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Adam J. Morris
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I'm running on like an hour of sleep
So I could just be seeing things, but did Ron say something that actually makes sense?
I'm just goofin' new boot goofin'
I wonder if JD and Nolan were standing next to him with a shiv in his rib.
"Sometimes you just want to sit back and watch somebody throw 100." - Jeff Passan on Neftali Feliz
"The purpose of life is to have a fucking good time." - Albert Ellis
by Ryin A on Dec 7, 2009 3:35 PM CST reply actions 4 recs
So, Hamilton in LF
Borbon in CF, Cruz in RF, Murphy 4th and DHing…
That could work, especially if Hamilton comes back big. I think we’d see Murphy play a couple times a week with Hamilton DHing.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Yeah
was just about to say that as well, you could easily swap Murphy into LF on certain days to give Hamilton extra rest. I think that this is the correct alignment for their current OFs.
by Brett Perryman on Dec 7, 2009 3:39 PM CST up reply actions
Not sure
how I feel, though, about Borbon hitting leadoff every day, if that’s what he means. Mixed feelings.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Reed Johnson
Career .378 OBP against lefties. Plays CF, not terribly, -2.1 UZR last year, has a ton of experience leading off.
he would make a lot of sense
as a fifth OF…but I’m not sure I want to give him a spot on the 40
What is this, Horseville? Because I'm surrounded by naysayers.
Yeah
It seems like this is the optimal setup. Hamilton should probably DH 20% of the time as well, just to keep him healthy, and I feel pretty good about Murphy in LF those days.
Go Rice Owls!
The one thing is then we need to look at a 5th OF type
that can cover CF, because I don’t like the idea of Murphy in CF. But I do think its promising that he is getting this vote of confidence.
What do voluntary mean?
dont we already have some in house candidates?
shed y gentry
"Sometimes you just want to sit back and watch somebody throw 100." - Jeff Passan on Neftali Feliz
"The purpose of life is to have a fucking good time." - Albert Ellis
si, Gentry is muy guapo
Boggsy too.
Shed… muy rapido?
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
by Keynes on Dec 7, 2009 5:15 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
IT sounds like they want to keep Hamilton out of CF
What do voluntary mean?
Big Steve will be here in a minute.
"Sometimes you just want to sit back and watch somebody throw 100." - Jeff Passan on Neftali Feliz
"The purpose of life is to have a fucking good time." - Albert Ellis
He's played 9 whole games there.
Even if we could pretend defensive stats and/or scouting reports were facts, we don’t have enough info.
FWIW, he has a 9.6 UZR/150 in right, and (depending on the park), the corners do tend to correlate pretty well (unless your name is Murphy). That, again is a small sample size, but he’s fast and he’s got a good arm, so I would be surprised if he’s not at least average over a larger sample.
What else could he do with Byrd not around?
He wants to keep Hamilton in the lineup as much as everyone else. He hates how Cruz covers RF, so he wouldn’t put Cruz there. I guess it comes down to Murphy and Borbon in CF under the circumstances. But, wasn’t the earlier speculation from EG that Cruz would sit at times in favor of Borbon? We should be more afraid that Murphy would be in RF rather than Borbon not in center with the current configuration.
Pro baseball has always been a dream, so this is pretty freakin’ cool out here. -- Tim Steggall, undrafted Rangers minor leaguer.
If Cruz sits and Murphy plays I imagine Josh will move to RF
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.
Pettis must be giving the Rangers some good
reports on Borbon’s defense in winter ball. I still think Borbon and Andrus should rotate the leadoff spot depending on the SP.
|Space for Rent|
I'm sure that will be the case (Andrus and Borbon switching off)
Heck, I don’t want to see Borbon start against lefties too often.
It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops.
Damn
thats surprising. I thought Borbon had dug himself down into RW’s dog house before he hit the team.
What do voluntary mean?
I took much of Warsh's critique as a political move meant to keep Byrd around.
I don’t think Warsh could really believe Borbon was hopeless out there.
Pro baseball has always been a dream, so this is pretty freakin’ cool out here. -- Tim Steggall, undrafted Rangers minor leaguer.
I do wonder about Wash at times.
What do voluntary mean?
I took it
as a very obvious, see-through attempt at motivating Borbon, kind of we’re not just going to give you the job kind of thing.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Its almost as if people made way too big of a deal
about what Ron said and did in regards to a rookie who shot through the system.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
This might be the one comment that Warsh has said in his years with the Rangers that
actually makes good baseball sense!!! He is learning, slowly but learning.
Elvis has "shook up" Arlington!!
OMG, he can't play LF, his arm will be wasted!!!
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
Good news.
Three potential 40 SB guys in the lineup.
I love it
Kinsler, Andrus, and Borbon should get about 120 SBs between them, and if they steal bases at the same rate as last season then they those 120 SBs are going to be against only 20 or so CS. Then you get Cruz involved too and Wash is going to have a lot of fun with those double steals.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
I liked all those double steals last year
Mainly because they were pretty successful despite how frequent they were.
Wash did do it alot but he did it against those he knew they'd succeed against...
stopwatches work wonders…i hope they don’t go buck wild on it next year and stay smart bc it is a ridiculously effective tool (less than 2 outs of course)
I think next year, with Rudy out and the addition of Borbon to the starting 9, we’re going to see a ton of, dare I say, “small ball.”
Just do me a favor and steal against those with less than desirable pop-times and don’t get bunt happy…kapish?
"Sometimes you just want to sit back and watch somebody throw 100." - Jeff Passan on Neftali Feliz
"The purpose of life is to have a fucking good time." - Albert Ellis
Wash did a good job...
managing the running game this year, but I think a lot of those double steals where on the lead runner as well.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Good news!
In an off season that has not had much good news.
Not mediocre. Right about average
Just me or does this seem like a strange announcement?
Timing-wise at least since it coincides with the start of winter meetings. It’s almost like an announcement to the fans/players that “no, we’re not going after Byrd or Granderson and we’re not going after a COF bat.” I don’t have any problem with the decision, just seems like an odd announcement when ST is several months away.
It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops.
Could be preemptive
They know that Byrd is likely to go somewhere soon and are getting out in front of it as opposed to saying Borbon is our man afterward when its more likely to be viewed as an attempt to save face.
What do voluntary mean?
Don't know if I'd call it preemptive, but based on the current roster
what the hell else could he say?
It's not what he said but when he said it
As AJM points out, this was a press conference, he was asked a question and he gave his answer. However, I’m still suprised he said/admitted this now instead of something like “we’re assessing our options, offseason has just begun, see how guys do in ST, etc.”
It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops.
"we’re assessing our options, offseason has just begun, see how guys do in ST, etc."
repeat those words to yourself and then tell me if you can imagine those same words coming from Wash’s mouth? Wash is a “player’s guy”, not an org man. Your words would have been more appropriate coming from JD or Nolan.
I think Washington was asked the question, and he answered it
I don’t think it is an “announcement,” per se. And he said that was assuming Byrd doesn’t return.
by Adam J. Morris on Dec 7, 2009 4:05 PM CST up reply actions
Nope...
Large Steve demanded that someone in the organization talk about Hamilton or Cruz in LF.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Just need a solid everyday DH, and we'll be good to go.
Gracchus (about Obama): I think he knows what America is. America is the mob. Conjure money for them and they'll be distracted. Take away their freedom and still they'll roar. The beating heart of America is not the paper of the Constitution, it's the power of the media. He'll bring them debt - and they will love him for it.
That's not funny, man.
"Stats are like a woman in a fine little bikini. You can see a lot, but you can't see everything." -Dirk A. Tron
Thanks...
Huge. Quickly.
is a fan of Derek Freaking Holland!
by ortonius on Dec 7, 2009 4:10 PM CST reply actions 4 recs
This makes sense
If Hamilton goes crashing into left field wall he has the “bouncy” thing to protect him
I still believe!
Plus
I think the way the grounds at the ballpark are laid out, left field is just a smidgen farther away from temptation than that wicked center field out there.
two for two today on the razor edged humor!
Pro baseball has always been a dream, so this is pretty freakin’ cool out here. -- Tim Steggall, undrafted Rangers minor leaguer.
Where can we send our "Thank You" emails to Ron?
"BIg whoop, wanna fight about it?"
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
murphy
i foresee murphy getting a decent amount of playing time in left, right and dh. he’d be valuable in that sort of role. also i think it would be best to give him some work at first during the spring (despite a recent report not suggesting this will happen) since he has the size and left-handed throwing arm.
yea, if we can just find a decent enough Masher of Lefties, Murphy could find himself in a perfect role
Feliz says his greatest thrill was striking out Boston Red Sox DH David Ortiz, one of his heroes. Yet, when he called to tell his parents, his mother had a request: Strike out New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, too.
"So when I did that," Feliz says, "I told my mom, 'There you go. There's your present. Don't ask me to strike anyone else out, OK?'
If Ron keeps using common sense
we might just be able to say “Texas Rangers: 2010 AL West Champions”.
After Fuentes blows a save and an Angels loss to the Indians:
"Angels still in first place" - UCI Halo
"Hey you know who would have gotten those 3 outs in the 9th?
Darren O’Day." - FirebatM3
LOL
This is exactly what I have been wanting to hear for awhile now
It was Wash who had said previously he wanted Josh out of CF and it mentioned RF as his most likely landing spot which is what started my speculation about looking into trading Cruz.
You won’t hear me speculate on trading Cruz anymore unless its for a surefire stud
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.
And a quality arm, too
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
by Keynes on Dec 7, 2009 5:19 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
Who is the backup CF?
Not to beat a dead horse, but this team is in a roster pickle because (1) Borbon isn’t playing 162 games in CF and (2) Murphy can’t hit lefties at all.
if used correctly
we should definitely give Brandon Boggs a chance.
as a refresher: his minor league splits
What is this, Horseville? Because I'm surrounded by naysayers.
So only against LHP?
Thats fine with me
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.
Andrus or Kinsler could on days Boggs plays
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.
agree completely
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.
Johnson
isn’t exactly known for his OBP skills, so neither fit into the leadoff man template.
What is this, Horseville? Because I'm surrounded by naysayers.
Boggs OBP is .389 in the minors
and he’s already on our 40 and will cost less. I am for bringing in Johnson if he doesn’t cost much, but I doubt this team can afford to pay 7 figures to a 5th OF…
What is this, Horseville? Because I'm surrounded by naysayers.
Boggs health is a concern
If his shoulder works fine, then I have no problem using him as our cheap platoon partner for Murphy.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
Jason Cole
Just tweeted that he’ll be contacting Boggs and Hurley this week for interviews. So, we might know more soon about Boggs’ health. And the E-Train’s, too.
Jason Cole = Underrated.
"Stats are like a woman in a fine little bikini. You can see a lot, but you can't see everything." -Dirk A. Tron
Man...thanks for that site...
I"ve been looking for somewhere to find MiLB splits…I almost killed myself looking at B-ref
"Sometimes you just want to sit back and watch somebody throw 100." - Jeff Passan on Neftali Feliz
"The purpose of life is to have a fucking good time." - Albert Ellis
I imagine Hamilton will be the backup
Borbon will probably play 140-150 games barring injury. I think his skillset is such that he won’t go into huge slumps that will force us to sit him.
However I do think we will be searching for a person who can maybe play 2B, SS, and CF if needed in case Borbon does falter a little.
And if Borbon gets hurt I think Gentry or Boggs gets called up
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.
Im suprised this quote hasn't gotten more attention
He is going to have to develop his bunting
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.
It's true though
he’s not very good at it right now.
"I was going to say, 'You’re gay for Elvis.' But then I realized that I, too, am gay for Elvis." ~Adam J. Morris.
Good, Borbon in CF or not was my biggest concern
as far as decisions with people already on the roster.
the preceding post was a great success.
So if you're comfortable with an OF of Borbon-Cruz-Hamilton
then the clubs only “needs” are a utility IF, a lefty masher, and a 5th OF. Of course upgrades at various positions would be nice but unlikely. If Murphy and Hamilton switch off with one in the OF and one DHing, then you only need to have someone that can mash lefties as a DH. The good news is that there should be some good and cheap candidates out there for that. The bad news is that none of those guys are going to be that helpful if we get the same performances from Hamilton and Davis this season. My guess is that this is what the club is looking for when you hear rumors about them going after guys like Dye, Sheffield, and Tatis.
As for 5th OF spots, I’m not too concerned. if you get a utility IF that can play in the OF, that’s great. Otherwise, go with someone like Gentry, Golson, or Boggs (if healthy) that you can count on to give you great defense if nothing else. And speaking of Boggs, what’s the latest on his shoulder? If he’s healthy, he’s a good lefty hitter to have around.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
he will be fighting Arias
for the utility spot.
What is this, Horseville? Because I'm surrounded by naysayers.
I don't think Inglett is a guarantee to make the 25 man roster next season
He’ll have his chance, but I don’t think the Rangers view him as the guy to beat for the job.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
Good point
I’ve been kinda just assuming he’d be on the 25 since the move. That said, I’m guessing he’s on the 25 come April unless they pick up another UIFer.
It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops.
Has their ever been
three 40+ SB guys on one team in one year?
I can see Borbon and Andrus in the 40’s and Kinsler in the 30’s while just missing out.
I have found a lot of 2 guys in the 40's in SB but I don't think 3 guys have
Let me do some more research
JD’s like, "you want some fucking pitching? Here’s all the pitching you can stand. Now choke on it, bitches!"- RCCook
'85 Cards had 5 players with more than 30 SBs
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"Business as usual." - Tom Hicks on the Ranger off-season 11/19/09
'88 Cards
did it.
Ozzie, Coleman, McGee
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"Business as usual." - Tom Hicks on the Ranger off-season 11/19/09
Andrus and Borbon vs. Ichiro and Figgins in Seattle
How long before games against the M’s are referred to as the “track meet series”?
I failed my LSB ethics test.
"It's kind of a new stat that's in vogue" - Joe Buck on OPS
by LSJ on Dec 7, 2009 7:51 PM CST up reply actions
I like this
Borbon, Elvis, Kins get on, Young, Hammy, Cruz drive em in. If everyone one plays up to snuff (big if), dare I say this could be a pretty efficient offense?
All without
using a 1B or DH which should generally be two of the better offensive producers on the team.
by CS3 on Dec 7, 2009 7:05 PM CST up reply actions
Wait...
Young hitting 3rd? Gross. He’s never hit well in the 3-hole and sucked with RISP last year.
"I was going to say, 'You’re gay for Elvis.' But then I realized that I, too, am gay for Elvis." ~Adam J. Morris.
and he never walks....
"I was going to say, 'You’re gay for Elvis.' But then I realized that I, too, am gay for Elvis." ~Adam J. Morris.
This is great news....
We need more of this!!
I reject your reality and substitute my own.
by GhostofSteveFoucault on Dec 7, 2009 6:49 PM CST reply actions
You know your manager sucks
When a common-sense announcement like this in the middle of the offseason is big, almost unbelievable news.
I failed my LSB ethics test.
"It's kind of a new stat that's in vogue" - Joe Buck on OPS
Good point...it begs the question
Who is this man and what has he done with Ron Washington!?!?
I reject your reality and substitute my own.
by GhostofSteveFoucault on Dec 7, 2009 8:14 PM CST up reply actions
Maybe this is Bill Fremp's new job
Giving quotes for Ron Washington.
I failed my LSB ethics test.
"It's kind of a new stat that's in vogue" - Joe Buck on OPS
by LSJ on Dec 7, 2009 8:17 PM CST up reply actions
YUP as if we needed more evidence..
Maybe he’s been reading LSB and he’s starting to “get it” via osmosis.
So who's todays mistress? They're coming out of the Woodswork!
No, he'll always suck.
I failed my LSB ethics test.
"It's kind of a new stat that's in vogue" - Joe Buck on OPS
by LSJ on Dec 7, 2009 8:25 PM CST up reply actions
This is by far the most logical lineup... its kind of stupid it took this long to finally come to the conclusion
that Borbon had to be our CF whether Wash was gonna throw a tantrum over it or not. I personally think this whole Borbon isnt ready to play CF seems to be a somewhat fabicrated deal. From every minor league report he seems to have the ability to play at least an above AVG CF… and his value really hinged on his ability to play there.
Feliz says his greatest thrill was striking out Boston Red Sox DH David Ortiz, one of his heroes. Yet, when he called to tell his parents, his mother had a request: Strike out New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, too.
"So when I did that," Feliz says, "I told my mom, 'There you go. There's your present. Don't ask me to strike anyone else out, OK?'
Borbon
Young
Kinsler
Hamilton
Cruz
Murph
Davis
Tea/Salt
Andrus
Is that about it right now?
"you stupid motherfucker?!?!!?" - Josey Wales
Wash might flip...
Kinsler and MY. Either way, I think I’m okay with that lineup as long as we can get a RH bat to DH against LH pitching in Murphy’s spot.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
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