5, Hank at 7

I think that everyone that expects Salty to be a better hitter than Blalock next year is setting themselves up for a disappointment.

minor league careers:

hank .324/.392/.488
salty .273/.369/.453

Saltalamacchia: one player, six vowels.

by tricer on Aug 7, 2007 6:17 PM CDT up reply actions

Now wait a minute

The list of players who have lower numbers than Blalock in the minors is pretty long. It's a bit of a stretch to say that just because Saltalamacchia didn't have Hank's blazing success down there he's not going to hit well. Without checking, I suspect that Saltalamacchia also has less severe splits.

mmmmmm...64 slices of American cheese...

by t ball on Aug 8, 2007 10:26 AM CDT up reply actions

As suggested...

...I'm waiting just a minute. ;)

Okay, what I'm trying to say is that Salty shouldn't really be expected to step in and be one of the Rangers best hitters next year. Of course he could do exactly that, and even if he struggles initially, he could still have a great career.

I just think it is wise to tone down the expectations a bit, we need to remember that this guy was hitting .230 in AA last year. To assume that he needs to hit in the middle of the order while Hank gets bumped down to the 7 hole is a bit presumptuous IMO.

Saltalamacchia: one player, six vowels.

by tricer on Aug 8, 2007 10:52 AM CDT up reply actions

I didn't read very carefully,

next year

I missed the implication of that, as opposed to, in the long run.

mmmmmm...64 slices of American cheese...

by t ball on Aug 8, 2007 1:50 PM CDT up reply actions

also...

"I hope the Rangers lineup developes to a point where......", thus indicating "in the future"

at this point you are correct

FWIW....Hank is my favorite Ranger.

I stand corrected

by rkh on Aug 9, 2007 11:44 AM CDT up reply actions

Isn't there some site...

...that compares runs scored and stuff like that when different umps are calling the game? That said, I don't mind that umps have their own individual strikezones (within reason). It's just part of the game...always has been and always will be. One thing's for sure, within a particular game it needs to be consistent for both teams. These guys are human, but they're also supposed to be the best at what they do.

It was also interesting to read that mini-interview from Saltalamacchia. He seemed to go out of his way to say how great the rest of the team was to him.

You're just a very misguided individual, Dustin. -- Sharky

by Dustin on Aug 7, 2007 4:57 PM CDT reply actions

umpire stats

many baseball gambling sites have umpires stats and BaseballProspectus has them going back several years... There is a pretty big gap between the umpires that call the most strikes and the umpires that call the fewest and a number of them consistently show up at one end of the spectrum or the other.

I put together a summary of the last couple of years which can be downloaded here:
http://www.baseballguys.com/images/TheUmpireStrikesBack.pdf

by Brandon Wilson on Aug 7, 2007 5:36 PM CDT up reply actions

good stuff there

On an umpire-related note, the MLB umpires union is refusing to cooperate with a request for background checks from the commisioner's office. This comes in the wake of the Donaghy scandal in the NBA.

by Randy Richardson on Aug 7, 2007 5:48 PM CDT up reply actions

I guess my question is

...why does it need to be part of the game? Are these guys so bad that they can't come within several inches of the same strike zone? No.

If there were subtle but consistent differences that weren't really noticed unless you carefully charted things, that might be fine. But we've been through this before. I will never forget Game 5 of the 1997 NLCS and what a joke Eric Gregg made of the game of baseball that day. And nights like last night remind me of that day.

The other thing that last night reminded me of is the NBA, where the rules in the rulebook really have nothing to do with how games are officiated. And I'll never be in favor of MLB becoming more like the NBA in that regard.

by Brett Perryman on Aug 7, 2007 6:04 PM CDT up reply actions

Strike Zone

I agree completely with Zywica. The baseball rule book is specific about the strike zone and no umpire should be able to have his own. I really think some of these guys can not see the ball too well. Trying to determine the exact location of a baseball coming toward you at 95 mph and moving laterally at the same time is not easy. Does anyone know if major league baseball has ever let an ump go due to poor on-field performance? It seems that once they get to the big leagues they stay regardless.

by Jea103 on Aug 7, 2007 7:11 PM CDT up reply actions

Umps

I thought I read one time that umpires have contracts for life once they get there, but I may be wrong. I have never heard of an umpire being fired. The thing I loved the most was when Richie Garcia and a handful of other umps resigned about seven or eight years ago to protest something and then sued baseball to try and force them to give them their jobs back.

by uthornfan on Aug 7, 2007 10:47 PM CDT up reply actions

excellent point

i guess it'd be like a football ref arbitrarily (sp?) deciding that, for the entire game, each team would get 3 downs instead of 4. Yeah...the teams would have the same parameters (so it would be "fair" in a sense), but they're practicing all week under the premise that they will have 4 chances to get a first down. And the next game, that ref gives them 5 downs.

I like hamburgers.

by Bob Loblaw on Aug 8, 2007 3:05 AM CDT up reply actions