Friday morning Rangers things
by Adam J. Morris on May 15, 2009 7:27 AM CDT
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PrintTwo big walk-off wins, and a sweep of the hated M's. And now we have a pretty big series with Anaheim this weekend. The Rangers really need to take two of three if they want to show folks they are serious contenders in the A.L. West this year.
Jeff Wilson emphasizes that the Rangers were able to get a walk-off win because of the great work Matt Harrison did, in pitching his second straight complete game. Harrison has now allowed just 2 runs in his last 30 innings, dropping his ERA to 4.23 on the season and his FIP to 4.32.
Jeff Miller examines Harrison's start, and also discusses the book that Harrison's in-laws gave him right before the Baltimore start, that he says has helped him with the mental aspects of the game.
Evan Grant talks about Chris Davis's walkoff homer being the latest sign that he's coming around after a bad start to the season. Davis is hitting .239/.299/.521 on the season now, with a .260 EQA.
Anthony Andro notes that, since Michael Young's walk-off homer against the Royals on April 19, the Rangers are 16-7. That win broke a 1-7 skid that had the Rangers in danger of falling out of contention early on once again.
Jeff Wilson has a story up on Neftali Feliz, who appears to have no lingering issues after missing a start with some shoulder soreness. It includes quotes from Derek Holland about how "effortless" Feliz throws, and Jon Daniels on the adjustments that Feliz has to make in moving to AAA.
M's beat writer Seattle Times national baseball writer Larry Stone is impressed with the Rangers.
Jeff Sullivan has a pitch f/x screencap up for the Davis 9th inning AB, and it shows that Brandon Morrow went with four straight high fastballs. I'll wager that Rick Adair -- who was with the Rangers when Davis was coming up through the minors -- told Morrow when he went to the mound before that fateful AB that Davis was a low ball hitter, and to work him up and either make him chase high fastballs or else walk him and deal with the righthanded Andruw Jones and Elvis Andrus. Morrow, I think, got the 4th pitch down farther than he wanted.
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Good times
i was able to watch Frisco beat Corpus on FSN last night. Go Rangers. Beat the halos
During the offseason we speculated that good defense
might shave about 1/4 of a run of the team ERA. According to Durret’s DMN blog entry this morning the team’s ERA is .47 lower right now than this point in 2008. We are all believers in team defense right now. Run prevention is an easier way to improve you pythag win total than run scoring.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
If a team already has a a good offense.
I don’t think the A’s would improve much by investing in run prevention.
Phillies, Brewers, and Rangers are all evidence that a team with a good offense can get to another level just by adding good defenders.
I can’t wait for the day a contender trades for a glove to shore up their defense for the stretch run.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Texas did it in 1999
Boston did it one of those years early this decade, maybe 2003?
by Brett Perryman on May 15, 2009 9:09 AM CDT up reply actions
Boston 2004
That’s the year that they had the defensive and offensive lineups. Late in the game, they would switch out most of the IF for the guys who didn’t hit, but played good defense. I always found that fascinating.
So, the Rangers were just ahead of their time.
I can’t remember who they picked up in 1999. Maybe you mean Goodwin in 1997?
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Clayton...
I know he came in and became our starting SS, but wasn’t he more of a throw-in with Stottlemyre, than a target? Who was the SS before Royce got here? Elster?
Elster
Clayton was a significant piece of the deal. He wasn’t the #1 piece — Stottlemyre was — but Clayton was more than just a throw-in.
by Adam J. Morris on May 15, 2009 9:53 AM CDT up reply actions
and Fernando Tatis is still hangin around the majors
i always kinda liked him
mormons stole me and held me against my will with Oklahoma beer and 12+ hour work days.
ah. I was confused because that was 1998.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
No, not just if a team already has a good offense.
For every additional run you allow, you must score 1.15 runs to increase your pythag win total. No matter where you are in the offensive rankings, improving run prevention from that point pays more dividends than adding more offense. Now, of course, if you already have the best pitching and defense but a poor offense it’s easier to find room for improvement, and easier to find players that will be an improvement over what you have. I was speaking on a level of mathematical principle, but there are very few teams that would have no room for improvement on some aspect of run prevention.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Wilson had this amazing tidbit
about Andrus’ magical play behind second on Wed night:
“Andrus actually extended his glove off his hand a little to make the play…”
Not just an athlete but also a technical virtuoso who must be spending all of his spare time working with Omar…
"This is not a glove grasshopper,"
“Rather, it is merely your hand.”
I didn't buy the
“Omar Vizquel is on the roster to mentor Elvis” idea that was floated out there in spring training, but it looks to be the truth. I’ve lost count how many times I have seen Elvis and Omar talking in the dugout during a broadcast.
In the past I haven’t liked the idea of wasting roster spots on “mentors” that don’t offer much on the field, but this seems to be working.
Is Eddie G.’s mentoring in the bullpen equally valuable?
Vizquel
I remember an interview he did with BaD radio in spring training and they asked him about the role he has. the guy basically said he came here to be a mentor and teacher to andrus and other guys, and that he doesnt mind because the game has given him so much time to give back some yadda yadda and he wants to be a coach.
"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg
Should the Rangers consider extending Vizquel?
It sounds so funny to say, but the fit is so good here.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
That answer...
…is to the question of whether he should be extended.
by Adam J. Morris on May 15, 2009 8:49 AM CDT up reply actions
It doesn't seem like a serious thought to consider.
But, I’d be willing to keep it in mind as the year progresses in the category of ‘outside of the box’ thinking.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
I really don't have a huge problem
with him being UI on a year to year basis until he retires.
Considering our UIs of years passed (Desi Relaford, Marshall Mcdougall, Manny Alexander, Donnie Sadler, etc), I certainly think there are worse options.
If he’s cheap, doesn’t squawk about limited playing time, doesn’t mind one year contracts, and still can field, why not talk to him about next year in the offseason?
I certainly don’t think its worth discussing until the offseason though.
"I'd praised catcher Max Ramirez two weeks ago, but after his continued struggles I'm increasingly convinced he's not going to pan out." - crops.mlblogs.com
Or we could move Vizquel into a full-time coaching role next year.
Bring up Lemon or Vallejo to act as UI and let Vizquel coach full time. He’s going to get a coaching role somewhere, so it might as well be here.
Are Lemon and Vallejo
better used as trade chips or UI?
"I'd praised catcher Max Ramirez two weeks ago, but after his continued struggles I'm increasingly convinced he's not going to pan out." - crops.mlblogs.com
I think it is obviously
trade chips.
With Kinsler and Andrus in the MIF for the next several years, those guys just wouldn’t have a huge impact on this team. And if some team looks at Lemon/Vallejo as potential starters, then you could expect them to have significant trade value.
Doctor please. Some more of these.
I definitely agree.
A UI is likely to get 60 Game appearances, and most of those won’t be full games.
If you can use them to trade for a need, it seems a better way to go.
"I'd praised catcher Max Ramirez two weeks ago, but after his continued struggles I'm increasingly convinced he's not going to pan out." - crops.mlblogs.com
I'm not expecting much of a trade return for those two
As a piece of a larger deal? Sure. But then again, we have Lemon and Vallejo, so trading one would still leave the other as a UI (assuming both reach major league potential).
One thing
I wouldn’t really suggest that either is going to develop big time value either, but when you look around baseball you notice how few good, true, relatively MLB-ready middle infielders there are. Texas happens to have a glut of second tier ones, and I don’t think that anyone has offered a whole lot for any of them yet, but it is very uncommon to have two quality starters and then four guys like Duran, Arias, Vallejo and Lemon at the top two levels, even though I know that none of those guys blow most people away.
They also have very little behind them, which is more like what some organizations look like.
by Brett Perryman on May 15, 2009 3:21 PM CDT up reply actions
Because he's flashy and seems more toolsy
I tend to think that Vallejo makes sense as a trade chip. With guys like Bonifacio being popular for some teams, it seems like he could develop some value if he’d start hitting with a little more authority again.
I’ve love to have Lemon be our (2006-07 version of) Maicer Izturis.
by Brett Perryman on May 15, 2009 3:16 PM CDT up reply actions
With Vallejo (and Lemon) in line for the utility INF job in the near future
And Arias and Duran still hanging around, the answer to that would be no.
"That start was like somebody on a deathbed suddenly jumping up and doing the Lindy Hop, then speeding away on a pogo stick while playing the fiddle." - Telegraph
Omar is hardly a "mentor"-only guy
It may not last, but his bat has been better than expected. Though he plays sparingly, I’ve seen enough to recognize that he’s a better SS even today than MY was last year. He wasn’t bad at third either.
Vizquel
is the best of both worlds. Came in as a mentor and is performing well. I know chemistry may be overrated but between him and Byrd the clubhouse leaders for a nice run are in place.
by Michael Cave on May 15, 2009 8:29 AM CDT up reply actions
totally agree
I guess I was thinking in ST that the UI spot should go to a guy like Arias instead of a “mentor”. Vizquel has worked out way better than I expected.
and in spring
I wasn’t expecting the aging Vizquel to perform so well with the bat. He’s deffinatly not turned out to be the “aging mentor that doesn’t produce.”…..that’s more like what Eddie G. has looked like
Duh,
he’s hitting in RBiA!
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
he just doesnt seem as old and used up as a 42 year old guy should be
he’s still a bad, bad, bad man
mormons stole me and held me against my will with Oklahoma beer and 12+ hour work days.
OT. Report: Manny's test clean for hCG
(synthetic testosterone level four times the amount of the average male.)
link
Go Rangers...don't suck...
"Synthetic testosterone level four times the amount of the average male."
I just had a vision of Manny appearing in the tub in those stupid Cialis commercials. Disturbing.
"That start was like somebody on a deathbed suddenly jumping up and doing the Lindy Hop, then speeding away on a pogo stick while playing the fiddle." - Telegraph
Harrison's inlaws helped him with his pitching?
Holy shit! Maybe they should be catching his starts!
"That start was like somebody on a deathbed suddenly jumping up and doing the Lindy Hop, then speeding away on a pogo stick while playing the fiddle." - Telegraph
by LSJ on May 15, 2009 8:31 AM CDT reply actions 2 recs
rec
and lord knows if a key hitting situation comes up an important game where “his familiy” is batting, we should not even consider PHing for them b/c even if we have better hitters for that moment, Matty will totally unravel in the one inning “his family” isnt catching for him…
mormons stole me and held me against my will with Oklahoma beer and 12+ hour work days.
Quick question...I'm still learning
What exactly is “FIP”?
Defending Big D: A Dallas Stars blog on SBN: easy to use, free to join.
THT Glossary
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
by Dirk Diggler on May 15, 2009 8:41 AM CDT up reply actions
Thanks!
Defending Big D: A Dallas Stars blog on SBN: easy to use, free to join.
by Brandon Worley on May 15, 2009 8:43 AM CDT up reply actions
Just another one of those numbers
for those of us who don’t watch the game at all, just look at spreadsheets. While we try to ruin it for everyone else, that is.
(/sarcasm)
Godwin's Law Version 2.0 (Rangers Edition)
"As a Ranger discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Danks, Volquez, or Young approaches one."
by LBBRangerFan on May 15, 2009 8:47 AM CDT up reply actions
You think thats true?
If so, LOL.
Go Rangers...don't suck...
by Kinslerhomer on May 15, 2009 9:06 AM CDT up reply actions
+facepalm
"That start was like somebody on a deathbed suddenly jumping up and doing the Lindy Hop, then speeding away on a pogo stick while playing the fiddle." - Telegraph
Ha
No, I actually wrote /sarcasm at the end of my post, but I put it in html/carrot brackets, so it disappeared. I didn’t know it would do that. Now I look like a horse’s ass I guess, when I was just trying to be sarcastic.
test…
no parenthesis: /sarcasm
regular parenthesis: (/sarcasm)
html brackets:
yeppers... lesson learned.
If I want to be sarcastic, don’t use real formatting to end the html sarcasm.
Now we just need to get Josey to type inside html brackets every time...
"That start was like somebody on a deathbed suddenly jumping up and doing the Lindy Hop, then speeding away on a pogo stick while playing the fiddle." - Telegraph
by LSJ on May 15, 2009 9:11 AM CDT up reply actions 9 recs
Try escaping the brackets if you really want them
Of course, that’s a pain to type.
</sincerity>
by NorCalRangersFan on May 15, 2009 11:03 AM CDT up reply actions
Quick correction, Adam.
Geoff Baker is actually the Mariners’ day-in, day-out beat writer (and a damned fine one at that, whatever his faults). Larry Stone is the Seattle Times’ national baseball writer and one of its columnists and bloggers (e.g. he just went and saw Strasburg’s no hitter in San Diego). Great write up otherwise, though.
give CD some credit
How many times this year have we seen him swing and miss at the high FB? I think he is out of his slump.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
weds. he was way way behind the fastballs and it was really noticeable at the game, yesterday even w/ Queen Felix pitching, he wasnt way behind them
i found it pretty interesting. no clue as to why though
mormons stole me and held me against my will with Oklahoma beer and 12+ hour work days.
Key moments and records.
So, the Rangers are 16-7 since MY’s Royal walkoff. They’re also 17-10 since Wash first decided to use frankfrankkkk for multiple innings, and 0-4 leading up to it. They’re also 11-4 since Harry went ballistic, and were only 4-3 between MY’s walkoff and Harry’s blastoff. Which is more meaningful?
Lot’s of good things have happened. It’s been a stretch that is almost polar opposite of that horrid 9-game stretch against Detroit, Baltimore, and KC.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Doesn't matter to me if it
is because of pitching, defense or sunspots, the Rangers have given up only 4.94 runs/gm.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Sunspots cause global warming not run prevention.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
cows and sunspots
mormons stole me and held me against my will with Oklahoma beer and 12+ hour work days.
No Gore has sunspots.
That’s how he caused global warming.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Right after he invented...
…cold fusion… or the repeating rifle… or was it Morse code?
I have no objection to man walking on the moon.
by Chad Crudup on May 15, 2009 10:02 AM CDT up reply actions
Elizabeth Shue created cold fusion m'er f'er
(Wife) "So what do you want to watch on the T.V.? UFC or porn?"
(Husband) "Hmm... well, porn, I guess."
lol
I think of that every time “cold fusion” is mentioned
I miss 1989. I miss 1996. Please make me miss another season in 2008.
i thought he caused global warming b/c no state has more power generated by coal than the great state of Tennessee
the state he was senator of for f’n ever, and his dad before that….
i hate hypocrites even liberal ones…
im liberal, but come the fuck on.
mormons stole me and held me against my will with Oklahoma beer and 12+ hour work days.
the book
I’m glad it worked out but how weird is it that his in-laws gave him a book about the mental aspects of sports when he’s an MLB pitcher?
They just want to ensure their daughter is well provided for by their son-in-law.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Either that are a passive-aggressive slap at his manliness.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Or maybe
just a thoughtful gift because he’s an athlete and they thought he might like it? Nah, couldn’t be.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
haha
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on May 15, 2009 10:47 AM CDT up reply actions
yeah
but think about the context.
Lets assume (and this is no where near the truth) I was top of my class at Yale, a supreme court clerk, and working at the top law firm in the world. And I mentioned to my family that I was having trouble writing a brief. It would be as if my in laws then bought me “7 steps to being a good writer.”
I’m not doubting their heart was in the right place but its somewhat presumptuous
La Esquina Blog says Rangers are in on another latin catcher
[Jacob] Beltre is a muscle-bound 6-foot-3 catcher with considerable power. Several scouts said they were most impressed with Beltre’s attitude, which they describe as a joy for playing the game. Nova said at least seven teams are in serious contention for Beltre, including the Texas Rangers and the Pittsburgh Pirates, who he says are trying to bring Beltre to the United States for a workout.
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
more Beltres, Pimentals, and Grullons
awesome! we may have a ML team with 50% of the players with those 3 surnames in a few years.
Doctor please. Some more of these.
The last 13 games
have been against the 3 teams with the worst team OPS in the AL. Now the Angels come into town with the 4th worst OPS. I’m enjoying it while it lasts, but the pitching isn’t nearly as good as the results would indicate
"A good start would be not giving up 900 runs again." -Jon Daniels
by Randy Richardson on May 15, 2009 9:50 AM CDT reply actions
Dude, what gives with the negative vibes?
They are pitching much better than last year…see fewer walks and deeper outings.
My gawd, the uber brittle and quite femme Brandon McCarthy even went into the 7th inning the other night!!
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
I'm tempering my enthusiasm.
The Mariners lineup, in particular, is mainly just a bunch of weak hackers.
"A good start would be not giving up 900 runs again." -Jon Daniels
by Randy Richardson on May 15, 2009 10:00 AM CDT up reply actions
I know its
a paradigm shift, but could it be that these teams have a low OPS partly due to their facing an improved Rangers pitching staff? Stat oriented fans tend to make low OPS a personal trait instead of the numerical representation of a result.
The games against the
Rangers didn’t help those teams’ offensive numbers, but those team’s have struggled to hit against almost everyone.
"A good start would be not giving up 900 runs again." -Jon Daniels
by Randy Richardson on May 15, 2009 10:10 AM CDT up reply actions
right
and the Ranger pitching did exactly what they were suppose to do against those teams. Now if they had swept the M’s by winning 8-7 ball games, I would be concerned.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
No doubt
That is what would have happened last year. The pitcing is better this year. These aren’t your daddies Rangers anymore.
2009 Texas Rangers: Why The Hell Not Us?--ghtd36 on May 13, 2009
Who you callin' a daddy?
The rabbit lived, I swear!
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
You're right to a point
but one hitters and complete game shutouts are good pitching against any team at the ML level. It would be different if they had scuffled a bit and given up 3 or 4 runs with an uncomfortable number of walks and high pitch counts. They didn’t walk hitters, were efficient and downright good. Now, maybe they won’t be as good against teams with much better bats, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t done well lately. But good defense helps against any club.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
You're right.
I’m not trying to take anything away from what they’ve accomplished. It is important to recognize that they have had this successful run against poor offensive teams.
"A good start would be not giving up 900 runs again." -Jon Daniels
by Randy Richardson on May 15, 2009 10:21 AM CDT up reply actions
is this some sort of reverse jinx?
(Wife) "So what do you want to watch on the T.V.? UFC or porn?"
(Husband) "Hmm... well, porn, I guess."
AL SLG% Leaders,
1. Youkilis .719
2. Longoria .701
3. Adam Jones .669
4. V Martinez .650
5. Bay ,648
6. C Pena .631
7. Hunter .623
8. Damon .621
9. M Young .600
10. Miguel Cabrera .593
"A good start would be not giving up 900 runs again." -Jon Daniels
by Randy Richardson on May 15, 2009 10:07 AM CDT reply actions
Adam Jones
Man that Bedard trade is going to make things much easier on the Rangers over the next several years.
Doctor please. Some more of these.
and Chris Tillman.
Go Rangers...don't suck...
by Kinslerhomer on May 15, 2009 10:49 AM CDT up reply actions
i was thinking how funny it would be if the M's gave away the next Ken Griffey Jr. for 2 seasons of eric bedard
mormons stole me and held me against my will with Oklahoma beer and 12+ hour work days.
From Halo Hell
SS – Elvis Andrus – the difference maker has made the Texas pitching staff better by getting to every ball hit in the stadium.
Yeah, I'd say
the difference from MY to Andrus is pretty huge. Andrus looks like he has over double the effective range.
"I'd praised catcher Max Ramirez two weeks ago, but after his continued struggles I'm increasingly convinced he's not going to pan out." - crops.mlblogs.com
and I don't think that's an exageration
by ncrangerfan on May 15, 2009 11:38 AM CDT up reply actions
i wouldnt be surprised if sum1 told me he had already gotten to 20+ balls this season that with MY as our SS would have been singles at least
thats a lot of outs instead of singles for our pitching staff
mormons stole me and held me against my will with Oklahoma beer and 12+ hour work days.
Just a couple things...
I saw this morning here.
First off, if Delgado is done or at least going to miss most of this year would the Mets be interested in Blalock? Right now they are rolling with our old buddy Fernando Tatis at 1B. If so, what could the Rangers expect to get in return. I’m not very familiar with the Mets farm system.
Secondly, it seems the Yanks are really down on Hughes right now. Would it be possible to put together a package with Teagarden and another arm like say maybe Kiker to get Hughes form the Yanks? Or would they want Salty in any deal for him? I don’t think the Rangers should be willing to deal Salty for Hughes right now. He has impressed me that much so far this year. Thoughts?
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
I think you could get Blalock for Santana straight up.
Vallejo for Hughes sounds about right! :) Really I have no idea either.
2009 Texas Rangers: Why The Hell Not Us?--ghtd36 on May 13, 2009
I just wonder
with the recent national mentions of the fleecing that JD did on the Braves in 07 if some teams might be a little relucant to trade with the Rangers right now. Maybe not. But maybe some teams might be a little afraid of a fan backlash
I really doubt anybody is scared
of the Rangers. If anything they are intrigued by the possibility of trading with us because of our prospect depth.
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
by Dirk Diggler on May 15, 2009 10:31 AM CDT up reply actions
I betcha
fans on the South Side of Chicago, San Diego, Detroit and Washington are demanding that their GMs call Jonny Donuts, especially if Nolan isn’t in the office.
C’mon now!!!
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on May 15, 2009 10:36 AM CDT up reply actions
Well
I’m betting that the GM’s in Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Boston aren’t.
"I dont care to debate with a troll." - Sharky
JD's "haul" from Boston was overrated at the time by most in here (probably because Gagne was sooooo bad)
and with perspective, all that trade did was shuffle the deck.
Gabbard sucked.
Murphy is a 4th-5th OF and all you need to do is shake a tree and 10 more like him will fall out.
Beltre makes the minor league system lists look good but he’s iffy at best to do anything in The Show.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on May 15, 2009 11:53 AM CDT up reply actions
Pretty much.
I doubt, though, that you could have really gotten much more for Gagne—a guy nobody really believed would be effective for much longer. So if all you could have squeezed out of a team was a shitty AAAA pitcher, a prototype 4th OF, and a boom-or-bust prospect, I think you have to call that a definite win.
Not a steal, but a win.
by brettgardner on May 15, 2009 12:13 PM CDT up reply actions
I agree
there’s a difference between a steal and a deal. And we got a deal.
Grieve: The Yanks have struggled so far. - Lewin: Yeah, cry me a bag of money.
Dykstra has all the money!
ElectricOkra.com
No and no
Tatis is outhitting Blalock by a solid margin this year and was his equal last season. If they’re going to make a trade there I think they’d look for more of a long term solution, younger, cheaper. There’s been talk of them moving Murphy over there, too.
The Yankees are not down on Hughes, impatient fans are. It might be possible to get Hughes if their catcher situation was desperate, but I wouldn’t count on them just offering up Hughes. I’m not sure what it would take to get him.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Well...
the Yanks are talking about pulling him from the rotation so I think they’re a little down on him, perhaps not though. Also, I think they are pretty desperate at the catching spot too. They have had their top 2 catchers go down, and really Posada isn’t a ML catcher anymore even when he does come back. I would think they would be interested in a guy like TT.
As far as Tatis and the Mets go, I think if Hank is healthy he’s a pretty nice upgrade over Fernando. I know he’s been pretty good so far, but I just don’t think he will keep that up. Hank would be an upgrade for them especially in the power department.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Mets signed
Javier Valentin, he’ll probably play a little first. Blalock is definitely an upgrade over him.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Yes this year.
Just maybe not this summer.
by GhettoBear04 on May 15, 2009 11:01 AM CDT up reply actions
Andruw...
’til August or September when Smaok looks like he may be ready.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Why would you throw in a rookie like Smoak
to get his feet wet when the team might be in a pennant race?
That won’t fly in the room and Nolan sure as hell would know not to do it.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on May 15, 2009 11:57 AM CDT up reply actions
You mean like they did with Davis last year?
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
by Dirk Diggler on May 15, 2009 1:06 PM CDT up reply actions
Or this year with Elvis
I know they weren’t in a pennant race to start the season but it looks like they will be this year as of now.
2009 Texas Rangers: Why The Hell Not Us?--ghtd36 on May 13, 2009
So maybe if the team's in a pennant race you roll with Andruw instead.
After all, he’s hitting well now and he’s been through a pennant race or two (or 10).
If the Rangers fall out of contention as the summer wears on, you can bring up Smoak to get his feet wet in a non-playoff environment.
Or, maybe Smoak will be good enough that he can hit at any level, even if the MLB team is in a pennant race.
You keep asking
and folks keep answering.
"I'd praised catcher Max Ramirez two weeks ago, but after his continued struggles I'm increasingly convinced he's not going to pan out." - crops.mlblogs.com
But, no!
Blalock is the irreplaceable one!
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on May 15, 2009 11:28 AM CDT up reply actions
Josey is
the only one with the answer you want to hear.
I just hope we move him before he has his annual injury where he is out for the year. That should be approaching in the next month or so.
"I'd praised catcher Max Ramirez two weeks ago, but after his continued struggles I'm increasingly convinced he's not going to pan out." - crops.mlblogs.com
So JD is suppose to
trade Blalock because of his injury history? How many of his injuries are considered chronic?
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
blalocks amount is the go by
mormons stole me and held me against my will with Oklahoma beer and 12+ hour work days.
The answer you expect
is quite retarded.
"Hustle doesn't cost a dime and it looks good." - Pete Rose as Channeled by Marcus Lemon
How so?
I am just tired of the “lets trade Blalock before he gets injured” talk. Those same people can’t come up with a resonable replacement. Andruw Jones? Really. The same AJ that had a .505 OPS last year and a .724 OPS in 2007? The same AJ that has a .685 OPS in May? Justin Smoak? Really. The same Justin Smoak that currently has a grand total of 172 professional ABs?
Some of you around here need to change your mindset. This is a team that looks to be in a pennant race come Aug 1. JD is not going to be trading off pieces to build for the future. Don’t expect Blalock, Byrd and Padilla to be going anywhere if the Rangers stay in contention.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Its hilarious to me
that somehow the oft injured Hank Blalock, that hasn’t had a good full season since 2004, is somehow irreplaceable, and that Andruw Jones, who clearly isn’t the same hitter he was last year or the year before, can’t possibly be an answer.
Blalock is due to strain his taint any day now, and I’m sure it will be a season ending injury.
Somehow, I think this team will survive the loss of a platoon DH if there is a big enough return for it.
"I'd praised catcher Max Ramirez two weeks ago, but after his continued struggles I'm increasingly convinced he's not going to pan out." - crops.mlblogs.com
by DJCahill on May 15, 2009 1:16 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Series Price
series wagering is semi-exotic i guess. as such is has a 30 cent line instead of the 20 cent line for football games or dime line for baseball games.
anyway…
LAA – 110
TEX – 120
angels = the slightest of favorites
BOS -160 to run SEA further into the ground
DET – 190 to beat OAK this weekend
Last 10 days:
The Rangers have thrown 284 pitches out of the bullpen; the Angels 819.
Woah…
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
wow
that is a great stat!
Grieve: The Yanks have struggled so far. - Lewin: Yeah, cry me a bag of money.
Dykstra has all the money!
ElectricOkra.com
I cribbed it from EG.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
Request from Adam
hey, was curious if on the morning AM news stuff you could throw up the leverage graph as well as the betting odds for the next game. I dont think many here throw money on games but i do think many here find those #‘s very interesting. just ask’n
please?
mormons stole me and held me against my will with Oklahoma beer and 12+ hour work days.
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