Tuesday a.m. Rangers things
by Adam J. Morris on May 5, 2009 9:18 AM CDT
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PrintIt is strange that an early May game against a team that lost 101 games last year can seem critical.
But last night's game really had the feel of a critical game. Not playoff, or even pennant-race intensity, but...you didn't get the sense this was some regular old early May game. This felt like a game between a couple of teams that realize they could be playing meaningful baseball in September and know that they each have a really nice opportunity right now to put some distance between themselves and a hurting Anaheim team.
Kevin Millwood did yeoman's work yesterday, logging 7+ innings and throwing strikes. Yeah, he gave up 5 runs, but that's going to happen when you go out there and throw strikes. Sometimes balls will get caught and runners will be stranded and you'll strike out 4 guys in 8 innings and allow just a run, and sometimes you'll have games like yesterday, that balance those out. But it was another solid outing from a guy who looks a lot more like the Millwood the Rangers signed and who they saw in 2006 than the Millwood we've seen the past two years.
Evan Grant says it was a game where everyone did something, and quotes Michael Young as calling it a "team win." Grant also praises the bullpen for closing out the game, but I think Ron Washington deserves some credit, as well...during the top of the 8th, I said I would send Millwood out there to face Mike Sweeney, then bring in C.J. for Russ Branyan, and then go with Frankie for the final four outs.
I also didn't think that would happen...I figured that either Washington would go with Millwood for the full 8th, or he'd bring in C.J. immediately. But Washington managed the pen aggressively, and to his credit, is willing to use Frankie for more than an inning at a time. And if you think about it, Sweeney/Branyan/Beltre in the 8th is a crew you are going to be more concerned about than the bottom of the M's lineup in the 9th.
This is a different type of Ranger team than in years past. And over at Lookout Landing, Jeff took note:
Elvis Andrus, by the way - holy crap. That's exactly why he's up here, and that's exactly why he's not going to go away.* * *
After Andrus' incredible diving effort in the ninth, the play that's going to fade into the background is a play that might've made just as much of a difference. Down 6-4 in the bottom of the sixth, Adrian Beltre came up with a man on second and pulled an inside fastball towards the 5-6 hole. It looked like it was going to get through when Michael Young made a magnificent stop and threw in time to get Beltre at first. If that gets through, it's either 6-5 or there are men on the corners. Instead, Millwood got help from his defense and was able to end the inning by getting Jose Lopez to do something stupid. These aren't the Matt Kata Rangers. Not anymore.
I think I have a new LSB tagline.
Andrus's defense has been hit and miss so far this season -- sometimes spectacular, but with too many mistakes mixed in -- but his offense has been a pleasant surprise so far, and Ron Washington is planning on keeping him in the #2 spot in the lineup until Josh Hamilton returns.
Hamitlon, meanwhile, played catch yesterday and says he's at 85% right now, but wants to be at 100% when he returns, rather than come back prematurely and risk aggravating the injury. Given the depth the Rangers have in the outfield and DH spots right now, and given that Hamilton wasn't exactly in a groove at the plate when he went down, I think they have the luxury of taking their time getting him back.
Tim Cowlishaw has a glowing column up about Ian Kinsler. Ian is pretty good.
Richard Durrett has some thoughts on yesterday's game, and notes that the Rangers are 5 games better than where they were after 25 games last season.
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Hey, I liked Matt Kata.
But I think I like the 2009 Rangers better.
There’s no crying in baseball but pedicures are fine! --- BigGuns
You do need to give Wash credit for managing
his bully correctly because it worked but I wonder how long they will keep asking Frankie to get 4-5 out saves and what kind of wear and tear that will have on him.
Maybe Wash viewed last night’s game as an absolute must which is why he did it but I have to believe we’ll have a fresher and more effective Frank if he’s limited to 3 out saves.
The comments came fast and furious last night and there was also mention of how Bill James likes to use his bully. I don’t have it in front of me but I wanna say that James chides managers for not using their closers at the right time.
Sometimes the game can be won or lost in the 6th or 7th inning and that’s when your “closer” should be brought into the game. Can’t remember what the great Bill James said about 4-5 out saves as opposed to the LaRussa-style one inning save.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
You're referring to
the “bullpen ace” idea. I do believe that’s a Bill James idea. I think it’s the idea that you use your best reliever in the highest leverage situation (essentially — I don’t know if James had Leverage Index stats when he came up with the idea).
James may have come up with that term
it was “fireman” way back when people had to walk uphill both ways to school. Leveraging is an old concept, it just has a lot more stat support now.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
i really like how this was written, tball
dunno why, but it was nicely done.
mormons stole me and held me against my will with Oklahoma beer and 12+ hour work days.
Before LaRussa screwed things up
We didn’t have to use a stat to show managers “hey, you should use your best reliever for more than three outs at the end of a game!”
Part of the problem now is that these relievers get trained to bear down and throw as hard as possible for one inning, so they don’t have the gas to do more than that, Gossage/Quisenberry-style. What if we took one of our fireballing young prospects, trained him to focus on throwing 2-3 inning stints, and then used him as a true stopper? By, say, 2010-2011, between Frankie Frank, this new stopper, and a couple of specialists like O’Day and CJ, we could have an incredibly dominant bullpen.
As many arms as we’ve got, it seems like we’re the team that should try it out.
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
i think that makes so much sense
that it will never happen. Love the fireman/bullpen ace philosophy.
Man, I love winning! You know? It's like better than losing!
frankfranKKKKK has been so efficient that he gets 4-5 outs with less than 20 pitches.
I think his arm can handle that work load. 15 pitches is pretty much what one would expect of typical closer outing anyway.
If it gets to the point that 20-30 pitches is used on a regular basis, I would agree about overworking him.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Frank got the job done but he wasn't on in the 9th.
Walking Betancourt? If Andrus doesn’t make that play and also get the call that inning could have become very messy.
As mentioned above and last night, give Wash credit because we brought home a W but I think we’ll be much better off in the long-term if CJ can handle the 8th by himself and give Frank the 9th.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
I agree that
I don’t think it is a good idea to have Frankie get multiple inning saves on a regular basis. That is where Wash has to decide just how important a win is on a given night.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Frankie is a beast.
I think his ratios can withstand the occasional walk. He’ll be alright.
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on May 5, 2009 9:58 AM CDT up reply actions
I agree
However, I also don’t have a problem with Frankie getting the occasional 4 or 5 out save.
Not every time out, but occasionally.
by Adam J. Morris on May 5, 2009 10:07 AM CDT up reply actions
AJM, You were trumpeting Bill James last night
Do you know how he feels about 4 and 5 out saves?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
yes, of course he does, he rubs his belly and puts him to sleep
every night.
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
by blalock84 on May 5, 2009 10:09 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
With Washington
I fear that he will lean too often on a couple of relievers he trusts and wear them down. We could use a blowout win tonight.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Yep no doubt
He is in a FA year right? Man if they don’t win this year and let him walk, what a horrible trade that was.
These umps are a bunch of bow-legged uncle fuckers.-D.A.Tron
http://tinyurl.com/ranger-rage
true, but i think the trade wasnt as bad as we make it out
it costs a ton to get a good younger pitcher. It sucks that he got hurt last year, but this year he’s pitching like a TORG. He’s a valueable pitcher, but it sucks for them that Adam Jones looks really legit. It will definitely be a bad trade for them in the end, but Im not sure it was a horrible trade
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
Barring Injury
Bedard will be fine this year. I would like to hang a few on him tonight and make the casual idiots whine about getting Bedard, though.
yeah he's looked pretty damn good this year so far
let’s ring ’em up
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 5, 2009 1:11 PM CDT up reply actions
Yes
But the whole point of the trade was to pair him with Hernandez and get them to the playoffs. So if they don’t get there this year and don’t resign him it will be a bad trade IMO.
These umps are a bunch of bow-legged uncle fuckers.-D.A.Tron
http://tinyurl.com/ranger-rage
They might be in a position to win the AL West
this year because of the trade and there’s always a chance that they can re-sign Bedard as well.
You don’t have to lose players and pitchers to free agency.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Nah, no public comments to the effect one way or another.
Do I think he’ll re-sign? No, probably not. Has he made it “pretty clear” that he’s leaving? Negative.
The only thing Erik Bedard has made clear during his time in Seattle is that he doesn’t like to talk.
Well, that's not really what I mean.
Mark Teixeira was “pretty clear” that he was not going to re-sign with the Rangers, so we traded him. Did he ever outright say he was not going to re-sign? No, but it was clear he would not do that. Same with Bedard is what I mean.
if adam jones plays defense as good as he did last year (probably wont) and hits as well as he is this year (probably will) — he is a VERY good of, and a top 5 CF in the game
oh yea, and jones is under team control for how many years
its a horrible deal any way you look at it unless the m’s make the playoffs this year
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 May 5, 2009 11:41 AM CDT up reply actions
OR
if the M’s make the playoffs/seriously contend this year and then sign Bedard, it may be a trade that works out for both teams if he’s successful.
I like Adam Jones but he’s nowhere near the player nor will he ever be that Josh Hamilton is.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
If they sign him before he reaches free agency...
… you have a point (trading for him gives them exclusive rights to negotiate an extension/new contract). Once he reaches the open market, they can still sign him but then they could have done that without trading for him.
It's a good day...
…when you wake up, and the first thing that goes through your mind was what an unbelievable play the Texas shortstop made to essentially save the game last night.
Seeking a new signature...
it really is
btw, your new sig needs to be this:
“Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle”
~Eric Nadel
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
Hey now
Don’t be giving away my sig!
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
i hadnt seen that was yours
great, great move
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
The Elvis play trumps all!!!
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You want the mustache on or off? ... ... ... Too bad.
by thedirkatron on May 5, 2009 11:57 AM CDT up reply actions
Young's arm
that was indeed a nice play, and to reiterate something I posted yesterday, the Rangers are currently 3rd in UZR and UZR/150. Young is last at 3B, but still well ahead of what the Rangers got from 3B in 2008.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Young being last
One would think that will improve as he settles in at the position, gaining more familiarity and comfort at the hot corner.
If Young just moves to something close to league average, and even if a few guys regress, that’s a damn good defense all around.
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
I've noticed stronger throws from him the more games into the season
I remember seeing him in ST and balls weren’t quite making it to first.
(Wife) "So what do you want to watch on the T.V.? UFC or porn?"
(Husband) "Hmm... well, porn, I guess."
Yeah, same here
I guess he’s getting more familiarity with the right amount of strength he needs to get it to first. Early on, he was probably taking too much off, realizing it was a shorter throw than deep short and not wanting to overthrow first. Then there were a couple of plays where he overthrow Davis, as if he overcorrected and put too much back on the throw. Seems like he’s finally starting to figure it out.
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
He was gunning it last night.
After seeing those plays, I don’t see how one could worry about his arm at third.
Yep; also, lost in all the Elvis love....
is that MY seems (to me , at least) to be getting his shirt dirty a LOT more at 3B than in the past. Methinks he’s going to end up (a) being an above-average 3B and (b) being pretty OK with the idea of playing 3B next to Elvis for quite a while.
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
loved the throw
where he backed up on a big hop and launched it from the outfield grass. hit Davis right in the chest.
Man, I love winning! You know? It's like better than losing!
yea, that was awesome
that was a missile
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
and if he keeps up his offense
we’ll be an above average offense and defense. It’s all on the pitching now, and they don’t have much excuses left re: bad fielding.
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 5, 2009 1:17 PM CDT up reply actions
As someone who only gets to watch pieces of games here and there
what about Young’s defense has been making him last in the league? Still his range, or is he missing balls that he should otherwise get based on just reaction time?
Seems like his arm would allow him to make some plays over there that not every 3b in the league could.
Yeah. I've wondered that too.
I don’t know the steps taken to calculate UZR. I think Dewan’s +/- is more intuitive, and I feel like I could interpret that if it were updated regularly during the season.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
yea, Dewan's +/-
would likely be able to give us a much better picture of how this defense is playing early in the season. It just seems like it would handle smaller sample sizes better.
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
It does appear to be range
though I expect that to improve slightly as he settles in.
http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=3b&stats=fld&lg=all&qual=y&type=0&season=2009&month=0
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
He looked stone footed
on a chopper down the line last night that went for a double.
Then, he comes back the other direction, looks like his feet aren’t stuck in quicksand, and makes a great diving stop on Beltre. Maybe his instincts will improve with experience as well because he gets really awkward (read: tardy) jumps on liners, from time to time.
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on May 5, 2009 10:00 AM CDT up reply actions
Give MYoung 100 games to make the transition, Chase
That’s what Cal Ripken said to do.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
That's fine
but I do expect him to make plays to either side of him. He was supposed to be good at 3B.
When he gets a bad jump, gives up on a ball, and starts moping is when you get pissed at him.
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on May 5, 2009 10:03 AM CDT up reply actions
I would say it's range combined with reaction time.
Sometimes he’s just not quite in position to field a ball. I agree with the sentiment that he’ll get better as he adjusts.
"same as it ever was" -davis byrn
aside from the adjusting to the throws, he has been still really bad at the full out dive (in either direction) for those hot shots that require it, and demand it when guarding the line, im hoping he adjusts to that aspect but i wouldnt bet the life of my 1st child on it.
mormons stole me and held me against my will with Oklahoma beer and 12+ hour work days.
he misses a few balls that I think he should've gotten to
not many errors, although he’s had one or two throwing errors already…
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 5, 2009 1:18 PM CDT up reply actions
he's playing about league average for errors
his range is the killer. there were a couple of games where he couldn’t get to anything. i think he’s making adjustments though and there doesn’t seem to be a systemic problem here (at least I hope not)
I noticed that.
seems like positioning himself better to be able to get the angle…last night he made some decent range plays
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 5, 2009 1:39 PM CDT up reply actions
couple comments
I think Millwood’s mistake in the 5th inning was not changing the way he was pitching. He was virtually all FBs in the first four innings and the M’s sat on the FB in the 5th and crushed it.
I think Wash has realized that there are times when you have to go for the win and not count on the other team losing the game. That is what he did last night and ealier this week. It is what he didn’t do in that Detroit game.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
i think you're right.
but you have to challenge Branyan up 4-0 rather than walk him. the 3-run bomb was on another fastball, but it wasn’t a bad pitch. right on the inside corner.
Man, I love winning! You know? It's like better than losing!
He'd thrown a lot of fastballs up to that point.
Maybe starting a few hitters with an offspeed pitch would’ve kept them off balance a bit. However, it’s hard to argue against his fastball command up to that point. I wanna second guess the pitch calling, but I can’t really bring myself to do it.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Yep
if he’s painting the corners, he can throw whatever he wants.
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on May 5, 2009 12:26 PM CDT up reply actions
when you're throwing strikes
just keep throwing strikes. I hate seeing them catch on, but I’d rather that happen then he walk a few batters trying to toss some junk up there, and then we pull him and bring a reliever in too early
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 5, 2009 1:19 PM CDT up reply actions
It may not make a lot of sense from the sabermetric perspective
But I like Elvis in the 2 hole for some reason. It just feels right.
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
Just what Wash is thinking, I suspect.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Except Wash didn't consider the sabermetric perspective
He just thought it felt right.
by NorCalRangersFan on May 5, 2009 11:38 AM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, that's about how this team is managed.
Though, lineups don’t matter very much, and I really like getting to see Elvis in the first inning. He shouldn’t be batting second, but I’m still not going to complain that he is.
i agree 100%
and i think Elvis feels right there.
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
That's the subjective part of the game.
If Andrus’ has a little more spark in his offense because he’s batting higher, that is helpful to the team to a point. He has many of the tools of a good #2 hitter: hits to right, speed to turn a single into a single+SB, etc. But, his .314 OBP sucks for a #2 hitter.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
obviously, but he does a really good job of moving runners over so that makes up
for some of the low on base percentage.
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
iirc
he has always hit #2
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 May 5, 2009 11:43 AM CDT up reply actions
Given the alternatives
I suppose it’s acceptable until Hamilton comes back, but Andrus really belongs in the 9 spot this year.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
I agree
You want speed on the basepath and ability to sac bunt or bunt for a base hit, that’s all dandy, but what’s the problem with speed on the basepath when Kinsler comes to bat? Steal second, have a RISP with Kinsler at the plate? Sounds a lot sweeter than Teagarden getting another K.
that's easy to say
right now. He has a knack for exceeding expecations, but I think he should probably stay down in the order, at least for this year.
What is this, Horseville? Because I'm surrounded by naysayers.
Agreed...
What are the chances that when Hamilton comes back he slides to clean-up? I know Elvis isn’t projected to have an outstanding (or even above avg) OBP, and I believe Hamilton’s numbers are much better in the 3-hole than 4. But
Kinsler
Andrus
Young
Hamilton
Looks pretty solid. Especially given Andrus’ speed (which Wash loves), and Mike’s new found power stroke. That plus the fact that we don’t have a pure #4 hitter makes this something worth considering, right?
meh on Young in the 3 hole and Andrus in the 2 hole
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
young
has been historically one of the worst 3 hole hitters in baseball
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 May 5, 2009 11:43 AM CDT up reply actions
if you keep andrus at 2
move FOTF to 5 or 6
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 May 5, 2009 11:44 AM CDT up reply actions
Doubt it happens this year
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 really like the idea of Young at #5.
It makes a ton of sense in terms of maximizing run production.
hmm, it really does
so Hank in the 4 spot here? I think against a RHP thats fine to do that.
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
Hank 3rd.
Your best three hitters make the most sense at 1, 2 and 4, with the guy who derives his skill most from getting on base leading off, the guy who derives his still most from slugging 4th and the guy who is most balanced 2nd. Then you want the 4th best hitter 5th unless he struggles with contact.
Take that speed and low OBP and stick Andrus back in the 9 hole
It’s not like Andrus is going to keep getting two hits a night like he has the last two games just because he’s hitting in the second hole…
I wouldn't mind having Andrus higher than 9th in front of weak(er) hitters.
His base running value is great in front of people who struggle to advance runners. The thing is, if Davis does actually connect, Andrus is going to score usually, anyway, so risking the out is pretty useless in front of him. And Teagarden has a similar skill set (just hasn’t had the power this year, but neither has he had the contact).
As I think about it, though, I would REALLY like Andrus 8th and Salty 9th. Salty’s on-base skills would be much more valuable than Andrus in front of Kinsler, and Andrus’s stealing skills would be a very nice bonus in front of Salty.
he needs to be hitting 1st or 2nd in the future
so now’s not a bad time to get his feet wet. Although until Borbon comes up and his OBP creeps higher, he fits nicely in the 9 hole with Hamilton back and healthy. I’d love to see this for the 2nd half of the year, though, if he does improve his OBP and Borbon is called up:
1. Andrus
2. Young
3. Kinsler
4. Hamilton
5. Jones/Cruz
6. Blalock
7. Saltalamacchia
8. Davis/Smoak
9. Borbon
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 5, 2009 1:23 PM CDT up reply actions
No way
that Andrus has a high enough OBP to hit leadoff. Not this year, and maybe not ever.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Last year was his best OBP-AVG difference, 0.55.
He’ll need to do alot better to be a legit lead-off hitter.
Besides, I think Kinsler is doing a really good job, and I wouldn’t expect him to slow down over the next 5 years, though if the Rangers had another high-OBP option it would allow them to put Kinsler 3rd or 5th to take advantage of his SLG.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
a very uneducated assumption
speed on the basepaths and the ability to put the ball in play and beat out infield hits, I guess, would be my thoughts…and I LOVE Kinsler leading off, but I think he’s a 3 hole hitter in our future
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 5, 2009 2:48 PM CDT up reply actions
What about avoiding outs and hitting for power?
That’s a whole lot more important than any thing else near the top of the order.
I have no problem with Kinsler hitting 1, 2, 4 or even 5 or 3 some day, but I still have no reason to assume Andrus will need to be second. It’s doubtful he’ll ever be that good. I’m really not sure what makes it likely.
I don't know...
maybe the fact that he’s 21 and we shouldn’t read too much into his past offensive numbers yet; he’s talented enough to have skipped AAA (although he was brought up for defense) that he’s holding his own with a .284 AVE/.732 OPS and shows some decent pop with 2 doubles, 2 triples and a HR (plus a few others that barely missed)?
I’m not saying he’s a perfect mold to be groomed for it yet, but I feel like he’s a decent mold – and he really gives this offense something that it hasn’t had in a while. I mean, Kinsler’s the complete package, and sure he’s a threat with his speed, but he’s a different animal. I’d love to see Kinsler hitting 3rd. And to do that, you need somebody that – true, avoids outs, and true, gets on base, regularly. I’m just (as always) fairly optimistic that Andrus can progress towards that. And I think it’s his destiny, however sappy and unsubstantiated that feeling may be
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 5, 2009 3:00 PM CDT up reply actions
He might well be good enough to be there at some point.
Just saying it’s not a definite fact and probably not likely.
So, Kenji's lunge toward first may have influenced the call.
His lunge made him look, to me at least, that he was slowing down going into the bag.
And, Elvis… Well, I’ve been waiting for a Elvis play to make it to the recap videos. This was a good one to wait for. He’s much better than his idol Jeter was in his prime. And, the manly knee-throws (like a Benito Santiago at SS) at the end of a rangy play make Jeter’s jump-throws look cute, like it’s something the Harlem Globetrotters would do if they played baseball.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Agree
Jeter’s throws have always looked like a guy trying to be flashy and showy. Elvis reminds me of Vizquel, Ozzie, and others: just taking care of business and doing his job.
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
Yeah. Ozzie did spectacular things when he jumped.
Because, when Ozzie had to jump, the play by definition required a super-human effort.
No one will every look as acrobatic as Ozzie, but I think some of Andrus’ style is reminiscent of Vizquel.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Yeah, Ozzie could be a showman
He could make the difficult play look routine, and the superhuman impossible play look possible. I’ve never seen anybody like him. I loved watching his acrobatics, because the play generally warranted acrobatics. Jeter’s acrobatics annoy me. He pulls out the jump throw on a play where Ozzie or Omar could probably double clutch and then soft toss the throw to first and then gets called the greatest shortstop in baseball.
I’m amazed Omar is still as smooth as he is at age 42. If Elvis can just learn 2/3 of Omar’s awesomeness with the glove, man. It’ll be a fun era of Rangers baseball.
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
Omar is about smooth as a baby's butt
he’s butter
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
omar still makes really sexy plays
having him as our backup SS gives me a warm feeling inside.
mormons stole me and held me against my will with Oklahoma beer and 12+ hour work days.
yep he's pretty awesome...
and the man knows how to lay down a bunt, 45 straight sacs. without fail.
what a beast!
A Rod you put the Bitch in Tits.
Damn.
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on May 5, 2009 10:10 AM CDT up reply actions
some might fail at life
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 5, 2009 1:25 PM CDT up reply actions
wow
now thats a stat that should be talked about more
45…WOW
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 May 5, 2009 11:46 AM CDT up reply actions
thats pretty frickin rediculous
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
+1
Excellent security blanket / mentor.
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on May 5, 2009 10:10 AM CDT up reply actions
he really is
i love, love watching him play D… Anybody else remember that Deke he put on Felix Pie to get him doubled off?
Then he made it look like no biggie, the guy is just classic.
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
Has anybody given a thought
that the FO may have ideas about grooming Omar into an infield coaching position, or maybe a roving instructor, once they feel comfortable that Easy E is no longer in need of mentoring?
I would love to see that
Plus gives us a nice amount of Venezuelan street cred, which couldn’t hurt as much as we work that country scouting wise.
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
love
MY’s play on Beltre’s shot, while not as memorable as Elvis’ play, was probably even more critical to the win. Those two plays sealed a victory that would have gotten away last season.
"Was this really necsarry?" - cowpoke/hurler hurley
Much, much better than "All Guillermos all the 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
Anyone worried about Saltalamacchia?
Or am I overreacting to the golden sombrero?
"[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
I'm just coming to accept
that this team is going to strike out way, way, way too much for my liking.
Especially Hank, Davis, and whoever is catching. Those guys are good for at least 5 Ks combined every night.
Blalock is likely gone this summer
or after the season at the latest, so one spot might improve.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
he may be striking out a lot
but I’m enjoying healthy Hank. It’d be nice if he improved his trade value, though…
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 5, 2009 1:26 PM CDT up reply actions
Joe Posnanski wrote an article recently
about BA/OBP/SLG stats in different pitch counts, and essentially concluded that first-pitch swinging has a lot of merit, since going down 0-1 drastically alters your chances of reaching in a negative way.
To that end, it frustrates me to see JoePo write in support of such maddening plate “discipline”. Long before I knew jack about stats, I yelled at the TV every time Hank swung at the first pitch because I knew that pitch counts got starters out of games and screwed up the other team’s bullpen.
Sometimes the most frustrating thing about rooting for this team is the feast-or-famine aspect of its offense.
1-0 counts
Basically, the numbers say it's good to swing at the first pitch, so long as it's a strike.
If it’s not, the advantage goes to the batter at 1-0 if he lets it pass; otherwise, swinging at a ball or borderline strike is likely an out.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
I think part of it is
if you swing at the first pitch, you have fewer opportunities to second-guess yourself, and the pitcher has fewer opportunities to fool you with his stuff.
Personally, I’d rather take my chances and see at least three pitches the first time through the lineup. I know this is stupid, but I’m not always smart.
If he was writing about Seattle
he’d have said they are rare when Hernandez is on the mound.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Meh.
The way I view it, it’s Felix. He’s going to get his K’s. B-R says that he’s a .250 hitter against Felix lifetime.
Seeking a new signature...
Pretty good one the other night, too.
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on May 5, 2009 10:11 AM CDT up reply actions
Hamilton 85%?
why not 84.5%? or 27 x pi %?
(Wife) "So what do you want to watch on the T.V.? UFC or porn?"
(Husband) "Hmm... well, porn, I guess."
Heh
maybe he’s been chillin with Byrd.
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on May 5, 2009 10:12 AM CDT up reply actions
It feels nice
fror defense to be crucial in a big win
The last few years, defense has often been crucial in big losses
It’s nice to see that turned around the other way finally.
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
Don't buy WS tickets yet
Because defense has been crucial in a couple maddening meltdowns this season against the Rangers as well.
True, but at least we have the hope of seeing defense helping too
Before, I generally knew if the defense decided the game, it wasn’t going to be Hello Win Column.
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
Totally
We can have some reason to hope for good stuff on the defensive end, when as little as one year ago there was no hope.
I have say
Watching Millwood early on , I thought, “Our bullpen is going to ruin this game.” When we went up 4-0, I absolutely knew it. When they tied the game 4-4, I thought, “Whoops, I guess Millwood’s going to blow it.” And when we got to the eighth inning, I thought “Wash is going to blow it.”
Sometimes I really, really love being wrong. I was shocked when he used CJ as a LOOGY, but that was absolutely what I wanted to see out of him last night.
heh
I guess I wasn’t paying real close attention to who was warming up, and after CJ got the out and Washington came in, all I could think was “God help us all if you put Guardado in the game.” Even though Wash has made some better bullpen management decisions lately, I still don’t really know what Wash is going to do on any given evening.
Wow, that game was amazing
Last night, I was lying in bed, listening to the game on the radio feed, and clutching my red Rangers hat, just in fits as those last few outs came. What a sigh of relief when that final popout was caught. Nice!
She say she are the manager.
isnt that great, makes you feel like a kid again
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
and clutching my red Rangers hat
Just out of curiosity, about how old are you?
What is this, Horseville? Because I'm surrounded by naysayers.
When listening to late-night baseball on the radio..
aren’t we all basically 9 years old again???
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 thought the FanGraphs Win Probability Graph for yesterdays game was interesting.
Seeing the Leverage Index of the 9th inning really brings home just how insanely important Elvis’s play was.
Is it any coincidence that those Win Probability graphs look like EKGs?
I think not.
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
id love to see that graph on the front page every morning just below the nights pics.
mormons stole me and held me against my will with Oklahoma beer and 12+ hour work days.
by Jayslick on May 5, 2009 10:12 AM CDT up reply actions 10 recs
+1
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on May 5, 2009 10:13 AM CDT up reply actions
+ juan
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 May 5, 2009 11:48 AM CDT up reply actions
And we should remember
that Davis was a solid part of the defense as well.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
You're absolutely right.
That play doesn’t even have a chance without his stretch to make the grab. Phenomenal defense on both ends.
Nope
For a guy relatively new to the position, Crush is doing a great job.
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
This x 1MM
These umps are a bunch of bow-legged uncle fuckers.-D.A.Tron
http://tinyurl.com/ranger-rage
haha, and the truth is he's a big dude
he’s got some ’plaining to do
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
on the M's broadcast one of their commentators was convinced his foot came off of first base
never saw that happen.
I’ve been looking for video of Davis jumping into the stands, anyone have a link?
(Wife) "So what do you want to watch on the T.V.? UFC or porn?"
(Husband) "Hmm... well, porn, I guess."
I like Lookout Landings Version as well
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 5, 2009 10:11 AM CDT up reply actions
Jeff loooooooooooooathes FOTF.
Let's change the Constitution so that Elvis Andrus can be our supreme overlord.
But Jeff did drop the "" around FOTF position
None of the Rangers had the infamous quotes around their position.
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 5, 2009 10:14 AM CDT up reply actions
the Rangers and Mariners
for some reason (perhaps because both teams are run by young, saber-savvy GMs who are trying to reshape the org and reprioritize defense, and perhaps because the Mariners coaching staff has a lot of Rangers ties, and perhaps because both teams have epitomized failure in the past) the Mariners feel like our greatest rival. I have a feeling these two teams will play a lot of great games this year.
What is this, Horseville? Because I'm surrounded by naysayers.
should have said
“inexperienced” or “new on the scene”.
What is this, Horseville? Because I'm surrounded by naysayers.
Hey Now!
I was born in 1951. But since I am older than dirt, I guess you have a good point
clark, not sure I agree with you about JD being saber-savvy
(Sosa getting that many ab’s v. RH’s in 2007 was unforgivable and the OF he constructed that year was in his words “embarrassing”) but I’m starting to believe the M’s are legit.
There’s still a lot of infrastructure in place (with a few necessary tweaks) from a team that won 88 games two years ago. Yes, their pythag was insane and came correct last year but they’ve since added Bedard.
This M’s team is going to win between 75-85 games and I’m leaning towards them finishing above .500 this year.
If the Rangers get their stuff together this year (they’re legitimately a .500 team right now), these teams could play some meaningful and entertaining games.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
JD
I think he tries to walk a fine line between the saber and scouting mentality. He has been burned on both fronts (Wilkerson was a saber-friendly pickup, Sosa had the trust of the coaching staff). It isn’t clear where JD fits on the saber spectrum, but I think he is certainly aware of it.
What is this, Horseville? Because I'm surrounded by naysayers.
clark
The reason I say that is because if JD did pay a little more attention to sabermetrics, I’d be a little nicer to him (mainly because his team would be so much better).
I thought the Ron Washington hire was an FU to the Moneyball way of doing things.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
uhhh yea
wasnt he highly praised in moneyball + i know he got one of chavez GG, etc
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 May 5, 2009 11:56 AM CDT up reply actions
maybe its been too long since ive read it
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.
He's definitely a saber guy
but you can’t run an organization only on stats. Especially with the minors, you have to rely a lot on your scouts and coaches there to make the right call. The key is to not have a bunch of old-school thinking people who won’t change with the times.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
If JD was definitively a saber guy
he wouldn’t have hired Ron Washington.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Why?
The bunting is too much and his in-game management isn’t the best, but the important thing is that he isn’t a power hungry guy. Call him a puppet if you want, but thats the type of manager a saber guy wants.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
RW in game management
has gotten better the last couple weeks. Wonder if Jackie Moore has more influence now.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Maybe
I’m not sure what it is, but Wash has definitely managed a lot better recently. Maybe he finally learned that he shouldn’t be managing like his job depends on each play (Nolan and JD could have helped with that) or maybe he has learned that how he has managed before isn’t working.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Wash pushed the right buttons the last two nights
but he screwed the pooch big-time on Friday night when he put in Holland when Feldman wasn’t struggling at all.
Washington was looking for any excuse he could to shoehorn Holland into the game instead of respecting how well his starting pitcher had done up to that point.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
I don't think it had anything to do with Holland
I think it was the same thinking that saw Feldman starting in the bullpen this season too.
And all managers make dumb moves at least once a week. The problem I have had with Wash is that he has made at least one a game at one point.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Better pitching and defense
will make any manager look smarter, and Washington has a lot more freedom to make good choices. Millwood getting to the 8th and getting Sweeney gives Washington flexibility. If Millwood only goes 5 with the game that close Washington has some very difficult choices to make and it’s hard for him to look smart.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
that is a very good point
although the urge to use CJ for the first batter of the eights can’t be underestimated
Gray area thinking
trumps black and white with me.
"I saw your act, just didn't make it for me. Just a lot of fluff."
And why is the manager the determining factor on if he's saber or not?
Why are you looking at one very small aspect of building a franchise to decide if he is or not?
Anyways, Daniels has said he is and I can’t remember who said it exactly, but there was a quote from a BP guy, Law, or someone like that who said that Texas was among the franchises that were definitely SABR.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
JD has been on record saying he's saber-friendly
But that he values both the saber and scouting perspective. If I were a GM, I’d probably be the same way. I think the teams who ignore numbers are ignorant, but at the same time, I think totally ignoring the scouting view has its own set of problems.
Neither perspective tells 100% of the story.
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
JD says a lot of things, WestTx
I’ll believe him when I see a lot more supportive evidence.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
god you're such
a stubborn ass
go here to view my blog: http://dirtfromd.blogspot.com
by studcrackers on May 5, 2009 11:26 AM CDT up reply actions
What is the supportive evidence?
Firing Wash?
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
How he constructs his team
and who he hires and then extends to be his manager, gdawg.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
any suggestions?
go here to view my blog: http://dirtfromd.blogspot.com
by studcrackers on May 5, 2009 11:42 AM CDT up reply actions
So what is wrong with how he has constructed this current team?
The fact that he has put defense first has been a great move and one that is saber supported. He has put together a great lineup too. He’s been able to build a bullpen without handing out a single big contract. And the SP has looked much better with some great prospects on their way. Where is your issue with how this team is currently constructed? (And please, don’t make it that easy by saying that bleeping disaster at SS).
So again, is it all the manager? Is that the extent of your baseball knowledge that you aren’t able to look past who is the manager of this team to grade a GM’s job and to determine if he meets your qualifications of being saber.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
i thought constructing his team this year was pretty good
look at it from a pitching/defense standpoint
catcher —> out laird, in teagarden/salty has played better on defense
1b —> out broussard/catt, in davis (played much better on defense)
ss —> out FOTF, in andrus (much better on defense)
3b —> out shitty players, in FOTF (much better on defense)
i believe dewan said that andrus/young would save 30 runs over young/3b
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 May 5, 2009 12:00 PM CDT up reply actions
Billy Beane thinks the manager is wholly irrelevant
So I guess to be 100% Moneyball-esque, the GM should just name himself manager, or at the very least fill out the lineup card himself and have a trained chimp hand it to the umpire.
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
which isnt far from what Bb wanted 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 May 5, 2009 12:09 PM CDT up reply actions
Measuring Billy Beane's ability as a GM
by asking how many WS rings he has isn’t a very good barometer to judge him.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
But isn't that how you are judging JD?
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.
Oh, I forgot
90 win seasons are the metric to use when judging GMs.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
What were you thinking?
Shame on you!
These umps are a bunch of bow-legged uncle fuckers.-D.A.Tron
http://tinyurl.com/ranger-rage
The entire season should be.
GMs don’t have any more control over the playoffs — which are much more influenced by luck than the regular season — than they do the rest of the year. Look at the entire body of work, not just 5 games in October.
I think part of the saber argument is also that being saber doesn't mean you ignore scouting
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Yup.
It’s that forming all your opinions on a dude watching a guy play for three days and ignoring the vast wealth of objective data available is stupid. Not that having someone watch a player to tell you what the data doesn’t isn’t useful.
Yeah, there's been a few interviews over the years where the Rangers are listed in the groups of teams known to apply sabermetric priciples.
If a young Ivy League GM wasn’t hint enough. I’m pretty sure he worked with Keith Woolner, as well.
Strange as it is, Jon Hart liked to surround himself with statistical-minded individuals (go look at his GM tree, it’s like a cast of secondary characters from Moneyball). I think he just didn’t like to listen to them.
I think that Hart
was very smart in who he hired, but perhaps either didn’t fully understand the stat-based advice fully, or wasn’t quite ready to trust it.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
I don't think JD knew how Wash would manage
He obviously interviewed him and had the chance to ask him questions, but I don’t think Wash said “I’m going to be bunting all the time.” He probably said “I’ll use the bunt when its appropriate”. Also, coming from the A’s, JD probably expected Wash to manage more to the sabermetric style since that is the environment he had been in for years.
I’m not saying this definitely means JD is a saber-guy, but I don’t think you can point to the Wash hiring as an example of why he’s not.
by NorCalRangersFan on May 5, 2009 11:49 AM CDT up reply actions
NorCalRangersFan...
Ron Washington did some really dumb shit in his first year as manager of this team.
It was over for me with Ron Washington at this game -
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA200705090.shtml
Look at the circumstances of that game in the top of the 3rd and tell me why there was a good reason to have Kenny Lofton drop down a sacrifice bunt.
Dumb moves were a part of Washington’s legacy in 2007 (Sosa getting all those ab’s v. RHs) yet JD was so impressed that he decided (in August 07) to extend Washington into 2009.
So that’s one of the many reasons I say that as long as Ron Washington is the manager for the Texas Rangers, JD’s not a saber-savvy GM.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
33 games into his first ever year as a manager at the ML level and you were done?
here was the situation:
rangers down 4, runners on first and second, 0 outs, #1 hitter up — FOTF + teix coming up and a single puts them back in the game — it wasnt a great decision but its not like it was so horrible 33 games in to his managing career (lofton was hitting about 260)
now, dont get me wrong im much more in the “sacrifice bunt outs = bad” side but it was 33 games into the year that ends it for you…why?
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 May 5, 2009 12:09 PM CDT up reply actions
How much did Sosa play after July 1st, 2007?
Once this organization went full force into rebuilding mode how much playing time did Sosa get? He got 89 PA from August 1st till the end of the year. Id say JD probably had alot to do with that.
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.
Two things and then I drop it
1) JD extended Wash for a few reason. The players liked him. He wanted to give his new manager a change to learn and improve without worrying about job security. At that point, Wash had all of a month and a half of experience. I’m not defending Wash. I don’t think he’s a very good manager and he’s not a saber-guy at all. But, like I said before, I don’t think you can use that an indication that JD is not sabermetrically inclined.
2) The decision to play Sosa was not all JD. He had the backing of Wash and Rudy. And he was putting butts in the seats and people in front of their TVs as he was going for his big HR milestone. So, there was a business angle to the playing time, too.
by NorCalRangersFan on May 5, 2009 12:11 PM CDT up reply actions
So NorCalRangers Fan,
do you consider JD to be a saber savvy GM?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Yes
And I believe he relies on a what has become a strong scouting department, as well. Which is just what I want my GM to do – rely on as many sources of information as possible in order to make the best decisions.
Do I think he has always made the best decisions? Obviously not, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think he takes sabermetrics into account.
by NorCalRangersFan on May 5, 2009 12:24 PM CDT up reply actions
It's not even a question that he's aware of it.
It is an open fact that the Rangers are known around baseball as applying sabermetric principles.
How does Sammy playing so much against RH in 2007 mean JD knows nothing about saber stuff?
Is JD the one making out the lineup card every night?
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.
bigsteve,
Without looking and off the top of my head I wanna say The Sosa had 315 plate appearances v. RH pitchers in 2007.
He usually hit 4th or 5th and his OPS was below .700 in those 315 plate appearances.
Then we have JD tersely proclaim to the world last April “I’m A Ron Washington Man.”
The manager hired (and extended) is a reflection on the GM.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
And I don't want this to degenerate into a JD bash fest
especially with the team playing a little better.
I don’t know how exactly to classify JD. He made a lot really dumb, inexplicable moves early on that the team is still paying for. Most of those moves were made because he was trying to take short-cuts to success and that usually doesn’t work or have long-term positive effects.
I think JD is still figuring out what he is but as long as Ron Washington is his manager, he’s not saber-savvy.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
what about the fact that nolan backed RW this year?
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 May 5, 2009 12:00 PM CDT up reply actions
I thought you were a part of the
“let’s wish cancer on people we don’t like and also ignore Josey” crowd, knockoutking?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
So that means that Nolan didn't back RW?
Confusing post
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Stay on message, gdawg
We’re discussing your notion that JD is saber-savvy when the evidence very clearly shows that he is not.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Stay on message Josey
We aren’t discussing who wishes what on someone a couple of nights ago.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
JW
so what about the fact that nolan backed RW at the start of the year….JD did as well fwiw
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 May 5, 2009 12:10 PM CDT up reply actions
Answer my question first, knockoutking
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
no if i was i would be using ab03's troll script
i just dislike the fact that you are never willing to ever admit that you (or nolan) might be wrong
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 May 5, 2009 12:19 PM CDT up reply actions
He's willing to admit Nolan is wrong
When Nolan disagrees with Josey.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
They're not going to throw you out of their little club, are they?
I’ve been very upfront in saying that Nolan made a giant mistake in bringing back both JD & Washington if in fact, he had the option to do so.
Tom Hicks is not in spending mode these days and probably didn’t want to be paying for 3 managers (Buck is still on the payroll) this year.
Not really sure how the current Ranger decisions are made but an abrupt end to Ranger FO dumbassery commenced on February 6, 2008.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
to you, if the dumbassery included RW, and the dumbassery ended on 2/6/2008, and nolan endorsed RW, does that mean that RW is not part of the dumbassery for you?
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 May 5, 2009 12:27 PM CDT up reply actions
I think it means Tom Hicks didn't want to pay 5 people
to do the job of 2 people this year.
If Ryan fired both JD and Washington, Hicks would have to pay Buck, Washington, the new manager, JD and the new GM.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
I've presented my case that I don't believe JD is
saber savvy and also admitted (again) that Nolan made a mistake in bringing both Washington & JD back this year.
Wanna move forward or do you wanna continue to bog?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Moving foward, what a novel idea.
You should try it sometime.
These umps are a bunch of bow-legged uncle fuckers.-D.A.Tron
http://tinyurl.com/ranger-rage
You still haven't presented any evidence that JD isn't saber savvy
All you’ve said is that Tom HIcks is cheap and that JD is stupid for hiring and extending Wash. Oh yeah, you also brought up Sosa from 2007.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
so sort this out for me JW
so your biggest reason that JD isnt SABER savvy is that JD hasnt fired ron washington…
…yet the reason that JD and ron washington is here is that hicks wouldnt let nolan spend the required money to hire a new GM/manager…
confusing!
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 May 5, 2009 12:58 PM CDT up reply actions
The evidence was presented but you chose not to
accept it, gdawg.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
You don't even have to restate it
Maybe I hit Z by it by accident. Just link me to the post where you said anything other than what I mentioned in my post (none of which makes anyone saber or not saber).
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
You presented your case
and listed some facts to support your case.
Then those facts were refuted (or at least, shown to not actually support your case).
So, you haven’t proven anything.
Its like saying “The sky is green” And then listing as evidence that today is Tuesday. No one will argue that today in not Tuesday, but that doesn’t mean the sky is green.
by NorCalRangersFan on May 5, 2009 1:28 PM CDT up reply actions
Norcal,
Ron Washington is in no way shape or form anywhere close to being a manager that pays attention to sabermetrics.
That’s a big reason why Beane didn’t hire him although he had multiple opportunities to do so.
JD made a big deal out of hiring Washington, extended him and then stood by him last April, proclaiming himself to be “A Ron Washington Man.”
“A Ron Washington Man” is not a saber savvy GM.
You may choose not to believe that because it flies in the face of your case but it’s true.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
so nolan is a non sabr savvy person/prez as well, right? he also was a RW man/supporter
that means he likely would have hired non sabr savvy GM/manager if he had fired JD/RW
hmmm…somethig to think about
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.
knockoutking
I never said that Nolan Ryan was saber savvy. I wanna say I’ve read that Ryan doesn’t use the internet and that makes me think he’s not saber savvy at all.
gdawg is the person that called JD saber savvy and I haven’t seen any evidence that makes me feel this way.
I do think Nolan has taken the Ranger pitching but the scruff of the neck and in the process is trying to drain the estrogen out of them.
And as mentioned previously, Nolan’s arrival coincided with an end to most of Ranger FO dumbassery that was going on right up unti the day he was hired (see Broussard & Jennings signings and DFA of Galarraga).
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
That's all you needed to say
You can’t be saber savvy if you hire a bad manager. Because if there is one thing sabermetrics is all about, its hiring the perfect Major League manager.
You are by far the dumbest person here. HH on a drunken rant makes more sense than you.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Multiple opportunities?
Like when? The only managerial change I remember when Wash could have been a legit option in Oakland was when they went from Howe to Macha. Was there another one?
And just because the manager isn’t saber-savvy doesn’t mean the GM isn’t.
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.
forgive me, but...
what’s the deal with Matt Kata? Did he just suck or something?
I’m fairly new to extreme fandom.
She say she are the manager.
Kata in 07' 186BA .250OBP .300SLG
Go Rangers...don't suck...
by Kinslerhomer on May 5, 2009 10:03 AM CDT up reply actions
oh snap.
She say she are the manager.
by rockin_rangers on May 5, 2009 10:05 AM CDT up reply actions
Good gosh I remember that game
I felt like I was watching the infield defense of a Little League team.
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
Oops, that was meant as a reply to AJM's post
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
And he also...
…was unbelievably bad defensive at third base…
I think the M’s remember him because he had a two error game against them, with another play that should have been called an error but went as a hit.
by Adam J. Morris on May 5, 2009 10:09 AM CDT up reply actions
In his defense...
…his Good Face Index was through the roof.
Let's change the Constitution so that Elvis Andrus can be our supreme overlord.
dont forget his grit factor was in the top 10 in baseball!
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 May 5, 2009 12:01 PM CDT up reply actions
And yet
a lot of people here were excited when he made the team out of spring training, prompting zywica to post a thread titled “What is wrong with you people?!?”
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
How many times...
…did we read a variation of, “You never know, if Rudy works with him, he could be the next Mark DeRosa”?
by Adam J. Morris on May 5, 2009 10:35 AM CDT up reply actions
The best thing
I remember around that time Z saying something about how as the talent in the system moved up that kind of crap on the bench wouldn’t be necessary. He’s sort of been right about that, there are more options now for the bench and bullpen than in 2007 in the short and long term.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
i hate that phrase
I really think Rudy is overrated. “widely known as the best” You say it enough, and people just believe it. Is there any way he is a product of the ballpark. ESPN sure made it sound like the ballpark makes the hitters better.
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 just wish the rangers and redsox would loan each other their batting coaches for 1 season
both teams would do good by it.
ive always been curious about whether that was even possible in baseball.
mormons stole me and held me against my will with Oklahoma beer and 12+ hour work days.
x
During one of the KC Royals broadcasts, Josh told a story of some old KC Royals GM who offered to trade the entire 25 man roster to the Mets(?). I think it was in the 50s?
I heard that. I cant remember the other team
It wasnt the Mets since they came along in the early 60’s. But, anyway, that was a hoot
and the Royals didn't start until 1969...
other than that…..
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
heh
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on May 5, 2009 12:40 PM CDT up reply actions
it was the A's
and the orioles i do believe
go here to view my blog: http://dirtfromd.blogspot.com
by studcrackers on May 5, 2009 11:28 AM CDT up reply actions
In that case it would have been the Kansas City A's, right?S
So the guy who said KC would have been half right.
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
yea they were still in
kansas city at the time. they didnt goto oakland til 68
im tryin to find a link to it right now for confirmation
go here to view my blog: http://dirtfromd.blogspot.com
by studcrackers on May 5, 2009 11:34 AM CDT up reply actions
Yeah
I only got the info from Josh and from my memory, but I’m pretty certain Josh said it was Kansas City.
The 1950's KC Athletics and St.Louis Browns/Baltimore O's
were reallly, really legendarily bad teams and may have been the two teams involved.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
The O's were the other team.
Cause they mentioned that one of the players who’d’ve been dealt as a very young Brooks Robinson.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You want the mustache on or off? ... ... ... Too bad.
by thedirkatron on May 5, 2009 12:04 PM CDT up reply actions
that broadcast
made it seem part rudy and part ballpark and our hitters were half retards who should pray to the ballpark gods for allowing us to step into the sacred batters box and if we hit it out of the infield it was due to the park.
go here to view my blog: http://dirtfromd.blogspot.com
by studcrackers on May 5, 2009 11:30 AM CDT up reply actions
Rudy is good at producing powere hitters
but he doesn’t seem to be able to produce high OBP guys. And a team needs both. And some players will just never be power hitters, but Rudy doesn’t seem to be able to adapt his system to improve those players.
by NorCalRangersFan on May 5, 2009 11:53 AM CDT up reply actions
I believe Josh and Tom discussed this last year...
clarifying that Rudy is great at breaking down hitting mechanics in a way that most major leaguers can understand, but does not focus on plate discipline. As I recall, Wash had asked him to focus on both.
does not focus on discipline
i took that to mean he didn’t even address it, not that he advocated an aggressive approach
I think he does advocate and aggressive approach
I think the fact that many of the Rangers hitters swing at the first pitch is actively coached by Rudy. And its not a bad thing to do every now and then because pitchers often try to get ahead in the count by throwing a first pitch fastball for a strike. But once the opposing pitcher realize that all the Rangers hitters are going to be hacking at the first pitch, they make that first pitch unhittable.
by NorCalRangersFan on May 5, 2009 12:51 PM CDT up reply actions
Yeah.
If I inferred that in my post, it was unintentional on my part. I don’t think he necessarily advocates any plate approach.
Perhaps we need
to rename Rudy “Hitting Mechanics Coach”
and consider hiring a “Hitting Philosophy Coach”
Maybe Milton can serve in that role, part-time
Give him something to while he’s on the DL for the Cubs.
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
look, i might be off by saying this, but shouldnt the Hitting coach be all
about helping a hitter with his Mechanics? I know its important to hitting to stay disciplined, but Rudy’s job is about hitting the ball. It seems like its more the players job to determine how patient they are and its almost always true that a players batting eye is really, really hard to change, guys dont usually become significantly more patient than they were in the minors. Rudy does his job in getting the most solid, powerful contact out of every hitter he gets, the batting eye/patience side of hitting is usually pre-determined by the hitter’s own ability almost all of the time
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
I can see it both ways.
Part of hitting is knowing what the opposing pitcher likes to throw and what to expect in various counts, right? So, from that extent, I don’t think it’s asking too much for him to say “he’s going to start you off with the breaking stuff, so sit back and force him to throw you strikes.” After all, it doesn’t make much sense to teach powerful hitting mechanics if you rarely make good use of those mechanics.
On the other hand, I don’t want him to spend most of the time focusing on plate discipline. I think just a reminder here and there would go a long way.
Same as withing a pitching coach
He doesn’t just teach the mechanics of throwing a ball. He teaches the art of pitching. I see a hitting coach in the same way.
by NorCalRangersFan on May 5, 2009 1:35 PM CDT up reply actions
Thats a lot different
WIth a pitcher you can call pitches for him and go visit him during an inning to get your point across. With a batter they have to react to what they are being pitched. Some are able to see pitches and lay off bad ones alot better than others. Swinging at first pitches isn’t a problem if they are first pitch strikes that are in hittable locations. Its the swinging at bad first pitches that is what needs to be corrected. A hitting coach can’t call time in the middle of an at bat and go talk to the hitter.
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.
exactly
Hitters a conditioned over a long time to react a certain way, its nearly impossible for a HC to make a hitter “more patient” its just not something that happens often at all
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
Why was their OBP so much
better in 2008 than in 2007 and this year?
2007 obp .328 AL rank 11 BB AL rank 10
2008 obp .354 AL rank 02 BB AL rank 3
2009 obp .334 AL rank 10 BB AL rank 13
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Milton Bradley
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
He didn't do all that
by himself. They have several guys under performing last year’s OBP rates, Hamiltion, the catchers, Davis, etc.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
He had a huge part in it
A bunch of guys are below their norms right now which I doubt will continue all season because most are also well below their normal BA as well which as it rises their OBP will rise.
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.
Last year
you heard stories in the paper about walks being emphasized.
I don’t hear that refrain nearly as much, and Salty, Blalock, Hamilton, Andrus and Byrd just don’t want to take any walks at all this year.
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/
That needs to be a monthly fanpost from Z
“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!!!” That would be great reading.
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 5, 2009 10:37 AM CDT up reply actions
Why are you yelling at me?
These umps are a bunch of bow-legged uncle fuckers.-D.A.Tron
http://tinyurl.com/ranger-rage
That post was prompted, btw...
…by Matt Kata being the runaway winner (over Marlon Byrd) in the “who do you want as the 25th man” poll.
by Adam J. Morris on May 5, 2009 11:07 AM CDT up reply actions
but what were his Spring numbers?
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 5, 2009 1:29 PM CDT up reply actions
he was a, "oh no, not this shit again" guy
everytime he was starting at 3rd youd know…..
…. loss.
mormons stole me and held me against my will with Oklahoma beer and 12+ hour work days.
On LSB...
…I feel like Matt Kata was very representative of past Rangers teams. Sure, he was likeable, but damn, did he suck.
Let's change the Constitution so that Elvis Andrus can be our supreme overlord.
He was likeable?
What made him likeable?
He was terrible in all the ways a human being could be terrible.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You want the mustache on or off? ... ... ... Too bad.
by thedirkatron on May 5, 2009 12:02 PM CDT up reply actions
Well, in fairness
He hadn’t committed any felonies, had he? So I guess he at least had that going for him…
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
Why do you think that?
Cause he sucked?
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You want the mustache on or off? ... ... ... Too bad.
by thedirkatron on May 5, 2009 12:57 PM CDT up reply actions
If he was on PEDs, he was on bad ones
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
No, a truly abhorrent baseball player who never should've risen above A-ball could take the best PED's in the whole world...
…and still be a shitty major league baseball player.
Being shitty in the majors is by no means a defense against the suspicion of PED use.
PED’s don’t make you good, they allow you to be better.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You want the mustache on or off? ... ... ... Too bad.
He was horrible a the plate and was perhaps the single worst defensive 3b in the history of the game.
He was horrible and everyone hates him, including hopefully his own parents/children.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You want the mustache on or off? ... ... ... Too bad.
by thedirkatron on May 5, 2009 12:01 PM CDT up reply actions
"He was likeable, but damn, did he suck"
That’s a line befitting of far too many Rangers in the past decade.
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
yea, i saw that live when ESPN cut over there
it was an awesome throw from where he was. Heck of a play.
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
check out Rob Neyer's blog
he posts the webgems every morning:
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/sweetspot
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
that list of web gems
was rediculous, Phillips and Green’s play were awesome
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
do you spell ridiculous like that
on purpose? Sorry, pet peeve.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
I was just about to say...
psst Blalock84 it’s ridiculous, but wasn’t sure if it was intentional or not.
A Rod you put the Bitch in Tits.
I missed the Medusa episode...what's that all about?
and do I still have a calendar coming to me, sir?
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 5, 2009 1:31 PM CDT up reply actions
Just a great game...
Millwood was great then gave up a couple bombs, but hung in there.
Great defense. Nice play by MY on Beltre. I still can’t believe Andrus got to that ball in the 9th. I just sat with the game on pause in disbelief. Unbelievable play that saved the game. Not only that, but Andrus is far exceeding what anyone thought he would do with the bat. Who would have thought he would be hitting 2nd in the order (even if it’s temporary) after only one month in the season with a line of .284 / .314 / .418. He has been huge so far.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Greinke
ESPN has a stat…
All other pitchers to open the season 6-0 with an ERA of 0.40 or less: Fernando Valenzuela (1981; 0.33), Walter Johnson (1913; 0.35).
What’s up with FIP? Greinke’s FIP is 1.61. I don’t know how FIP can be above 1.00 in reality. He’s only allowed the defense to make 60% of the outs. How can the defense do that much for him on only 60% of the outs? KC is slightly above average, but I think it’s more likely that regression equation is bogus for such an extreme case.
Greinke is making me wanna spout off numbers Newberg-style:
0.84 WHIP
40% K-rate
6:1 K:BB
0 HR
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
All i know,
is that Grienke is pitching right now, better than any pitcher i’ve ever watched
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
hmmmm I've seen Lincecum when he's ON and he's quite something too
Who would you rather have Linceum or Greinke over the long haul?
A Rod you put the Bitch in Tits.
Good god, that is a tough call.
I’d have to defer to our biomechanical analysts for that one. I know Lincecum has a potential timing issue on his arm action, but haven’t ever read anything on Greinke.
Hmm...after reading the Driveline Mechanics article on Greinke
and seeing Kyle gush over his mechanics, I’d take Greinke.
My dad...
is a big Giants fan and came over to watch some baseball on Sunday. He was bitching about how bad the right side of the infield is for the Giants. It’s probably the worst in baseball.
After watching Kinsler go yard to lead off the Gmae Sunday night he said " ok we’ll give you Cain for him". I said “Nope, not Cain. If you want Ian it will be for a pitcher whose name starts with an L, and ends with an m. Otherwise it’s Davis for Cain.” He just laughed.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
lincecum is great
but he’s never put together a stretch like Greinke has to start this year.
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
only 2 ever have so thats not saying shit really
one was walter f’n johnson and the other was fernando his rookie season. Yup, fernando was that badass.
mormons stole me and held me against my will with Oklahoma beer and 12+ hour work days.
And Greinke...
has never put together a year like Lincecum did last year.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
but that doesnt change the truth that
Greinke has the ability to pitch like nobody else. He’s got more ability than any other pitcher in the game and right now he’s making that click.
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
Liriano had a similarly dominant stretch
Don’t want to sound like I’m knocking Greinke, but others have been just as unhittable for stretches.
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on May 5, 2009 12:44 PM CDT up reply actions
true, and i said and believe that right now
Greinke is the pitching better than anyone i’ve ever seen
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
Were you around for Pedro '99?
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on May 5, 2009 1:00 PM CDT up reply actions
yea that was the best pitching srech ive ever seen
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.
I felt like I finally understood
what my Dad meant about Koufax.
Also, I vaguely remember Guidry in ’78 being money every night he was on the mound.
"I saw your act, just didn't make it for me. Just a lot of fluff."
Unit had some ridiculous stretches as well.
I’m too young for Gooden, but in my time watching baseball I’d say Unit and Pedro are both a bit above the Grink right now. They each had stretches where it was comical watching guys trying put the bat on the ball. Guys would come off the field after popping up against Unit (especially lefties) and look relieved.
But that’s a damn high standard to compete with.
The Grink is effing filthy right now.
It’s crazy watching him pitch.
He’s joined Lincecum as the guys who I go out of my way to watch pitch even though I have no emotional connection to the game.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You want the mustache on or off? ... ... ... Too bad.
me too, i love watching it
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
Unit was also running through my brain
when thinking of utterly dominant pitchers.
I’m pretty sure major leaguers were downright scared to face him when he was on. Don’t know if that can be duplicated.
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on May 5, 2009 2:08 PM CDT up reply actions
I remember Pedro in '99.
I was litterally amazed any time someone got a hit off of him. I didn’t understand how he didn’t have a couple perfect games that year.
i was 12, so not really, but even if i was
I think Greinke’s start could still be consider as better
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
One of he good things about being older than dirt is
I got to see Sandy Koufax pitch in person in te early 60’s at old Colt stadium in Houston. Pitched a one hitter against the Colt 45’s ( before they were the Astros ) If I remember correctly the only hit was by Carl Warwick. Warwick was an oddity in that he was lefthanded but batted right. Dodgers won 1 – 0 unless my memory is bad and it is. Good times
by BEW on May 5, 2009 2:40 PM CDT up reply actions
If you haven't read it already,
I recommend Jane Leavy’s book, A Lefty’s Legacy. It centers around the near double no-hitter of Koufax/Hendley while telling Sandy’s life story in-between.
"I saw your act, just didn't make it for me. Just a lot of fluff."
I think I would go with Lincecum, just for the visual how-does-he-do-it factor.
I’m always most amazed by athletes that either look like they’re from another planet, or look like a regular guy but do things like they’re from another planet.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
FIP, etc.
Well, Greinke has been amazing, but he’s leaving over 90% of his runners on base and he’s probably not going to go an entire season without giving up a HR. A FIP of 1.61 is pretty damn amazing, as is his 1.75 tRA.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Does FIP or tRA ever go below 1.00?
I don’t really know what an extreme value of FIP or tRA is.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
I believe it can
but you have to be ridiculously good, like strike out everyone good.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
I looked up the FIP champs since 1974 on fangraphs.
Lowest season FIP is 1.39 by Pedro Martinez in 1999. Only two seasons have ever had a FIP champ with FIP below 2.00. The other is Gooden in 1984 with 1.69.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Also, a point of order. . .
. . . that’s not park adjusted for Boston, either.
Yeah. . . Pedro was nuts. . .
Theoretically they could.
But that would be extraordinary, even over a small sample size. As far as what’s an extreme: 1.75 is an extreme.
like 3.3 or somesuch
maybe 3.5, i remember looking at it last week, may have been b4 his last start. Anyways, I’ll be very, very happy if he regresses to that kind of mean with 210 + IP
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
Millwood
has a LOB rate of 86.7% and a BaBIP of .216 right now, and his FIP (4.84) and xFIP(4.45) are both higher than 2008. However, with him being healthy and getting better defensive support I think this year he stays lucky, unlike the last 2 seasons. He’ll probably gradually regress to an ERA in the low 4’s, which I think we’ll all be fine with.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Small sample size and all, but...
his BABIP on grounders has been 62 points below his career average (granted, this includes a stinker of a season). However, his BABIP on flies has been 36 points below career average.
So…I’d say he’s not terribly far off.
Where do you get the BABIP breakdown by fly ball and ground ball?
Those BABIP numbers are telling. I see overall he’s at .292, which isn’t crazy low.
Greinke is getting a lot of swings on pitches out of the zone. I don’t know if that will continue. His contact rate in the strike zone is fairly low (72%) and lower than it has been in the past (80%) but not other-worldly low like Rich Harden (65%). So, Greinke has notched up his stuff to some extent. He’s getting more swings-and-misses and he’s getting folks to swing at pitches out of the zone.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
i take back everything i said last year about greinke
he is very,very,very good.
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 May 5, 2009 12:03 PM CDT up reply actions
I find it encouraging...
…that we’re winning ballgames without Josh Hamilton. While it is definitely early in the season, it’s great that we’re finding ways to win without him (we’re 6-3 since he’s been on the DL retroactively). When he returns, hopefully he’ll get out of that funk he seemed to be in, and give the team even more momentum. I realize that any one player can’t carry a team, but getting him back certainly won’t hurt.
"Elvis Andrus has performed a miracle!" - Eric Nadel 5/4/09
Good game last night fellas.
I’m sure we can agree that this division would be a lot more fun this season if, for once, the M’s and the Rangers are the ones duking it out for first place.
Let the A’s and Angels decide amongst themselves who gets to place last.
I think it'd be a lot more fun
if the other three teams sucked horribly and the Rangers were in front by about 15 games.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Yep, this "thing of ours" is a lot more fun when the Cali teams stay outta the way....
sorry, couldn’t resist :-)
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
July.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You want the mustache on or off? ... ... ... Too bad.
by thedirkatron on May 5, 2009 11:59 AM CDT up reply actions
Agree
He had a bad April last year, and the bat’s starting to pick up.
Now why he wasn’t in the lineup last couple days, that may bear worrying…
"[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 May 5, 2009 12:05 PM CDT up reply actions
They're treating him like he's some kind of headcase.
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on May 5, 2009 12:47 PM CDT up reply actions
Haven't heard
a reason yet, and none of the minor league recaps said anything unless I missed it.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Maybe he's being punished.
He got thrown out stealing down 6 on Saturday.
"I saw your act, just didn't make it for me. Just a lot of fluff."
Yeah, I'm just throwing
stuff up against the wall. If it was injury you’d think we’d of heard.
"I saw your act, just didn't make it for me. Just a lot of fluff."
Ha. At Royalsreview, their day-after story on Greinke only has 179 comments.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Dude LSB would be blowing up
We would have had 800 by now.
These umps are a bunch of bow-legged uncle fuckers.-D.A.Tron
http://tinyurl.com/ranger-rage
BTW, statheads, Greinke's ERA+ is 1173.
1-1-7-3 is his ERA+.
There isn’t a number that looks not insane when looking through Greinke’s numbers.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Also, for what it's worth...
Fangraphs says he’s already worth a 2.6 WAR (good for $11.7M) this year.
Through forty-five innings!!
So, he's already been worth the first two years of his contract extension.
’09: 3.75M
’10: 7.25M
’11: 13.5M
’12: 13.5M
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
too early to tell
He might really, really suck from here on out
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
neighborgall broke PECOTA
greinke broke era+ so far 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.
Right, only Greinke
These umps are a bunch of bow-legged uncle fuckers.-D.A.Tron
http://tinyurl.com/ranger-rage
I don't obsess about the Royals
but I’m rooting for the them to do well so Trey Hillman can wave his middle finger to some of his naysayers in LSB.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
He has a lot of naysayers in KC as well.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
I think Eazy-E
is too nice of a kid to do the same.
"I saw your act, just didn't make it for me. Just a lot of fluff."
Surely you don't think Hillman is a good manager
He clearly got out-managered by Warsh. And as much as you hate Warsh, you should despise Hillman even more.
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
He is saber man get with the program
These umps are a bunch of bow-legged uncle fuckers.-D.A.Tron
http://tinyurl.com/ranger-rage
Yeah
So saber he brings in Kyle freaking Farnsworth to lose games
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.
Not to mention Joseys guy
These umps are a bunch of bow-legged uncle fuckers.-D.A.Tron
http://tinyurl.com/ranger-rage
I follow the Royals from the periphery WTA06
but I have noticed some of the incremental improvements that they’ve been making and while his micro moves may go wrong from time to time, the Royals are playing much better than they did in 2007.
I also got ripped in here for saying I expected the Royals to be better this year because of this improvement, how much they relied on kids last year and because of how well they finished the season (18-8).
It’s kinda fun watching the Royals do well this year.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
You should
Shred you Rangers fan card at the door on your way to get your Royals fan card.
These umps are a bunch of bow-legged uncle fuckers.-D.A.Tron
http://tinyurl.com/ranger-rage
The Rangers are currently 1 game above .500
Playing exactly to their Pythagorean. They are currently projecting to give up 40 less runs this season over last year while projected to score 45 more runs.
I guess your favorite team, the team you allegedly root for, though hasn’t shown any signs of incremental improvement.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
by Gdawg on May 5, 2009 2:07 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Gdawg
KC made incremental improvement over a long period of time (a full season) that manifested itself in an improved win/loss record last year and they’ve carried that momentum forward.
You remember me talking about the importance of the Royals finishing strongly while the Rangers didn’t doncha?
The Rangers are a legit .500 team right now (they were 79-83 last year) and much more of the season needs to play out (like the entire season) before we can begin to acknowledge any improvements.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
I thought this team was going to be lucky to win 70 games
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Lotsa golf still left to play, gdawg.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Stats don't mean a thing to Josey
He will swat that shit away.
These umps are a bunch of bow-legged uncle fuckers.-D.A.Tron
http://tinyurl.com/ranger-rage
boomer1
Do you think the Rangers are significantly better than being a .500 team or just a legit .500 team (one or two games either way)?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
I think they have made strides
and are better than the 07 and 08 teams. I also think in the course of the year they will be better than the Royals.
These umps are a bunch of bow-legged uncle fuckers.-D.A.Tron
http://tinyurl.com/ranger-rage
seriously? So b/c the Royals have the most dominate front of the rotation
going its Hilman thats winning these games? He had one of the worst games managing i’ve ever seen against us in the game MY hit that HR. The guys that follow the team think he’s not a good manager, and personally, I think he’s one of the worst managers in baseball. If you believe a good manager is the reason teams win, or at least a big part of the reason they win, well thats your perogative, but i think its really stupid to think that way, really stupid
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
This has been talked about in reference to Warsh as well.
Mostly, the manager is a human resource manager. As long as he doesn’t do stupid things so often that the players realize his decisions are costing them games, they will still want to play hard for him. That’s the most important thing for a manager to accomplish.
However, Drayton may get tired of seeing stupid decisions and think “the hell with what the player’s think”. I can’t see that hapenning anytime soon, because the Royals really can’t afford to pay big bucks for an All-Star manager or to be on the hook for one that has been fired.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
From what I have heard or read
The players really don’t like him that much. IIRC
These umps are a bunch of bow-legged uncle fuckers.-D.A.Tron
http://tinyurl.com/ranger-rage
Heh. Hadn't heard that.
He’s living on a career-threatening line, it appears.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Did players like Earl Weaver & Billy Martin?
I don’t really think Whitey Herzog or Dick Williams gave a shit if they received Christmas cards from their players either.
Ron Washington’s players love him which would be okay with me if they weren’t one of the dumbest teams in major league baseball.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
I'm just arguing that player's respect for their manager goes along way
in the decision process of whether to fire a manager.
I don’t know if that’s right or wrong. Just a fact of how the game is structured nowadays.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Don't compare Hillman to those legendary managers
Those guys were disliked largely because they were hardasses.
I forget exactly where I read it (it was from one of the plugged in KC guys), but the deal with Hillman isn’t that he’s a hardass. From what I’ve read, he plays favorites between players and generally creates a poisonous clubhouse environment.
This started last year when he let Jose Guillen (not exactly known for being a good clubhouse guy) run wild much to the dismay of most everyone else on the roster. There was also something involving Miguel Olivo, I can’t remember exactly what it was, I want to say it involved a physical altercation with another player (but I could be wrong) and that Hillman’s handling of it alienated most everyone else.
If you’re unlikeable, you better be a good leader and tactical manager (like the guys you mentioned). But if you’re none of the above, plus you cause clubhouse division, you’re probably not a good guy to have running things.
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
WTA
Are the Royals playing much better this year than they did in 2007?
That’s all that really matters and Hillman is doing very well in this regard.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Well,
The Rangers were what?, 8-17 at this point last year. So does that mean…
"I saw your act, just didn't make it for me. Just a lot of fluff."
Certainly not that Warsh is doing a good job
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
Uhh
Hillman is the reason that they’re playing better?!?!?!
How about the talent upgrades at 1B, CF, in the bullpen, and the fact that Zack Greinke looks like a cross between Walter Johnson, Cy Young, Sandy Koufax, and Pedro Martinez?!?!?!?!
I’ll theorize that Greinkes 1173 OPS+ has more to do with their record right now than Hillman. Well, I’ll take that back, Hillman has done a good job of losing a couple of games for them, so I guess he has had something to with their record.
"Elvis Andrus has just performed a miracle." -Eric Nadel
olivo
was told he would get a shot to start then evidently wasnt at all
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.
i think players like to win
if you win 95+ games a couple of years in a row nd make it to the WS i really doubt the players give a good damn
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.
blalock84
If Jacobs makes the play on Blalock’s ground ball, the Royals get to the 9th inning with that lead.
Not sure if it played a role in his decision but just after the KC series, I read where the Royals were shutting down Soria for a couple of days because of a sore shoulder.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
it really doesnt change the fact that he horribly mismanaged that game in alot of
different ways, im sure you’ve read alot of the reasons
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
so we're in position
to go to 15-12 and move the Mariners to half a game behind us, taking 1st…I don’t want to jinx the team and all, but this is the early season run we need to catapult well ahead of the Angels and put the M’s back in their respective place: the cellar.
Hoping we can hack away vs. Bedard…maybe Andrus peskily getting on base is a key?
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
I'm curious what kind of line-up Wash is going
to run out there today.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
I'd bet on...
Kinsler
Andrus
Young
Jones
Blalock
Byrd
Cruz
Davis
Saltalamacchia
But, really, Cruz and Blalock should be flipped.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Im gonna bet Murphy plays
Jones DHs, and Blalock plays 1st.
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 like this
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
BTW
Good Call
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."
According to EG
Here’s your Rangers lineup against LHP Erik Bedard: 2B Ian Kinsler, SS Elvis Andrus, 3B Michael Young (HR vs. Bedard), LF Andruw Jones, DH Hank Blalock, CF Marlon Byrd, RF Nelson Cruz, 1B Chris Davis, C Jarrod Saltalamacchia and pitching for the Rangers … RHP Vicente Padilla.
http://insidecorner.dmagazine.com/
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."
I think Davis could really use a day off
Murphy has been red hot of late and Davis, that HR aside last night, has looked horrible. The more I think about it I am more and more in favor of sending him down for a couple weeks when Hammy returns and rolling with Hank at 1B. Maybe it will give Chris the wakeup call he needs to realize he can’t be striking out as much as he is.
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.
How exactly could we do that?
Its only a 2 game series. Best we can do is get within half a game at 14-12
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 was wondering the same thing.
These umps are a bunch of bow-legged uncle fuckers.-D.A.Tron
http://tinyurl.com/ranger-rage
Damn
I just now realized it was only a 2 game series..
Seriously… a 2 game series to face Felix + Bedard? What kind of a draw is that, can’t we get one of their soft underbelly?
Maybe send Washburn into a massive tailspin with a 6 run, 2 IP breakdown and make their bullpen arms start falling off?
Sorry… I’ve hated the M’s since they were our divisional rivals in the 90s.
yeah I assumed 3 game series
I’ve been making an ass out of myself and all of you all morning long…however, we do play them in 4 of our next 9. so it’s conceivable, just not in the next 2 games?
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 5, 2009 2:50 PM CDT up reply actions
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