Nelson Cruz
by CRUSHDAVIS on Sep 11, 2008 12:05 AM CDT
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PrintI know that this is one of the more talked about subjects on LSB but I believe that the Nellie that we have seen this season is the real Nelson Cruz. He has seldomly looked absolutely foolish on the breaking ball away that plagued him the last few times he was up with the Rangers. He is using all of the field and using it with power. He is a good right fielder with a very strong arm. I would just assume see him in right field next year with Murphy and Boggs/Byrd in left. I know that this is affected by the Milton Bradley situation, which is to risky for a multi-year deal. I know that he has shown nothing in the past to warrant this consideration but if he has just figured it out at the plate, Isn't that a bat that you want in the lineup. I just don't want there to be all of the bitching going on that will come if he leaves and has a year that he is capable of elsewhere. I believe that we should not let him just walk this offseason or trade him for nothing, I think his value is higher to us than what a trade may bring. A lineup of Hamilton, Cruz, and Davis at 3,4,5 would crush baseballs and score tons of runs. This is assuming that Cruz hits, which I believe he will. We need a righty to break up Hamilton and Davis and what are our other options to hit 4th without Milton. I say bring Nellie back, What is the opinion of the LSB readers.
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Got to trade someone
i hope its not cruz.
the preceding post is not nearly as negative or insulting as you think it is
Assuming no trades,
Cruz, Murphy, Byrd, and Hamilton can be the outfielders on opening day 2009.
Assuming Bradley re-signs, then waive or trade Cat and start Boggs in AAA. Boggs and Mayberry can provide injury insurance and will give Oklahoma a helluva AAA outfield along w/Borbon.
If Bradley doesn’t re-sign or if Byrd or Murphy is traded, then Boggs starts the year in in the major leagues.
by spurdynasty on Sep 11, 2008 12:23 AM CDT up reply actions
Boggs and Mayberry can provide injury insurance and will give Oklahoma a helluva AAA outfield along w/Borbon.
position prospects at AAA? you must be kidding me! lol
next year oklahoma could look pretty interesting depending on whose at the AAA level
boggs
mayberry
borbon
max ram/teagarden?
andrus
vallejo?
who else?
"I don’t know of a single thing Obama’s done except talk and write." - Newt Gingrich
by knockoutking on Sep 11, 2008 8:03 AM CDT up reply actions
Agree
The question is, are you ready to demote Boggs for Cruz. Would it even be a downgrade in D?
For that matter, I can see Murphy or, especially, Byrd coming back to Earth between now and say July, so the depth at AAA (Boggs, JMJ) may become relevant even with Cruz in the system.
Go Strangers.
by hightowersmith on Sep 11, 2008 8:19 AM CDT up reply actions
I'd demote Boggs for Cruz
Just as a way to keep him. It’s not like he locked down a ML starting job in his time in the Majors.
It looks to me like we have space in the OF to have Cruz on the 25 man.
"Oh well, McCain is pretty communist anyway,... we can be 70% communist with McCain,"-Sharky
Cruz...
If he hits well enough to hit in the 4 hole there will be a lot of happy Ranger fans in this forum.
He certainly looks much better so far this year, no doubt. If he continues to hit like he has the rest of September then I put him ahead of Byrd, Boggs and maybe even Murphy in the Rangers OF rotation next year. That said, as Shep mentions I think someone has to go. I would hope it is Byrd, but if Murphy could be part of a package for a good, young starter then I’m more than fine with that as well.
The wild card in all of this is Board Game though. He’s a big part of the OF/DH situation and what to do with MaxRam as well. I really love having him in the lineup, but dude just can’t stay healthy. I think at this point anything more than a 1 year deal with AB incentives would cause me to pass on him.
As I’ve said before, this is going to be a very interesting winter, and a crucial one for JD and the Rangers. Let’s hope they get it right.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
why not a TO-type deal
reoccuring one year deal w/ high incentives for AB + fairly high $/yr
(pipe dream, i doubt he would sign one of those)
"I don’t know of a single thing Obama’s done except talk and write." - Newt Gingrich
by knockoutking on Sep 11, 2008 8:04 AM CDT up reply actions
All I know for sure is that I'm super glad JD waited so long to call him up this year
It makes it impossible to truly evaluate him this year, which is great. I love it.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You know
I’m not sure that’s something you can blame on JD. Cruz would have been up here the second David Murphy got hurt had he not been injured himself at the time. And had Murphy not gone down, there wouldn’t have been a place for Cruz with Byrd and Boggs already competing for playing time.
I agree, it’s unfortunate we didn’t get to see more of Cruz this year but I don’t think it’s something worth bitching about – the way Salty was handled this year and not taking advantage of certain opportunities at the trade deadline are much bigger offenses IMO.
We need to hire Chuck Norris to kick the ass of any Ranger fan caught booing one of our young pitchers at the RBiA.
Well
First off I think Boggs should’ve been sent down at some point, so that would’ve taken care of a lot of the playing time stuff, especially during the times when Byrd was injured and/or Milton was unavailable. Sometimes you have to create an opportunity rather than wait and hope it creates itself. We could’ve found a way to get him in this year if we’d wanted to, but we didn’t.
I agree we f’d up with Salty this year and that sucks.
But I have to ask you what opportunities you’re saying we had at the deadline. It’s so easy to say we should’ve done this or traded Gerald Laird for that, but what opportunities do you know/think we had? I think we’ve argued about this point before, LSJ… It feels like we have anyhow.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
by thedirkatron on Sep 11, 2008 3:50 AM CDT up reply actions
Well, we've heard of multiple scenarios involving FLA and Laird...
But I’m speaking more of JD’s decision to keep Eddie Guardado and Milton Bradley (and maybe even Padilla) off the trade market at the deadline. St. Lous was reportedly ready to give up a Tommy Hunter-like prospect for Eddie, and I’m pretty sure Bradley could have brought in a pretty good prospect himself. But JD (perhaps under the pressure/guidance of Nolan) seemed (to me at least) to be in “stand-pat mode” when it came to his biggest chips at the deadline because of some persisting illusion that we might make the wildcard or something. And I think that was a mistake, especially considering how we wound up tanking in August.
We need to hire Chuck Norris to kick the ass of any Ranger fan caught booing one of our young pitchers at the RBiA.
Yeah you can put alot of that blame with Nolan
not wanting to make deals and signaling tothe fans and the team of the Management giving up on the current construction on theteam and the belief that they still had a chance
There were a few stories
that Nolan was delusional, and thought we could still get in it.
If we can’t make midyear surrender trades, even if it’s extremely implausible that we will get back in it, that really hamstrings the team.
"Oh well, McCain is pretty communist anyway,... we can be 70% communist with McCain,"-Sharky
As long as Cruz continues to deal with breaking stuff
I believe you can evaluate Cruz. That was his problem before, how insanely stupid he looked at breaking pitches. Id have no problem with him in the OF mix next year, especially if MB isn’t resigned. Hamilton, Cruz, Murphy, and either Bradley or Byrd with Boggs in AAA as the injury replacement. If I need to make room for an additional OF, I just release or trade (snicker, as if that was an option), Catalanotto.
"Oh well, McCain is pretty communist anyway,... we can be 70% communist with McCain,"-Sharky
am i the only one
who wants us to get rid of byrd
overrated? yes
better than GMJ? possibly
big fucking mouth? yes
i wish we had traded him for marshall in the offseason. ..
"I don’t know of a single thing Obama’s done except talk and write." - Newt Gingrich
Honestly,
it depends on how much it costs to keep him. He’s had 2 pretty good years, and its not like we have hot prospects on the farm, beating the doors down. Depending on money, I’d keep him. If someone wants to give him GMJ money, I’m waving adios.
"Oh well, McCain is pretty communist anyway,... we can be 70% communist with McCain,"-Sharky
i think he is still under our control
and i think this year showed that last year was not a fluke. he could have come significant value this offseason, but you have to like what he offers in the clubhouse.
That clubhouse stuff is overrated...
…and the kind of bullshit thinking that helps you end up with 5-yr/$80MM for FotF.
Of course Byrd will never handicap a team’s payroll to that extent, but if the right deal is out there for Marlon don’t take your finger off the trigger because some of the boys in the locker room will be upset to see him go.
Physician: Primum non nocere
Batter: First, make no out
While I agree with the clubhouse impact side
and there isn’t a player on this team I see as untouchable, I still think he has a place on this team next year.
Put it this way, I don’t see 4 better OFs on the team. I can’t imagine you wouldn’t roll with Byrd if he was cheap.
"Oh well, McCain is pretty communist anyway,... we can be 70% communist with McCain,"-Sharky
Roll with Byrd unless...
…the right deal (preferably for a usable arm) presents itself.
Physician: Primum non nocere
Batter: First, make no out
mike young?
overrated? yes
better than GMJ? possibly
big fucking mouth? yes
"Popularity is fleeting. Principles are forever."
"Maybe congress should take more vacations, whenever these people leave town, things just seem to get better..." - Jay Leno
LOL. Nice stuff....
…I see what you did there and I liked it.
Physician: Primum non nocere
Batter: First, make no out
From what I recall..
…the only offer from the Cubs on Byrd was for Matt Murton. I don’t think they ever offered Marshall for him.
by Adam J. Morris on Sep 11, 2008 9:31 AM CDT up reply actions
i thought
/read somewhere i thought that it was byrd for marshall OR murton and JD wanted both
"I don’t know of a single thing Obama’s done except talk and write." - Newt Gingrich
by knockoutking on Sep 11, 2008 10:59 AM CDT up reply actions
MJH on FOTF
Heh
From the comments section:
You defend the idiot C.J. Wilson, who sucks by the way and doesn’t know what it’s like to be a good teammate, but you rip Young. He is the same type of player as Jeter, but Jeter is praised in New York. Let’s see if all these guys you named even make it to the big leagues before you start saying the Michael Young is taking their spot. I think Smoak is going to be a bust.
by robert_d_wilfong on Sep 11, 2008 9:24 AM CDT up reply actions
Oh boy, what to laugh at first...
…there are some real #10 T-shirt wearers over on that board.
Physician: Primum non nocere
Batter: First, make no out
jeter > mike young?
"I don’t know of a single thing Obama’s done except talk and write." - Newt Gingrich
by knockoutking on Sep 11, 2008 10:59 AM CDT up reply actions
Smoak is a bust?
"The question of how we came to be is a philosophical one." - 4HIM
by inactive lsb user on Sep 11, 2008 11:39 AM CDT up reply actions
How many homers has he hit in the bigs?
Of course I’m kidding. I can’t see how anyone can have anything close to an accurate picture of what Smoak will do based upon his brief tenure in Clinton.
Physician: Primum non nocere
Batter: First, make no out
Wow... So that's where Steal Home went.
Good to know.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
by thedirkatron on Sep 11, 2008 1:45 PM CDT up reply actions
Steal Home = LSB's village idiot
The DMN blog comments section = a village of idiots.
We need to hire Chuck Norris to kick the ass of any Ranger fan caught booing one of our young pitchers at the RBiA.
Not totally accurate
but a good way to put it. We have a few idiots here, the rest of us just kneejerk.
O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!
Sondern laßt uns angenehmere anstimmen,
und freudenvollere.
Yeah
I’ve played the role of village idiot here, so I should know.
We need to hire Chuck Norris to kick the ass of any Ranger fan caught booing one of our young pitchers at the RBiA.
Heh
We have a few idiots here, the rest of us just kneejerk.
If I didn’t already have the world’s most awesome permanent sig, that might be my new one.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
by thedirkatron on Sep 12, 2008 4:06 AM CDT up reply actions
Got a better idea
Adam should put that up as the blog subtitle (where it currently says “an unofficial Texas Rangers blog”).
We need to hire Chuck Norris to kick the ass of any Ranger fan caught booing one of our young pitchers at the RBiA.
Cruz
I have been pleasantly suprised with the way Cruz has played since being called up. Granted it is a small sample size but I think it has at least earned him a look next year. The way I see the OF situation is this.
Hamilton is a lock. Byrd is under team control for another year and for the 2-3 million he will get in arbitration he will be back. Murphy is a lock. Theoretically theres a starting OF right there. I think with the depth we will have however we will be able to sit Murphy against most lefties and since all of our OFs are versatile and can play multiple positions we can mix and match very easily. Boggs starts the year in AAA where he should. He and mayberry will both be on the 40 man roster and able to come up when and if injuries warrant their callups. I think we resign MB as primarily a DH who can occasionally play the OF. At the beginning of this year we needed MB in the field more than we will need him next year. Now that our OF defense has shown to be better than we had expected I think we can use MB as primarily a DH and let him concentrate on hitting. Cruz will be on the team and the trio of Murphy/ Byrd/ and Cruz will all play about the same amount. Hamilton will be the only true everyday player out there.
A middle of the order next year of Hamilton, MB, Davis, Cruz, Hank will be very very good. It also alternates left/right so teams won’t be able to specialize against us as much.
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.
Murphy is a lock?
I’d stop short of that. His OBP alone, leaving aside the tenuousness of his ability against LHP, makes him less than a lock…
Go Strangers.
by hightowersmith on Sep 11, 2008 10:04 AM CDT up reply actions
Murphy
Absolutely hes a lock. And most likely he is a 5 day a week player on most teams. I do think with a strong enough OF depth he can sit against the tougher lefties he is a career .280 hitter against them.
The way I look at it is there are 2 OF spots open each game (Hamilton has the other). 6 games a week means theres 12 open spots. Lets say 13 if Hammy gets one day off per week. For 3 guys that means they all can play 4 days a week. Thats plenty of playing time for everyone. If one guy is on a hot streak then he can play an extra day and it can fluctuate but they should all be able to get plenty of PT.
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.
I can kind of agree with this, but...
I think you keep Murphy on as a fourth outfielder. He can play all three outfield positions decently, and has a pretty good bat as well. He doesn’t walk a lot, but he is also a rookie.
Frankly, if Murphy’s 106 OPS+ is our biggest concern going in to spring training next year, we have ourselves a delight.
Murphy is technically a rookie this year but...
…he will be 27 in about a month. I think he is probably pretty close to being as good as he is ever going to be.
He is certainly a usable piece. I think he would fit nicely in a LF platoon with Byrd or JMJ or whatever righty-hitting COF we could pair with him.
Physician: Primum non nocere
Batter: First, make no out
by Chad Crudup on Sep 11, 2008 11:18 AM CDT up reply actions
Yes he was...
…and I hope that is a sign of adjustment/improvement. Unfortunately his injury means we will have to wait until next season to see if that was an indicator of future performance or a “hot streak”.
Physician: Primum non nocere
Batter: First, make no out
Career
his career has basically been one full year. His BA is .289 and his BA vs LHP is .279. I think he just went through a bad stretch this year and has righted the ship.
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.
I hope you're right...
…and I hope he figures out how to work some more walks. With a little better offensive efficiency (i.e. don’t make so many outs) he can contribute a lot to a contender.
Physician: Primum non nocere
Batter: First, make no out
i dont think he will ever be good v lefties
But i think he has shown enough to say hes not one of the guys who will just embarrass himself v lefties and HAS to be platooned.
Of course, doesnt mean he cant be. Murphy/Boggs is about as standard a platoon as you can get.
the preceding post is not nearly as negative or insulting as you think it is
Boggs? Who is this Boggs you speak of?
Do you mean Wade Boggs? He was a lefthanded hitter and an infielder so he’s not a good candidate to platoon with Murph.
Or do you mean BRANDON Boggs? Is he still on the active roster? He’s the guy Wash decided should sit yeaterday so Laird could DH.
I wonder what BB did to piss Wash off so bad. This smells worse than the Showalter/Mench fiasco.
Physician: Primum non nocere
Batter: First, make no out
You know, Bradley's personal pinch runner and injury stand-in
the preceding post is not nearly as negative or insulting as you think it is
You have to
taste success to know you belong. If Cruz finishes the year in grand style (hit close to .330, 8-10 HR ) then I think he’ll ooze with confidence and in which case he should be with the team next year.
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