Saturday morning Rangers things
by Adam J. Morris on Aug 1, 2009 10:45 AM CDT
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PrintSo, another win by the Rangers, wins by the BoSox and Angels, and the Rangers continue to simply keep pace in the division and Wild Card race.
Jeff Wilson says that Vicente Padilla rebounded well after being sidelined with the swine flu to give the Rangers six strong innings.
On the injury front, Kevin Millwood is being pushed back to Monday because of his glut problem. Either Scott Feldman will pitch on three days rest, after his short stint his last time out, or Dustin Nippert will get a spot start. Frankie Francisco, meanwhile, pitched an inning on a rehab assignment yesterday, and Ian Kinsler is still day to day.
Wilson also writes that Derek Holland was the sticking point in the Roy Halladay trade negotiations -- the Blue Jays insisted that they had to get him, and the Rangers insisted they weren't giving him up. Wilson also suggests that Halladay at one point was willing to waive his no-trade to go to Texas, but Thursday night, reported to J.P. Ricciardi he wasn't going to do that. There were apparently also talks about Cliff Lee, Jarrod Washburn, and Heath Bell, but no interest in the lower-tier starters like Doug Davis and Jon Garland.
Gil LeBreton says J.P. Ricciardi overplayed his hand, and the Rangers were smart to walk away rather than make a deal.
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How worried should we be about Scott Feldman?
If Adam thinks that the majority of the success in run prevention this year is due to defense, shouldn’t we have less to worry about?
I know it was only one outing, but I think I was probably expecting it to happen eventually, so it’s easier to knee jerk when you are already anticipating it.
Greatest Inventions Ever? 1. TiVO, 2. Boobs, 3. Baseball
Every pitcher has one bad start a season
Scooter had his. If it starts happening with regularity then be worried but one start shouldn’t start a panic
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.
At least it wasn't as bad as his start vs Boston last year
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland - 2009 Rangers Minor League POY
that sure was one hell of a game though
After Fuentes blows a save and an Angels loss to the Indians:
"Angels still in first place" - UCI Halo
"Hey you know who would have gotten those 3 outs in the 9th?
Darren O’Day." - FirebatM3
LOL
That was the ultimate roller coaster game.
Down, Up, Down, Up and then waaaaayyyyyy down.
The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love. ~Bryant Gumbel, 1981
I don't think there's much to worry about with Feldman
He didn’t have his best stuff in his last game and that was what happened to him. As long as he’s still got a great defense behind him, he should be able to keep beating his FIP.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
Feldman has a FIP of 4.78
so he should be a fairly acceptable pitcher with this defense. Not the shut down pitcher we have seen, but a decent mid-back of the rotation sort.
"I saw a soldier try to dig a foxhole with his bare hands. He didn't notice that he'd torn off all his fingernails. I got him out of there quickly; not for his sake, but for ours. Fear is poison in combat...destructive, contagious." - Band of Brothers
He is what he is
a nice solid rotation piece. He isn’t an ace but he isn’t a 5th starter scrub, somewhere in between like a 3/4 but closer to 4
"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg
I think people are still underestimating what he can do
Look at the massive improvements he’s made since the beginning of 2008. If he works on his out pitches some more and gets that K/9 to around 6, then you’re going to be looking at a great number 3 pitcher.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
What massive improvements?
His K rate is the same. His walk rate and HR rates have gone down slightly.
He’s the same guy he was last year.
by Adam J. Morris on Aug 1, 2009 12:03 PM CDT up reply actions
Since the beginning of 08?
He changed from a sidearming reliever to a over the top starter and after only a handful of starts in the minor leagues has become a staple in the major league rotation.
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.
Isn't that a pretty big improvement?
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
Hater
Feldman has taken full advantage of that cutter in his repertoire this season. He’s thrown it 29.7% of the time this season as opposed to last year’s 13.4%. Fangraphs has it as worth 3.28 runs above average per 100 pitches this season. That’s been a huge pitch for him this year and if he can keep building around it and learning the best times to use it, you’re going to see the K’s increase. Some improved fastball command could do wonders for him.
Also, if he is the same guy he was last year, then why is his FIP 4.78 this season instead of 5.35 like last season? His tRA+ went from 77 in 08 to 91 this season. His xFIP went from 5.25 to 4.90. Whatever defensive independent stat you choose to use, Feldman has shown some significant improvements in all of them. They all show that he’s statistically gone from between somewhere between a 4th and 5th starter to being somewhere between a 3rd and 4th starter.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
by Gdawg on Aug 1, 2009 12:14 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
He's going on two straight full seasons...
…with K rates in the low-4s.
He is what he is…a back of the rotation starter.
His FIP drop is because of his reduced walk and HR rate.
by Adam J. Morris on Aug 1, 2009 12:16 PM CDT up reply actions
Last year he was getting used to being a starter
This year hes building on going deeper into games.
I think its perfectly reasonable to think that if he focuses next year on increasing his K rate to something like 6 per 9 innings he can do it. Hes only 26 so I don’t think we should be saying hes reached his potential just yet especially seeing as hes only been a starter for less than 2 years now.
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.
So do you think that his FIP drop shows no improvement in him as a pitcher?
What do you think about his cutter that he has used so effectively this season? Not everyone can be Tommy Hunter and get that cutter to work for them in a 10 minutes.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
Well, heaven forbid we credit a pitcher with improving...
When all we have to go on is a drop in BBs and HRs – such unimportant aspects of becoming a good pitch.
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
Probably
the most important part of being a pitcher is BBs, Ks, and HRs. Everything else is mostly in your fielders hands.
"I saw a soldier try to dig a foxhole with his bare hands. He didn't notice that he'd torn off all his fingernails. I got him out of there quickly; not for his sake, but for ours. Fear is poison in combat...destructive, contagious." - Band of Brothers
Pitch location doesn't matter?
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland -Tom Grieve Rangers Minor League POY
Martin Perez - Nolan Ryan Rangers Minor League POY
That should be reflected to a large degree in a pitcher's K, BB and HR rates.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
Wallop! Texas Rangers shortstop Michael Young fouled the ball lofting it high into the stadium and the hand of the athletic father.
Perhaps contact rates, as well.
"Guys are visual creatures, that’s how we’ve been wired, for millennia…only fat and or ugly chicks use that word you just typed." - Rodney
by inactive lsb user on Aug 2, 2009 12:58 PM CDT up reply actions
reduced walk and HR rate
would be some obvious signs of improvement no? I think you are giving him too little credit. Not saying he’s going to be an ace or anything, but he hasn’t reached his full potential yet by any means
So if our pitching really isn't any better than it was last year and the quantum improvements
in runs allowed can be mostly attributed to the defensive upgrades…does that mean when Feldman (or somebody else) has a bad outing, our defense wasn’t playing particularly well that night?
Personally, I think the defense and pitching are both much improved this season. Which is more important to the success? Hard to say.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The quantum improvements in runs allowed"
You mean the very small improvements?
Because that’s what a quantum improvement would refer to…a quantum leap is an extraordinarily tiny leap from one valance zone to another by an electron, without passing through any of the area in between.
The improvement in runs allowed is big, not tiny.
by Adam J. Morris on Aug 1, 2009 1:10 PM CDT up reply actions 5 recs
Agreed, the improvement in runs allowed is big.
So, since our pitchers are (in your opinion) essentially the same as they were last year, when they have a bad outing does it mean the defense probably wasn’t very good that night?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
So you can only do that in the collective sense and not in individual games, ie Ranger pitchers are the same
this year as last year but the only difference is the improved defense?
I don’t think we really know how to accurately measure defense just yet.
We have a lot of parts to make a clock but what we don’t know what time it is.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
We do know how to tell what time it is
Thanks to the magnificent Game Score statistic created by the Great Bill James.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
by Gdawg on Aug 1, 2009 1:28 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
+/- is a nice piece of the clock.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
Broken Bats
I think they should add broken bats into FIP…or at least someway to give a pitcher credit for not allowing the other team to hit the ball very hard.
FIP is interesting. But it is not the end all be all.
credit for not allowing the other team to hit the ball very hard
Seems like that is reflected in BABIP. But that is not a component of FIP.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland -Tom Grieve Rangers Minor League Player of the Year
Martin Perez - Nolan Ryan Rangers Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Line drives are a decent indication of that
The new hit f/x info that’s should hopefully become fully (and easily) available soon should help see how hard hitters are hitting certain pitchers.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
I hope they have it up next year.
Think it will stop Josey from yapping about Cruz taking poor routes on flyballs?
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland -Tom Grieve Rangers Minor League Player of the Year
Martin Perez - Nolan Ryan Rangers Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Seems like you're wishing for someone to develop tRA.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
Wallop! Texas Rangers shortstop Michael Young fouled the ball lofting it high into the stadium and the hand of the athletic father.
It differentiates between LD's, popups and groundballs.
He asked for a way to give a pitcher credit for not allowing the other team to hit the ball very hard, and tRA does just this. In FIP all batted balls are weighted equally. In tRA they are not.
It doesn’t do the first part of what he was asking, but factoring in broken bats is a little silly, imo.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
Wallop! Texas Rangers shortstop Michael Young fouled the ball lofting it high into the stadium and the hand of the athletic father.
Very nice win last night
and a huge week coming up for the Rangers.
Everybody knows we get the Angels next weekend but the Red Sox have 3 games with TB and a 4 game weekend series v NYY. My baseball pants will be all over the place.
Interesting tidbit buried within and towards the very end of the Wilson article:
“Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal”
Interpret that any way you like.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
We all know how you interpret it
I interpret it as they knew he couldn’t find a deal without disrupting the team as it stands. Meaning either a young player who has performed well or a veteran who is good in the room would have to go.
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.
Laughable.
There’s no need for tea leaves here. Wilson gave plenty of context to that sentence.
by brettgardner on Aug 1, 2009 11:05 AM CDT up reply actions
And if you read this morning's Inside Corner
you will see that both MYoung and Byrd were disappointed the club didn’t make a move at the deadline.
That’s the context.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
Of course they're upset
Byrd is gone after this year, so he wouldn’t give a shit if we traded the entire farm for Halladay. He has no interest in our future.
And Face is Face. He isn’t getting any younger either and wants to win now while he still can contribute as the FOTF and leader of the club. He also doesn’t give a flying fuck about the future or the state of the farm in 2011/2012 (when he no longer will be relevant anyway), so he wants to go for it now.
Both are understandable, but definitely not right.
by behindthebag on Aug 1, 2009 12:31 PM CDT up reply actions
Frankly...
It wouldn’t more troubling if players weren’t at least some what disappointed by deadline inactivity…
Whether or not it’s the right move isn’t their concern…
That should clear up how the room feels about JD.
I would venture what bothers those two vets the most is that they know 58-43 records don’t happen very often no matter what your plans are, especially when operating under the constraints of a small market payroll.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
That has nothing to do with JD
They’re both vets that are nearing the end of their prime and have NO interest in the future of the franchise, so both understandably want to win now at all costs.
Of course they’re going to be disappointed if no “win now/fuck the future” move is made, but that doesn’t mean JD should have thrown out whatever to get it done. The right (non) move was made. Byrd is gone after this year and I give it a year or two before either Kins/Elvis take over FOTF honors from Face.
Our success lies in the future so I don’t give a fuck if Byrd/Face/Eddie/You/George Bush are disappointed. (Neither does JD lol).
by behindthebag on Aug 1, 2009 12:45 PM CDT up reply actions
Nick Johnson or VMartinez could have been picked up
without trading Holland, Smoak, Feliz, Borbon, Perez.
The Face is still the The Face until further notice.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
no way we get V-Mart without
trading one of our top guys.
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.
Masterson was their
6th/7th inning guy and Hagadon is coming off TJ surgery.
That’s an offer that could have been easily trumped.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
Yup
Josey’s right on this one. Neither Cliff Lee nor Martinez required any top tier prospects in return. The only GM who demanded top tier talent was Riccardi, and now all of a sudden he’s an idiot for not having traded Halladay.
by Excel Hearts Choi on Aug 1, 2009 1:05 PM CDT up reply actions
Neither Cliff Lee nor Martinez required any top tier prospects in return.
Until JD told Shapiro that he wanted the indians to pick up the thier salaries.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland - 2009 Rangers Minor League POY
Money
Even if the Indians cut some payroll, they did not get enough in return for those players.
by Excel Hearts Choi on Aug 1, 2009 1:11 PM CDT up reply actions
Maybe, maybe not
I would have loved the Rangers version of the deal for Lee, but my guess is that Shapiro had his eye on those guys from the Phillies. The Martinez deal saw some talent go there way, (the overrated Masterson and Hagadone). I don’t think we have anyone in the system to really match Hagadone who is below our high ceiling prospects but probably better than that next group of pitchers. It would have cost us more to get Martinez from the Indians because of that.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
Martinez
You are right about the prospects the Rangers would have had to trade to land Martinez. Regardless, it really turned out to be a buyers’ market.
by Excel Hearts Choi on Aug 1, 2009 1:24 PM CDT up reply actions
Funny how Cleveland pretty much single-handedly caused that
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
Selling Teams
Which teams that traded away veterans came away winners?
The Rolen deal was pretty good, though that rests solely on the shoulders of Stewart. And the Pirates got a nice return for Sanchez. Anybody else?
by Excel Hearts Choi on Aug 1, 2009 1:33 PM CDT up reply actions
Oakland
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
I thought the Padres did extraordinarily well for Peavy given all the uncertainty and long term cost assoicated with his ass.
The Holliday deal was pretty solid for Oakland, imo.
Getting Josh Bell for George Sherril was a nice underrated move, imo. (Provided he can handle the leather at 3rd, I’ve seen no reports about Bell’s glove.)
And I actually really like the V-Mart deal for Cleveland.
Masterson is overrated as hell, but he’s an okay BORG and he’s ready now. Hagadone has flaws, but he also has huge upside, and Price is a really interesting arm with relatively high upside. Cleveland did really well there, imo.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
Wallop! Texas Rangers shortstop Michael Young fouled the ball lofting it high into the stadium and the hand of the athletic father.
Padres
I don’t know how I forgot about the return the Padres got.
Cleveland got a nice haul from Boston, no doubt. However, they got a lot of depth but no real stand out prospects. I don’t know how you trade Lee and Martinez and not have a top tier prospect.
by Excel Hearts Choi on Aug 1, 2009 2:51 PM CDT up reply actions
Maybe they wanted
quantity over quality. How does Cleveland’s minor league system rank?
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland - 2009 Rangers Minor League POY
Cleveland
On 13 March 2009, Hardball Times ranked the Indians’ system at number 9. This ranking is based on the prospects who make it into the top 100 list of prospects. The same author did another list based upon all of the prospects in a team’s farm system. Again, the Indians ranked 9th. These are the notes on the overall farm system for the Indians:
Strengths: Carlos Santana is one of the top catching prospects in the game. Pretty good depth. Made multiple above slot signings in last year’s draft.
Weaknesses: A lot of their position prospects project to play first base. Could also use some more up the middle talent.
Looking forward: Cleveland continues to do well trading for prospects but has struggled drafting the past few years. They’ll need to improve this if they want to keep producing a top-10 farm system.
Prospect to watch: Kelvin de la Cruz, SP. The young, projectable lefty did very well in his full season debut last year. He’s a bit raw but has a big upside.
by Excel Hearts Choi on Aug 1, 2009 3:53 PM CDT up reply actions
The Lee deal confused me.
Like I said below, I really do like Knapp quite a bit.
But if you’re trading a TORG with a very market friendly contract this year and a well below market option for next year, you have to do better than a guy like Knapp and three C+ prospects. Although I assume it’s possible they just really liked Donald a ton and were willing to discount the suck he’s been doing this year, or think Carrasco is ready to step in and contribute as a LAIE (or better) real freaking soon or think Knapp is ready to take the next step and be a top 10 guy by the end of next season (a real possibility, he has that ceiling), but I’m with you: On the surface, they shoulda done better.
Martinez, however… I don’t think you were ever going to get an elite guy for him. I think getting a present young, cheap controlable BORG and two high ceiling A ball arms for him was about the best you could possibly expect in this market, especially if you’re limiting yourself to buyers who could afford to take on the contract, which I’m assuming Cleveland was doing.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
Wallop! Texas Rangers shortstop Michael Young fouled the ball lofting it high into the stadium and the hand of the athletic father.
The only player in our system comparable to Knapp is M-per.
Holland, Fleas and Smoak are all a tier above him, Bourbon and Wilmer a tier below.
I like Perez a good deal more than Knapp, but BA had them both in the same 26-50 overall prospect range a few weeks ago.
That’s a premium prospect right there.
We would’ve had to taken on salary (which we couldn’t) and likely have had to include Perez in any Cliff Lee deal.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
Wallop! Texas Rangers shortstop Michael Young fouled the ball lofting it high into the stadium and the hand of the athletic father.
Perez
Really, Perez is the best comp for Knapp? BA had this to recently say about Knapp:
Jason Knapp, rhp, Phillies: Knapp’s power arm has led to 111 strikeouts in 85 1/3 innings for low Class A Lakewood, but he’s had to give that arm a break as of late due to shoulder fatigue. While Knapp has collected strikeouts in bunches in the South Atlantic League, the 18-year-old’s ERA has been a bit erratic, along with his control. He’s averaging 4.1 walks per nine innings with a 4.01 ERA. In his last start on July 11 at Kannapolis, Knapp recorded just two outs before leaving the game with three walks, three hits, no strikeouts and six runs allowed. And from the unusual stat department: Knapp leads the minor leagues with five balks.
Perez, however, made BA’s list of untouchable prospects:
Texas is cash-strapped as well and probably can’t take on salary, but it also has the deepest farm system in the game. Perez may have the highest ceiling of any Rangers pitcher as an 18-year-old Venezuelan southpaw mowing down hitters in low Class A. In one five-inning July start, Perez threw his fastball in the 90-94 mph range, struggling a bit with his command, but broke off several curveballs with excellent depth and a changeup that he throws with excellent hand speed. He has mound presence, competitiveness, above-average stuff and a solid delivery.
I usually defer to your judgement about prospects as you are very well read, but it seems like Perez is in a different class.
by Excel Hearts Choi on Aug 1, 2009 2:46 PM CDT up reply actions
BA's untouchable list
is a joke. I wouldn’t put much stock in it. Valencia, Montero, Buccholz, Perez and others were all discussed this past week – and the door was not slammed in faces the way it should be when discussing untouchables.
I’m not saying I value Perez and Knapp equally, just don’t put a lot of stock in that anointing by BA.
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."
-Rogers Hornsby
Fair Enough
The label of “untouchable” is pretty silly. I was going on other metrics, and I remember that article had a lot of nice things to say.
by Excel Hearts Choi on Aug 1, 2009 3:12 PM CDT up reply actions
I like Perez quite a bit more, but Knapp is nothing to sneeze at.
A top 50 prospect in the 26-50 range just like M-Per (according to BA’s mid-season list). He’s a really young kid with a huge arm and the K numbers in low-A the year after being drafted out of high school. Big projectable pitcher’s body with a bit of violence in his motion that gives people pause, but I’ve heard Billingsley/Hughes comps as his upside and those guys also had a bit of concern about the violence in their deliveries. He’s not perfect, but he’s got ace or closer ceiling, imo.
I like Perez more because I think his mechanics, poise, control and lack of injury history are all point in his favor over a guy like Knapp, but what I meant by my comment is Knapp is a very valuable prospect, and that he’s very close in terms of value around the league to a guy like Perez.
I think he’d slot in between Perez and Font if he was in our system right now (not counting S&P).
I’ve heard many people dismiss him as a nobody, most because I think they’ve just never heard the name cause he’s really just burst onto the scene this year after being drafted last year.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
Wallop! Texas Rangers shortstop Michael Young fouled the ball lofting it high into the stadium and the hand of the athletic father.
Shoulder
Does the shoulder fatigue give you pause? I always wince when hear about shoulder problems, surgery is a crap shoot. Not saying that Knapp will undergo surgery, but questions about his delivery and now shoulder fatigue…
Law mentioned that Knapp might have been available (perhaps he was “untouchable”?) due to the shoulder.
If the Indians can’t draft well, maybe they needed a broad collection of prospects to restock their system? Who knows. Thanks for your input.
by Excel Hearts Choi on Aug 1, 2009 4:11 PM CDT up reply actions
Knapp does have flaws.
Yah, the shoulder thing is a concern. Like you, any mention of shoulder fatigue or similar woes in such a young prospect make my go flaccid and cause my prospect-nipples to soften considerably. I have defer to the Indians on this one. We simply don’t have access to enough info in cases like this to determine exactly what is up with arm and just how “bad” his mechanics are. I have to think that if the Indians were willing to accept him as the bedrock of a deal for Cliff freaking Lee that they had at least some reason to think he’s not already headed for major surgery.
But, back to the main point… I think you nailed it here:
Law mentioned that Knapp might have been available (perhaps he was "untouchable"?) due to the shoulder.
I think that these concerns are already factored into Knapp’s B/B+’ish general prospect rating. If he had squeaky clean mechanics and shoulder as fresh and unspoiled as a virgin’s honey pot he’d likely be a super elite prospect who’s name wouldn’t even come up in discussions like this.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
Wallop! Texas Rangers shortstop Michael Young fouled the ball lofting it high into the stadium and the hand of the athletic father.
Both of those guys were traded
for prospects that were better than our second tier guys and would have probably cost 1 of the big 4.
No thanks.
JD knows why he's not respected by the clubhouse. And Nick Johnson
went for a bag of fertiilizer.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
I fail
for trying to talk rationally without you resorting back to your JD nonsense.
Forgive me.
would you give up Poveda
for a 1/3 season of Nick Johnson
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.
From what I've read,
Ryan Thompson (?), the player the Nats acquired is nothing.
Is Poveda considered the equal to Thompson?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
Aaron Thompson
his numbers aren’t that bad.
his last 10 starts in AA have produced a 3.28 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. I don’t know what his prospect status is compared to Poveda but I figure he’s probably in the teens in the Marlins system, which in pretty comparable.
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.
I think you are
“venting” towards the wrong person. Hick’s financial troubles are the main reason nothing happened this trade deadline.
And lets not overlook this…
"When a player comments at the deadline, a lot of times, it’s counter-productive," Young said. "I’m not in the meetings and not part of the discussions; it’s not my responsibility. . My responsibility is to go out and win tonight. My focus is to win tonight. The club has to look at more than just this year. You ask a player and he’s going to say give up whatever it takes to get [Halladay]. But the player’s mind is – and should be focused on the moment. But that said, we have a good club, we like our club. We are good and getting better. We’ve played well this season."
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland - 2009 Rangers Minor League POY
It doesn't matter who the real person is to blame
Josey will just try to twist and manipulate the situation so he can point the finger at JD.
Before you know it, he’ll come up with new inventive ways to blame JD for Engel Beltre K’ing again or Neil Ramirez walking someone. Josey won’t relent.
behindthebag
There is no good reason at all (unless he is an alcoholic pedophile that is also a terrible teammate) for Nick Johnson not to be a Texas Ranger today.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
There are plenty of reasons
You either don’t know what they are or don’t believe they are a good reason to not get Johnson. I would have liked Johnson here, but that would mean that one of Jones or Blalock has got to go and that wasn’t likely to happen.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
No, it doesn't.
It means Marlon Fucking Byrd wouldn’t have been on the team and you roll with an OF of Hamilton, Jones, Cruz and Murphy with Hank at 1B and NJohnson at DH.
That’s how you improve your OBP.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
What do you get for Byrd?
Cause it has to be something decent to lose his clubhouse presence. Like it or not its not a video game and the clubhouse does matter especially with such a young team
Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
I dislike Byrd just as much as the next
guy, but there is no fucking way he would have been the one that left had we traded for Johnson.
It would have most definitely been Jones and that right there isn’t worth. Is Johnson so much of an upgrade over AJ that it would be worth letting go of a Poveda or Kiker? Fuck no.
All he does is walk and he sports a fucking .755 OPS against righties (Byrd is .787 OPS against RHP). Wasn’t worth it.
That’s how you improve your OBP.
Marlon Byrd OBP – .317
Hank Blalock OBP – .294
Hank hasn’t taken a walk since the All-Star Break, and he’s being outhit by Byrd by a comfortable margin, too…
So why is Byrd the casualty of the Josey Wales Improve Your OBP Plan…?
Who was more valuable to the Rangers in July
between Blalock & Byrd?
The bigger hit to the room would be if Blalock left.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
I think both would be equal hits to the room
Byrd is extremely liked by everybody. He hasn’t been here as long as Blalock has but most of the guys in the clubhouse haven’t been here longer than Byrd so most don’t know a clubhouse without Byrd and Blalock
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.
A two week hot streak...
Doesn’t excuse 3 months of poor play before July and 3 weeks of poor play since the All-Star Break…
and When/IF Hamilton gets dinged again???
Byrd is your ONLY creditable CFer on the ML roster aside from Josh. Any injury to Josh and you’re calling someone up who isn’t ready and you’re having to clear a roster spot for him.
The roster is littered with DH and platoon candidates, so regardless of the numbers Jones would have to be the casualty.
So, it comes down to this – “how big an improvement were the available bats??” I was all over Johnson yesterday until I took a step back and realized that others were right Give it a try..
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
So
“hope” is your best strategy, bking?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
Like I said earlier today, you're a moron
First, Jones in the OF everyday is a drop from Byrd defensively so you’re now hurting your pitching staff as well with that move. Second, Byrd’s been near identical to Blalock on the season (only with a better OBP) and a couple of hot weeks at the beginning of July doesn’t change that. Byrd also doesn’t need to be platooned like Blalock does against lefties.
So, other than that, you’re idea works. The team’s OBP suffers with Blalock playing everyday still, the defense in the OF gets worse, and you’ve traded away one of the team’s leaders for whatever you can get. Good job.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
Theres plenty of good reasons
One being that the increase in OBP he would bring would not be enough of an upgrade when you factor in the drop in slugging and the hit the clubhouse would take from losing either Blalock or Jones or even Byrd.
If Davis was still up as our 1B then yes I think Johnson should be here. But since we have gotten rid of Davis for now we don’t have anyone struggling enough to justify dumping for Nick Johnson when the only real benefit he brings is his ability to draw a walk.
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.
That's a reduction of NJohnson but the
ability to draw a walk is one of This Thing’s biggest problems.
Hoping our obp gets better, and that’s what we’re now forced to do, doesn’t seem to be a very sound strategy.
If you’re on a jet flying from LA to NY and see that you probably don’t have enough fuel to make it all the way, shouldn’t you address the problem and get some gas in Denver or is it better to hope that you make it to LA?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
One guy isn't gonna turn this thing around
Yes this team needs to get on base more. But one guy isn’t the solution. Increasing from a 330 OBP to a 400 OBP at one spot in the lineup isn’t gonna fix this offense. Especially when you lose over 100 points in slugging in the process.
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.
Big Steve
Look what Manny did for the Dodgers last year. What about Milton Bradley? Look at Bobby Abreu in LA.
The biggest difference between last year’s team and this year’s team in terms of personnel is that we don’t have MBradley and his .436 OBP in the line-up this year.
We know from last year that an OBP monster in this line-up makes everybody a better hitter.
If this offense was 90% of what it was last year, I think we win at least 95 games and make noise in October.
Again, I’m not down on JD at all for not landing Halladay. I don’t wanna give up Smoak or Holland but to not address this offense was unacceptable.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
The problem with that argument is...
Bradley and Ramirez were also feared hitters. Both had SLG over .550. Johnson is barely a 400 slugger. Yeah the walks help but when you take out the punch from the lineup you’re just gonna be frustrated at the amount of men left on base instead of the strikeouts
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
We have a lot of punch in this line-up (jeeez, aren’t we tied or close to it with the Yankees in HR’s) but we don’t have enough people on base.
OBP is more important than Slugging % and OPS trumps both.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
So OPS trumps both huh
So right now we have Blalock, Jones and Byrd playing pretty much everyday. You want Blalock, Jones and Johnson playing everyday. The increase in OPS from Byrd to Johnson is <30 points. I would imagine the difference defensively from Byrd to Jones is greater than 30 points in OPS. So in the end you are walking more and get more guys on base yet hurting your team overall
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.
All 3 of those guys
were able to have a solid SLG % as well.
NJohnson’s increase in OBP over AJ doesn’t offset the difference in SLG between them.
I keep AJ,
I punt Byrd.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
Oh yeah
I forgot The Great Plan of Fucking This Thing up that you’re proposing.
LOL
Well going by your example, adding Nick Johnson to this team would be like pouring a pint of jet fuel into the tank. Won’t make a fucking difference.
Agreed...
And again, the loss of Byrd’s prescence, no matter how much you despise it, will effect the play on th field. He gets the guys up and hustles his ass off. Yes, that’s probably why Wash likes him too, but it’s a good thing for a young team to get in their heads.
This offense isn’t some anemic machine either. If it doesn’t turn around at the end of the year, then we can make bigger adjustments. But for this year, we have a nice thing going and making a move just to shake up the offense isn’t going to do it. Especially one guy who may be on base 3-4 times more a week then Byrd.
What are the chances of the Rangers
resigning Byrd after this season? I used to think zero. But if this thing stays on course and Borbon gets little ML playing time, JD may want to resign Byrd. Problem is that Byrd is going to want a multi-year deal and the Rangers would only need him for one year.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland - 2009 Rangers Minor League POY
There is no chance Byrd resigns
He’s not even close to being worth what it would take to sign him. He’s making 3M this year and will most definitely be looking for a raise and a multi-year deal. With Cruz/Borbon/Hamilton/Murphy/Boggs, we have more than enough depth to offset the Byrd loss.
Boggs
Looks like he is over his shoulder injury and found his power stroke. You are probably right about Byrd. And it looks like he my end up being a type B FA.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland - 2009 Rangers Minor League POY
Byrd seems the perfect type to offer arb to
with little fear of him accepting. Padilla, not so much.
"I’m not in the meetings and not part of the discussions; it’s not my responsibility. . My responsibility is to go out and win tonight. My focus is to win tonight. The club has to look at more than just this year." -Michael Young
The best part is that I think this team would love Byrd to accept arbitration
I’d love to see Byrd accept arbitration and be a reasonably priced good 4th OF who could step up in case of injuries for any OF spot. He’d be a very valuable role player and contending teams need those.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
Arbiitration for
Byrd could be somewhere in the range of 5-6 M, which is not worth it for a 4th OF. That and I shudder at what Ron would do with another year of Byrd at his disposal.
I don’t want the Hamilton/Borbon/Cruz combo to be messed with.
If Halladay had said he would go to Texas
would he be a Ranger today?
Even the Rangers had been given assurances more than a week ago that it wouldn’t be an issue for Halladay to waive his no-trade clause to join the Rangers, when he was asked formally on Thursday by Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi, he responded with a pretty flat "no."
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland - 2009 Rangers Minor League POY
They know the financial constraints
and they know that if he brings in a bat, someone has to go to make room-likely Blalock, Jones, Byrd, Vizquel, Holland or Eddie. That probably wouldn’t have played well in the “room”.
Never argue with a fool. Onlookers might not be able to tell you apart.
What does it matter what the players think?
Trust is earned over time. Granted, trust was lost with the Danks, Adrian moves, etc. But the front office should be earning their trust back recently with strong moves:
*moving MY to 3B (unpopular but clearly the right decision)
*promoting Elvis
*trading Laird and playing Salty/TT
*giving Cruz another opportunity
*sticking with Holland
*finding O’Day & Grilli
I realize there have been recent mistakes (Kris Benson comes to mind). But this is how it works. Do you think the Tampa Bay players had a lot of faith in their front office until it all came together and they won? It’s all tied together.
So I have a friend who runs the ribbon panels during the game
She let my friends and I into the press box during the rain delay. I got to meet Chuck and see the set up they have back in there, which was pretty cool.
Saw Ruben Sierra walking around saying hi to people. McLemore was up there going to the TV booth to do his usual spot in the 5th or whatever.
Josh Lewin is tiny. I’m not a big guy – 5’9" and he was just barely past my shoulders. He’s 5’4 if I had to guess.
Anyways, thanks to Chuck if he reads this for letting us hang out up there.
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
One of the first times my mom watched a broadcast
she asked why Tom Grieve had a puppet sitting next to him.
Didn’t know he was actually that small though.
Et tu, Gil?
Daniels harked back more than once Friday to how “aggressive” the Rangers were in trying to consummate a deadline deal. That one word spoke volumes, and though Daniels wouldn’t name names, blue-ribbon prospects Neftali Feliz, Justin Smoak, Pedro Borbon and Martin Perez all were prominently mentioned — sometimes, reportedly, all in the same request.
Its sad when the fucking local dudes can’t get it right, even though its not surprising coming from a guy like Lebreton.
I would have definitely made the deal if they wanted Pedro Borbon,
his range has to suck by now.
I thought it be all warm and shitty, but it just tasted like normal beer. It was still cold.
Gil is probably in my age group..
and remembers the Reds bullpen guy from the early 70’s. I find myself thinking “Pedro” every time Borbon’s name comes up.
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 guess the FWST doesn't have editors
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
by Dirk Diggler on Aug 1, 2009 11:26 AM CDT up reply actions
Why have editors when you have cornered the market??
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
When does
Doc Holland pitch again?
Post.Fail.
by red shoe ranger on Aug 1, 2009 11:25 AM CDT reply actions
i like that moniker
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."
-Rogers Hornsby
Lookout Landing's caption for that picture
The Texas Rangers celebrate “Emulate Yankee Stadium Pricing System” at Arlington during their game against the Seattle Mariners on Friday, July 31st.
=)
Yep, hilarious
I dropped by and left Jeff a backpat for that caption.
"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912) also -
"Telephone, n. An invention of the devil which abrogates some of the advantages of making a disagreeable person keep his distance."
~Ambrose Bierce
by Ed Coffin on Aug 1, 2009 12:27 PM CDT up reply actions
That caption is hilarious.
lol
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
Yankee stadium pricing
Wow didnt know that applied to mariners games too. I thought it was just when the redsox and yanks came to town.
The funny part is tickets are CHEAPER to see the redsox series.
I dont think I will ever pay to go to a premium game as long as this policy remains
"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg
Glad we didn't make that trade
by GhostofGaryHogeboom on Aug 1, 2009 11:37 AM CDT via mobile reply actions
I wonder if Riccardi will be around to make that trade
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland - 2009 Rangers Minor League POY
Probably
His contract is over in 2010, and I don’t know if management would be willing to fire him. I mean, he has made it this far without getting fired. Besides, it might be best to wait (assuming Halladay doesn’t get dealt). With the salaries of Halladay and Overbay coming off the books, the Jays will have a little bit of money to spend. Now I don’t think the Jays will be major players in free agency, but they will be able to afford to lock up some of their good, young arms. Is Riccardi the guy you want to do this? Is he also the guy you wan to make the most out of this draft? They are going to need to get a good haul to justify not trading Halladay. The Jays could take a huge step towards competitiveness in the AL East after the 2010 season, but they need the right front office.
by Excel Hearts Choi on Aug 1, 2009 12:33 PM CDT up reply actions
I think it's funny that JP's sticking point would be Holland
as though he is our only guy, especially when you look at Mayo’s list and Smoak is #4 and Feliz is #6 in ALL of baseball, and you would rather have Holland at this point…lol.
Thanks for not making the trade JP. Halladay’s value only goes down from here.
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.
Decreased Value
Just how much value will Halladay decrease between yesterday and this winter? Not much. The idea that JP missed his one and only chance to hit the jackpot via Halladay is not true. Halladay can still bring back a nice collection of prospects. If I’m the Jays owner, do I want my GM who has a spotty record at talent evaluation to trade away the one player my fans seem to care about? Sure, as long as he gets the best collection of prospects in return. To trade the best starting pitcher in the AL to Texas and not get their best pitching prospect is a bit foolish in my opinion. Maybe I am giving too much credit to Toronto ownership…
by Excel Hearts Choi on Aug 1, 2009 1:02 PM CDT up reply actions
JP should still get a great haul for Halladay
But he isn’t getting anything worth as much as Holland or Feliz, Smoak, and whatever else would have gone towards Toronto (Borbon, Hunter, w/e). That’s one hell of a deal of high ceiling talent and 1 year of Halladay in the offseason won’t get that much.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
I compare what happened in the Santana deal
the Twins waited until the offseason and didn’t get near the value that they could have at the trade deadline. Teams are not as desperate in the winter as they are when they are in the middle of a playoff race, especially when there are other FAs like Lackey etc that can be had.
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.
Halladay had the hammer there though
No-trade clauses are insane, but I suppose you do have to give them to superstars.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
Twins
The Twins also felt compelled to trade Santana, and ended up with a poor return. Even if other players are available, no pitcher will be as good as Halladay nor will they have such an inexpensive contract.
JP’s best chance for the best return was trading Halladay has passed. I don’t think JP did anything wrong by demanding top tier talent. His chances were certainly hurt when the Indians traded Lee for 4 second-tier prospects (and Knapp, who has the highest ceiling, is no longer pitching due to shoulder fatigue). The problem is, as you have pointed out, that the return will be smaller, and I don’t think JP has the ability to find some “diamonds in the rough” in another team’s farm system.
by Excel Hearts Choi on Aug 1, 2009 1:21 PM CDT up reply actions
And on the buyers' side
Santana hasn’t given the Mets a World Series edge. No matter how good he is, one pitcher can’t win a division.
"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912) also -
"Telephone, n. An invention of the devil which abrogates some of the advantages of making a disagreeable person keep his distance."
~Ambrose Bierce
by Ed Coffin on Aug 1, 2009 1:25 PM CDT up reply actions
Mets
Words fail me when it comes to the Mets.
by Excel Hearts Choi on Aug 1, 2009 1:28 PM CDT up reply actions
how about
failure? overrated? mess? lol i’m sure theres alot more
After Fuentes blows a save and an Angels loss to the Indians:
"Angels still in first place" - UCI Halo
"Hey you know who would have gotten those 3 outs in the 9th?
Darren O’Day." - FirebatM3
LOL
Minaya
I went over to Cots to make sure I got his name spell correctly and noticed this…
Opening Day payrolls for 25-man roster
(salaries plus pro-rated signing bonuses):
2009: $149,373,987
2008: $137,793,376
2007: $115,231,663
2006: $101,084,963
2005: $101,305,821
2004: $ 96,660,970
2003: $117,476,429
2002: $ 94,633,593
2001: $ 93,674,429
2000: $ 79,800,000
They also have $92M committed for next year and $86M for 2011.
And Josey bitches about JD.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland - 2009 Rangers Minor League POY
Jays the number one loser, according to Stark
This team, one exec said, wins “the all-time award for much ado about nothing.” < snips> the Blue Jays just kept jacking the prices north instead of south, and never could get any team to pay them — hard as a bunch of teams tried.
Still, said an official of one AL team Friday morning, “If they end up with him on their team at 4:01 [i.e., after the deadline], that seems crazy to me. On the day after the season, they won’t get 70 percent of what they’ve been offered right now. So either you’ll be trading him for a lot less when you do it, or you’re hoping for a one-year window in the toughest division in baseball and then you lose him for two draft picks. That just seems crazy to me.”
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
ugh hit post on accident
but I could see Daniels being especially pissed about all of this considering that JP never did definitively ask Halladay about coming to Texas until the night before.
Well
there is no advantage to Toronto in ruling any of the teams out of the bidding.
"I saw a soldier try to dig a foxhole with his bare hands. He didn't notice that he'd torn off all his fingernails. I got him out of there quickly; not for his sake, but for ours. Fear is poison in combat...destructive, contagious." - Band of Brothers
But in not giving Texas a definitive answer
You got to think that the JD-JP relationship takes a bit of a hit. Giving a fellow GM mixed messages on whether or not a player will drop his no-trade clause isn’t going to be helpful in future trade talks which could very well involve Halladay again for these 2 GMs.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
Probably not
because it is fairly standard practice. Remember San Diego, Chicago and Peavy? They still dealt again.
"I saw a soldier try to dig a foxhole with his bare hands. He didn't notice that he'd torn off all his fingernails. I got him out of there quickly; not for his sake, but for ours. Fear is poison in combat...destructive, contagious." - Band of Brothers
Stark
Since nobody wanted to part with top tier prospects for the best pitcher in the AL, JP should have kept lowering his price until a trade materialized? Stark’s an idiot. JP actually handled this (aside from the media aspect) as he should.
by Excel Hearts Choi on Aug 1, 2009 2:16 PM CDT up reply actions
Well, JP just lowered his asking price at least 30%, didn't he?
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
And?
JP was not going to make a deal unless he got fair value in return. Just because the deadline is approaching does not mean he should take less than what Halladay is worth. Why does everybody think the Jays have to trade Halladay?
by Excel Hearts Choi on Aug 1, 2009 3:02 PM CDT up reply actions
Evidently some insiders think that
There are plenty of people in baseball who smell blood in the water after Ricciardi’s very public auction of Halladay ended with him eating the gavel.
the predictions are already flying that J.P. may not last the season, and almost certainly will not be back in 2010. Already, the names of possible successors (Tony La Cava, Tim Wilken) are making the rounds. Ricciardi is telling people that he will try to win with Halladay next season; the Jays may indeed do so, but without the current GM.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
Good
The Jays will need a more competent GM to compete. Riccardi has left the team with a nice core of players, but they need a better front office to make the most out of any draft picks/money when Halladay and Overbay are off the books. The way in which JP handled his whole fiasco in the media was just a mess.
by Excel Hearts Choi on Aug 1, 2009 3:15 PM CDT up reply actions
JP always makes a mess out of everything when the media starts getting involved
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
I think JP is getting canned end of season.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
Because Roy has said he is
going to test FA and he is worth more any two draft choices Toronto could get.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland - 2009 Rangers Minor League POY
Draft Picks
Just take the draft picks. See my above post (“Good”) as to how this would work to the Jay’s advantage.
by Excel Hearts Choi on Aug 1, 2009 3:54 PM CDT up reply actions
problem with draft picks
is that it is a crapshoot and costs alot of money and time. Maybe they luck out like Texas did in 2007 but maybe they get screwed like Milwaukee did this past draft in what they got for CC.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland - 2009 Rangers Minor League POY
Chances
I like my chances better with a nice chunk of change ($22+ million), the draft picks, and a competent front office over JP dealing Halladay this winter.
by Excel Hearts Choi on Aug 1, 2009 4:18 PM CDT up reply actions
They would have
had the additional money anyway from trading him. You would have rather had the draft picks than the reported best offer on the table for Halladay of you are a Blue Jays fan? That’s like saying you would have rather held onto Teixeira and taken the picks as opposed to taking the best offer. Two draft picks will not be better than whatever was offered.
by CS3 on Aug 1, 2009 4:47 PM CDT up reply actions
Money
I’d like the money to be available with the draft picks so the Jays can afford to go over slot to get the best available talent.
by Excel Hearts Choi on Aug 1, 2009 4:52 PM CDT up reply actions
Furthering last nights pizza talk:
Every Saturday and Sunday in August at Domino’s Pizza, you can get a medium 1 topping pizza for only $3.99, you can get as many as you like for just $3.99!
You can also order online with coupon code: 399
Carryout Only, call ahead to make sure your location is participating.
Enjoy, Drew :)
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
by Rodney on Aug 1, 2009 11:51 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
holy shit...
how the hell do they make a profit at that price? Don’t forget to tip your delivery person now!!
The I.Q. test has been abolished.
It is now the Gardner Scale.
I'm going to take full advantage of that this month
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
I havn't had dominos in about 10 years.
But theres one about 45 seconds from me…. lunch!
the preceding post was a great success.
Is that a national deal?
I work at a university…let me tell you…we’ll put Domino’s out of business here if that’s legit!
Supposed to be, but
call ahead to make sure your location is participating.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
yeah well those subway promotions are supposed to be national
and half the ones ive been to dont participate
"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg
yeah Pizza Patron has been doing that every Mon, Tues, Wednes for July, Aug, Sept
dunno if those are up there in DFW though? Or if anyone even likes them heh
Pizza Patron is the devil
I regret eating their pizza the second after I take the first bite into one of those greasy messes.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
Best pizza anywhere
is the family recipe at the “old” Caniglia’s in Omaha. Hasn’t changed since a hundred years ago in Italy, and being family owned won’t change. They are on South 10th street just below the restored part of old downtown. As far as I know, no delivery. Pretty far from here, but if anyone goes to a College World Series, it’s right there. The feature pizza is a double crust, meat and potato and condiments special that I’ve never seen anyone eat at a single setting. (Now I just hope they are still open there, it’s been a few years since I’ve been). They also have a good wine list, and let you build salads etc. how you like.
"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912) also -
"Telephone, n. An invention of the devil which abrogates some of the advantages of making a disagreeable person keep his distance."
~Ambrose Bierce
by Ed Coffin on Aug 1, 2009 2:24 PM CDT up reply actions
In other related news
Darren O’day has a hot girlfriend and I am bummed the Rangers didn’t get more involved in talks with the Nationals for Nick Johnson
because he hasn't even reached his peak yet, up until this point, he just did it on talent. - Ron Washington on Josh Hamilton
I dreamt last night that DOD's gf used to be a man.
It made me feel a little bit better, after having met her last night.
There’s no crying in baseball but pedicures are fine! --- BigGuns
you're dreaming about him hmmmmm...interesting...
I hope you weren’t wearing your O’Day does it sideways shirt…last night…or whatever that shirt is.
The I.Q. test has been abolished.
It is now the Gardner Scale.
Haha that would have been HORRIBLE.
No, it was in the laundry. I wore it to the game in Kansas City on Saturday night, though, where O’Day saw it, snickered at it, and told me he liked it.
So I guess it’s true what they say. He does like to do it sideways.
Yes, the thought occurred to me to ask his girlfriend if it’s true. No, I didn’t do it.
There’s no crying in baseball but pedicures are fine! --- BigGuns
I need a link, man!
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
Yep
The guy is so awesome to watch when he gets in the pool. He was half a body length behind after 50 meters and just reeled him in. Unbelievable
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.
Matt Harrison
So, hes got the thorasic outlet syndrome… Lets review
Hank= Destroyed his arm, couldnt make occasional throws across the diamond reutenely…
That One Lefty= Is he dead?
So, should we just say Matt Harrison is done for now? I dont expect to be seeing him in a Ranger uniform for at least a year, if ever again…
by FormerLSBUser on Aug 1, 2009 12:29 PM CDT reply actions
The Gambler had the same surgery
and he seemed like much more of a soft tosser when he came back.
Of course, he was also 37-38 years old at the time.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
huh? his velocity didn't go down at all from what i remember.
he was still hitting the 90s at 43 or whatever he retired at.
the preceding post was a great success.
Rogers had a 5.8 K/9
rate in 1999.
He said he pitched with that injury for a while before getting it fixed and after the surgery he never came close to 5.8 K/9.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
In 76 innings!
98: 5.2
97: 4.8
96: 4.6
His k/9 in the collective 3+ seasons before is worse than his k/9 the 3+ seasons after.
the preceding post was a great success.
heres a rogers quote
""When they take the rib out," Rogers said, “he’s going to throw better. His velocity will be back. That was probably why he was losing velocity. He’ll be better. I gained 3-4 mph on my fastball after that.”
the preceding post was a great success.
yes he will be fine..
Rogers had the surgery in 2002 and averaged 15 wins a season for the next five years. I do recall him hitting the low 90s during his last sint with the Rangers.
The I.Q. test has been abolished.
It is now the Gardner Scale.
Kenny Rogers says suck it.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
Kenny Rogers
had a bump upwards as a pitcher after the surgery.
"I saw a soldier try to dig a foxhole with his bare hands. He didn't notice that he'd torn off all his fingernails. I got him out of there quickly; not for his sake, but for ours. Fear is poison in combat...destructive, contagious." - Band of Brothers
Good news, everyone!
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
Tell me quick, I'm breathless...
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
In my defense,
the coding is there- there’s just no text for the hyperlink.
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
Heh, sure...
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
Ugh, link fail- ctrl + f me.
ahem…
Good news, everyone!
Futurama will have the original cast back
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
No surprise at all.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
Wallop! Texas Rangers shortstop Michael Young fouled the ball lofting it high into the stadium and the hand of the athletic father.
So...why did Nolan fail to make any trades to bolster this teams chances?
"Our guys worked really hard and talked to a lot of clubs, but they all kept coming back with the names that are at the heart of our player development program," club president Nolan Ryan. "We just didn’t think that what was being asked about was realistic."
Good to know he cares about the “magic beans” too.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
by Rodney on Aug 1, 2009 12:53 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
This is all I need to hear...
“We just didn’t think that what was being asked about was realistic.”
But yeah, JD failed miserably and did nothing to change the feeling of the room…
I hazard a guess that the players lost a lot of respect for Nolan yesterday.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
well done
I'm Matt mutha-effing Bush, bitches, and mutha-eff East County.
"I'm as passionate and knowlegeable as any fan out there." Josey Wales
Josey where art thou?
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland - 2009 Rangers Minor League POY
Look above
He’s going to stay up there where he can take quotes out of context and blast JD.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
I know
He should be blasting Hicks.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland - 2009 Rangers Minor League POY
Nolan doesn't work the phones
and doesn’t become involved until a trade is formulated.
That means JD didn’t bring him a good trade to approve (or JD was unable to sell him on it) nor did he come up with a creative way to bring more salary to the payroll.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
So what you are saying
Is Nolan does nothing yet gets all the credit if it goes right but none of the blame if it goes wrong
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 at all, bigsteve.
JD has done a very job in assembling this year’s bullpen which is one of the reasons this team has been successful.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Gardner, What you should do is tip your cap and then move forward with your tail tucked snugly in your gash."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
So why didn't Nolan come up with some inventive way to add payroll
He is the club president after all. He supposedly has the direct line to Hicks so shouldn’t he be the one to convince him to add payroll or come up with a way to add payroll?
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.
of course you know all of this
because you are JD’s shadow
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland - 2009 Rangers Minor League POY
Typical...
But when things go well, they’re organizational decisions stamped with the Nolan Ryan Stamp of Approval…
You're a moron
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
Where does that quote come from?
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland - 2009 Rangers Minor League POY
I think teams kept asking about
out top prospect because thier is not much in AAA or even AA to get excited about.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland - 2009 Rangers Minor League POY
This time, Los Angeles, after tying the game in the eighth, scored six runs in the top of the 11th inning and recorded their major league-leading 34th comeback victory, 11-5 over the Minnesota Twins.
34 comeback wins, RIDICULOUS….I HATE the angels.
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.
So I caught a foul ball at the game last night
My first one..was an awesome moment. Made my night. It was off Nelson Cruz right after Byrd’s HR.
oh wow congratulations that's pretty cool..
did you check to see if it got televised or not?
The I.Q. test has been abolished.
It is now the Gardner Scale.
I was curious if it did..have not checked into it though yet
I have a friend who was taping the game cause he was going to miss it so I’ll ask him later today probably
That whole inning?
Yeah, I was stuck in line for funnel cake.
There’s no crying in baseball but pedicures are fine! --- BigGuns
heh. good catch ..
"Guys are visual creatures, that’s how we’ve been wired, for millennia…only fat and or ugly chicks use that word you just typed." - Rodney
by inactive lsb user on Aug 2, 2009 1:43 PM CDT up reply actions
When this team gears up for it's playoff run
will it put a naked cut-out of Medusa in the locker room with 50 or so tear away pieces of her dress?
Depends on game scores
No 50+, no tearaway removed.
"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912) also -
"Telephone, n. An invention of the devil which abrogates some of the advantages of making a disagreeable person keep his distance."
~Ambrose Bierce
by Ed Coffin on Aug 1, 2009 1:39 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
x
maybe we can replace medusa with someone else…any ideas?
After Fuentes blows a save and an Angels loss to the Indians:
"Angels still in first place" - UCI Halo
"Hey you know who would have gotten those 3 outs in the 9th?
Darren O’Day." - FirebatM3
LOL
I'm not even positive turning down Holland for Halladay straight up would be completely insane.
Holland is certainly nowhere near as good as Hallady right now, may never be as good he is now and has been in the past, but I might put money on him being better than Halladay in a few years when Doc declines and Dutch starts finding his stride. And at that point, I imagine he’ll be a cheaper part of an even better roster.
I like staying the course.
by philkid3 on Aug 1, 2009 2:46 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
What would you rather have over the next 3-6 years?
Der-Hol and, say, John Lackey?
Or,
Roy Halladay?
Cause for the same money that Roy’d’ve cost, we can go out and get a FA this winter and add him to Der-Hol.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
Wallop! Texas Rangers shortstop Michael Young fouled the ball lofting it high into the stadium and the hand of the athletic father.
I can definitely see that
Holland can be a true ace for this rotation and we have him for 6 full seasons after this year. There is a good chance that we can get 1.5 ace seasons from him in that time. But that’s just the risks teams take when trading high ceiling talent for elite veteran players
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
It was smart to let it go...
Even if you have a win now attitude and an unlimited payroll, both possessed by the NY Yankees, the Yankees are the first to attest to the fact that it doesn’t always work…and the Rangers have a very limited payroll.
Looking at the standings now, two of the top payroll teams, Philadelphia and the Yankees, the Rangers are only one game behind the Phillies and two down in the loss column to the Yanks. The Yankees have more than triple the Rangers payroll…
It is very apparent that the Rangers real window of opportunity begins in 2010, and to give it away to make a playoff run in 2009 would be foolish. For the next three or four years combined, barring contract extension, Holland will make less than half of what Halladay will make next season.
Waiver Trade
Could we get a bat through the waivers or is it a lost cause with our lack of cash and spot in the waiver order? I’ve got to believe a lot of guys are going to made available…
Money
I am guess that any player who makes it through waivers will be because of the contract. The Rangers will have to up the prospects to get the trading team to kick in some cash. It may not be worth it.
by Excel Hearts Choi on Aug 1, 2009 3:16 PM CDT up reply actions
Rangers pro shop
Is the only place to buy a large variety of Rangers gear at the ballpark? Or is there a pro shop in a mall somewhere in Dallas?
There is a Rangers Pro Shop in Uptown
2222 McKinney Ave.
Suite 130
Dallas, TX 75201
You can buy game tickets there too…
by Captain Snappy on Aug 1, 2009 3:38 PM CDT up reply actions
Best possible improvement to this team
would not be NJohnson or RHalladay. It would be Kinsler and Hamilton returning to some semblance of the hitter they were last year.
"I’m not in the meetings and not part of the discussions; it’s not my responsibility. . My responsibility is to go out and win tonight. My focus is to win tonight. The club has to look at more than just this year." -Michael Young
Boo from Evan
Kevin Millwood’s sore gluteus maximus problem has been, well, a real pain in the butt.
It forced him out of last Sunday’s start after just two innings and pushed his next scheduled start to tomorrow. Millwood, however, was still feeling the soreness late in the week and hasn’t thrown a bullpen session. Because of it, he’s being pushed back even further. Millwood is now tentatively scheduled to start Monday in Oakland. RHP Scott Feldman will take his place Sunday, pitching on three days of rest as a starter for the first time in his career.
Please don’t fall apart now.
I'm just goofin' new boot goofin'
I wouldn't mind seeing Milly go on the DL
And bring up Moscoso to start and keep Feldman on normal rest
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.
Snell vs. Feldman on Sunday
I don’t like Feldman on only 3 days rest, but it could be a lot worse for us. There’s a good chance it just turns into a slug fest then.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
Oy Vey!
Edinson Volquez-S- Reds Aug. 1 – 3:12 pm et
Edison Volquez will undergo surgery on his right elbow, reports Mark Sheldon of MLB.com
The item was included in the team’s pre-game notes, but there is no word yet on if the procedure, scheduled for Monday, is Tommy John surgery. Volquez complained of pain in his troublesome right elbow after throwing 20 pitches of an 80-pitch simulated game on Friday. We’ll have more when we get it.
Source: Mark Sheldon on Twitter
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
From such a fucking win of a trade last year for both teams
to such utter fail this year. Shit changes quick.
I mean, the trade didn't fail
And I think at this point, Hamilton is the better value from a PR standpoint.
someone at the FWST is being an ass
THe Josh Hamilton trade is looking better
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland - 2009 Rangers Minor League POY
What is wrong with my sig?
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland - 2009 Rangers Minor League POY
Your predictions
look fairly unlikely.
"I saw a soldier try to dig a foxhole with his bare hands. He didn't notice that he'd torn off all his fingernails. I got him out of there quickly; not for his sake, but for ours. Fear is poison in combat...destructive, contagious." - Band of Brothers
Ok. How about this.
And don’t ask me who will de the Defender of the Year.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland -Tom Grieve Rangers Minor League POY
Martin Perez - Nolan Ryan Rangers Minor League POY
I'm still holding out hope on Elvis
As for the TAG award, there is probably only two players in the running for it: Borbon and Moreland. It hasn’t neen a very good year for hitters in the Ranger’s system.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland -Tom Grieve Rangers Minor League Player of the Year
Martin Perez - Nolan Ryan Rangers Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Dusty Baker strikes again
Or did JD just peddle some damaged goods off on the Reds :D
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
Damaged goods?
Are you serious? The guy threw for 196 innings in 2008. On top of that, its been well documented that JD was trying to put together a bunch of different packages that didn’t include Volquez because he didn’t want to trade him but the Reds insisted it had to be him for Hamilton. And no I don’t think Dusty is to blame for once, just another arm injury for a young pitcher. It’s common
lol, he definitely needs to get that checked out
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
not really sarcasm
I think you mean funny meter.
I'm Matt mutha-effing Bush, bitches, and mutha-eff East County.
"I'm as passionate and knowlegeable as any fan out there." Josey Wales
Lineup:
2B Omar Vizquel, 3B Michael Young, LF David Murphy, CF Marlon Byrd, 1B Hank Blalock, DH Andruw Jones, RF Josh Hamilton, C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, SS Elvis Andrus
And a new streaming link!
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
CRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUZ
bah.
I wonder when kins is actually coming back.
also, bases loaded nobody out vs danks. go yankees!
the preceding post was a great success.
jesus
i really don’t think there is any excuse not to have Cruz in the everyday lineup. The only thing that is acceptable is if his finger is giving him troubles. I can’t wait for Jones and Byrd to be outta here so Nellie get everyday atbats
That would be the only plausible reason, no?
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
I mean,
he has the least plate appearances of anyone in the top 15 in HRs (except Hank Blalock) and he’s tied for 4th. Plus his stellar defense.
It better be the injury. Maybe the gut anticipates a bases loaded PH’ing opportunity in tonight’s game
It doesn't seem like he's injured
especially since he’s been swinging the bat decently well the past few games.
It’s basically just Ron’s refusal to give Byrd a night off. He’d rather bench our best hitter and OF defender than move Marlon away from the clean up spot.
that has been
the thing ive been most critical of Wash this year. His refusal to let Cruz man RF everyday is absurd. If Josh needs a day off from CF, then DH him. Cruz > Byrd or Murphy and it’s not even close. Thankfully Byrd won’t be here next year to take Cruz’s ABs away next year
Yep
Makes little sense to me not to play a guy that’s 5th in the league in HR, 2nd on the team in RBI and top 3 on the team in OBP, SLG and OPS. Not to mention he’s the best defender in the outfield.
Yet for some reason not only does Ron choose to bat a far inferior player ahead of him, but he will play him over Cruz as well. Just drives me fucking nuts.
why all the angst
Cruz is batting 6th. EG had it wrong.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland -Tom Grieve Rangers Minor League Player of the Year
Martin Perez - Nolan Ryan Rangers Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Chacarron Time!
Groove it, baby….Chacarron
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
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