MJH interviews Adair
by rooster on Oct 5, 2008 10:01 AM CDT
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Adair on Main:
He's throwing an extremely high percentage of major league-quality pitches right now. Michael just has the ability to take in coaching, information and come up with ideas. His makeup is tremendous. Mentally he's easily the most polished guy out of high school I've ever been around.I have to think the thought that went through MJHs mind at that point was "even more polished mentally than Danks?"
Adair on Wingding:
He's 17 and went through a lot over the past year or so. Think about where you or I were at that age, from the United States. We didn't have to deal with the sudden loss of family, turning professional, the expectations. It's not an easy transition for all of these kids. Wilmer's maturing and will continue to mature. He's got a lot of talent, but we've probably got four or five guys with more pure talent than Wilmer at this point.Adair on Holland:
But everything we did with Derek worked and that's really a credit to him. He's got tremendous baseball intelligence. He understood from the very beginning what he was doing. You'd ask him a question and he'd give you a good answer. He understands pitching and his own body extremely well. He's very consistent not only in his approach to pitching and his preparation, but in his delivery. Every pitch, every game, in every situation, he looks the same. He worked extremely hard. He's extremely competitive..... Every now and then, somebody just comes along.... [long pause] Actually, I've never seen somebody improve so much, so fast in my time coaching.What I take away from this interview is corroboration of what Parks and Newberg have seen this off season and reported about the level of pitching talent on the farm.
I feel very safe saying that Main is very likely to grow into one of the elite pitching prospects by the end of next season as Feliz and Holland did this year, though my prediction that he would slip ahead of Feliz by the end of this year doesn't seem likely even next year, due to Feliz's 'got it' year. Hopefully Main will get in 100-120 IP so that in 2010 he can taste the majors for a significant period. No sense wasting those "major league quality pitches" on the farm.
It seems almost equally safe to say that Feliz likely will be THE elite pitching prospect in the minors by the end of next year. Apparently, he needs to refine his arm angle on his curve ball to jump up to another level of dominance.
Holland seems poised to be in the mix for a call up next year. He seems to be on such a roll and polished enough in other areas (like holding runners) that it isn't inconceivable to think he could be on the fringe of the ML roster by the end of spring training.
The interview also addresses Kiker, Castillo, Reineir Bermuda, Joseph Ortiz, Beavan, NeRa, Perez, Boscan, Poveda, Hurley (the MLer not the recent draft pick), Brigham, KG, Hyatt, and Nolan Ryan. Not much missing. Miggy, Harrison, and Hunter are the only other intriguing stories this year that I can think of and that weren't mentioned.
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As much of an adrenalin rush as it is to read about the pitching on the farm,
I keep thinking, “What if the Rangers had gotten Inoa”. That thought cracks my noggin’.
Go Rangers!
Adair's comments on Perez
Perfectly said. I discuss Perez in part 2 of my FIL report and I basically echo what Adair had to say. Martin Perez is a really, really smart kid. It’s hard to believe he is only 17.
From Part 2:
“I had the privilege of conducting a lengthy interview with Perez, and I can honestly say that it was one of my favorite ones ever. Perez is extremely confident in his ability, but like Michael Main, he doesn’t feel the need to wear it like a badge on his sleeve, or as a chip on his shoulder. He is also one of the smartest players I have ever talked to. The cool thing is, his knowledge isn’t limited to the diamond. Perez can speak intelligently about anything you throw at him. I really can’t say enough about this kid. I have a feeling that he could be the #1 prospect in our system at this point next season. No joke.”
Also
Exceptional work on Hindman’s part to interview someone like Adair. We are very lucky as Rangers fans to have a guy like Mike giving us detailed reports on the kids on the farm. He’s the best in the business.
I took a jab at MJH a bit on Danks, but I really do appreciate and respect what he does.
Also, Main, not Perez, will be the #1 prospect even though Feliz is ahead of both of them at this point. :)
Go Rangers!
Yes
I do. I think they both graduate and that Main and Perez will fight to the death to see who is our top pitching prospect.
Perez wins in a fair fight
but let us not forget that Main knows how to use a bat.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Evan Grant
seemed to suggest in his last Q&A column that Holland was a candidate for the rotation out of spring training.
"We live, we die, and the wheels on the bus go round and round." - Tony Romo
Nah
They won’t do that (I hope) but it would not surprise me to see him up about the same time Chris Davis graduated this year.
In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, love.
if we go into next year
holding onto all of our catchers, and failing to sign any pitchers that would upgrade our rotation, I’d love to give Holland a shot. He doesn’t seem like the type to be fazed by a few rough outings starting out his ML career…and hell, he doesn’t seem like the type that will struggle all that much. But if the following are still our options next year – Millwood, Padilla, McCarthy, Harrison, Feldman, Hurley, Hunter – I guess there’s no need to rush him, either. Personally, I’d like to see one of Millwood and Padilla traded as well as Laird and a quality young arm from another organization – Greinke, Bailey, Buchholz – inserted immediately, with Hunter a 2009 bullpen arm, Hurley in the rotation and if McCarthy is healthy, Feldman as the long man in the pen.
"Calmer than you are... "
by Walter Sobchak on Oct 6, 2008 1:27 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm holding my breath a bit on Holland
waiting to see if he comes out next spring with an electric FB. If it’s still there I’ll be excited. But just like it came and nobody quite knows why, it could disappear the same way. There is plenty of precedent for it.
by Brett Perryman on Oct 6, 2008 1:45 PM CDT up reply actions
"nobody quite knows why"
His weightlifting routine between starts consisted of squats, lunges and other heavy leg lifts, and Holland had timed runs where he had to sprint to one foul pole and back in 80 seconds.
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“I was just pushing myself to the limit,” Holland said. “I put in a lot of hard work. My workouts were really tough and the fastball started going with it.
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"All this showed me the hard work paid off. It was like a motivational thing, too.”
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It also pushed Holland to up the ante throughout the year. He went 7-0 with a 2.40 ERA with Clinton and was named to the Midwest League All-Star game in mid-June.
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By then, he noticed the workouts becoming easier and his fastball was darting even more.
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“I felt like I was getting bigger and everything was getting stronger,” Holland said. “Right around the All-Star break, my velocity really started going up.”
We know what he did and we know the result
but those actions usually don’t lead to that result.
by Brett Perryman on Oct 6, 2008 2:04 PM CDT up reply actions
Oh, never heard all that.
Good stuff, fer sure.
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
I hope they don't graduate
No offense but if Feliz and Holland both get over 50 innings in the majors next year something will have gone horribly wrong. I would be perfectly fine seeing them in September get a start or two but to get 50 innings each you are looking at roughly 9 starts a piece. As good as both are and have been this year to both get 9 starts a piece would mean that either the young pitchers we already have will not have matured like we thought they would have or we are struck by the injury bug again.
Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
Not necessarily
With the ten or so guys that they have stacked up in front of them, it’s very possible that the way one or both of them get over 50 innings is if they just bust down the door.
by Brett Perryman on Oct 7, 2008 10:44 AM CDT up reply actions
thanks rooster
Let’s just say this: I get the very distinct impression that it’s all about Main right now and that he’ll be in Arlington a lot sooner than anyone might have imagined. If I revised my top-20, I might have to make him #1 right now based on what I heard yesterday.
The Main combination
Jamey’s jab to the nose followed by the 1-2 punch that you and Jason laid on us yesterday has my imagination going wild regarding Main, Counselor Hindman. Would you care to speculate on whether Main will see AA next year? AAA? MLB?
In addition, I would love to know what Adair’s BITA list would be. Would you care to speculate on his Top5 BITA Ranger prospects? Top 10?
Thanks for the great work that you do, Mike. I am sure that it is a pain to be a lightning rod for the naysayers who seem to congregate at the DMN site, but trust me when I say that the silent majority appreciate your work far more than the vocal minority dislike it.
innings
I’d guess that might be the thing that keeps him down as much as anything else right now. Still, he could be next year’s Tommy Hunter, rocketing up through the system and getting a cup of coffee, from the sound of Adair’s comments and the comments of you, Jamey, and Jason.
In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, love.
That was my thought too.
His innings this year are about where Feliz’s and Holland’s were last year. It will be enough of a struggle for Main just to make that jump to 120 innings.
Also, where do you put him in the Frisco rotation? They already have Feliz, Holland, Kiker, Poveda, maybe Zach, Reed.
It makes a lot of sense to start Main at Bakersfield and if he dominates bump him up later as the top levels deal with injuries and promotions.
Go Rangers!
Rangers fans are incredibly fortunate
During the first thirty years of my Rangers fandom, I would typically be excited about the team during the first 2-3 months of the season, lose interest in July or August when it became obvious that the team would not make the playoffs, and essentially ignore them during football and basketball season.
The direct access to prospects that you, Mike, Jamey, Jason Cole, and a few others provide makes the Rangers fan thing so much more enjoyable not only during the season but during the off-season as well. Many thanks to all of you gentleman who provide insights into what is going on with the future Rangers!
Agreed wholeheartedly.
I don’t know if I could still be a Ranger’s fan if I hadn’t gotten into the Newberg Report back in ought-two. It would be really hard to sustain interest when more than a decade has passed since the Ranger’s last playoff appearance and when the owner keeps saying idiotic things. I like Mike Young and Hank Blalock and all but it’s been a grind and getting engaged with the farm system has taken an edge off of that.
Go Rangers!
agreed.
Josh Hamilton pumped some much-needed life into this organization, and Kinsler is such a great story and fun to watch, but without improved pitching and the constant beatdown we get from # 1 in our division each year (at least we did finish 2nd…) I wouldn’t be too proud about being a Rangers fan if we didn’t have such a rise in talent on the farm and such great access to information regarding these up-and-comers
"Calmer than you are... "
by Walter Sobchak on Oct 6, 2008 1:31 PM CDT up reply actions
Adair's comments on Ryan
I get the feeling that Adair is not at all concerned with Ryan being more involved, welcoming the input. I got to thinking about this from a teacher’s perspective. Every teacher wants their students to succeed. It has to tear up a guy like Adair to see former students get to the majors and falter, whether because they fail to adjust or have their mechanics tinkered with, etc. If Ryan can help the team overcome that last step in any small way, it would probably thrill Adair to bits.
In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, love.
Thanks a lot guys
Not to pile on, but it’s really nice to have access to the information you’re getting your hands on. I wish a few more people were willing to let themselves get a little excited about what’s brewing.
It'd be easier to get excited about our pitching
if the consistent thing you didn’t hear about the success story ex-Ranger Pitchers was how they changed their pitching to get success on their new teams. Arm Slots with Volquez, new pitches with Danks, etc. There is an impression that at the highest levels, and at the major league levels, we got guys who have guys who have no idea what to do with pitchers, and thats why we keep seeing youngsters with 5.5+ ERAs come up. You almost get the feeling our pitching coaches are costing our pitchers 1 run of ERA, and our defense is costing them another half run.
"Oh well, McCain is pretty communist anyway,... we can be 70% communist with McCain,"-Sharky
Agreed but
They won’t have the same guys coaching them moving forward as those who did before, and they won’t, for better or wose, have the same program moving forward. So I don’t really know how much bearing specific mistakes in coaching have on the future.
by Brett Perryman on Oct 5, 2008 4:18 PM CDT up reply actions
Can't you say the same thing for the last 20 years?
"Over the last 15 months, we’ve traveled to every corner of the United States. I’ve now been in 57 states" - Barack Obama
by LSBUser on Oct 5, 2008 4:47 PM CDT up reply actions
I’m not sure what to say in response to that. It’s exactly what I was referring to in my initial comment. I can’t guarantee that all of the talent that they have will lead to a top pitching staff, and I am not trying to deny anything about their struggles in the past. If you just want to be depressed in spite of good things that are happening, I can’t stop you.
by Brett Perryman on Oct 5, 2008 5:29 PM CDT up reply actions
Good point
And if you want to keep thinking that something has or will change to make it better I can’t stop you either.
"Over the last 15 months, we’ve traveled to every corner of the United States. I’ve now been in 57 states" - Barack Obama
by LSBUser on Oct 5, 2008 5:39 PM CDT up reply actions
Well I don't see how you can look back even ten years ago and say that has any relation to what's going on now.
Because who the hell is here that was here then? It’s the same laundry, but that’s about it. Totally different organizational personnel.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
by thedirkatron on Oct 5, 2008 11:02 PM CDT up reply actions
name the last time
this organization infused so much minor league talent and refused to deal them; stocked the system with high strikeout, large frame pitchers; used the criteria that a lefty is a better fit for our ballpark when determining who to draft?
it’s pretty much never happened all at the same time
"Calmer than you are... "
by Walter Sobchak on Oct 6, 2008 1:35 PM CDT up reply actions
well...
Danks is just doing what he’s always done, and that’s basically doing / learning / adjusting in whatever way is necessry to succeed. He would have done the same thing if he was in Chicago, here, or anywhere else. It’s just how the guy is built. With Volquez, he was simply removed from the Mark Connor influence and allowed to go with what worked for him in the minors. Connor tried to raise his arm slot, not Adair. I actually think that the Rangers ought to consider making Adair the major league pitching coach. If they are really going to commit to these young pitchers, then I think it might make a lot of sense to go with a guy who knows how they were built, so to speak.
by mjh on Oct 5, 2008 5:10 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm not sure
he’d have the cutter with Connors as Pitching coach.
"Oh well, McCain is pretty communist anyway,... we can be 70% communist with McCain,"-Sharky
Danks
It really is very depressing that JD traded him for Brandon McCarthy.
by seasmurf on Oct 5, 2008 10:07 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
Why?
Please explain why you believe that to be true?
"Over the last 15 months, we’ve traveled to every corner of the United States. I’ve now been in 57 states" - Barack Obama
by LSBUser on Oct 5, 2008 10:38 PM CDT up reply actions
Awesome
Rec.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
by thedirkatron on Oct 5, 2008 11:03 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
MJH for Prez!
Seriously…that was a stunning read, in a very good way.
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
This excites me about Main
I have been high on him since he was drafted. I also think NeRa is going to be pretty good. I can’t remember the last time if ever the Rangers had so many real good pitching prospects in the system. You can say what you will about JD but he has rebuilt the Rangers minor league system and seemingly set the Rangers up for the future.
A bunch of midgets with no arms could pitch better than us. -iorange555
I think one of my favorite things about Main
is that he’s GOT to be keeping Beavan’s humility in check…and the competition that the two must have, whether they care to admit it or not, is a very healthy competition that can only lead to the two sharpening themselves even more than they would otherwise.
So I think with Main’s success, we’ll see Beavan at least coming close to matching it along the way, which will be pretty significant…and if we graduate Feliz and Holland next year, with Kiker nipping at their heels, the Main/Perez battle will be pretty exciting as it is…but I think Beavan will catch up to them, and yes, perhaps Neil as well…
"Calmer than you are... "
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