Monday a.m. stuff
by Adam J. Morris on Mar 23, 2009 9:59 AM CDT
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PrintSo, really, there are two stories in Rangers camp right now...the unsettled bullpen situation, and Andruw Jones.
Jeff Wilson writes about the Jones situation, with the official line being that Jones wants to keep working on his swing with Rudy Jaramillo and keep competing for a bench job.
Gil LeBreton offers his thoughts on why Jones is still here:
That’s my educated guess — that the club’s sudden change of heart on Andruw is a concession to Jaramillo and to manager Ron Washington, who think that Jones will come around.
The Rangers’ outfield was overcrowded to begin with, and it didn’t help Jones that his biggest competition was off playing in the World Baseball Classic. Nelson Cruz started for the Dominican Republic team and, when he returned to Surprise, Ariz., he quickly reclaimed his starting right-field job.
I think LeBreton is probably right, in terms of who it is that wants Jones here. And I think that Jaramillo's and Washington's desire to see Jones stay speaks volumes about how optimistic they are about Cruz and Chris Davis this season.
Wilson also has some notes up on a variety of topics, including Jimmy Gobble's debut in camp and Omar Vizquel working with some of the younger players on infield defense.
Evan Grant asks readers to provide their guess as to who is in the Opening Day bullpen. At this point, I'm going with Frankie, C.J., Guardado, Madrigal, Eyre, Turnbow, and Rupe.
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Nothing
or so it seems
Keith Law on Greg Golson, "He's similiar to Cameron and Hunter in that all three are black."
Bob Sturm
is joining them. Whoop-de-do as far as baseball coverage goes.
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He's not bad.
But surely he’s not going out anywhere to get the story. We’ll be seeing lots of opinion pieces I guess.
by brettgardner on Mar 23, 2009 10:45 AM CDT up reply actions
At least for me
maybe this will signal more sincere attention from Sturm. Bob handles the local teams very sincerely…except for the Rangers where he’s all schtick. Maybe he’ll catch up to reality rather than sitting back in 2003 and taking ill informed pot shots.
…Or maybe he’ll just continue to ignore them and do Bob’s Blog status quo on their site.
by Brett Perryman on Mar 23, 2009 10:51 AM CDT up reply actions
Yeah
The Rangers cynicism is really annoying.
by brettgardner on Mar 23, 2009 10:53 AM CDT up reply actions
I really like Sturm.
But he suuucks at anything baseball related.
"...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
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
by Rodney on Mar 23, 2009 10:45 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
+1
Remember all prospects never amount to anything…
"It doesn't look like he's trying. It kinda pisses me off," "He could throw 110 if he tried. The way it explodes out of his hand is really something special." ~ B-Mac on Feliz.
by Kinslerhomer on Mar 23, 2009 10:54 AM CDT up reply actions
Not to mention
The fern v. JD bit
Keith Law on Greg Golson, "He's similiar to Cameron and Hunter in that all three are black."
Yet
He’s surprisingly more knowledgeable and competent than the rest of the Ticket guys. At least Sturm tries to base his opinions on knowledge and facts. I love the Ticket, and I like the Hardline, but man, that show is the blind leading the blind.
by FuturePants on Mar 23, 2009 11:28 AM CDT up reply actions
The Ticket is the worst place for sports info
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Heh
Soon, I plan on defending the "Fern" debate.
"It doesn't look like he's trying. It kinda pisses me off," "He could throw 110 if he tried. The way it explodes out of his hand is really something special." ~ B-Mac on Feliz.
by Kinslerhomer on Mar 23, 2009 12:16 PM CDT up reply actions
I'll probably regret asking this but what the hell -
what is the the debate about?
x
"It doesn't look like he's trying. It kinda pisses me off," "He could throw 110 if he tried. The way it explodes out of his hand is really something special." ~ B-Mac on Feliz.
by Kinslerhomer on Mar 23, 2009 1:46 PM CDT up reply actions
let me summarize it for you
Assuming that a fern would make all the smart non-trade moves JD has made and none of the trades, we would have been in a better position than with JD.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Sturm is very acceptable as far
Great Game knowledge goes.
This is good for the Inside Corner because Sturm doesn’t own a nice set of “I love JD” kneepads (not accusing anybody else of wearing them either) and will call bullshit as needed on this organization and it’s owner.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Mar 23, 2009 11:29 AM CDT up reply actions
That is fine Josey
But you go over board. You are the dark side that can never see good. There are some that can’t get out of the light and see anything bad. Both are a beating.
Keith Law on Greg Golson, "He's similiar to Cameron and Hunter in that all three are black."
I'm very optimistic
when warranted.
As mentioned in the NMLR, I’m still drunk off my ass on the red n blue Kool Aid and trying to sober up.
I haven’t made any solid predictions yet but I was blown away by the offense I saw in Surprise and I’m not sure there’s going to be a precipitous drop in the number of runs they score in 2009.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Mar 23, 2009 11:52 AM CDT up reply actions
I know we're all wrong sometimes
but every time I think about Sturm and baseball, I think about the day he and Dan railed on Rudy J for a segment or two on how overated the Ranger’s offense was. They went out that afternoon and hung 30 runs on someone. I think it was the O’s. In fact I think maybe it was a doubleheader and they hung another 8 or 9 up in the second game. Could be wrong on the details since I am going by memory.
I know that is a little unfair. At least they were putting something out there and trying to have a discussion. Still, BaD radio just sucks when it comes to baseball coverage. Bob does try. Dan would have to improve to reach the level of mailing it in
Yes, it was a doubleheader against the Orioles
30-3 in first game, 9-7 in second game. Wes Littleton got the save in the 30-3 game through a quirk of the save rule.
I don't think Sturm tries anymore,
If he he does, he does a pretty piss poor job of it. Look at The Fan and the Ben and Skin show. I remember Ben coming to the Newberg forums and pretty much being your typical Ranger fan with his opinions. That was a good few months back though. Now you can see his opinions are a lot more educated and the Ben and Skin show has some great Ranger talk. You still don’t get hardcore stats talk or anything from them, but they clearly know what they are talking about. How did he do that? Its easy, he actually put in some effort into learning more about the team instead of letting his opinions lead the way.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Jones/Cruz/Davis
I think Wash has always preferred veterans, which isn’t terribly unique esp. for a manager entering a make-or-break year. I don’t think it necessarily reflects on Davis and Cruz (though I am more confident in the former than the latter).
Your Evan link
goes to the FWST. I am already sick of this Jones crap and fear we will be talking about it until they release him in mid-summer. I hope he strikes out 20 times this week to remove all doubt that he is freakin’ toast.
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Striking out 20 times/week...
…would that be better than the Botts/Shelton BS we rolled out there last summer? And do you think that would cause Washington to not DH him in favor of Davis? Because I do not. It seems much of the time that logic escapes Washington…
by FuturePants on Mar 23, 2009 10:12 AM CDT up reply actions
Yep
He’s already operating on faith, so why should a little more iffy performance sway him?
by Brett Perryman on Mar 23, 2009 10:18 AM CDT up reply actions
I use to work at a high adventure base in northern New Mexico.
My job a couple summers was essentially taking kids around the backcountry during the day.
Anyway, this one kid one week in one of my friends’ group was so outrageously heavily, he litterally crushed his own ankles under his weight when he went hiking (among other reasons, those don’t matter).
I tell you this anecdote because of this: it’s nothing personal against the guy, but I hope that happens to Andruw Jones between now and tomorrow. Just to avoid any sort of headache.
you enjoy NM?
beautiful country, one of the places id LOVE to go spend some time (like a summer)
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Mar 23, 2009 10:19 AM CDT up reply actions
I love New Mexico.
Maybe my favorite state. Spent a lot of time there, including a few years living when I was about middle school aged and several summers working there during college (and maybe again this summer).
Gorgeous country, great food and culture, not crowded, good climate, not too far from other parts of the country I like. Nowhere has everything, but few places have more.
Just got back from Santa Fe
My daughter said she wanted to go out of state for spring break so I took the family to Santa Fe. Did Sandia Peak, snowmobiled up some mountain in Red River and went to Bandelier National Monument. Last year we went to Carlsbad and White Sands. My son has the skiing bug so I might try to go to Red River next January.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
New Mexico Job
I’ve worked at Philmont. What an Experience! The campers, the fun, the Pleiedies. It was awesome!
Cool
I went on four treks there- three as a Scout, and a fourth as an adult leader. A couple of my buddies in the troop spent two summers apiece as Rangers. Funny you should mention the broken ankle story- on my first trek (I was 14) I cracked my wrist. On my mom’s first trek (my third) she broke her foot.
I had some of my best experiences in Scouts at Philmont, though I still have nightmares about Schaefer’s Peak, and I’m probably one of the few people alive who will admit to liking the Pemmican bars.
"I dont care to debate with a troll." - Sharky
Geez, I love Pemican bars.
They don’t have them anymore, but it was a good heavy meal in a tight package.
I only went on one trek and it was pretty vanilla, but I could tell you some stories that still give me “why did I do that” nightmares from my time on staff, let me tell you.
after a frustration-filled gameday-like thread
on this subject last night (200+ comments) I was hoping not to wake up to this again today. Ugh.
There is no such thing...
…as a low-risk signing.
"I think we have avoided a recession." -- Jim Nussle, White House Budget Director, 31 July 2008
Did you read Scott's explanation?
He makes a pretty compelling case.
I'm Matt mutha-effing Bush, bitches, and mutha-eff East County.
"I'm as passionate and knowlegeable as any fan out there." Josey Wales
by Brian Thomas on Mar 23, 2009 10:42 AM CDT up reply actions
Why would it be sarcasm?
It was in the Newberg newsletter. The farm report that Scott does.
If you don’t subscribe, you should. Lots of good stuff.
He doesn’t spend a lot of time on the subject, but it is a worthwhile take,
I'm Matt mutha-effing Bush, bitches, and mutha-eff East County.
"I'm as passionate and knowlegeable as any fan out there." Josey Wales
by Brian Thomas on Mar 23, 2009 10:50 AM CDT up reply actions
Longer ago than that,
I think it was around the time of the Jones signing, not sure.
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Reference was from Hardball Times
http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/five-questions-texas-rangers4/
This brings up a pet peeve of mine, the "low risk" signing. All signings are high risk if handled improperly. Texas signed Swingin’ Sammy Sosa to a minor-league deal in 2007. He manhandled some overmatched spring training hurlers, so Texas gave him the cleanup spot and 450 plate appearances despite an OBP that hovered around .300. But hey, he belted his 600th homer wearing Ranger blue!
A subset of this peeve involves hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo. The phrase "let Rudy fix him" is applied to every offseason signing. Jaramilllo deserves his sterling reputation, having temporarily or permanently resurrected the bats of Mark DeRosa, Gary Matthews, Byrd and others. However, even he can’t resurrect the dead (Richard Hidalgo, Ben Broussard, Phil Nevin).
"I think we have avoided a recession." -- Jim Nussle, White House Budget Director, 31 July 2008
How many times has Rudy
actually helped a player get back to his best days? I think most of the guys we say are great Rudy success stories are players that really didn’t have much of a career to begin with.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Considering
how Sammy destroyed lefties that year, the only problem with signing him is that they had a manager that has never shown any aptitude for managing, and a GM who appears to have no clue that he has a bad manager.
Sammy could’ve had a productive role on that team, everyday player just wasn’t it. If I thought there was a prayer that Andruw could do the same thing to lefties, I’d be all over getting him into the mix.
Get off my lawn.
Because you know what this team had problems with
was finding a good 38 year old DH who could only hit lefties. How very valuable.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Right now
folks are up in arms because Andruw Jones might replace a guy who can only sort of hit righties.
Get off my lawn.
This.
I don’t see why I should be expecting Jones to hit any better than Cat next season.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
OK
Then the question then becomes is Jones going to play more than Cat would? I don’t think we can definitively answer that. Washington hasn’t been in a situation like this for us to go on past examples. Cat hasn’t played much the last couple seasons so if Jones simply takes Cats place and plays as much as he would have isn’t that an upgrade. Even if they are identical offensively wouldn’t Andruws defense (even if its not back to his Atlanta days levels) be an upgrade?
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.
Even if Jones doesn't play more than Cat
Why do we have to get a guy who can only hit lefties (or at least hits them better than he does righties) and take Cat out. What is the veteran league minimum anyways? That’s what Jones is getting and then releasing Cat or trading him is costing you even more. It would be making a move for the sake of making a move.
Jones UZR last year was 1.2 with a UZR/150 of 5.3. All reports say he is looking pretty poor in the OF. He is 31/32 and had knee injuries these past couple of seasons. The question then is how much worse is he going to get. And when we have Boggs, Borbon, and Golson in the minors in addition to Byrd in the Majors, there are 3 guys who have unquestionably good CF defense. Hamilton is also looking better out there now. We really have no need for a CF with mediocre defense at best who can’t hit at all.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
I really get tired
of hearing how much it costs to release Cat. For the love of God, get an intro business book and try to understand the concept of sunk costs.
Get off my lawn.
That's not what I'm saying
You’re paying him no matter what, but why make it worse by adding Jones to the mix? You’re not getting any better production with Jones than you would with Cat and you are going to end up having to add a few hundred thousand dollars more to the sunk cost of Cat.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
So you are saying Cat is just as good as Jones is in the outfield?
Because that is just funny right there.
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.
Who knows right now
Jones has reportedly been looking like crap and there is no reason he or Cat should be benching any of our much better defenders to play in the OF.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Its entirely possible that Jones COULD do the same thing to lefties
The problem is that RW will put him in against righties, too. Just like he did with Sammy. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
by NorCalRangersFan on Mar 23, 2009 11:55 AM CDT up reply actions
How do we know that though
When has Washington ever had to choose between a veteran and a good young prospect and chosen the veteran?
Jason Botts does not count by the way.
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.
For me
He sat Max Ramirez way too much last season when he was up, not just at catcher. Remember, Chris Davis played a lot of 3B, so he didn’t have to block him at first, and Bradley played full games just eleven times in September. Washington even DHed Laird and Teagarden ahead of him.
Ceterum censeo Cat esse delendam
by Brett Perryman on Mar 23, 2009 1:56 PM CDT up reply actions
Max
Well when he was up in June/July, Davis was playing 1B and Salty and Teagarden were also catching so I don’t know how much you can really complain about his playing time then.
When he came back in September first off wasn’t he injured or just recovering from an injury? Also Hank Blalock was playing 1B and considering his looming option I think it was in the clubs best interest to see how he played and determine whether or not it would be worth 6.2 mil to pick up that option. So I don’t see much room for him at 1B during that time.
As for DHing, Max wasn’t recalled from OKC until September 15th. Teagarden didn’t DH except for a PH on the 17th during that time period. And Laird didn’t DH at all during that time period. It was just Bradley DHing which is understandable because we were trying to get him enough ABs to qualify for not only a batting title but also to try and get him mto be a type A FA which would have netted us 1st round draft picks.
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.
Here's the thing
Unlikely with lefties, righthanded hitters almost never show that sort of an extreme platoon split. There just aren’t a significant group of righties who kill lefties but can’t hit righthanded pitchers.
So either 1) Sosa’s performance against lefties was an aberration, or 2) he was the 1 in 1000 outlier. However, his career performance hadn’t shown that sort of extreme split, so if you assume #2 was the case, you also have to assume that #2 became the case only at the tail end of his career.
The next question is…at what point was there sufficient data for Washington to determine that Sosa was going to be productive against lefties, but not against righties? At what point did his performance become statistically significant?
Did he kill lefties in April, but not righties? And in May as well? And by the end of May, was there enough evidence at that point to be able to say with some degree of confidence that he was the 1 in 1000 righty with an extreme platoon split, and thus should be played against only lefties?
by Adam J. Morris on Mar 23, 2009 12:08 PM CDT up reply actions
just curious,
and in all seriousness, how much time to you think Wash sits down and looks at statistical breakdowns of each players performances during the season? Do you think he does that at all or do you think JD presents trends to him the might necessitate roster moves throughout the season?
+1
For Wash, its his gut that makes the decision. And if he saw Sosa crush a leftie on Monday, he was going to put him in against a leftie on Tuesday. And then he’d put him in against a rightie on Wednesday because by now it was obvious to him that “The Old Sammy is back!”
by NorCalRangersFan on Mar 23, 2009 12:41 PM CDT up reply actions
I think it is all Wash
because if it’s Jonny Donuts we have problems as witnessed by Washington’s excessive and brain-dead usage of Sosa v. RHPs in 2007.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Mar 23, 2009 12:45 PM CDT up reply actions
April
Bout to go to lunch but going back and looking at his April gamelogs and figuring out his stats he hit .238 with a .407 OBP against lefties in April with 1 HR and 6 RBI in 27 PAs
Against righties he hit .246 with an OBP of .269 with 6 HRs and 14 RBI.
I’ll try and do May when I get back
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.
May
OK got back and looked at May. Heres where the splits really took off.
vs RHP in May
.213 BA
.231 OBP
2 HR, 12 RBI
vs LHP in May (23 PA, 19 ABs)
.421 BA
.522 OBP
1 HR, 7 RBI
So at that point in the season his LHP splits were .325 BA and .460 OBP.
Against RHP at that point it was .229 BA and .248 OBP
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.
Right-handed platoon split
Is this only major league hitters? Or was there a study that also looked into minor league/post-MLB hitters?
IIRC, the right-handed platoon split was only for major league hitters (OPS of 8% higher vs. LHP vs. RHP).
Basically, my point is that this platoon split might not apply to non-major league caliber hitters (e.g., Sosa – 2007, minor leaguers, etc.).
R
R
Did he really do that much with GMJ?
It seems like GMJ had one season with an inflated BABIP, and otherwise, he did about as well here (and in Anaheim) as he has just about anywhere else.
by Adam J. Morris on Mar 23, 2009 11:48 AM CDT up reply actions
Scott is right
Hamilton chipped a tooth signing an autograph this spring. you’re never safe.
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by t ball on Mar 23, 2009 10:23 AM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
no doubts about that now
can we make that official LSB rule # 77 and slide it right next to that awesome “intro to LSB” piece for noobs….
bullpen
my guess is frankie, cj, gobble, eyre, turnbow, rupe and nippert (unless Nip’s on the DL, in which case we probably slide in Mad Dog, who will probably ride the OKC express a few times this season).
I guess i am in the minority, but I do not wish to see Jones utterly fail. I think having him on our 25 man roster has the potential to make this team much better. The only parallel i see between him and guys like Sosa and Nevin is that he is right handed. Other than that, he is much younger and still possesses much more pure physical ability and defensive versatility than those guys. If the doesn’t pan out, okay, let him go, but it is fool’s logic to try to apply past precedent to something like this.
what happens with eddie G for you?
DL? AAA?
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Mar 23, 2009 10:20 AM CDT up reply actions
i have my doubts
about Eddie’s health, but I am also aware how much his veteran savvy means to this bullpen.
But it also comes down to what this team really needs. Eddie performed well last year in the 8th inning role, but I don’t trust him to perform that role again this year, especially on back to back days. Ideally, we have Frankie closing, Wilson in the 8th, and either Eyre or Turnbow in the 7th, playing the hot hand. So Eddie would be relegated to a specialist’s role. If that is the case, I would rather have Gobble filling that role, where he has shown he can be especially effective if used correctly.
I think 2009 should be committed to seeing as many players as possible who can contribute in 2010.
Eddie
I think Eddie, barring a collapse at the end of spring, will start the season in the majors with the club. However if he shows his age is getting to him and he isn’t effective anymore, specifically against lefties, then we will see him released and Gobble brought 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.
I don't want him to fail
but again, the precedent that he would share is that if he does play poorly, they will be very slow to react. That’s where all of the concern comes from for me. Jaramillo is one stubborn dude, and it’s a personal thing for him when these projects succeed or fail, much moreso than whether some random prospect pans out. He’s said as much.
by Brett Perryman on Mar 23, 2009 10:21 AM CDT up reply actions
Slow to react
in great contrast to what happens when someone like Chris Davis is a little slow out of the gate in meaningless spring games.
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right
compare him to our most extreme slow-starter of all time, M-Byrd, and the only difference is what? veteran status. Sometimes a slow start is just a slow start not the seventh sign.
The thing I find really irritating about the whole thing is that if you simulated a whole season of the Wash/Rudy lineup(including the reverb of decreased playing time for others) vs a lineup that doesn’t include Jones, how many more wins might we be talking about? I would have to say none coupled with the negative effects on Blalocks trade value, Davis’ development, and the effective block on any AAA OF getting some time in the second half.
It is a strange fantasy that Wash/Rudy have that Jones will hit in the middle of the order and pinch hit until he really warms up and rounds into pre-all star form by mid-season, the surging power numbers he produces in turn propel TX to a division title. I’d like to live in that world but, well, it counts as delusion rather than sagaciousness (or a good " gut call" in wash’s case.)
whereas in 2007
our farm was mostly barren at the upper levels, and the only player Sosa was really holding off was Botts, in 2009 our farm is silly with upper level bats and I think the FO has a much stronger voice. If Jones is struggling and Max is hitting well in AAA, I think you would see a switch much quicker this time.
This is true
but this really speaks more to Daniels’ patience in letting it play out than to the field staff’s desire to play the superior younger bat. They’re going to go with the experienced guy, period, so it’s down to whether the situation just calls for Daniels to pull the plug sooner than he has (and Hart has) in the past.
by Brett Perryman on Mar 23, 2009 10:37 AM CDT up reply actions
Agree. The possibility of slow reaction time
scares me about this too. This is not a good time to shake CD or Cruz’s confidence.
Ugh, this is just stupid
What happened to putting the ducks in a row for 2010? Not giving Davis everyday ABs against both LHP and RHP isn’t going to help him become a consistent starter. Idiots.
if Adam and LeBreton are right
and it’s Wash and Rudy keeping Jones here, my hope is that JD will let the situation play out, but not make final 25/40 decisions based on these Rudy/Wash ‘gut feelings.’ JD is a smart guy. Smart guys learn from experience and this sort of thing hasn’t gone well in the past, (Sosa, Broussard etc.)
Yeah. He doesn't want to piss off the coaching staff too badly.
I think to say “we’ll keep him if we can find a trade for Cat or Blalock” is a fine stance for him to take. It’s basically a no-risk endeavor for him, since a trade of one of those two fellas is really, really unlikely. He hasn’t guaranteed anything to anyone.
If he changes his mind and really likes Jones, he can still option Crush to AAA and let him mash. It wouldn’t be the worst developmental path.
JD: Adamant about 78 wins in 2009. Go Rangers!
Cruz v Jones
Nelson Cruz, healthy and playing well, will get 600 PAs this year. JD’s personnel opinion matters more than Washington/Jaramillo’s.
Davis’ swing (this storyline reads like a confused internet meme right now) is not an issue to drag him behind Jones on the depth chart. His age and stature in the big picture, not to mention trade value, are far more important.
And I think that Jaramillo’s and Washington’s desire to see Jones stay speaks volumes about how optimistic they are about Cruz and Chris Davis this season.
Actually why wouldn’t Andruw just be here to back up Hank?
"[Font} doesn't turn 19 until the end of May and his heater can already hit 99 on the gun. That's baseball porn." - Jason Parks
by hightowersmith on Mar 23, 2009 10:30 AM CDT reply actions
and why on earth
would anyone be more optimistic about Jones than Cruz or Davis?
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When NRIs goes bad...
I wish the team would just release Jones right now and save themselves three months of headaches, wasted playing time, and a .200 BA.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Is it really
So bad to protect Davis a little bit? Sure you’d like to see him make the adjustments this year (when we’re “not supposed to compete”), but is giving the guy some cushion the worst move in the world?
As for Cruz, I hope he’ll do very well, but can anyone definitively say that he’s going to start out at the production level of late last season? There’s far more evidence to suggest that he will blow.
In any case, we saw last year that the team isn’t afraid to cut bait early on a guy who sucks. Now, admittedly, when we got rid of the guy who sucks, we brought in another sucky player, but that’s not the case here.
I’m almost certain I wouldn’t do this if I were the manager, but it’s not completely ridiculous.
by brettgardner on Mar 23, 2009 10:42 AM CDT up reply actions
It's the size of the cushion
that is worrisome. They should be finding out everything they can about Davis, not sitting him down a couple of days a week in order to find out just how toasted Jones really is.
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Agreed
But first, we really don’t know the size of the cushion yet.
Second, if Jones does produce at anything close to the levels of 3-4 years ago, then his sporadic ABs will surely be more valuable than Davis’ adjustment struggles and any potential negative impact those could have going forward.
He’s still a very young guy, and while I think his success has earned him the opportunity to play every day until he shows he can’t, I see the logic (even if I don’t agree with it).
by brettgardner on Mar 23, 2009 10:48 AM CDT up reply actions
Cushion
How large of a cushion did they give Hidalgo and Brian Jordan? Those guys were beyond godawful. Granted, the situation is maybe more ripe for legitimate alternatives than it was 2-3 years ago, but this team has a nasty history of staying with the veterans WAY too long.
by FuturePants on Mar 23, 2009 10:53 AM CDT up reply actions
Your
Granted point is the critical difference. Pretty different situations.
by brettgardner on Mar 23, 2009 10:55 AM CDT up reply actions
While that is significant to US
…will it make a difference at the MLB level? Hard to believe, given Washington’s proclivity for veterans.
by FuturePants on Mar 23, 2009 11:16 AM CDT up reply actions
Why does he need to be protected?
What has he done since being drafted that shows he needs any kind of protection? He has destroyed opposing pitchers very, very consistently and even after struggling a bit last season, came back to finish the season strong. He’s not some fragile prospect that you want to make sure never goes through a slump. Let him play every day and if he struggles, let him play through it.
Even if Cruz doesn’t produce like he did last season, he’s still a better option than Jones. Jones is crap.
Why do we even have to take chances on these players? Why do we have to hope to cut bait with these type of players when they prove how worthless they are? Its so much easier to just not play them in the first place. On top of that, since Jones is only going to start as a RH DH, he’s probably nto going to be getting enough playing time to “prove” to the team that he should be cut until the end of May or June.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
ehh
i don’t know if i want to start treating people’s opinions as fact…
Also, wasn’t there suppose to be some kind of big announcement from Evan today?
Stability is key, and JD is a Beast.
Jindal - 2012
"AMMIITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABHH!!!"
I think the Jones thing has more to do with Cat.
If Cat were a RH hitter, we may not have seen Crush last year, but instead Cat at DH.
What’s the worst thing that could happen?
Jones becomes the DH in April, falls flat on his face, Rangers win 15 games anyway, Crush doesn’t get optioned and plays sparingly.
I understand hullabaloo is mostly about the principle and illogic of Wash/Rudy. But, this really isn’t all that serious. There is very little reason to believe either Crush or Jones will the ONE GUY that will make the Rangers win 15 games instead of 10. Even if Jones is the primary DH with Blalock at 1B for April, the Rangers will have a winning record primarily due to the pitching staff. The left side of the infield will be a minor reason; Jones or Crush in the lineup will be a minor reason.
I think it is interesting because it implies there is a little bit of a power war going on here between JD and Wash/Rudy. Wash wants something “predictable” and “proven”. JD wants to build for the golden year, 2010. If JD were sold on Jones, the right move would be to send Crush to AAA and keep Cat, to milk just a pennies worth of performance from the $6M remaining on Cat’s contract, to let Crush mash at AAA. Clearly, JD hasn’t bought into it to that level since he has only offered to keep Jones if they can trade one of Cat or Blalock.
Remember how JD “tried to trade” FOTF this offseason? I would be willing to bet Cat/Blalock get the same effort. I see almost no possibility for Jones to be on the opening day roster.
So, this is blown way out of proportion already, and I hope something else worth discussing happens later today, like a Hamilton extension.
JD: Adamant about 78 wins in 2009. Go Rangers!
by rooster on Mar 23, 2009 10:38 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
yep
and this
I think it is interesting because it implies there is a little bit of a power war going on here between JD and Wash/Rudy.
doesn’t make too much sense in that, JD has the power…why would Wash/Rudy be willing to go down that road, when history suggests, those managers/coaches will be fired…(just look at Buck, JD canned his ass real quick).
Stability is key, and JD is a Beast.
Jindal - 2012
"AMMIITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABHH!!!"
Adam, you have mentioned that you think the org is down on Davis a couple or three times now
I’m unclear as to why you think that is (as well as why anyone would think that).
Can you break your theory down for me?
I'm Matt mutha-effing Bush, bitches, and mutha-eff East County.
"I'm as passionate and knowlegeable as any fan out there." Josey Wales
Hear hear.
"[Font} doesn't turn 19 until the end of May and his heater can already hit 99 on the gun. That's baseball porn." - Jason Parks
by hightowersmith on Mar 23, 2009 10:48 AM CDT up reply actions
He's explained it before
If Jones is the RH DH, then who sits when he is in the lineup? Its going to be either Blalock, the DH, or Davis, the guy playing Blalock’s only playable position. We heard last year even when Davis was crushing the ball that Blalock wasn’t ever going to lose playing time and I can’t imagine the team benching him now on an option year. I doubt they want to do anything that could hurt his trade value. So why do you even consider Jones as an option knowing that Davis is the one who will lose playing time unless you have some concerns about him to begin with?
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Wait
You’re saying if Jones plays, Davis will sit?
I might be confused on handednesses, but why can’t Jones and Davis be in the same lineup with Hank sitting?
This leaves aside days when Jones spells an outfielder.
"[Font} doesn't turn 19 until the end of May and his heater can already hit 99 on the gun. That's baseball porn." - Jason Parks
by hightowersmith on Mar 23, 2009 10:53 AM CDT up reply actions
Its just not likely to happen
Again, last year, all we heard was how Davis would get sent down when Blalock came back up even though Davis was doing great. He pretty much forced the team to keep him up, but it still didn’t cost Blalock any playing time. Then you have the contract situation to consider. The general rule in baseball is play the more expensive guy no matter what. And since Blalock is on a 1 year deal, JD is going to be looking to trade him if he can. You don’t turn Blalock into a platoon hitter if you want to get anything of value for him. You play him everyday to try and prove to potential buyers that he is the hitter of the past 2 years instead of 05/06.
And then there is the manager. No matter who the manager is, the veteran always gets to play ahead of the rookie/sophomore players. And Wash, when he came here, made it pretty clear that he is a Blalock fan and I don’t think that has changed much over the past few years.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
what is ironic
is that both Davis and Blalock will end up hitting lefties better than Jones. Putting Jones in the lineup hurts the team at the plate and in the field.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Agreeance.
We know how Wash feels about playing vets over kids especially when he knows his back against the wall to start in April & May.
This whole AJones thing is JD trying for another short-term short cut instead of letting a younger player (like Boggs) get the gig.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Mar 23, 2009 12:29 PM CDT up reply actions
Huh?
Reports are unified in that they are all exactly contrary to this:
This whole AJones thing is JD trying for another short-term short cut instead of letting a younger player (like Boggs) get the gig.
by FuturePants on Mar 23, 2009 12:37 PM CDT up reply actions
If AJones makes the team
Boggs goes to AAA and the same probably goes if they keep Cat.
Anybody wanna discuss what JD was thinking when he gave Cat that contract or was that still a part of his learning curve?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Mar 23, 2009 12:47 PM CDT up reply actions
Not sure
but I remember talking about it at the time of the signing.
IIRC, for the most part, people were neutral to positive.
I was one of the few detractors, but mainly because I hated given up a draft pick (especially the best 1st round compensation draft pick possible) for a player like Cat. For a Sabathia? Sure. Alex Rodriguez? Ditto.
Catalonotto? Not as much.
Money-wise, I don’t think it was or is that big of a deal. Sure, it’d be nice to have the $6 million available for this year, but who did it really keep us from signing?
R
Yeah, the pick
was why I didn’t like it too. They basically gave up the highest pick possible for the lowest rated Type A. Not a good value in any sense.
Ceterum censeo Cat esse delendam
by Brett Perryman on Mar 23, 2009 7:33 PM CDT up reply actions
I was being facetious
because Josey seemed to think we hadn’t already beaten that topic into the ground multiple times. There was a LOT of talk about it being a so-so signing here when it happened, and hundreds of times since then.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Tedious
You are so fucking masterful at hindsight.
Why don’t you do all us baseball dummies a favor, and tell us IN ADVANCE some mistakes you see.
Cause, you know, you tend to lean heavy on the after the fact “analysis,” and light in the ass on the prognostication.
I humbly await the Walesian wisdom-bestowal.
I'm Matt mutha-effing Bush, bitches, and mutha-eff East County.
"I'm as passionate and knowlegeable as any fan out there." Josey Wales
by Brian Thomas on Mar 23, 2009 2:05 PM CDT up reply actions
I don't think many people were thrilled with that signing at the time.
OK player, bad contract.
by brettgardner on Mar 23, 2009 2:33 PM CDT up reply actions
Problem with the Cat signing
is that you give a multi-year contract to someone with limited, if any skills. Guys like that you shouldn’t give up draft picks and/or a multi year deal for. Your bench guys should be prospects, 1 year signings, and NRIs, not guys on multi-year deals.
Get off my lawn.
No argument
I was addressing a pattern, not one specific incident.
Josey Wales: It was pure idiocy getting bogged down in the Vietnam war. Johnson was a moron.
Q: What should we do about Pakistan?
JW: It was pure idiocy getting bogged down in the Vietnam war. Johnson was a moron.
I'm Matt mutha-effing Bush, bitches, and mutha-eff East County.
"I'm as passionate and knowlegeable as any fan out there." Josey Wales
by Brian Thomas on Mar 23, 2009 2:53 PM CDT up reply actions
Almost right
JW: We would have won in Vietnam except for Donut Boy’s idiocy. Johnson had Red & Blue knee pads.
Q: What should we do about Pakistan
JW: Get off your damn knee pads! Donut Boy is an idiot! Bill James says our troops win when the game score is over 50, I’ve been to more Ranger games than you, and even if I won the lottery I’d complain about the taxes that are all Jonny Donut’s fault. Trey Hillman would bring those terrorists to their knees, ’cause they have knee pads.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Revisonist history again?
Cat signed a deal right or a tad below market value when he got here based upon the current market conditions at the time. Lets not forget that he had an OPS over .800 for 6 out of the 7 years before coming to Texas. Cat’s problem is that his lower body deteriorated so much that he is now limited to 1st base. When he was an OF his salary was palpable, but not as a light hitting 1B or DH.
His previous seasons .815 OPS would have put him around 30th out of 75 OF in MLB in 07. That is not bad and would have been the tied with Lofton’s and Byrd output that year. But as a 1B/DH he falls into 27th out of 43.
Cat’s loss of mobility is the real killer here. With him being a pinch hitter/DH/1B he has little use here. I would not be surprised to see him gone
He was never considered a good OF'er.
And it was pretty easily conceivable at the time that you’d have to stash him at 1st or DH him.
Nobody has ever questioned his bat. He’s still good enough to play in the majors.
by brettgardner on Mar 23, 2009 3:16 PM CDT up reply actions
You mean
players deteriorate in their 30s and you can’t count on the same productivity in the future that they had in their late 20s? You don’t say.
Amongst LFs, his 815 would have put him as 12/20 in 07. Lumping him in with CFs (lack of speed) and RF (comically bad arm) seems a little odd.
Get off my lawn.
If AJones doesn't make the team
Boggs is still going to AAA. Jones isn’t going to have any effect on Boggs starting the season in AAA or the Majors.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
I don't think the organization is down on him
I think that the folks who are high on Jones are not optimistic about how strong Davis is going to be in 2009, particularly early in 2009.
by Adam J. Morris on Mar 23, 2009 11:05 AM CDT up reply actions
It doesn't compute that Jones is going to replace Davis in the lineup, and not Hank.
Not just because of individual development curves for these players, their ages, their place in the overall org picture. It’s just the positions.
Why would the team want Hank on the field at all? I’m not sure Hank himself wants to play the field.
"[Font} doesn't turn 19 until the end of May and his heater can already hit 99 on the gun. That's baseball porn." - Jason Parks
by hightowersmith on Mar 23, 2009 11:15 AM CDT up reply actions
Hank is better off
not being on the field. He can trip over the chalk line and be out for 5 months.
Get off my lawn.
Evan Grant (on The Ticket) says
Blalock is going to lose ab’s with Jones on the team.
He also thinks they’re going to keep Jones and cut Cat.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Lets see
Jones vs LHP
2006 127 ABs .933ops
2007 . 182 ABs .785 ops
2008 . 73 ABs .631 ops
career 1562 ABs .867 ops
Blalock vs LHP
2006 162 ABs .596 ops
2007 47 ABs .796 ops
2008 83 ABs .903 ops
career 850 ABs .656 ops
Who has the higher OPS vs lefties in 2009, Jones or Blalock?
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Well if we follow the trends
It looks like Jones will be at ~.480 (since jones has been dropping about .150 points a year) and Blalock will be at ~.950 (since he increased by .200. then half that to .100, so half again is .050). And you can take that extremely scientific analysis to the bank!
by NorCalRangersFan on Mar 23, 2009 2:26 PM CDT up reply actions
Professor Parks killing it at bbtia
http://www.bbtia.com/home/2009/3/23/ask-professor-parks-open-thread.html
"[Font} doesn't turn 19 until the end of May and his heater can already hit 99 on the gun. That's baseball porn." - Jason Parks
by hightowersmith on Mar 23, 2009 10:49 AM CDT reply actions
Jason mentions a couple more promising DSLers in there. One of the things that I’m excited about is where their Latin program should be at this point. They started their push in 2005, have made big efforts each year, and we’ve obviously seen promising talents come from each class pretty quickly. But most of these kids are 16 when they are signed, and if you look at other clubs with successful programs over a long period of time, it’s not like every kid emerges by the time he’s 17 or 18 years old. We’re getting to the stage where very nice prospects could start to emerge at a more advanced age, in addition to the day one phenoms like Perez and Font. Boscan did this to a certain degree, but he was already a pretty big name when he was still just 17.
by Brett Perryman on Mar 23, 2009 11:09 AM CDT up reply actions
Is there a limit
on the number of Pimentels each organization can have?
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Yes
but no limit on guys named de los Santos.
by Brett Perryman on Mar 23, 2009 11:16 AM CDT up reply actions
Untrue
Ovispo is gone, so there IS a limit.
"I think we have avoided a recession." -- Jim Nussle, White House Budget Director, 31 July 2008
is he?
I thought he was injured last year?
Clearly there is no limit on them. In fact, there may be an incentive system.
Ceterum censeo Cat esse delendam
by Brett Perryman on Mar 23, 2009 12:57 PM CDT up reply actions
it's for the protein source of the future
no, not in that way you psychopath
I think....
Guardardo is at the end of his career and will fail…..and early in the season as well. Mendoza just needs to be let go. I’m tired of watching him half-ass it out there everytime.
I don’t want to see any pitchers, fielders, or batters on this team that aren’t going to be here in the next two years helping us win. I’m looking at you Andruw, Eddie, and Omar.
"You shut your mouth when you're talking about the Rangers!!"
From here on
would everyone end every post where they have any criticism of anything about any player with “and Cat sucks too” so that Cahill doesn’t have to remind us 1000000 times a day?
by Brett Perryman on Mar 23, 2009 11:20 AM CDT up reply actions
I second this motion
and Cat sucks too
Keith Law on Greg Golson, "He's similiar to Cameron and Hunter in that all three are black."
hilarious
I'm Matt mutha-effing Bush, bitches, and mutha-eff East County.
"I'm as passionate and knowlegeable as any fan out there." Josey Wales
by Brian Thomas on Mar 23, 2009 11:43 AM CDT up reply actions
Get off my lawn
and Cat sucks. Also, toolsy middle infielders always suck.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
wow
More Owen Wilson
Actor Owen Wilson was back at work with the Rangers on Sunday, continuing to research his upcoming role as a left-handed reliever in the movie How Do You Know?
He participated in some conditioning drills and continued to chat up pitchers in the clubhouse. He said it didn’t take him long to learn that relievers are experts in shooting the bull.
“I got here yesterday around 9:30, and I guess by 10 a.m. I had it,” said Wilson, who listened most to Eddie Guardado and C.J. Wilson. “Those are the two lefties, and I’m a lefty. We’ve got to stick together.”
Owen and CJ Wilson chumming it up during spring training is an eerie thought for me…
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on Mar 23, 2009 11:32 AM CDT reply actions
Only person missing there is Matthew Mcconaughey
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
I beg to differ...
Woody’s always gotta be involved
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on Mar 23, 2009 11:35 AM CDT up reply actions
He's already done his baseball movie.
Though he was upstaged by Adrian Brody and the kid from 3rd Rock.
My Monday morning note
I arrived at work to find C.J. Wilson in two pieces on my desk. Someone apparently knocked over my bobblehead over the weekend. Much like the person who hit my car a few weeks ago, there was no note, so I have no suspects. I’m bummed. I can fix him, but I know C.J. will never be the same again. And he’s certainly not staying at the office. I’m taking him home tonight for some superglue and TLC.
I only hope this is not an omen for my week ahead…or C.J.’s :)
-- Micah
Baseball Is My Boyfriend
I want to be the next Annie Savoy.
by The Best Micah on Mar 23, 2009 11:40 AM CDT reply actions
Here's what he looked like this morning :-(
-- Micah
Baseball Is My Boyfriend
I want to be the next Annie Savoy.
by The Best Micah on Mar 23, 2009 8:11 PM CDT up reply actions
I disagree with AJM
I think that Washington and Jaramillo really are optimistic about Andruw Jones and feel he can provide a 20-30 homerun bat. I don’t think it has anything to do with their negative feelings towards Chris Davis or Nelson Cruz. Yes, it’s a crowded outfield and a situation similar to Sammy Sosa, but I think that the Rangers would be more willing to cut ties this year with Jones than they would be with Sosa. I don’t seem to remember a capable replacement for Sammy Sosa in the 2007 season as far as a “Power” right hand bat is concerned. This year, I think if Jones struggles early, he will be released.
"A lot of guys can hit gnats in the butt in a bullpen." - Ron Washington
"Clearly, the season is over. Fire Daniels, fire Washington, fire Maddux, burn down TBIA." - AJM
by aggierangerfan00 on Mar 23, 2009 12:28 PM CDT reply actions
Jones vs. Sosa
Another difference between Jones and Sosa is that Sosa was considered a draw. His name is much more known to the casual fan than Jones’. And there was the draw of the 600 HRs milestone. I don’t think the FO thinks that Jones’ name is going to put fans in the seats, so he will be given less slack than Sammy was.
by NorCalRangersFan on Mar 23, 2009 12:32 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
I agree.
"A lot of guys can hit gnats in the butt in a bullpen." - Ron Washington
"Clearly, the season is over. Fire Daniels, fire Washington, fire Maddux, burn down TBIA." - AJM
by aggierangerfan00 on Mar 23, 2009 12:48 PM CDT up reply actions
Why, again, are we in such a hurry to sign Hamilton to an extension?
"My mother always taught me that if the only thing you have to say is,
‘(Expletive) Dave Samson,’ then don’t say anything at all.
So I’m not going to say anything at all.
Is my mother the greatest or what?"
- Mariners GM Bill Bavasi, after signing Ichiro to a $90 million contract
No idea.
Unless you can buy out at least 2 years of FA, it just seems like you eat a lot of injury risk.
Get off my lawn.
At least one year will be
And I’m sure there will be a team option for at least one more year after that.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Not sure
guaranteeing 4 years to get a fifth is a good payoff. Guaranteeing 4 years to get a fifth and a team option on a 6th makes some sense. Although, I’m not sure his agent will give you 2 FA years.
Get off my lawn.
I don't see any way a deal gets done without it
And since Hamilton switched agents last year to have an agent he was more comfortable with, I think his agent is just going to get the deal done rather than be doing any type of pushing for Hamnlton to hit FA.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
FA years
With Hamiltons past I think it will be pretty easy to get 2 FA years from him in an extension. As it stands right now he will be a FA after his age 32 season and with the abuse he put on his body in his early 20s his agent would be making a huge gamble that he stays fully healthy the next 4 years and can cash in after then. We may have to overpay a little on his arbitration years but I think we can get two of his FA years pretty easily.
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.
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