Monday morning things
by Adam J. Morris on Mar 30, 2009 9:28 AM CDT
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PrintJeff Wilson has some items up today, noting that there were no cuts yesterday, although it was expected we'd see some, and that today's game highlights some of the battles going on, with Andruw Jones, Frank Catalanotto, and Kris Benson all slated to start, and Derrick Turnbow and Josh Rupe pitching out of the pen.
Jim Reeves says the Rangers need Benson in the rotation, because, he says, Benson is a veteran and knows how to pitch.
Wilson, meanwhile, says Jason Jennings may be in the mix for a bullpen job.
Evan Grant has a plethora of notes up, including his projected opening day roster. Grant has 5 NRIs making the team. One of them is Jones, who would take Cat's roster spot. Eric Hurley and Joaquin Benoit going to the 60 day d.l. would clear out two spots, and Joe Koshansky -- who Jeff Wilson says in his piece likely won't be on the 40 man roster long -- will probably be waived to make room for another guy.
That leaves one spot that would have to be opened up, either by putting Dustin Nippert or Tommy Hunter on the 60 day d.l., or by putting one more 40 man member on waivers.
Kevin Sherrington has a column on Brandon McCarthy, and the promising signs he's shown this spring.
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Sickels: Not a Rookie: Matt Harrison
"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.
Zing!
"[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 30, 2009 9:29 AM CDT up reply actions
Watch for any increase in his K/IP ratio, that would likely be the first hint of improvement. I do think a Hurst-like outcome is possible. . .Denny Neagle, John Tudor perhaps, if Harrison remains healthy and doesn’t get crushed by the environment.
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 30, 2009 10:02 AM CDT up reply actions
John needs to remember it's a better environment for lefties than righties.
I agree, though, that he needs more strikeouts. Haven’t heard much about whether than new cutter is helping him in that regard.
JD: Adamant about 78 wins in 2009. Go Rangers!
either way...
he was uncharacteristically high in the base on balls department…if he improves that, I think he’s going to show us some pretty decent numbers…if he improves the Ks on top of that, we should be quite happy
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on Mar 30, 2009 12:29 PM CDT up reply actions
Sickels on Harrison
http://www.minorleagueball.com/2009/3/30/813673/not-a-rookie-matt-harrison
"[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
Question
Considering Cat is a sunk cost (no team is going to pay his salary), would you rather have him or Andruw on the roster?
I’d rather have Andruw.
I don’t see how Andruw couldn’t fill Cat’s offensive role, and then provide a wider range of defensive options. And he’s younger, and he’s probably going to get better.
Worst-case, Jones facilitates the trade of Cat. Is the status quo with Jones getting cut necessarily better?
"[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
Jones
Who would you rather have PH for Andrus late in a game? Cat has proven himself as a pinchitter. I think the only advantage Andruw has over Cat is that he is a better LF than Cat.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
I think the only advantage Andruw has over Cat is that he is a better LF than Cat.
Yeah, and I’ll take the dropoff in pinch hitting.
"[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 30, 2009 10:14 AM CDT up reply actions
His defense isn't a guarantee
There’s a reason the team is talking about him at DH instead of as a possible back-up OF.
And who has hit better recently? Cat or Jones. Cat over the past 2 years has been a much superior hitter to Jones. Cat also has shown that he could pinch hit very well. Something Jones hasn’t shown that he can do.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
I think they're mostly under the misguided thought that AJ can hit lefties better than Cat.
JD: Adamant about 78 wins in 2009. Go Rangers!
after seeing AJ play this spring....
I would rather have Cat on this team as the 25th man instead of A.Jones…here are my reasons:
1.If A.Jones is on this team instead of Cat, Washington may feel the presure to start him a few times a week which will take at-bats away from Cruz, Murphy, and possibly Davis.
2.Cat is left-handed and has lots of experience pinch hitting….which we will need late in games for Andrus.
3.Cat is willing to ride the bench…..will Jones have the same attitude 2 months into the season?
by death of the cool on Mar 30, 2009 11:24 AM CDT up reply actions
Thanks
I can’t see him being put on the 60-day DL for a groin injury. Especially since he needs the time in AAA (or possibly AA?). With Nippert I think the Rangers have some incentive to put him on the 60 and let him work on somethings at extended ST. He could then do a 30 day rehab that would allow the Rangers to decide if they want to keep him. Which brings up the question: can a player be released directly for the DL or do they need to be activated (placed on 25 man roster) and then released?
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Rehab assignments
Can a guy start a rehab assignment while still on the 60 day DL?
If so I see no problem putting Hunter on the 60 day and on day 31 or so start him on his “rehab assignment” and when his 60 time is up make the necessary roster move to add him back to the 40
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.
Yes, and that could apply to Nip Nip
or Bubble-Butt.
"...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
Yeah
But with Nippert as soon as that rehab stint is up he’d have to be activated. Hunter is going to be in the minors no matter what so you wouldn’t be jacking with the major league team by doing it to him
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 did not debate that point.
Nipert had previously been mentioned as a 60 candidate, that is all.
"...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
I understand
I was simply pointing out that with Hunter we wouldn’t have to make any moves on the major league roster when he comes off because he is simply going to be optioned to OKC anyway. With Nippert he has to be placed on the major league team.
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.
Can't a 60-day be backdated?
Like put the start date a coupla weeks ago when he got hurt so that he’s available sooner in the season?
I don't believe so
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 just cant make myself click on the Reeves link
He makes my teeth hurt
sensodine will help that.
Keith Law on Greg Golson, "He's similiar to Cameron and Hunter in that all three are black."
Anyone nkow what kind of velocity benson has had this season?
the preceding post was a great success.
at the game I watched him pitch...
he hit 93 a few times… and that was 3 weeks ago..he was quite impressive that one game.
Josh Hamilton puts his pants on one leg at a time just like you but once he gets his pants on he hits baseballs 420 feet.
Did you go to ST?
Keith Law on Greg Golson, "He's similiar to Cameron and Hunter in that all three are black."
yes sir
Josh Hamilton puts his pants on one leg at a time just like you but once he gets his pants on he hits baseballs 420 feet.
Cool
I hope to get there next year. I was just way to busy this year as I have been for the past 8 years. This has always been my busy season.
Keith Law on Greg Golson, "He's similiar to Cameron and Hunter in that all three are black."
oh right on...yeh it was a real treat .. I go every year
Josh Hamilton puts his pants on one leg at a time just like you but once he gets his pants on he hits baseballs 420 feet.
McCarthy the comedian
The John Daly diet inflated him to 225 pounds, which sounds like a lot until you realize he’s 6-7. They say giraffes weigh up to 3,000 pounds, too.
More to the point, Brandon, is the extra weight helping any?
“The wind was blowing pretty good out on the back field,” he deadpanned, “and I didn’t rock as much.”
JD: Adamant about 78 wins in 2009. Go Rangers!
So, maybe...
Benson to the roto, Jennings & Feldman to the BP, and Mad Dog at AAA?
Then Turnbow to Frisco (closer to Maddux), if he doesn’t elect FA?
Lemme hear from ya’.
"...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
That could work.
but for some reason I just like the reliability of Feldman in the rotation. Ability may not be his strong suit but reliability is. It is nice to know what you are going to get on a given day.
Yeah. I'm still more comfortable with Feldman in the rotation.
I’ll listen in today, for sure, to see how Benson does second time through the lineup. Hopefully, they’re at a stadium that can post pitch speed. It would be nice to hear if he’s low 80s or low 90s.
JD: Adamant about 78 wins in 2009. Go Rangers!
two thumbs up sir!
Josh Hamilton puts his pants on one leg at a time just like you but once he gets his pants on he hits baseballs 420 feet.
Video of Elvis talking,
at the bottom there’s one with Ron (Hamilton hits a homerun at the end of the video).
link
"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.
He speaks really good English
I can’t wait to see him play in person.
Keith Law on Greg Golson, "He's similiar to Cameron and Hunter in that all three are black."
Nice video of Smoak nailing a double:
"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.
Including the 15 feet out of the basepaths?
"...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
I have a weird question
Are there rules restricting where fielders can place themselves? For example, is the SS allowed to position himself right next to the mount? Can the 3rd baseman start 5 feet in foul territory? Can they play 4-man outfields?
I don’t think that you can line up in foul territory. Other than that, and other than doing things to obstruct offensive players, I think that you can align the defense however. You can stand near the mound but not on it.
Ceterum censeo Cat esse delendam
by Brett Perryman on Mar 30, 2009 12:09 PM CDT up reply actions
Could the fielders lay on the grass and spell out, “Attaboy Jeets” if they wanted to?
by shroomer on Mar 30, 2009 12:26 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
Not enough fielders.
They’d have to include the bat girls…
"...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
Excellent
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 30, 2009 1:44 PM CDT up reply actions
Kris Benson
are we as uncomfortable with Benson as a group as we were and perhaps still are with Jennings? Does anybody think he can be a reliable starter here?
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on Mar 30, 2009 12:33 PM CDT reply actions
I hate it
I was really thinking we were past the point of moving people around to make place for these reclamation projects right out of camp.
If Hurley hadn;t gotten
hurt, he would probably be in the rotation instead of Feldman.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
True
But I’m guessing at this point it would likely be better for us long term to see Feldman in the rotation than either Benson or Jennings. I doubt either one will be here for more than this year. Or at least I hope not.
What do voluntary mean?
Maybe, maybe not
I think if Hurley was healthy then either he or Harrison would start in the minors. I have a hard time believing the Rangers would switch a guy from a sidearming reliever to a 3/4 arm slot starter at the end of spring training if they were simply going to place him back in relief the next season.
But if Hurley was healthy I doubt we sign both Jennings and Benson to minor league deals.
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.
If I were JD...
I wouldn’t keep Jones, Benson, or Turnbow.
Keep Cat – if you can’t trade him at least you know Wash won’t feel the need to start him 3 times a week.
Keep Rupe – he did some good things the first half of last year and was just used too much at the end of the season.
Keep Jennings – if they move Feldman to the ‘pen I’d rather Jennings get the 5th spot in the rotation over Benson.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
I guess I don't get
why keeping Benson or Jennings is really an option.
What do voluntary mean?
Because...
the other options like Benoit, Eyre, Nippert, etc. are hurt.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
That would be a reason to put them into the BP or keep another BP arm
not necessarily a reason to put them into the starting rotation right now. There’s a reasonable chance we keep one of those two over someone like Madrigal. I’d rather see the younger power arm in the BP along with Feldman for most of the first month as opposed to the shuffling we might see here soon.
What do voluntary mean?
Gobble released per TR
http://trsullivan.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/03/gobble_released.html
"Come on man you have to admit the average guy in a baseball clubhouse...... is relatively a douchebag." BGL.
The 2008-2009 Dallas Mavericks are the biggest teases in the world.
Is our bullpen that good
or is Gobble that bad?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Decided we didn't need a LOOGY?
What do voluntary mean?
from EG
Keep Kiker as a starter. I am interested in seeing what he can do in Frisco this year.
Kasey Kiker is on the travel squad today and may pitch if the Rangers pitchers can’t get through their prescribed work. But I asked if there was any outside chance that Kiker might get an audition as a lefty reliever this year and was given an emphatic "no." Probably for the best. You’d hate to see a first-round pick turned into a lefty reliever three years after being selected out of high school.
http://insidecorner.dmagazine.com/
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Give the guy every chance to stick as a starter
hes gonna be 20 years old in AA this year so its not like hes a nonprospect. He had really good numbers in low-A and pretty good numbers in high-A given his location. Just cause hes not 6’3 doesn’t mean he can’t be a starting pitcher.
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.
Anyone hear any rumors about who
any of the non-Rangers might be?
70 non-US players detained this spring
Ceterum censeo Cat esse delendam
Murmurs that Ynoa is among those being investigated?
He’s not being detained, but
Ben, I’m in the Dominican Republic and I’m a coach. I was at a tryout last friday and I heard that Inoa is being investigated:
What Peter Gammons is not saying is stuff like Major League baseball suspending baseball players who have not even signed with a Proffesional team.
The way it works is like this : Teams do the investigation before they sign the player, if they find something fishy, even without determining the true identity they tell the player he can’t sign because they wont allow him to get a visa.
Something huge will blow up, Peter is just giving you guys a slight preview.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=2979
Ceterum censeo Cat esse delendam
by Brett Perryman on Mar 30, 2009 7:49 PM CDT up reply actions
That would be so great... but it's probably nothing.
"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 30, 2009 7:55 PM CDT up reply actions
Retribution is a wicked mistress.
That would be so awesome if that were true.
"...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
karma, bitches.
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 30, 2009 8:18 PM CDT up reply actions
Andrew McCutchen sent down
after a.318/.423/.561 spring and already a full season, plus a 2007 August cameo, in AAA.
Ceterum censeo Cat esse delendam
Loves me some McClutcheon
He’s like Borbon, only good.
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 30, 2009 6:24 PM CDT up reply actions
Couple week thing?
"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
all so they can probably play mclouth in CF
lol
or is it about another year of control?
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 30, 2009 8:19 PM CDT up reply actions
the latter
Ceterum censeo Cat esse delendam
by Brett Perryman on Mar 30, 2009 9:47 PM CDT up reply actions
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