Evan Grant chat session at 11 a.m.

by Adam J. Morris on Oct 5, 2009 10:11 AM CDT Comment 24 comments

Evan Grant, now back at the DMN, is doing a chat session at the DMN website at 11 a.m.

Go participate and ask good questions.

0 recs | Comment 24 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

The whole Cruz issue is maddening.

Grant seems to be drinking the koolaid . Cruz hit his exact average with runners in scoring position, and he hit low in the order for much of the year thus missing a lot of RBI opportunities. How can a manager in charge of a team as offensively crappy as the Rangers were this year justify keeping his best power bat on the bench? Maddening i tell you. And I also don’t like that none of the reporters that cover the Rangers seem to press for any answers on this issue. EG’s answer is Cruz is ‘Streaky’? Really?

by jcAustin on Oct 5, 2009 1:06 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

It didn't make the chat cutoff

But I did ask “streaky? More so than Josh Hamilton or Ian Kinsler?”

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

"Telephone, n. An invention of the devil which abrogates some of the advantages of making a disagreeable person keep his distance."
~Ambrose Bierce

by Ed Coffin on Oct 5, 2009 1:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I just can't believe...

that any intelligent person would still judge a hitter, in part, by using RBI.

Simply stupefying.

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

by slc ranger on Oct 5, 2009 1:19 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Brilliant idea Evan!!!

trade Cruz (who will make near the minimum again next year) for an OF that will hit 25-30 hr and about 100 rbi.

"You can probably stick a fork in the Rangers' playoff chances for 2009." - AJM on 7/26 with the team 4.5 games out

by tricer on Oct 5, 2009 1:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

and cost $5M

Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland -Tom Grieve Rangers Minor League Player of the Year
Martin Perez - Nolan Ryan Rangers Minor League Pitcher of the Year

by RangerMad on Oct 5, 2009 1:24 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nellie tied with the team lead

at 6.1 ABs/RBI with Byrd. He also had 4 of 6 months with an OPS above .880. I don’t think he is nearly as streaky as Kinsler.

Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland -Tom Grieve Rangers Minor League Player of the Year
Martin Perez - Nolan Ryan Rangers Minor League Pitcher of the Year

by RangerMad on Oct 5, 2009 1:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Another brilliant Evan idea

Leave Neftali in the pen. I like his beat writer stuff, but damn his analysis suuuuuuucks.

"You can probably stick a fork in the Rangers' playoff chances for 2009." - AJM on 7/26 with the team 4.5 games out

by tricer on Oct 5, 2009 1:24 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

fortunately Evan isn't runnung the team

Bot Nolan and JD have said Feliz will have the opportunity to be a SP.

Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland -Tom Grieve Rangers Minor League Player of the Year
Martin Perez - Nolan Ryan Rangers Minor League Pitcher of the Year

by RangerMad on Oct 5, 2009 1:27 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Seems like Evan is going the TR Sullivan route and just regurgitating what Wash says.

Hank is 7 runs below a zombie replacement at first base. Do you realize how terrible that is? Zombie’s can’t think, they’re slow, and they’re often ejected from the game for eating opposing baserunners’ brains. - Ben quantifies Hank Blalock

by lonestarJon on Oct 5, 2009 7:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It does seem like whenever he does some analysis

or offers an opinion it falls in line with what the Ranger’s front office or Ron Washington.

Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland -Tom Grieve Rangers Minor League Player of the Year
Martin Perez - Nolan Ryan Rangers Minor League Pitcher of the Year

by RangerMad on Oct 5, 2009 7:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I asked Evan

for behind the scenes details on why Hank F was buried after having a good game on September 2 and why they went back to him after the humiliating 1 run in 5 game debacle (with the team 7.5 games out).

EG gave me the Heisman.

Methinks the DMN is going to continue their policy of never being critical of the Ranger FO / ownership until further notice.

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

"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"

by Josey Wales on Oct 5, 2009 1:26 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Josey

You know the answer to that. You just won’t accept it.

But just in case you weren’t sure, here it is again:

Hank’s post ASB OPS: 585.

For comparison, that’s nearly 100 points lower than Chris Davis’ first-half OPS, when he was a “sack of shit” who was supposedly single-handedly dragging down the entire team.

Maybe it’s just me, but I’d bet that continuing to give full-time at-bats to Hank F when he was hitting worse than Yuniesky Betancourt wouldn’t have played really well in The Room.

"I cannot believe how fucking off base I was about Tiny E before this season. The Kid is great and is going to become a star."

- Wails

by RCCook on Oct 5, 2009 2:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

So

what went on behind the scenes to publicly make a big deal that Hank F wasn’t going to play any more (even though he had a good game on September 2) and then go running back to him with pants around the ankles / hat in hand on September 19 when the team had scored 1 run in 5 games and was 7.5 games out?

How big was JD’s failed smile after the team scored 3 runs and Hank F’s HR was the difference that ended the losing streak?

Surely there had to be some juicy behind the scenes things going on between Wash and the Ranger FO during this time and I wish Evan would have confirmed/denied.

Ignoring the question gave me the answer.

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

"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"

by Josey Wales on Oct 5, 2009 2:14 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Adam, you promised to delete this shit.

Why don’t you?

My Music Blog

by FuturePants on Oct 5, 2009 2:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dumb question: Isn't it true that Nelson's 'awesome range' and 'spectacular defense' is relative to playing in one of the more comfortable right fields in the American League?

by oc on Oct 5, 2009 2:13 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

No

by Adam J. Morris on Oct 5, 2009 2:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think a smaller OF

such as Fenway’s LF would hurt a player’s UZR and +/- rating.

Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland -Tom Grieve Rangers Minor League Player of the Year
Martin Perez - Nolan Ryan Rangers Minor League Pitcher of the Year

by RangerMad on Oct 5, 2009 2:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Feliz

I like to flip questions the other way, when I’m looking for an answer such as this and often times the answer becomes pretty apparent.

Do you think the rest fo the league would be happy or sad to see the following pitchers moved to a 7th/8th inning role?

Feliz, Halladay, Greinke, Santana, Verlander, Peavy, CC, Beckett, Lincecum, etc.

Said differenty, if news broke today that the Ms were just too concerned with what high pitch counts were doing to Felix’s shoulder and all of next season they were going to liimit him to a set up role, pitching no more than 3X/6IP per week (at best), EVERY Rangers reporter, blogger, writer and columnist would drop everything to talk about it and unanimously concur that this was AMAZING news for the Rangers. It would be huge from a competitive advantage standpoint.

I love Evan’s baseball savvy, but he’s not thinking straight on this one.

Now leaving CJ in the pen, when you have NO OTHER (at least right now) lefties that can fill that role (pitching up to 5X per week, in the 8th and 9th innings), is understandable (and I don’t think anyone is saying CJ COULD be a top 10 starter in BB).

Those are my thoughts…

Jack Daddy

by Jack Daddy on Oct 5, 2009 2:16 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I wouldn't put Feliz in with that group of pitchers.

But I understand your point.

Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland -Tom Grieve Rangers Minor League Player of the Year
Martin Perez - Nolan Ryan Rangers Minor League Pitcher of the Year

by RangerMad on Oct 5, 2009 2:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not yet anyway.

The 2009 Texas Rangers offense: sigh...

by Kinslerhomer on Oct 5, 2009 2:25 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

SORRY FOR THE DOUBLE REPLY — NOT USED TO THIS FORMAT

But, we don’t know what he is, only what his potential could be. That’s part of the point. But playing devil’s advocate, since Feliz isn’t on that level YET. Replace those 8 names with Anderson, Cahill, Porcello, Neiman, Price, Happ, Matusz, etc.

Same argument – we would LOVE IT, because you can’t influence a pennant race or season as much throwing 60 innings vs. 160-180. People like to throw Rivera’s name into the argument. Really? That’s why we shouldn’t move Feliz? Because he the Yankees left the greatest closer in the history of the game as a closer? Well then, by all means, Feliz should be in the pen (meanwhile, nobody is suggesting that Feliz CLOSE next year. If they were, I suppose the argument MIGHT be closer, but even then it would be stupid).

BTW, notice the comments under Evan’s chat? Think he’s already going back over there, with those idiots that hang around? I can’t take them.

Jack Daddy

by Jack Daddy on Oct 5, 2009 2:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

no need to double post

if you fail to hit the reply button. We all do it from time to time.

Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland -Tom Grieve Rangers Minor League Player of the Year
Martin Perez - Nolan Ryan Rangers Minor League Pitcher of the Year

by RangerMad on Oct 5, 2009 2:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs