Thursday a.m. Rangers stuff
by Adam J. Morris on Apr 30, 2009 9:07 AM CDT
Email
PrintSometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. And sometimes it rains.
Afternoon game today between Texas and Oakland, with yesterday's scheduled starter, Vicente Padilla, going for the Rangers in an effort to give the Rangers a winning record in April. That would be a nice change from the past few years.
Jeff WIlson has some notes up, including Josh Hamilton saying that he is feeling better and hoping to avoid a trip to the d.l., and the troubling news that the Rangers are next-to-last in the A.L. in walks -- ironic, given the manager's philosophy of working the count and trying to make the pitcher throw a lot of pitches.
Kevin Millwood says the conditioning program Nolan Ryan implemented is a key part of his strong start:
"This didn’t come as a big surprise, but it probably is to some people," Millwood said. "Finally understanding what I need to do at this age helps out. I never thought I had to do more than I was doing. Obviously, that’s not the case."
Jim Reeves has a column up about how the Rangers have improved their outfield depth, particularly in comparison to where the team was in 2007 -- Jon Daniels is quoted in the column as calling the 2007 outfield "embarrassing."
Jean-Jacques Taylor says all of you who are questioning what the Rangers are doing with Derek Holland don't know what you are talking about, because there's really a plan in place.
180 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
please dont start this again...
please
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 Apr 30, 2009 9:19 AM CDT up reply actions
Has there been any mention by
RWash this year about being patient? I know it was a big mantra last year, but I really don’t recall him mentioning it much this year. Outside of guys like Andruw Jones, I don’t see a lot of patience on this team.
4/10/09 - Josh Hamilton's last walk.
"You know a pitching prospect isn't any good if John Daniels doesn't trade him away but keeps him insteaad." - http://crops.mlblogs.com/
"You probably can throw Neftali Feliz on that group of overblown Rangers pitching prospect failures." - http://crops.mlblogs.com/
I saw on the Rangers site earlier today
That he said it’ll probably get better as the year goes on. And that Milton was a big reason for it last year. But no mention of trying to work on it this year anymore.
Nelson Cruz
seems I’ve seen him display some good patience in several at bats, didn’t look at the stats to verify though.
If you take the worst pitching staff in baseball, then add Kris Benson and Jason Jennings, what do you have???
surprise!!! You have the worst pitching staff in baseball, that's what.
JJT agrees with what the Rangers are doing with Holland?
Well then I expect any day now Derek’s arm will be falling off his body.
I have no objection to man walking on the moon.
OBP-BA for this team
This is a measure I use, much like Isolated Power, to give an indication of walks. Typically .030 is pretty rotgut, .070 is fairly average (last years AL average was .068, so far this year its .074) , and .100 is fairly exceptional
Andruw Jones 0.168
David Murphy* 0.166
Taylor Teagarden 0.080
Nelson Cruz 0.076
Chris Davis* 0.066
Michael Young 0.063
Ian Kinsler 0.057
Elvis Andrus 0.040
Josh Hamilton* 0.040
Omar Vizquel# 0.035
Jarrod Saltalamacchia 0.024
Hank Blalock* 0.013
Marlon Byrd 0.005
As you can see, there are really only 4 players showing above average patience, and a lot of this team looks like pure Drek in the patience department.
4/10/09 - Josh Hamilton's last walk.
"You know a pitching prospect isn't any good if John Daniels doesn't trade him away but keeps him insteaad." - http://crops.mlblogs.com/
"You probably can throw Neftali Feliz on that group of overblown Rangers pitching prospect failures." - http://crops.mlblogs.com/
Blalocks approach
I used to be a big fan of his, but watching his at bats is painful, even when he has success. The way he swings from the heels at everything, he’s due for a big slump. I just hope he keeps hitting for power and we can move him midseason.
That guy has basically wasted a ton of talent.
If you take the worst pitching staff in baseball, then add Kris Benson and Jason Jennings, what do you have???
surprise!!! You have the worst pitching staff in baseball, that's what.
Yep
I remember when he was going to be the next George Brett, then he goes to an All Star game, joins the HR Derby, and becomes a pure pull hitter who is streaky as hell.
4/10/09 - Josh Hamilton's last walk.
"You know a pitching prospect isn't any good if John Daniels doesn't trade him away but keeps him insteaad." - http://crops.mlblogs.com/
"You probably can throw Neftali Feliz on that group of overblown Rangers pitching prospect failures." - http://crops.mlblogs.com/
Last 587 PA's he's at
27 bombs/84 steaks with a slugging % in the mid .500’s.
He’s not George Brett but he still has talent.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
he also drinks quite a lot
but thats neither here nor there
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 Apr 30, 2009 10:07 AM CDT up reply actions
Look out that window.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 30, 2009 10:16 AM CDT up reply actions
what?
hank, not you JW
and its from people who would def know (connected to the team)
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 Apr 30, 2009 10:57 AM CDT up reply actions
I don't care if Hank drinks like a fish
It’s not like he’s driving a busload of kids as a part of his job.
His job is to hit a baseball very hard and as long as nobody gets hurt and everybody is a willing participant, I don’t really care what he does off the field.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 30, 2009 11:08 AM CDT up reply actions
And if
his drinking really is a problem, why did this small market payroll team pick up his $ 6 million+ option?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 30, 2009 11:09 AM CDT up reply actions
I agree with this
his swing and approach at the plate are not caused by drinking.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
you miss my point
im just commenting on the person, not the player - and they picked his contract up because of, as you stated below, his talent + stats over the last year when healthy
i wasnt saying jack about his swing or him between the lines — was only commenting that i was told that he was a “drunk” off the field lol
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 Apr 30, 2009 11:12 AM CDT up reply actions
Drinking
How do you know this about “the person”?
"[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 Apr 30, 2009 11:16 AM CDT up reply actions
lets put it this way
it was the same person who said that the rangers were going to sign andruw jones RIGHT after his first workout with the rangers.
and while i am not at liberty to say who it is, he is someone that would def know about the rangers and would have zero reason to make something up
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 Apr 30, 2009 12:34 PM CDT up reply actions
This is what everybody says
whenever they see an athlete or any other celebrity at a bar one time. From then on, the story grows like the proverbial fish until the guy is a problem alcoholic. Obviously, the facts are that he’s a professional athlete and a married father. His job has him sitting around five months a year, so maybe he’s been seen having some fun.
Did your friend ever meet Bruce Willis and say he’s 3 feet tall? Did he see Kay Bailey Hutchison eat a donut once and now she’s bulimic? You’re a commenter on a blog and you’re not even using your own information. Lame.
he swings at everything, as hard as he can
So do you think is going to get hot because ML pitchers and scouts are going to decide to start throwing him more meaty pitches down the middle? I don’t see why a pitcher would give him anything to hit.
Guessing that a player with horrible plate discipline is about to get hot confuses me. I usually do the opposite and look for a guy like Murphy that isn’t really hitting but taking his walks and figure that he is seeing the ball well and will likely start squaring it and getting more than his share of hits.
If you take the worst pitching staff in baseball, then add Kris Benson and Jason Jennings, what do you have???
surprise!!! You have the worst pitching staff in baseball, that's what.
I'll take the guy hitting the ball well, and assume his patience will pick up as the season goes on.
In this case.
Agreed, tyd3311
His career obp is .336 and I’d be shocked if he’s not somewhere close to that by the end of the season.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
his babip is actually pretty low right now .250
so you might be right. But watching his at bats just makes me hesitant to think he could go on any extended hot streak.
If you take the worst pitching staff in baseball, then add Kris Benson and Jason Jennings, what do you have???
surprise!!! You have the worst pitching staff in baseball, that's what.
Blalock says...
“You don’t walk out of San Diego.”
by Adam J. Morris on Apr 30, 2009 9:41 AM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
Blalock is slugging .557 this year.
You can find a place in your line-up (preferably 6-7) with somebody who does that.
Sorry, I don’t see that as a waste of talent but he’s at his best when he stays back and hits the outside pitch to left and he hasn’t done that enough this year.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
i'll find just enough space for him
to give him value in a trade then “Bye Bye!”
he is at his worst when there is a man on 3rd and less than 2 outs. the guy doesn’t have a situational hitting bone in his body.
If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there are men on base. ~Dave Barry
I agree that .557 slugging has value, for sure
He’s the perfect kind of guy who will be overvalued at the deadline by some GM desperate for power. In July, maybe Smoak is ready (or close enough to call him up) and you trade Hank and use Smoak/Davis at 1B/DH the rest of the year to prepare for 2010 and beyond.
That plan would thrill me to death.
What if the Rangers are 5 games from the
AL West lead on July 30 and Blalock is on his way to hitting 25-30 bombs with a .900ish OPS?
Do you trade him to bring up Smoak?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 30, 2009 10:34 AM CDT up reply actions
clearly not
well depending on what you get back
if he does that he is maybe a type A FA though…
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 Apr 30, 2009 10:58 AM CDT up reply actions
Depends
If Smoak is causing it to rain baseballs in Frisco (or OKC by that time) and I get an offer that could help the team significantly in 2009-2011, I take a really long hard look at it.
I'd do it in a heartbeat if the offer was good enough.
And Smoak was doing what Davis did last year in Frisco and OKC
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
yes
you trade him. he is going to be a FA at the end of the year, and he is not a part of the future of this team. By that point in the year, either MaxRam or Smoak will be available plus if we have not traded Andruw Jones then he is also able to man the DH. It’s not as though Blalock is the difference in this team winning and losing.
If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there are men on base. ~Dave Barry
He may not be a part of the future
But the draft picks he may bring in FA compensation would be. So if he looks to be a Type A or B you have to weigh if whether or not the package you get back for him is better than the draft pick you will get.
We don’t really need to be stockpiling prospects anymore. We need help at the ML level. Most of our positional players are young and under team control for awhile. Also our starting pitching is very young and there are alot in the upper levels who are almost ready to help out. So I don’t see the point in trading hank simply to get another A ball prospect. it would have to be someone young who could help the ML club out now. otherwise keep him and let him walk in FA and take your 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.
Nah
I think you are almost always best off just getting the best value, period.
If we operated under your philosophy, we would have said hell no to Engel Beltre. As it looks right now, he’s what makes that trade look ok.
And keep in mind that trading for young studs is cheaper than drafting them, as well. And this statement of yours confuses me:
So I don’t see the point in trading hank simply to get another A ball prospect. it would have to be someone young who could help the ML club out now. otherwise keep him and let him walk in FA and take your draft picks.
So, don’t trade him for some A ball shortie, keep him and get the draft picks.
And then you’ll be better off, cuz you can draft an A ball shortie??
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 Apr 30, 2009 2:33 PM CDT up reply actions
It all depends on what you can get back
If Hank is a Type A, then he can bring back 2 top picks with one being possibly being in the high teens. Its not easy finding a guy in A ball who is that good.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Obviously
That’s why I put this thought at the top of my post:
I think you are almost always best off just getting the best value, period.
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 Apr 30, 2009 7:36 PM CDT up reply actions
No
We would have still done the Gagne deal because we got two ML ready players. But at the time of that trade we didn’t have such a good young core and such a stocked farm system. We could go for quantity over quality to an extent.
Right now we have a good young core that is under team control for a few years at most of the positional players and we have a plethora of young starters within a year of the majors if they aren’t already here. If we are trading Hank, while still somewhat in playoff consideration, it better be for a ML ready player. If you can’t get a ML ready player and are only offered a lower level minors prospect it would be better off to just keep him and take the 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.
OK buddy
We would have still done the Gagne deal because we got two ML ready players.
That’s not what I said. I said by your philosophy we would have said no thanks to Beltre; give us somebody closer to the show to complete the Gagne deal. We got 2 “ML ready” spares in gabbard and Murphy. Thank Jesus JD held out for Beltre and not another borderline 4A chump who is “ML ready.” Beltre may still end up a bust, but he has a good deal of value. We could trade him today for the equivalent of 5 ML ready Kason Gabbards.
We don’t really need to be stockpiling prospects anymore.
Come on. Prospects, and particularly the pitching and up the middle ones, are the currency of the game. That’s like saying don’t waste your money on prime real estate.
So I don’t see the point in trading hank simply to get another A ball prospect. it would have to be someone young who could help the ML club out now. otherwise keep him and let him walk in FA and take your draft picks.
If you can’t get a ML ready player and are only offered a lower level minors prospect it would be better off to just keep him and take the draft picks.
I asked you this before, and you ignored my question, but repeated your stance. So I repeat:
So, don’t trade him for some A ball shortie, keep him and get the draft picks.
And then you’ll be better off, cuz you can draft an A ball shortie?
What am I missing here?
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 Apr 30, 2009 8:10 PM CDT up reply actions
Blalock's career with Man On Third, Less than 2 Outs
.345 BA, 7 HR and 117 RBI in 139 AB.
These stats are extremely easy to look up. Last year his BA was .500 in this situation. In 2007, it was .400. Come on, people.
his obp is .284
just for the record.
If you take the worst pitching staff in baseball, then add Kris Benson and Jason Jennings, what do you have???
surprise!!! You have the worst pitching staff in baseball, that's what.
his sac flies
lmao
If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there are men on base. ~Dave Barry
Tricer
Where do you think Blalock’s obp will be at the end of September if he has good health?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 30, 2009 10:15 AM CDT up reply actions
below his career average
and I think the qualifier of good health is very unlikely.
If you take the worst pitching staff in baseball, then add Kris Benson and Jason Jennings, what do you have???
surprise!!! You have the worst pitching staff in baseball, that's what.
Why do you say that?
If he plays 95% of his games at DH do you not think he can stay healthy?
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.
thats not what its gonna be at the end of the year
and I’d put good money on his OPS being upwards of .820 this year
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
talk to me about his approach
what is your impression of his at bats this year?
If you take the worst pitching staff in baseball, then add Kris Benson and Jason Jennings, what do you have???
surprise!!! You have the worst pitching staff in baseball, that's what.
I think Hank has been swinging from his ass
and trying to do more than he’s capable of instead of relaxing and letting his true ability take over.
I’ve never thought of him as being selfish so I don’t think his approach is because this is a contract year. I think he was like a lot of the other players on the team – playing tight and trying to hit a 5-run homer with each at bat.
I think Hank will have a chance to stay healthier if he’s the primary DH.
I also see him settling down and hitting 25-30 bombs with an OPS approaching .900.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 30, 2009 10:27 AM CDT up reply actions
Yeah I agree...
JD is the man.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
I hope your right
As I’ve mentioned he has been my favorite Ranger (pre-Hambone) for a number of years, so I’d love to see him have success. But watching his at bats this season has been incredibly frustrating.
If you take the worst pitching staff in baseball, then add Kris Benson and Jason Jennings, what do you have???
surprise!!! You have the worst pitching staff in baseball, that's what.
I dont think his approach
has ever really been that good, but there are more than a few hitters around that get by with a less than ideal approach. He’s a very talented hitter and I think too many people just lump him in there with Chris Davis when they watch him hit when that just isnt the case, he developed as more of an average guy and really turned into a power guy as his career has gone by. While that has taken away some of his average, he still has a very solid ability to hit tough pitches, I’ve seen that several times this year, including his massive shot to CF against the O’s.
Anyways, I think he’ll be fine and I think alot of times, as baseball fans, we can start seeing things in players ABs that make us over analyze what they are doing because we are trying to make sense of smaller samplings of numbers.
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
Most years
he is in the .050-.060 range, I have no idea why he and Hamilton are hacking so much.
4/10/09 - Josh Hamilton's last walk.
"You know a pitching prospect isn't any good if John Daniels doesn't trade him away but keeps him insteaad." - http://crops.mlblogs.com/
"You probably can throw Neftali Feliz on that group of overblown Rangers pitching prospect failures." - http://crops.mlblogs.com/
joke
there is an old baseball line about Dominicans with poor plate discipline, “you can’t walk off the island”. Meaning that a 14 year old kid isn’t going to get noticed by the scouts for letting pitches go by.
If you take the worst pitching staff in baseball, then add Kris Benson and Jason Jennings, what do you have???
surprise!!! You have the worst pitching staff in baseball, that's what.
i feel like there have been a few games lately
where we showed a lot of patience at the plate, as well as the ability to spoil good pitches. Byrd is one of the best on our team at this, working long ABs with many pitches until he sees one he likes. It isn’t really the lack of walks that drives me crazy, it is the rut of bad ABs that we sometimes get into where we swing at bad first pitches (looking at you, Hambone) instead of waiting for a pitch to hit.
If Milton really was some sort of weird catalyst for our team’s collective patience at the plate last year, maybe (hopefully) Smoak will have a similar effect when he arrives. That boy can take a walk.
What is this, Horseville? Because I'm surrounded by naysayers.
especially when you consider
this top 3 on this list are not regulars.
If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there are men on base. ~Dave Barry
Murphy
kind of surprising to see him so high on that list.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
I was actually
impressed with his approach in some of those O-fer at-bats, I hope he keeps that up because now that he seems confident in his ability to make solid contact, he might be able to put together a season that is better than last year simply because his walk rate was pretty putrid last year (although even last year i wondered why this was b/c i thought he had a pretty decent batting eye).
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
Jonny D must be feeling his oats and
quite secure these days by admitting that 2007 OF was embarrassing. Yes, it was.
About the bullpen this year….uh…..uh…. not so good, buddy.
Going to the game today and if Elvis makes an error (and I’m not going to the bathroom or buying a beer) I will scream “He’s not ready!!” in such a way that it reverberates throughout the ballpark.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
where is the best pizza in DFW?
I like that Joes Pizza chain. NY style w/ Provolone, not mozzarella.
If you take the worst pitching staff in baseball, then add Kris Benson and Jason Jennings, what do you have???
surprise!!! You have the worst pitching staff in baseball, that's what.
It's a good metaphor.
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on Apr 30, 2009 6:07 PM CDT up reply actions
Joe's has some great pizza
There’s a place in Irving I ate at a few weeks ago though that was some of the best I’ve had in a while. I wish I could remember the name.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Campisi's & Scalini's are good to decent in DFW
My all-time favorite is Giordano’s in Chicago.
Simply the best.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 30, 2009 10:42 AM CDT up reply actions
Can't argue w/ Giordano's
They even ship it throughout the nation. Tough to justify in this economy right now, but fantastic pizza.
"I saw your act, just didn't make it for me. Just a lot of fluff."
Giordano's is great if you prefer deep deep deepy dish
Many don’t.
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 Apr 30, 2009 2:04 PM CDT up reply actions
Grimaldi's in Dallas
very pricey but SoGood.
by FuturePants on Apr 30, 2009 11:31 AM CDT up reply actions
Just tried a new one that was really good.
Ferrari’s at Preston & Tennyson in Plano. Garlic crust w/ tomatoes and basil.
"I saw your act, just didn't make it for me. Just a lot of fluff."
I go to the one in Dallas
Never been to the Southlake one.
Mama's Pizza in Fort Worth
(Wife) "So what do you want to watch on the T.V.? UFC or porn?"
(Husband) "Hmm... well, porn, I guess."
old hangout of mine
I’m pretty sure it’s run by Armenian mobsters, or at least it was
by ncrangerfan on Apr 30, 2009 11:46 AM CDT up reply actions
Im happy that
we turned another dumbass comment from Josie into a discussion about Pizza, we need to do this more often
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
If he makes an amazing play
demonstrating his range towards 2nd base, will you cheer?
by Royal Swine on Apr 30, 2009 10:06 AM CDT up reply actions
he will come back extoling the greatness of andrus
but say that trading for him was a mistake and if he thinks about making one more error we should DFA his ass
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 Apr 30, 2009 10:09 AM CDT up reply actions
No, knockoutking
I’m still very firm in believing that the Rangers brought him to The Show at least one year early, possibly two years early.
As Kevin Mench said this off-season, this gm is very eager to put his mark on the team.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 30, 2009 10:14 AM CDT up reply actions
As Kevin Mench said this offseason
Will work for peanuts…
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
All you need to do is look what has
happened to this thing since October ‘05 and it’s tough to disagree with Mench.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 30, 2009 10:38 AM CDT up reply actions
mench
now there is a guy you should listen to about all things baseball
whats his crediibilty? he played for the rangers at one point? and he played his way out of town btw
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 Apr 30, 2009 11:00 AM CDT up reply actions
knockout king
You need to lighten up and relax – JD is going to make it thru April without getting his ass fired, Andrus is hitting .270ish (much better than I thought he would) and this thing has a chance to be over .500 going into May.
What more do you want?
I know you get profoundly upset (claimed you had anger spilling over the other day after Monday’s great win) when I pick on JD but that’s not going to change until we see change between the lines at the major league level. The way you totally lost your poise in here the other night was much like the 2007 Ranger OF, simply embarrassing.
Mench may have had an axe to grind but can you argue with what he said after everything?
Now go relax and enjoy all the talk of the Great Game!
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 30, 2009 11:06 AM CDT up reply actions
lol im good now, i just realize that you are a lost cause — if the rangers won the WS the next 5 years in a row you still wouldnt be able to say 1 good thing about JD lol i just realze that
my point is that its kevin mench…i mean, its not like the guy is exactly the smartest player in the world – equally BECUASE he has an ax to grind you have to take what he says with a huge grain of salt
btw, you ignored 4-5 questions in the other thread that were directly asked of you – also i have not lost my poise lol
finally, i am fairly sure there is no way your a real person — gotta be a sock puppet. no one can talk consistantly aobu the “Great Game” and “the Show” alllll the time haha (notice caps)
its all good now…
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 Apr 30, 2009 11:11 AM CDT up reply actions
knockoutking
I don’t answer every question thrown at me.
Some questions are traps, other questions are rabbit holes, some are just dumb and not worth the time. Sometimes I simply don’t see a question thrown my way.
I have no problems admitting when I’m wrong or if I don’t know the answer to a question.
Will it make you feel better if I say that it appears my initial judgments (which were correct) on Nelson Cruz may very well be wrong?
I do find it funny that you think more me would be better.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 30, 2009 11:20 AM CDT up reply actions
i find it interesting
you selectively ignore questions when one makes good points
you said you would fire JD because all you see is wins and losses
yet in his first 4 years as head of player development and GM andrew friedmans teams failed to win 70+ games one time (63,66, 70 and 61 maybe?) — so you would have fired him, right?
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 Apr 30, 2009 11:22 AM CDT up reply actions
Trap question
Still scared of my bet? 78 wins or more and you are done. 77 or less and i am.
by Michael Cave on Apr 30, 2009 11:51 AM CDT up reply actions
Mench
About that comment that JD is “eager to put his mark on the team”- isn’t that pretty much true of every GM in baseball?
I can’t say as I’ve ever seen a GM who steps in and goes “well, everything’s fine here, no need to make moves. This thing is perfect as is.”
"I dont care to debate with a troll." - Sharky
Well, I hardly see why a GM
wouldn’t want to make his mark on a team. That’s kind of his job, isn’t it?
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Mench, the guy that no MLB team wants to employ?
I’ve met him. One of the dumber human beings I’ve spoken to. Not saying you’re necessarily wrong on Daniels, but I would not base anything on what Mench says. Mench’s former teammates think he’s an idiot.
And now, not even the Japanese
are using him, he’s off the roster at the moment.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
How is Botts doing?
Go Rangers...don't suck...
by Kinslerhomer on Apr 30, 2009 11:18 AM CDT up reply actions
Waiting, ...
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on Apr 30, 2009 6:12 PM CDT up reply actions
Am I the only one capable of looking it up?
I don’t know what Botts is doing. He doesn’t appear to have any stats this year, injured? He had a .750 OPS last year in 55 games for the Nippon Ham Fighters.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Yeah it's weird how we as posters
can expend the energy to type out words, but when it comes to typing them into google, it becomes more of a chore.
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on Apr 30, 2009 10:29 PM CDT up reply actions
cant even find the right sized shoes lol
was i the only one who found that quite funny…
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 Apr 30, 2009 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions
Royal Swine
Yes I will.
I want to be wrong about Andrus.
If he can survive and play well at this age, we may have a star.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 30, 2009 10:14 AM CDT up reply actions
Just a thought
I wish people would quit chicken pecking you to death (well OK it isn’t fatal). Fact is, it doesn’t matter at all if you are right or wrong. Seems people are awfully hung up on either being right or displaying their baseball smarts, and can’t resist calling out an opposing opinion. And we are all “right” about some stuff, and “wrong” about something else. There is no grade point involved, nor prize for who is the most “right”. We are talking about stuff other people do for a living, and for our entertainment, and those people are the only ones affected by their performance and decisions. However, sigh, we seem to not be “built for fun”.
"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912) also -
"Telephone, n. An invention of the devil which abrogates some of the advantages of making a disagreeable person keep his distance."
~Ambrose Bierce
by Ed Coffin on Apr 30, 2009 12:41 PM CDT up reply actions
Yet you, Ed Coffin, before the season
felt compelled to bet me “thousands of dollars, hundreds if that’s too steep” that the M’s wouldn’t be within 10 games of the Rangers when the season is over.
I’m very careful where I place my bets and consider yourself lucky I let that little act of unnecessary bravado pass.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
I'd be surprised if the teams are
more than 10 games apart, but it’s pretty early.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
I don't think he is near as bad as you thought he would be
hmmm….given time, he will improve. I don’t think Andrus has ever looked overmatched at the plate, he just needs to calm down on some of his throws.
If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there are men on base. ~Dave Barry
Andrus looked overmatched at the plate in Arizona (.630ish OPS when everybody else was killing it)
but has been better than I thought he would be yet we’re only talking what, 14-15 games? Not enough data to render a final decision just yet, especially when you consider he’s rocking something like a 3 for 22 right now.
His defense has been what I expected and I have no doubts he’ll eclipse the 32 errors I predicted for him with 140 games played. I just didn’t know it would be his throws we’d have to worry about.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 30, 2009 10:12 AM CDT up reply actions
Why is not enough data to render a final decision
yet watching a few games in ST was more than enough for you to come back and inform everyone how he wasn’t ready.
Oh yeah, that’s because those games supported your bias and these games don’t.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
My take on Andrus after Spring Training
came when I watched him first hand, factored in his age and the fact that his OPS was below .720 in AA.
Andrus had a .630ish OPS this spring and a lot of his playing time came when it was 85-95 degrees with 30 mph winds behind him while he was going against both good and bad pitching. The hitting conditions were ideal.
You might believe that it’s just fine to evaluate a 20 year old hitter after one month in The Show and that’s fine.
I don’t.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 30, 2009 10:47 AM CDT up reply actions
Josey...
what’s his record in The Show.
That’s what I thought.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
slc ranger
Do you think it’s proper to evaluate a 20 year old after less than 20 games in The Show?
Also, do you regret saying that everybody could stand for a little more forced butt-sex last night?
I said I’m out on the forced butt sex thing…hopefully the cavalry doesn’t bring me up on charges of homophobia again.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 30, 2009 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions
you yourself say that all you see is wins and losses.
-friedman should have been fired ages ago for his bad win-loss record
-JD should have been fired because this team was not competeing the last few years
-MY should have been let go because he is a below average SS (offense + defense)
-josh hamilton should never have been given a 2nd chance because he had a ffirst chance and blew that
-the chicago cubs will never win the WS
-the tb rays should blow their team up because of their bad start this year and historically…clearly they are no good
etc
etc
etc
we get i
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 Apr 30, 2009 11:17 AM CDT up reply actions
Then stop responding to him......
The Texas Rangers have been synonymous with explosive firepower ever since they emptied 130 rounds into Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934. - Alyssa Milano
Talk about needing to quit being such a tight-ass
bking…what’s your bleeping problem?
Just talking Great Game today and I’m also defending Hank plus I once again admitted that I might have been wrong about Nelson Cruz.
The Rangers have a chance to get to .500 and JD still has a job.
All is well so far.
Everybody seems fine (knockoutking put down his gloves for now) and there’s nothing to get too upset about.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 30, 2009 11:29 AM CDT up reply actions
Check that
get past .500.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 30, 2009 11:29 AM CDT up reply actions
And oh yeah,
we talked about pizza.
Good times and I’m off to the ballpark.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 30, 2009 11:31 AM CDT up reply actions
If you'll put down your rabbit ears...
you’ll notice I was telling him to drop his rant.
The Texas Rangers have been synonymous with explosive firepower ever since they emptied 130 rounds into Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934. - Alyssa Milano
i know
it takes me some time (see steal home lol)
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 Apr 30, 2009 11:32 AM CDT up reply actions
I hope the Cubs thing holds true.
"I saw your act, just didn't make it for me. Just a lot of fluff."
Josey...
all I care about is winning games in The Show. You aren’t anything ‘til you have done that. Andrus has a better record at SS than MY and therefore is a better player. He’s an all star.
That said I certainly think your new motto should be “Josey – Built for Forced Butt Sex.”
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Let it be known...
that when you talk to Josey the same way he talks to you he won’t respond. I would hope more people would do this unless you just flat out ignore him instead.
And I do expect to see this “Josey – Built For Forced Butt Sex.” as someone’s sig here shortly.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
You're assuming that your quote
is a good sig to begin with. Pretty childish and dumb.
Plus, he just typed that he was going to the ballpark. That’s probably why he didn’t respond. You can have your theory on stifling Josey but it is sort of like theories on arguing with women, none of them work.
A 40 year old Kenny Lofton in CF
flanked by The Sosa & Wilkerson.
Truly awful.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Well
Catalanotto played more in the field. Sosa would have been an improvement.
4/10/09 - Josh Hamilton's last walk.
"You know a pitching prospect isn't any good if John Daniels doesn't trade him away but keeps him insteaad." - http://crops.mlblogs.com/
"You probably can throw Neftali Feliz on that group of overblown Rangers pitching prospect failures." - http://crops.mlblogs.com/
My memory of Sosa
is that he wasn’t half bad in the OF when he did play out there, but it wasn’t often for some reason.
He certainly was better than Jason “I can’t even field the DH position” Botts
Sosa only had 16 games in RF
RF was mostly Cruz and Byrd.
by Adam J. Morris on Apr 30, 2009 9:46 AM CDT up reply actions
I remember The Sosa starting quite a bit
early on and I thought Byrd didn’t get here until June.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Sosa did start quite a bit
at DH
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.
Was 2007 worse than....
…..the outfields starring Brian Jordan or Richard Hidalgo? Those were abominations.
by FuturePants on Apr 30, 2009 10:58 AM CDT up reply actions
eesh..
that sent a shiver down my spine.
(Wife) "So what do you want to watch on the T.V.? UFC or porn?"
(Husband) "Hmm... well, porn, I guess."
+1
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on Apr 30, 2009 6:18 PM CDT up reply actions
I put that so far in the back of my mind
that talking about that OF makes me think it happened all the way back in 2001…
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
that would have been
a good of in 2001 though
by dustinvandeman on Apr 30, 2009 11:38 AM CDT up reply actions
JJT
Didn’t he just say that bringing Holland up now was a panic move?
"I would like to extend to you an invitation to the pants party. The...party. With the...with the pants. Party with pants?"
JJT is the Paula Abdul of baseball analysis
luckily, unlike Paula, he has football to fall back on.
What is this, Horseville? Because I'm surrounded by naysayers.
JJT has brain farts
every other second and they become even more freguent when he starts writing an article.
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
I refuse to click on any link or read anything written by JJT
he is truly trash, about as bad as our 2007 OF
If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there are men on base. ~Dave Barry
I like that analogy...
I’ll just refer to JJT as the ’07 OF for now on
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
I like Whiffy better. Its shorter
and it still connects to the 07 outfield
Yes he did...
I remember that because I was scared that I actually agreed with him on something. Now all of a sudden he agrees with it and says the Rangers have a plan and know what they are doing.
He doesn’t know shit when it comes to the Rangers.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Lord knows I don't want to defend or agree with JJT..
but isn’t it possible that he saw it as a panic move, but then became convinced that they had a plan based on how they actually are using him?
Sometimes we forget on here that changing you mind in the face of changing data is OK.
The Texas Rangers have been synonymous with explosive firepower ever since they emptied 130 rounds into Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934. - Alyssa Milano
Sure
As long as he mentioned his original article in this one….oh wait…..he didn’t….
"I would like to extend to you an invitation to the pants party. The...party. With the...with the pants. Party with pants?"
by BrickTamland on Apr 30, 2009 2:45 PM CDT up reply actions
Conditioning Program
Enough please!
While I don’t think it hurts in any way whatsoever I also don’t think it’s anything close to a major factor. At all. And smart baseball people like Keith Law appear to agree.
The guy’s got talent. While he’s not great he does possess the ability to run really well for a handful of games in a row and, shoot, even a season.
He could do this (and has) when he was in poorer shape.
Yes he has talent, but...
…it’s impossible to credit Nolan for Millwood’s talent so expect to keep hearing plenty about his conditioning and the emphasis on pitching deeper into games.
I have no objection to man walking on the moon.
by Chad Crudup on Apr 30, 2009 10:26 AM CDT up reply actions
i read a thing on one of the fantasy baseball sites out there
that did a study of players when they are in “the best shape of their lives” or ’did a new conditiong program" or “added XX pounds of muscle” or “lost XX pounds in the offseason”
the end result was: not much difference. for the overwhelming majority of players
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 Apr 30, 2009 11:21 AM CDT up reply actions
Josh Hamilton update
The outfielder is feeling better today than he was Wednesday. Hamilton is meeting with team doctor Keith Meister again today. Manager Ron Washington is hoping Hamilton can swing a bat tomorrow and maybe play this weekend. Anthony Andro
Go Rangers...don't suck...
normally I'd say just DL him and have him back 100%
but as has been the discussion, with our OF depth I guess we can afford his roster spot for a while. bullpen is pretty rested too.
good to hear hes doing better.
the preceding post was a great success.
I am just not a fan
of the whole rushing a player back with a lingering injury, only to see them play like crap, and then blame it later on the injury. We have enough depth that we can rest him as long as it takes to get 100%.
4/10/09 - Josh Hamilton's last walk.
"You know a pitching prospect isn't any good if John Daniels doesn't trade him away but keeps him insteaad." - http://crops.mlblogs.com/
"You probably can throw Neftali Feliz on that group of overblown Rangers pitching prospect failures." - http://crops.mlblogs.com/
Especially rushing a player of this magnitude and importance
with a rib injury which might be something like a hamstring injury and tend to linger.
I’d DL his ass and get him back by mid-May. Nobody is about to lose their job and nobody is running away with the AL West just yet.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 30, 2009 11:00 AM CDT up reply actions
x
Rock Flag & Eagle Radio: Thursdays 10 PM - 1 AM on FM 88.7 The Choice
"Computers can’t measure the size of a man’s heart."
- Hawk Harrelson, MLB Guru/Analyst
Im with you
especially with a guy like Hammy who has a high likelihood of wearing down by the end of the year… If you put him in now you are increasing the chance that that injury is gonna linger for a long time and theoritically you are saving him for the end of the year by resting him now
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
Why do you say he has a high likelihood of wearing down?
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.
yeah
I’m at a loss when trying to think of examples of players coming back early from injuries working out well. Well, maybe Chase Utley.
There is no shame in going on the DL. You still get paid, and the job will be there when you get back. Why do guys like Hamilton and Bradley get so upset about going on it? And why can’t this organization have the guts to say “you’re going on” without their permission?
The downtime could be good for him.
And we’re not hurting for it — he’s been in a slump anyhow, Byrd + Jones + Cruz is currently a better offensive combination than Hamilton + Byrd + Cruz, and it could possibly be better defensively too.
Isn’t Byrd ranked as a better CF? And if Jones is about where he was last year (not where he was in spring) in LF, that seems like it would be a pretty sweet defensive outfield.
Although, Cruz has seemed a little rough in RF the last week or so. Hopefully it’s just a temporary thing.
hmm,
for some reason that kind of sounds negative… Hoping that he can swing a bat shouldnt be = to thinking he can play this weekend. I want Hammy at full helf, id rather not have him otherwise right now.
As it is though, im glad its nothing to serious, i just hope it doesnt nag him all year.
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
"if my kid said 'uhh' that much, i would say, Hey! ... stop saying 'uhh' that much..." - dennis miller
"Sometimes you win. sometimes you lose. sometimes it rains"
nuff said
If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there are men on base. ~Dave Barry
so JJT says on his blog the Rangers are messing up...
In this blog entry:
http://jacquestaylorblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/04/promoting-derek-holland-is-a-p.html
then writes an article saying that the Rangers are doing the right thing.
It obviously wasn’t my comment to his blog, but he’s pulled a complete 180 here. I wish he called himself out in his own article…
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on Apr 30, 2009 12:14 PM CDT reply actions
Even JJT doesn't read JJT's stuff
so how is he supposed to know what he wrote before.
4/10/09 - Josh Hamilton's last walk.
"You know a pitching prospect isn't any good if John Daniels doesn't trade him away but keeps him insteaad." - http://crops.mlblogs.com/
"You probably can throw Neftali Feliz on that group of overblown Rangers pitching prospect failures." - http://crops.mlblogs.com/
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Lone Star Ball
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- College player makes impossible over the fence catch to save tournament game (Video)
- Security!: Camden Yards guard collides with Royals’ Mike Moustakas
- The Juice: Nelson Cruz matches career high eight RBIs, Pujols stays hot in Seattle
- Benches clear at Fenway as Red Sox-Rays rivalry heats up
- Keeping good company: Albert Pujols becomes fourth-youngest player to hit 450 home runs
