Feel good Cowlishaw column

by Brett Perryman on Sep 13, 2008 8:17 PM CDT

Tim Cowlishaw has a post-game piece pointing out some of the positives building for the Rangers and looking at possible similarities between their building project and what the Tampa Bay Rays have been doing.

Cowlishaw points to 2010 and Neftali Feliz being a regular in the rotation as the true lightposts, but the obvious difference, even if Feliz (and/or Derek Holland) quickly becomes a difference maker, is that Tampa Bay's top of the rotation starters have been in place and established as top starters going into this year. Still, it's good to see the local media start to notice that some real positives are developing here.

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Neftali

Does anybody else think he should be up here before 2010?

by meatbonelefty on Sep 13, 2008 11:45 PM CDT reply actions

Maybe a September call up in '09...

but there is no reason to rush him or Dutch.

That would be the soonest I would bring up either of them.

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates

by slc ranger on Sep 14, 2008 2:00 AM CDT up reply actions

Good for Tim

Although I believe that “nothing you think is like something else is actually like anything else”, in terms of a baseball team’s success, Cowlishaw adds to the growing interest in the most essential of all competitive realities. You don’t create a good team with pixie dust, or by adding water (or speculatively adding massive payroll). Like the finest blooms, you grow it. The more attention (credit, gripes, dilemmas about roster spots) given in the general press to whole team systems and organizations, the better. It cements those of us who already care about such stuff to ongoing plans and development, and instructs those who only care about major league results in things they may or may not know about producing and keeping a good team. Good stuff.

"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912)

by Ed Coffin on Sep 14, 2008 1:17 AM CDT reply actions

Odd

that he didn’t mention Hurley with the others at the end, should be included. Nippert could be our Edwin Jackson I suppose. I’m glad they’re shutting Feldman down, past time for that.

O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!
Sondern laßt uns angenehmere anstimmen,
und freudenvollere.

by t ball on Sep 14, 2008 5:00 AM CDT reply actions

+1 on Feldman,

He was a nice suprise but should have been shut down a while ago.

I love me some Nips.

The bloggerformelyknownasBigBaddBubbaJ

by NYTXFAN on Sep 14, 2008 7:16 AM CDT up reply actions

Nips

I like him too, his arsenal is impressive. I said back midseason that I thought Nippert has a better chance to be a solid mid rotation starter than McCarthy does.

"So he tore it up in AA. Yippee. ...Max Ramirez be damned." - bigsteve

by tricer on Sep 14, 2008 9:27 AM CDT up reply actions

What I see with this organization

is a bunch of pieces to the puzzle but now we need somebody (a new GM) to put the puzzle together.

This organization has had a lot of talent for a long time but they don’t know how tot put the puzzle together.

"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."

by Josey Wales on Sep 14, 2008 10:35 AM CDT up reply actions

Lot of talent for a long time

Riiiiiight.

"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 Sep 14, 2008 11:43 AM CDT up reply actions

This comment...

makes zero sense.

If the pieces are there, and it’s the current GM that put those pieces there, why would you fire the GM?

I don’t agree with it, but by your logic it’s the manager that should get the axe here. He’s the one that needs to use the pieces to the puzzle that the GM has provided him to put the puzzle together.

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates

by slc ranger on Sep 14, 2008 6:09 PM CDT up reply actions

Another report...

from the Boston Globe that the BoSox are intrigued in Salty even with his elbow injury. It says they know they would have to deal “a top pitching prospect to land him”.

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/articles/2008/09/14/just_how_valuable_is_he/?page=3

It seems that the BoSox are set on adding that young catcher to replace Varitek this winter. That will only drive up the asking price for the Rangers catchers if they are involved with other teams. Nice to see that Salty still has that value in the eyes of other teams too.

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates

by slc ranger on Sep 14, 2008 11:00 AM CDT reply actions

nice to see a scouting report

That believes the defense will come around. I guess the key to Salty’s trade value is what another team thinks about his work behind the plate.

"So he tore it up in AA. Yippee. ...Max Ramirez be damned." - bigsteve

by tricer on Sep 14, 2008 11:17 AM CDT up reply actions

I wonder what their idea

of a top pitching prospect is?

A bunch of midgets with no arms could pitch better than us. -iorange555

by boomer1 on Sep 14, 2008 11:45 AM CDT up reply actions

Michael Bowden??

"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 Sep 14, 2008 11:55 AM CDT up reply actions

I'd be fine with that

by meatbonelefty on Sep 14, 2008 12:11 PM CDT up reply actions

Works for me

I wonder if we were to throw in another player they would be willing to part with Delcarmen?

A bunch of midgets with no arms could pitch better than us. -iorange555

by boomer1 on Sep 14, 2008 12:13 PM CDT up reply actions

I would want more than...

…Delcarmen for Salty.

by Adam J. Morris on Sep 14, 2008 3:13 PM CDT up reply actions

I would to

I was adding to what Chris said above with Bowden. What do you think we could get for Salty out of Boston Adam?

A bunch of midgets with no arms could pitch better than us. -iorange555

by boomer1 on Sep 14, 2008 3:22 PM CDT up reply actions

I don't understand the rush to

trade Salty this off-season when his value could not be any lower.

This was the centerpiece of the Mark Teixeira trade when it was made and I would hope he would fetch more than Manny Delcarmen or another magic bean (who hasn’t done a thing in The Show) from the Red Sox minor league system.

Let him mix n’ match next year with Teagarden and when he’s not catching, let him DH.

"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."

by Josey Wales on Sep 14, 2008 4:09 PM CDT up reply actions

Centerpiece to the Teix deal...

may have been Salty last year, but now it’s Feliz and Andrus.

I agree his value is lower now than I would have liked it to of been. However the reason why I posted that link was to show it may not be as low as you think it is. Many teams still see him as a top prospect who just needs consistant playing time, something he didn’t get this year. If the BoSox are willing to part with a top pitching prospect to get him you have to strongly consider that. You can’t go into next year with all 4 guys at catcher like we have now. Even 3 of them may be too many.

Playing Laird this year may have increased his value, but it was at the expense of Salty. Can’t just wait for all 4 of them to be at max value before you make a move.

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates

by slc ranger on Sep 14, 2008 6:15 PM CDT up reply actions