Friday a.m. stuff

by Adam J. Morris on Sep 26, 2008 8:40 AM CDT

Late in the season with an off-day yesterday, there's obviously not much out there today.

Evan Grant says the Rangers need to make a decision this offseason on a starting catcher, with Gerald Laird being the most likely choice if they expected to contend in 2009, and the most expendable if they are rebuilding. He also notes that Jarrod Saltalamacchia's late-season injury complicates matters, since it means that his trade value is likely significantly diminished, giving the Rangers less flexibility in deciding who they can move and what they are going to do.

Jeff Wilson praises the job Ron Washington did this season in keeping the team playing hard, contrasting what happened with the Rangers after a bad start to what happened to the Mariners after a bad start.

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If, as Ryan has said

they aren’t bringing in FA pitching, they likely will not compete. So, I’d trade Laird while he has some years of control left. That gives much more time for the dust to clear on Teagarden/Ramirez/Saltalamacchia.

Saltalamacchia may need to start the year in AAA to play consistently to rebuild some value.

"Oh well, McCain is pretty communist anyway,... we can be 70% communist with McCain,"-Sharky

by DJCahill on Sep 26, 2008 8:56 AM CDT 0 recs

Agree on AAA.

Go Strangers.

by hightowersmith on Sep 26, 2008 9:02 AM CDT up 0 recs

Trading Catching

As we saw last winter, JD seems very slow to trade catching whom he thinks market value is low, as with Laird last winter. I doubt he moves Saltalamacchia unless he gets something competitive for what he thinks Saltalamacchia can/will be. I think TT or OM5T gets moved way sooner than Saltalamacchia.

by FuturePants on Sep 26, 2008 11:35 AM CDT up 0 recs

Saltalamacchia

The only way he’s dealt this offseason is if someone overpays (eg, that Red Sox rumor).

Go Strangers.

by hightowersmith on Sep 26, 2008 9:02 AM CDT 0 recs

Rumor

My girlfriend is a Red Sox fan, so I watch lots of Red Sox games and she watches lots of Rangers games. I mentioned that rumor to her a couple weeks ago and her response was “meh” on losing Buccholtz but she said she didn’t want Saltalamacchia only Teagarden and I said we want more than Buccholtz for Tea. And I think that might be pretty accurate of the situation. I think Tea fits into the mold of Varitek very well (calls a good game and used to be decent defensively and offensively).

Nothing pithy here. Please move long.

by WyoRanger on Sep 26, 2008 9:35 AM CDT up 0 recs

so...

when you role play with your girl, she is theo and you are jon-boy?

Life is pain - we've got to scrape the joy from it every chance we get.

by jshcmp on Sep 26, 2008 9:40 AM CDT up 0 recs

He likes femdom?

by Telegraph on Sep 26, 2008 9:43 AM CDT up 0 recs

No, fandom.

In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, love.

by t ball on Sep 26, 2008 9:44 AM CDT up 0 recs

varitek

ironic, because i had read that people thought salty would fit the varitek mold better.

"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg

by rentz on Sep 26, 2008 9:40 AM CDT up 0 recs

They did

I disagree. They mentioned that with a couple years of experience they think he’ll learn how to call games. That may or may not be true but I believe Tea can do it now. Plus I don’t think Salty will ever be the defensive player Tea is.

Nothing pithy here. Please move long.

by WyoRanger on Sep 26, 2008 9:46 AM CDT up 0 recs

More than Buchholz for Teagarden

that’s optimistic.

In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, love.

by t ball on Sep 26, 2008 9:43 AM CDT up 0 recs

Possibly

But I think the Red Sox fans (as opposed to front office) are overvaluing Salty while I wonder if we’re overvaluing Buchholz (thanks for the correct spelling). His k/bb ratio has regressed at almost every level and he got killed this year. Granted, I know his 2008 stats are a small sample from a 24 yo and Tea’s offensive performance this year is a small sample, but I think Tea is probably more of a sure thing at the key spot in the field.

Nothing pithy here. Please move long.

by WyoRanger on Sep 26, 2008 9:55 AM CDT up 0 recs

Buchholz

will be fine I think with time. His BABIP in the majors this year was much higher than in any of his minor league stops, .361, and he’s a rookie. He still managed to strike almost a batter per inning, and his walks will come down. He’s still one of the top handful of young pitchers in the game.

In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, love.

by t ball on Sep 26, 2008 10:10 AM CDT up 0 recs

Not positive

But 27 of the 93 hits he’s given up this year have been for extra bases. I’m not sure if that’s high but couldn’t that contribue to his high BABIP? If so, it’s because he’s getting hit hard not unlucky.

But like I said, I dunno. Don’t have an account with BA.

Nothing pithy here. Please move long.

by WyoRanger on Sep 26, 2008 6:16 PM CDT up 0 recs

My friend from Boston

….who is a baseball fanatic is also not real high on Buchholz. I’d still really rather have Buchholz than Greinke.

by FuturePants on Sep 26, 2008 10:32 AM CDT up 0 recs

Washington

It would have been nice if he had also managed to improve the defense, have sensible lineups, and used the bullpen more effectively.

In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, love.

by t ball on Sep 26, 2008 9:14 AM CDT 0 recs

It is kind of funny

that he came in touted as a defensive Guru. However, I think there is only so much you can do with some players.

"Oh well, McCain is pretty communist anyway,... we can be 70% communist with McCain,"-Sharky

by DJCahill on Sep 26, 2008 9:16 AM CDT up 0 recs

I don't think Wash has done much with the defense

one way or another and I think that is the problem. He came in touting defense and was working a lot with Blalock on it, but then Blalock got hurt before it was able to show up in the games. Other than Blalock, I don’t think Wash has really worked hard with any single player outside of maybe Kinsler (who really just needs to get his head into the game more often than not).

By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw

by Gdawg1 on Sep 26, 2008 11:05 AM CDT up 0 recs

Concur

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

by slc ranger on Sep 27, 2008 2:45 PM CDT up 0 recs

anybody else getting pleasure at watching the chi sox slide?

I’m hoping guillen gets the axe and we never hear from him again

""If they'd have told me you can make the team but you've got to shine the shoes, I'd have been there shining shoes." -Bradley

by ab03 on Sep 26, 2008 10:26 AM CDT 0 recs

Boy, I sure am

I hate MFing Ozzie Guillen and Pierzensky. I mean I despise those two jerkoffs.

by FuturePants on Sep 26, 2008 10:33 AM CDT up 0 recs

What he said!

"...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

by Rodney on Sep 26, 2008 5:11 PM CDT up 0 recs

I can't decide

whose slide I’m enjoying more: Chi Sox or Mets.

by FirebatM3 on Sep 26, 2008 11:01 AM CDT up 0 recs

I'm enjoying the ChiSox more....

a) because of f’ing Ozzie, and
b) because the Mets slide is getting kinda old

by bking on Sep 26, 2008 11:19 AM CDT up 0 recs

opposite

I was hoping the ChiSox would take that division, because Adam and most everyone here roasted Kenny Williams for the Swisher trade, while I thought it was a good deal for them.

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

by tricer on Sep 26, 2008 8:35 PM CDT up 0 recs

MJH on Nolan

http://rangersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/09/nolan-ryan-makes-his-stand.html

Go Strangers.

by hightowersmith on Sep 26, 2008 11:47 AM CDT 0 recs

rofl @ title

"Asphalt me, ben. Asphalt me good and hard." - brettgardner

by Chase Irwin on Sep 26, 2008 12:21 PM CDT up 0 recs

I actually went through the comments this time

Are there that many stupid, win now or die, short sighted, football mentality, plan intolerant, limited vocabulary, vision restricted, self entitled, jackassery proficient, mindless, demential demanding readers of the DMN?

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

by Ed Coffin on Sep 26, 2008 2:22 PM CDT up 0 recs

DMN Blog Comments

They are actually the reason I started coming here. I just couldn’t take it anymore.

by FuturePants on Sep 26, 2008 4:26 PM CDT up 0 recs

Read any news story

comments lately sir?

Yeah, it’s all that bad…

"...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

by Rodney on Sep 26, 2008 5:13 PM CDT up 0 recs

No doubt

and radio shows are even worse.

In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, love.

by t ball on Sep 26, 2008 7:36 PM CDT up 0 recs

holy crapage

Those folks (or maybe it’s just one or two) are the definition of trolls. Our trolls should pay homage to their idiocy (unless they’re one and the same).

Nothing pithy here. Please move long.

by WyoRanger on Sep 26, 2008 6:08 PM CDT up 0 recs

Ed

Yes, sadly there are. And they are the vocal ones. I would like to say the vocal minority but I’m not so sure.

by RangersOCD on Sep 26, 2008 7:29 PM CDT up 0 recs

I still think it is funny that Hindman

took his ball and ran home, because both the Newberg and LSB audience was apparently too tough on him, then he ends up over there with that group of idiots.

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

by tricer on Sep 26, 2008 8:37 PM CDT up 0 recs

+1

He’s in a tiny pond now.

"Asphalt me, ben. Asphalt me good and hard." - brettgardner

by Chase Irwin on Sep 26, 2008 8:42 PM CDT up 0 recs

FWIW, I'd received notification from Jason Parks in Surprise

…that Neil Ramirez has a broken hand. Not sure yet whether that’s the glove hand or the pitching hand, but I’ll try to find out.

I’m keeping a running diary of his Arizona ruminations over here, for anybody who’s interested. He’s hammering my phone with scouting/in-game/miscellaneous observations right now.

Baseball Time in Arlington

by Joey Matschulat on Sep 26, 2008 12:34 PM CDT 0 recs