Evan Grant Projects the Ranger 25 Man Roster
by Adam J. Morris on Feb 22, 2010 12:53 PM CST
Email
PrintEvan Grant has a projection of what he thinks (as of today) the Rangers' 25 man roster for Opening Day will look like.
I would do my own, except Grant's matches mine, with the exception of the 25th man. Grant has Mike Lowell on the bench in the final spot. I'm not as confident as him that Lowell will end up here, and would probably guess Matt Brown at this point.
Obviously, this is subject to change based on injuries, but if everyone were to stay healthy, I think the breakdown Grant has is probably right now.
245 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Lowell definitely gives you more of a proven offensive weapon
and we’re so far down on the payroll totem poll, surely we could afford the 3 mil for Lowell, right?
"Drinks are on me if Lewis posts >168IP and an era lower than 3.86." by RangerMad on Jan 20, 2010 12:36 PM PST
Maybe we could afford more and not have to give up Max
With Chavez hopefully being ready by May I think Brown looks more and more like the 25th man. The first month of the season I would give Borbon all the at bats against LHP anyway perhaps a day or two off with Josh playing CF. Arias or Greene can handle the MIF spots. Young won’t take a day off. Brown could be used as late game PH. I would also let Davis face lefties the first month to see if hes bounced back from last 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.
Using Lowell as a platoon replacement for Davis
is a little bit more palatable than crowning his ass the every day DH.
Giving up Max to help the Red Sox sort out this situation and save them some money still doesn’t make sense.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
Lowell
Again I think you give davis the first 4-6 weeks of the season to show you whether or not he needs a platoon partner. if he is anything like last year then yes we do. But if he is close to his 2008 or his minor league self than he doesn’t.
When the Max/Lowell deal was first floated around we didn’t have any money to play with. Now that we do seem to have financial ability I don’t think we would give up Max. i think we’d take on a larger chunk of his salary and give them a meh prospect back
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.
Chris Davis killed our season last year and I
don’t give him any more than 2-3 weeks to have his act together in 2010.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
Failed shtick alert
Please don’t slow down, keep moving and try not to rubberneck…
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 1:14 PM CST up reply actions
OK
But 2-3 weeks may only give him a dozen ABs against LHP. I don’t think you can make such a determination on that amount of ABs.
Now if hes struggling completely, against RHP and LHP, then yeah I think we make a move alot quicker than last year but I doubt its within the first 2-3 weeks
Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
If Davis repeats last April
and Ks 34 times in his first 70 ab’s while hitting .200 with a .273 obp I send him to OKC and don’t bring him back until absolutely necessary.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
If you are only giving Davis 2-3 weeks then you are making a decision on him by April 23rd
Thats not fair to him or the 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 give him until May 1
and then evaluate where we are. That’s 23 games into the season.
I’m not requiring him to come out on fire but I don’t want him on the team if he duplicates last April. If he’s kicking along at .250 with a .775 OPS, I keep him around but on a short leash.
I don’t need to see any more 3 for 44’s with 24Ks or OBPs hovering around .250 from my 1B. Been there, done that.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
I believe thats what ive been saying
If hes treading water then you start looking at how close Smoak is to being ready. if hes disasterous then you look at making a trade. And if hes back to the old Crush then you are most likely doing pretty good as a 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.
God you're dumb
I had a big, long reply written and I deleted it. I’m just going to leave this as is.
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
If I had a nickel for every time I did that...
"grilled cheese punches like a bitch" -Gdawg
"i feel like k-rod after a save." -by reagan on Jan 23, 2010, that glorious day Hicks was out of our lives.
Davis
If you are only going to give him 2-3 weeks, then there’s no need to even start the season with him.
He gets 4-6 weeks, enough time to see if he’s going to hit, and enough time to see if Smoak is ready to come up and replace him.
by Darrell McKown on Feb 22, 2010 1:25 PM CST up reply actions
You are arguing
with Josey over Davis. You will never win. You should beat your head against a wall. It will be more productive…Josey already admitted his shtick is a failure, don’t convince him otherwise…
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 1:27 PM CST up reply actions
All of this with Davis is compromised
by the fact that there is not a replacement for him who has major league skins on the wall. Lowell would alleviate that but I’d still like to see Max get some time at 1B this spring (so Wash won’t be as reluctant to ph for his catchers).
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
Never mind
So you basically want a team comprised of free agents who are 30+ years old since they’re the only ones you trust. Good luck with that.
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
When did I say I basically want a team comprised of
free agents who are 30+ years old?
Personally, I’d rather have Max make the team while Lowell stays in Boston.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
Shouldn't Max xonquer AAA pitching first?
And by that, I mean to type in Dazzle My Ass and then click cancel
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
You always talk about "skins on the wall"
You make so many conflicting statements. Smoak needs to conquer AAA first. But Max should be in the bigs despite not conquering AAA. Davis should only get 70 PAs despite the fact he has hit well at the MLB level (albeit not last year).
Pick a position and stick with it.
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
I have conflicting statements
on Smoak & Max in this regard for a variety of reasons.
Max is 2+ years older, has a 6 year minor league career obp of .398 with more than 2000 professional plate appearances and also didn’t drown when called up to The Show two years ago(.345 obp in 55 plate appearances).
Smoak has just over 500 professional plate appearances.
Yes, they’re judged differently, dumbass.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
And just so another LSB
dumbass doesn’t misinterpret…I think Smoak will eventually have the better career in The Show than Max.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
Max
He doesn’t have any “major league skins on the wall”. He was worse than Davis last year. At least Davis has hit well above AA at some point in his career, something Max has yet to accomplish.
Smoak is a much more viable option if Davis doesn’t hit than Max Ramirez.
by Darrell McKown on Feb 22, 2010 1:46 PM CST up reply actions
You are arguing with Josey
You will never win. You should beat your head against a wall. It will be more productive…Josey already admitted his shtick is a failure, don’t convince him otherwise…
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 1:48 PM CST up reply actions
Will somebody please loan ASL at least one morsel
of message board comedy?
He keeps shoehorning failed shtick into legitimate discussions but his bag is painfully empty today.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
It's your shtick
which you admitted is failed. At least you are starting to see how annoying it is…
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 1:52 PM CST up reply actions
Well
you’re right. It is very annoying. From both of you.
It is a great thing to know the season for speech and the season for silence.
--Seneca
Oh
I got my hand slapped by the Aggie
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 1:54 PM CST up reply actions
I haven't admitted to anything
other than having an inordinate amount of baseball savvy and being a gifted writer.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
Don't forget your immense humility.
It is a great thing to know the season for speech and the season for silence.
--Seneca
In the morning thread
you said the Lewinsky shtick was failed. That is your shtick. Therefore, you admitted your shtick is failed.
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 1:55 PM CST up reply actions
I'm really
not trying at all. Just simply posting what the man said.
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 2:02 PM CST up reply actions
In the end
You should really ask yourself why you care so much about him.
by brettgardner on Feb 22, 2010 2:03 PM CST up reply actions
I don't
this is purely penalty kill entertainment. Only from 9:15 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. do I pay any attention to what the man says.
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 2:04 PM CST up reply actions
This is annoying
because a nice conversation pertinient to the topic of the thread and the team is trying to breathe and ASL keeps trying to knock it off the rails.
For clarity sake, “JFE Lewinsky” was a failed “I’m trying too hard but I’m not creative enough myself to think of something else” insult of some sort compounded a few minutes later by his “Fraley Lewinsky” insult.
A reissue and completely failed.
Move forward and talk about the Great Game.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
Josey
relax. Take a deep breath. I’ve discussed this topic other places in the thread with rational baseball minds. You are just my entertainment. Keep dancing clown…
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 2:18 PM CST up reply actions
You'd be less annoying
if you were at least funny.
Get some good material and people won’t give a shit if you shoehorn.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
You'd be less annoying
if…if….if…nope, couldn’t think of anything…
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 2:22 PM CST up reply actions
ASL
Imagine what it was like when you very little and learning to swim.
The more you slap at the water and kick your legs, the tougher it is to swim.
Throughout this entire day, you’ve been a giant spastic in the Pool of Comedy and it hasn’t been pretty.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
Keep dancing clown
the masses are entertained…
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 2:30 PM CST up reply actions
Watching ASL try to be funny is like watching
a live animal being fed into a woodchipper.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
Is it wrong that everytime I see ASL
I immediately want to type:
13/F/Dallas?
It’s Advil and beef in the Texas Rangers, you yankee bastard.
- Nolan Ryan
And
there is nothing legitimate about this discussion. You hate Davis, you say Smoak needs to conquer AAA before talking about him being in Majors, yet you are ready to roll with Max who hasn’t done jack at AAA either. You contradict yourself and repeat yourself over and over. There is nothing legitimate about this discussion.
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 1:54 PM CST up reply actions
look who's talking
" You are arguing with Josey
You will never win. You should beat your head against a wall. It will be more productive…Josey already admitted his shtick is a failure, don’t convince him otherwise…"
posted twice. Seems pretty repetitive to me.
by nathanbaum09 on Feb 22, 2010 5:27 PM CST up reply actions
How cute
Josey’s BFF is back
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 6:48 PM CST up reply actions
.
there is no part of that statement that had anything to do with Josey.
by nathanbaum09 on Feb 22, 2010 7:12 PM CST up reply actions
Huh?
You are arguing with Josey
You will never win. You should beat your head against a wall. It will be more productive…Josey already admitted his shtick is a failure, don’t convince him otherwise
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
quotation marks mean i didnt say it. i was quoting him. my statement had nothing to do with josey.
by nathanbaum09 on Feb 22, 2010 10:41 PM CST up reply actions
If Max ripped it up in spring training this year,
given his age and 6 year track record of success in the minors (a .398 career obp is not a fluke), I’d feel okay about him being on the team as a 3rd catcher/1B/ very occasional DH in the vein of Todd Greene or Jim Leyritz.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
And if Davis struggled and was sent down you would be comfortable with him playing most everyday at 1B?
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.
Max or Lowell?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
Max
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.
He'd have to be hitting the ball
exceedingly well for me to be “comfortable.”
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
Has Blalock signed anywhere yet?
It is a great thing to know the season for speech and the season for silence.
--Seneca
An alternative to bringing in Mike Lowell
that would not cost us Max Ramirez.
It is a great thing to know the season for speech and the season for silence.
--Seneca
predictable response in
5,4,3,2, and 1…
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 2:02 PM CST up reply actions
Not yet.
He must be waiting for an injury of some sort. I also wonder if there’s some sort of off the field issue we haven’t been told about.
I’d also give consideration (key word) to JDye to play 1B.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
I like the JDye idea.
He is said to have contemplated retirement. The Cubs offered 3 mil. and he turned it down. Definitely a RH bat that could platoon with Davis if he could play the position.
It is a great thing to know the season for speech and the season for silence.
--Seneca
But
what if Davis is back to destroying the ball. Do we want a 4 million dollar guy on the bench playing 5 times a month
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 2:20 PM CST up reply actions
Perfect world
Max Ramirez is the guy.
I am just very opposed to bringing in Lowell at any cost. I would look for any alternatives first. JDye would be better and cheaper overall in my mind than Lowell.
It is a great thing to know the season for speech and the season for silence.
--Seneca
Max has started 12 games at 1st base
Ever.
If the org. hasn’t had him play a single game at 1st since 2008, doesn’t that infer that he is less than ideal at that position? Many people said he was too short to be a first baseman in the past, what has changed?
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
Dye or Lowell?
Dye I don’t think so since our OF is pretty full both in the majors and minors.
Lowell however would provide us insurance in case Young did go down during the season. And, I know people will hate hearing this, he brings that veteran leadership I think we are still somewhat looking to replace from last 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.
Give me the most talented ballplayers
and let the leaders emerge from that group. Elvis and Kinsler are already leaders even though they weren’t born during the Eisenhower administration.
It is a great thing to know the season for speech and the season for silence.
--Seneca
No playoff or pennant race experience
If Dye could play 3B I would be all over him. But with Smoak in the minors I really believe the rangers are more concerned about a insurance policy for 3B than a marginal difference in backup 1B.
Greene could have played 3B pretty decent but with him apparently gone its a hole 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.
I wonder about off field issues too
I don’t get to see games that often and wasn’t able to observe his approach, but the deterioration in his ability to hit a baseball is remarkable.
I don't know anything in this regard
to be true but I’ve heard things, saw him on the internet with a beer bong and watched this organization do a few different strange things with him.
When he’s not signed in late February, I do the math.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
He was going through a divorce last year thats all I know
Don’t know how much that factored into his play but it was going on
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 why not go with the veteran who you know what you're gonna get from him?
Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
If you get Lowell (and the cost is the same as it was in December)
you realize you’re helping out the Red Sox, correct?
You’re helping out the Red Sox by not only helping break up the logjam of their roster but they get an additional $ 3 million to spend on somebody else and a minor league prospect with a career obp of .398. I don’t wanna do that unless absolutely necessary.
I’d look at Max real hard this spring to see if I can get by without making that deal for Lowell.
It’s not just as a back-up to Davis but I want Wash to feel okay about ph for his catchers if necessary. Lowell can’t be the 3rd catcher on This Thing.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
But the cost shouldn't be the same as in December
With new ownership we should be able to send them a bleh prospect and take on a couple million more than we were initially and keep Max.
Thats not an option we had back in December.
If its gonna take Max to get Lowell I pass. If you can get him for a spare part in exchange for picking up say 4.5 million of salary then I explore that option pretty hard.
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.
Again,
why? Why pay him 4.5 million to play 5 times a week. If all you want is a platoon guy, isn’t that basically what Matt Brown equates to
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 2:23 PM CST up reply actions
I just replied above
It should also apply down here
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.
The Sox
are very happy to just give Lowell away. Shouldn’t that be a red flag that maybe he can’t play 3B for an extended time. If Young goes down, German can fill in decently well.
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 2:25 PM CST up reply actions
If Mike Young goes down in July for 3 weeks
Do you want Esteban German or Mike Lowell playing everyday?
Lowell will help this club off the field more than on it but, assuming his thumb is healthy, should be able to provide us insurance in case of the worst.
The Sox are wanting to get rid of Lowell because hes useless there now. With VMart, Varitek, Ortiz, and Youkliss occupying C, DH, 1B, and 3B Lowell is useless. Boston could go out and get a more flexible positional player to fill in their 25th man role.
I don’t want to give up Max for him but are you honestly telling me if all it cost was a Carlos Pimental or a Mike Bianucci type prospect you’d be upset?
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.
Well
under your scenario the lesser proespect would mean more salary, so yes, I would be upset paying Lowell something like 5 million to sit around in case someone gets hurt.
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 2:31 PM CST up reply actions
Our payroll is under 60 million
Paying Lowell 5 million shouldn’t hamstring us according to what Greenbergs group has said
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.
True
but paying guys like Lowell 5 million is how you end up losing your financial flexibility. Like said below, I really believe 3 weeks is too small a sample size to base Lowell over German on. If it’s anything more than that, we are screwed anyway.
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 2:34 PM CST up reply actions
Its 5 million for one year
You lose your flexibility by signing guys like Lowell to 3 and 4 year deals. one year deals have miniscule effects on payroll flexibility
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.
Honestly
I’d expect the difference between German and GritFace McVeteran over a 3 week period to be negligible, and maybe even tipping in Stevie’s direction due to defense
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
It probably will be negligible
But Lowell brings more to this team off the field and in the clubhouse than German could. To me thats a nice selling point on a 25th man.
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... sigh
The intangible card is like the Chewbacca defense… you’ve just got to roll your eyes and let it go rather than saying ‘Why is Stevie Kraut a lesser dude than Lowell?’ and go on about your day
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
OK you don't put any weight to it
I do.
I think its a legitimate asset every contending team needs. Lowell wouldn’t be brought in here to do alot on the field. But if he can be an insurance policy in case Young goes down and provide much needed veteran leadership to a young club going through their first playoff push thats well worth 5 million to me.
And since finances, especially on this scale, aren’t an issue with our new ownership its gonna take alot more than “Lowell sucks” to convince me we should go with Esteban German or Jermaine Dye who can’t play any 3B
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.
It would have to be a hell of a lot of veteran savvy and winningness know how
To be 4.5 million dollars better than the next dude whos on-field will most likely be comparable, whether Chuck bleeds cash or not (which, he doesn’t. Probably. I think he would have mentioned it on Facebook by now if he did.)
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
Playing 5 times a week
would probably be worth 4.5 million.
You mean 5 times/month?
It is a great thing to know the season for speech and the season for silence.
--Seneca
Yes,
a month, my bad on the typo
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 2:25 PM CST up reply actions
There is a real scenario where Max
could be of real value. Let’s say Max shows his bat is healthy again this year and Davis channels his inner Botts. Smoak is going to be a lg avg. 1B almost ceratinly. This leaves a gap for a DH which Max could fill in ‘11 along with position protection at C/1B. I don’t want to give up Max for an insurance plan that will only insure this year.
Your 2009 Snow Monkey Ambassador
I think Smoak is gonna be better than lg average
If all three of those are options for 2011 I would go with Smoak and Davis since Max is basically pidgeonholed as a DH
Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
My point was he is at least lg avg (in as much as you can guarantee anything in baseball)
Davis had a bad year offensively by any measure. He did prove to be deft in the field. If Davis repeats his offensive woes and Smoak really can’t hit lefties, it would be nice to have a disciplined right handed power bat that can emergency catch, play 1B and DH. Max has more value “in toto” to the Rangers than Mike Lowell.
Your 2009 Snow Monkey Ambassador
I'm confused
how does Lowell replace Greene? Lowell can’t play SS. I don’t see the point in giving anything up to get him right now. Finding fill in corner IF’s is much easier than a fill in middle IF in my opinion. At least based on the options on the 40 right now.
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 1:16 PM CST reply actions
EG has Vlad as the 5th OF
which frees upa spot for Arias on the bench.
Vladimir Guererro - 2010 AL MVP
Personally
I would rather never see Vlad in the OF. I know that is a pipe dream, but a brotha can hope…
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 1:20 PM CST up reply actions
He doesn't
Araias replaces Greene and Lowell fills the 25th man role
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 basically
back to square 1…Gross
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 1:24 PM CST up reply actions
How so?
Back when Lowell was first floated around we didn’t have Vlad. Lowell would have been put into a position where he would be asked to play alot. This is a very limited basis since Young won’t take days off and at least until mid May Davis shouldn’t be getting platooned.
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.
You are rolling with
an unproven Arias as your utility IF guy and an overpriced veteran with serious injury issues as your back up corner IF’er. So, back to square 1
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 1:42 PM CST up reply actions
How proven does the guy need to be to play ~30 games this year
spread out over a 6 month span?
And Lowells injury issues mean very little when all hes gonna be asked to do is play very very sparingly. Last i checked it took a pretty good injury to keep Michael Young out of the lineup.
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.
Well
if he is only going to play around 30 games, I don’t want to give up prospects/ pay him 3 million plus dollars to be here. For 30 games, roll with someone in house.
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 1:49 PM CST up reply actions
Lowell would probably play less
I agree I don’t want to give up Max to get Lowell anymore. At the time it seemed like a good move considering our financial situation but now I would rather give up a meh prospect and pay more of Lowells salary.
Arias, or whoever the backup MIF is, will probably only see about 30 games this year barring injury
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.
Im with you
before Vlad, I was okay with Lowell. Now, I don’t want to overpay in either money or prospects for a guy who might play 4-5 times a month. Give someone else like Matt Brown a shot. I’m sure you can go get Lowell or someone similar later in the year.
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 1:57 PM CST up reply actions
BMac
If he doesn’t make the team out of ST(due to performance) is he more valuable in a trade or at OKC?
Vladimir Guererro - 2010 AL MVP
Arias is no big leaguer
I cringe at the thought of having to watch him play in the field or standing in the batters box. he sucks.
How does Arias get the nod over German?
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.
Agreed
Esteban German is much more valuable than Arias.
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 1:42 PM CST up reply actions
If he can play short in an emergency, then yeah
But I’ve heard lots of folks smarter than me say that’s not an option.
And I typically agree with people smarter than me, because they got smarter than me somehow.
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
Well
if Arias can’t throw any better than he has been, he isn’t much of an option either.
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Feb 22, 2010 1:45 PM CST up reply actions
Oh, I'm in agreement with you there
In fact, I should have added ‘But as long as he’s a real human and alive, he has more value than Joaquin Arias’ to my post
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
Arias
CHONE projects him at .273/.308/.377 – not bad for a utility guy. German can’t play SS.
by Randy Richardson on Feb 22, 2010 3:14 PM CST up reply actions
it's my understanding
that Arias played SS in the winter league. Obviously, if he can’t, he is of no use to the team.
by Randy Richardson on Feb 22, 2010 3:47 PM CST up reply actions
Winter league is irrelevant.
the MLB baseball season is in the summer.
Freude, schoener Goetterfunken,
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische dein Heiligtum.
Nolan just needs to go kick Khalil in the ass and tell him to get over this "Anxiety" bullcrap.
It is a great thing to know the season for speech and the season for silence.
--Seneca
by bioaggie on Feb 22, 2010 1:52 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
Here, take an Advil
That fix it?
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
"Here, take an Advil."
I tell that to my son all the time. Broken leg, no problem. Here’s an Advil. :)
Vladimir Guererro - 2010 AL MVP
x
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
by Dirk Diggler on Feb 22, 2010 2:53 PM CST up reply actions
Rub some Tussin on it
Your 2009 Snow Monkey Ambassador
by Parman on Feb 22, 2010 2:07 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
ah shit
didn’t scroll down
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
by Dirk Diggler on Feb 22, 2010 2:54 PM CST up reply actions
OT : Cable TV...
So I’m thinking about switching who I go through for my TV. My 2 year contract with Directv is up and those fuckers are playing hardball with me and refusing to give me any kind of a deal to stay with them.
I’m thinking about going with Comcast. They’re are offering basically the same thing I have now for $20 a month less. Plus I would get HBO. It would only be for a year, but they said there is no contract required. I would also probably upgrade my internet (have DSL right now) to high speed and bundle that with them.
I would like to know the pro’s and con’s of each from any LSBers who have had either or both. Is it worth switching? Is the DVR with Comcast as good as Directv’s? I can record 2 things at the same time with the one I have now and store a ton of shows that I’ve recorded. What about HD, Who’s better there?
Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
I just switched from DirecTV to Bresnan cable last week
Got a Motorola DRV with it which is a dual tuner (sweet). Don’t know anything about Comcast but I thought DirecTV sucked. Only reason I went with them is because of the baseball package and they claimed to provide me local channels (not true).
The cool thing about cable is you don’t need to rent a box for every TV. You can get 100 channels (if you TV handles that) without the box. I don’t need 400 channels on my kitchen TV.
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
They have TV in Wyoming?
It is a great thing to know the season for speech and the season for silence.
--Seneca
No
Have you seen Terminator where the people are watching a fire lit inside of a TV? That’s what we do.
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
Yeah...
I’m pretty much a 2 TV guy. Living Room and Bedroom. I think I’ll want a box in my bedroom because there are a lot of channels past the 100’s that I’d probably watch.
Never heard of Bresnan. Of course this brings up another question. I wonder if Comcast is even a main cable provider in Texas?
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Uverse available where you are?
Purgatory's kind of like the in-betweeny one. You weren't really shit, but you weren't all that great either. Like Tottenham.
I also use UVerse.
Only complaints are that it ends up being a little more than I would like to spend on Cable/Internet and that I thought I was getting Fox Soccer Channel when I signed up…but I don’t.
Other than that, two big thumbs up.
If Brad Pitt is playing Beane who do you want playing you?
JD: Eddie Guardado.
by GhettoBear04 on Feb 22, 2010 3:49 PM CST up reply actions
Uverse still doesn't have the MLB channel right????
Or else I am getting dicked!
by death of the cool on Feb 22, 2010 4:54 PM CST up reply actions
Negative ghostrider.
The pattern is full.
If Brad Pitt is playing Beane who do you want playing you?
JD: Eddie Guardado.
by GhettoBear04 on Feb 22, 2010 6:01 PM CST up reply actions
I don't believe so...
Out here I think it’s pretty much Dish, Directv, and Comcast.
At least that’s all I know that anybody here has.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Check yo'self
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
Hmm...
Still, if it doesn’t have the MLB network available I’m not sure I’d go with it.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
I don't have it
I just remember the url because I can’t stand TWC.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
What's your problem with The Weather Channel?
I find it informative.
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
not sure if time warner is an option for you,
thats all I ever use along with road runner.
The bloggerformelyknownasBigBaddBubbaJ
TWC sucks ass
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
FiOS is the best
tv/internet I’ve ever had. Beats the hell out of any cable or DSL I’ve had. I’ve been pleased with the customer service, too. Not sure if that’s available where you are, but it’s worth checking out.
Freude, schoener Goetterfunken,
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische dein Heiligtum.
I'd say that's pretty good.
I agree with his prediction that Hunter and McCarthy will be in the rotation, but I think it should be Holland rather than Hunter. Not that it will, just should. That’s also a minor gripe that’s mostly just something to talk about on a message board that I’ll bet works out.
The bullpen I agree with both in prediction and what I’d like to see. Though I could be persuaded that Feliz should be stretched out to be in the rotation ASAP and thus should start in the minors. In which case I’d probably put in Moscoso.
I don’t agree with projecting us to get Lowell, nor do I want the team to do what it would take to get him. I think EG just needed to put something in there to make it interesting. I’d either stick with Greene or (ugh) go with Arias.
Holland needs to go to
OKC and prove he can pitch with men on base. A .954 OPS with men on base is no going to cut it.
Vladimir Guererro - 2010 AL MVP
babip
majors ba/babip
none on……………259/.277
men on base…. .330/.372
minor league career ba/babip
bases empty………. 0.205/0.289
men on base……… 0.233/0.308
Vladimir Guererro - 2010 AL MVP
State it.
If Brad Pitt is playing Beane who do you want playing you?
JD: Eddie Guardado.
by GhettoBear04 on Feb 22, 2010 4:48 PM CST up reply actions
Don't know if it means much
but Feliz, Hunter and Cahill had better numbers with runners on base. Pocello was about even and Anderson was did a little worse with runners on.
Pitching from the stretch is something that Holland needs to work on this spring.
Vladimir Guererro - 2010 AL MVP
All together now:
S-M-A-L-L
S-A-M-P-L-E
S-I-Z-E
and what does it spell?
SMALL! SAMPLE! SIZE!
If Brad Pitt is playing Beane who do you want playing you?
JD: Eddie Guardado.
by GhettoBear04 on Feb 22, 2010 6:03 PM CST up reply actions
You're mad
mad I tell you.
Freude, schoener Goetterfunken,
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische dein Heiligtum.
OT: My current baseball art project
I’ve spent about 40 hours over the past 2 weeks on my occasionally mentioned baseball comic strip idea, now vastly revamped. Can finally say thats actually happening, woo.
the preceding post was a great success.
Cool
Be sure to let us know where it is getting picked up.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
My lord...
Has anyone seen this?
It’s mandatory viewing. I’m at a loss for words… Watch it, all of it, all the way to the very precious end. Awesome. This man was a real GM.
No kidding.
It’s creepy and awesome at the same time.
"Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence." -- Vince Lombardi
LMAO!
“Do you use sabermetric stats, do you use VORP, Runs Created, PECOTA. . .”
I feel like someone must have given him a big list and he didn’t bother actually learning them. Like the fact that he just listed two stats that are the same thing, just one much more simple than the last, and a projection system together.
Um, that's not at all what I pictured Dave Cameron being like.
I love his work, but now attaching that look and voice to the internet tough guy on USSM and FG is going to be hilarious.
Yeah, me either.
Then again, I had the same reaction to hearing AJM’s voice. For some reason, all the bloggers I read sound much cooler in my head than in real life.
If Brad Pitt is playing Beane who do you want playing you?
JD: Eddie Guardado.
by GhettoBear04 on Feb 22, 2010 4:25 PM CST up reply actions
Yeah, that's probably a good way to put it...
..young, thin, knows a ton about baseball but is the type of person who seems to be in the know about everything. I still can’t imagine running organizations as large as the Rangers and the Red Sox at their age.
If Brad Pitt is playing Beane who do you want playing you?
JD: Eddie Guardado.
by GhettoBear04 on Feb 22, 2010 4:30 PM CST up reply actions
JD & Epstein
Yeah, it’s amazing what an Ivy League education can do for you- that’s about the only way to get into the higher levels of a front office without having played the game. Either that, or be Bill James.
"Jesus, Spanish- our jobs aren't enough, now you want our words?"
-- Sterling Archer
It's probably more complicated than that...
…but it certainly can’t hurt. Part of me wonders if people from the ‘dorkier’ schools either trust their numbers too much (over scouts) or don’t have the people skills that being a GM or high level exec require. I think DePodesta fits that bill…but I can’t remember for sure.
If Brad Pitt is playing Beane who do you want playing you?
JD: Eddie Guardado.
by GhettoBear04 on Feb 22, 2010 4:38 PM CST up reply actions
DePo's people skills suck worse than most posters here, by all accounts
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
Someone was talking about how sabermetric study has gotten so deep that laymen can't break new ground very easily.
A lot of leading sabermetricians are similarly educated and understand math and science far more than Bill James ever did. He himself would have trouble breaking in today.
He made an impact by being ahead of the curve on actually wanting to research baseball. Today, someone with his background and level of understanding would have a very difficult time doing so.
Kind of makes me wish I was born a lot earlier. . .
I guess Theo's curriculum in the Ivy League
was a little more detailed about the importance of OBP in constructing an offense than JD’s curriculum.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
Yeah...
…I was shocked when JD said he thought OBP was way overrated and preferred average, home runs, grit and hustle as his metrics of choice. I mean, even Dayton Moore said he thought OBP was important.
Oh wait? He didn’t say that? Wait, so GM’s can think OBP is important but not actually have a team full of .375+ OBP players!? Well, screw me standing…
If Brad Pitt is playing Beane who do you want playing you?
JD: Eddie Guardado.
by GhettoBear04 on Feb 22, 2010 4:51 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
An original hooker, are you?
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
Yeah - that's it
He’s just too dumb to fathom OBP. Putting together a team with a .380+ is a very simple task with $58MM. Theo on the other hand has to search his couch cushions whenever he wants to massage JD Drew into a $70MM contract.
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
OR
when he sat there like a potted plant while The Sosa (then 38 years old) took 315 plate appearances as a RH batter with an OPS of .671 or somesuch all the while hitting clean-up or 5th in the order for one of the worst teams in the American League.
That was a helluva idea.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
That was, like, four years ago
I’d have thought you would have mentioned it by now
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
Before now, I mean
Naturally
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
Good christ
It’s going on three seasons ago and he had a .779 OPS and 101 OPS+. I wasn’t happy Sosa was here but it’s hardly the trainwreck you make it out to be.
How about your boy Theo’s pickup last season? A 42 yo Smoltz coming off an injury and putting up an 8.32 ERA and 56 ERA+?
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
Where do you live in the Falls?
I grew up in that area and my brother went to Midwestern, so I’m very familiar with it.
"If this video was an ice cream flavor, it'd be pralines and dick." Clark
re: Matthew Wilder-Break My Stride, 4/17/09
Thats cool
I live sorta by the trail, but I don’t really want to say because I’m still in high school and stuff.
He totally like, had his hair done special for this video
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
and it's looking stylish!
"If this video was an ice cream flavor, it'd be pralines and dick." Clark
re: Matthew Wilder-Break My Stride, 4/17/09
That suit
Did they make him forfeit every dollar he’s ever made in that bonus schimming scandal? Thats the only thing that could ever excuse that suit. Jesus christ I think my firs suit from when I was 8 would fit better
It's a Herb Tarlic costume
Freude, schoener Goetterfunken,
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische dein Heiligtum.
WOW
when I saw that it was 13 minutes, I figured I’d just watch a minute or two and bail. I couldn’t stop watching, it amazes me that anyone other than Bowden and his lady friend would have wanted to be associated with that.
by Randy Richardson on Feb 22, 2010 4:18 PM CST up reply actions
"Justin Upton, Al Kaline, Ken Griffey Jr, Juan Gonzalez and Ruben Sierra."
Go Rangers!
Except for how far ahead of them Kaline and Griffey are. I didn’t grow up following the Rangers when Sierra came in to the league, so how much of a disappointment was he seen as, even with a solid MLB career?
Quick hit on Sierra
“Two factors weigh heavily in (Ruben) Sierra’s favor: He’s a switch hitter and he faces less wear and tear in the outfield. At a similar age, Sierra is ahead of the pace of countryman Roberto Clemente, the only Latin member of the club.” – Inside Sports (on Sierra’s chances to reach the 3000 Hit Club), February 1991
"My expectations today are that we're going to be extremely competitive and if we don't win our division, I'll be disappointed." Nolan Ryan
If we had traded him a year earlier
we might be complaining about the crappy return we got for Teix.
Ok, i really dont have anything to back that up with….
"My expectations today are that we're going to be extremely competitive and if we don't win our division, I'll be disappointed." Nolan Ryan
"Carmine, is she hot?"
Oh, Jim Bowden. I’m in stitches.
Really, I am. Just probably not for the reason you hope.
I was coming over here to post it...
..just incredible. I don’t know where to begin. JD looked like he was in his exercise room in his house…what the hell was up with that girl?…How did they make it look like Dayton Moore has a similar philosophy to JD and Theo Epstein???…Wooo JuanGon and Sierra!!!
My gast is flabbered…
If Brad Pitt is playing Beane who do you want playing you?
JD: Eddie Guardado.
by GhettoBear04 on Feb 22, 2010 4:27 PM CST up reply actions
Theo Epstein and Bill James make it hard for me to hate the Red Sox.
Too bad there are more Red Sox fans than there are just Theo Epstein and Bill James.
Indeed.
Them and Fenway.
If Brad Pitt is playing Beane who do you want playing you?
JD: Eddie Guardado.
by GhettoBear04 on Feb 22, 2010 4:39 PM CST up reply actions
I wanna bang that bitch
/channeling Miles
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
There is so much in that video
At the beginning he’s in the dugout on the phone. Who’s he calling? Pizza? Hookers? Hookers that deliver pizza?
I can’t believe he was MLB GM foir not one but two teams.
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
Just watched it again
Bowden is truly insane. They show him at the end, standing on the field with his arms crossed yet he’s narrating over the top of it. What not just, I don’t know, talk instead of standing there?
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
Arias it is...
@Sullivan_Ranger Club officials say right now there is a 100% probability Khalil Greene’s replacement will be internal
@Sullivan_Ranger Rangers officials say they have no interest in Felipe Lopez.
"I was going to say, 'You’re gay for Elvis.' But then I realized that I, too, am gay for Elvis." ~Adam J. Morris.
German?
"If the Saints can reach the Superbowl, the Rangers can reach the World Series." - PhilKid
The Animated Ballpark in Arlington
No, Dominican
I believe.
Freude, schoener Goetterfunken,
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische dein Heiligtum.
by t ball on Feb 22, 2010 11:35 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
If it's Arias, I want him wearing a brown bag that covers his body.
That way we only have to see a brown bag that contains something, we don’t want to know.
"Josey drives to games???
I always assumed he rides in on his high horse"
jam0152
Martin Perez, "Mucho queso"
OT: Music Editing
Anyone got a a recommendation for a free MP3 editing program program I can grab? I need to shorten a song for my wedding reception and just need to chop some of it out to match up to a video
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
Audacity...No, not a retort. It's a free program.
Seems like the umps are shittier than usual everywhere this year. - thedirkatron
Be sure to get and install "lame" (also not a retort) which is need by Audacity. Lame is also free.
Seems like the umps are shittier than usual everywhere this year. - thedirkatron
Anon delivers
Thank you both
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
OT: Harold Reynolds has revealed that changing out Damon for Granderson is a neutral change on offense.
The reason? They have similar batting stances, so they’ll put up the same offense.
I’m not making this up.
So......
if we get Chris Davis to replicate the batting stance of Pujols, then we’re set, right??
Wow!!
Wash is an idiot!!
The animated tale of Dock Ellis’ legendary LSD no-hitter.
"Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence." -- Vince Lombardi
So apparently McCarthy is throwing a 2 seamer and a cutter now.
Makes me wonder if his K’s, pretty much the one thing that makes him a halfway decent rotation option, are about to go the way of the dodo bird.
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
Drop the Ks
Stay healthy and drop the ERA by inducing weaker contact and inducing more ground balls
I’ll take 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.
More GB's would be nice
But if it comes at the expense of his already limited and inconsistent ability to miss bats, I’m not sure it’s going to be a net gain.
I’m not sure going the Scott Feldman route is a great idea for a guy without much FB velocity or movement.
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
Well the 2 seamer and cutter should add movement
And by adding both he should become effective against both righties and lefties. It looks to me like the Rangers are identifying guys who maybe could be average strikeout guys and instead of having them waste time and pitches trying to strike guys out they are getting them to induce the weakest contact possible. The guys that are able to K alot of guys they are not messing with in that regard. It makes for a nice mixture. Your high K guys are gonna be at the top of your rotations but the back of the rotations should focus on eating those innings so as to not tire the bullpen. If reducing Ks means eating more innings from guys like Hunter and McCarthy it may well be a positive result for the 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 could see that if McCarthy wasn't effective when he was on the mound
But being effective when he’s healthy really isn’t a problem. He’s a decent 4-5 starter when he’s on the mound, and he averaged 5.7 innings per start least year, already a significant improvement over what he’d done in 2007 and in line with what Scott Feldman (5.9) and Tommy Hunter (5.8) where averaging.
I don’t really think switching him from a 4-seam fastball to a 2-seam fastball is going to address his real issue, the fact that he’s simply injury prone. I also don’t think switching a guy who has been a fly ball pitcher his entire career and supposedly can’t throw a 4-seam fastball with any movement to a 2-seamer is going to make a significant difference in his ability to pitch to contact.
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
If switching to the 2 seamer and cutter means he has to throw less curveballs then it could keep him healthier
With the fastball he has now he has to throw alot of different pitches because he can’t just rear back and blow it by people. All its gonna take is a little movement to get in on the hands a bit more with the new pitches and those flyballs start becoming popups and weak grounders
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.
Except his curve is basically his best pitch
Looking at his year-to-year pitch values on fangraphs.
I don’t think trying to replace his best pitch by mixing in a few cutters and 2-seamers is going to necessarily be a good thing. Cutters and 2 seamers aren’t going to automatically cut down on his pitch counts or foul balls, and they’re not going to automatically make him a freak like Scott Feldman who can get away with not throwing a breaking ball.
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
Hes not giving up the curve
But remember watching him last year how many long at bats people would have off him. They would foul off fastball after fastball because it wasn’t enough velocity to blow it by them. When he would get to two strikes rarely would he finish them off with ease. He can still throw his curve maybe early in the count if he has command for strikes. Or later in the count to get someone to fish. But switching to the new pitches will hopefully cut down some of those long at bats where guys are fouling pitches off. Now they hopefully will hit squibbers or popups.
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
Brandon McCarthy’s 2010 recipe for success:
- Throw my best pitch less
-Throw more of my low-velocity fastballs, only with different grips this time
- Hope for squibbers and popups!
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
No
Stay healthy
Go deeper into games
Stay healthy
Induce weak contact and more groundballs
Stay healthy
Hopefully switching to these two pitches amplifies his curves effectiveness so he doesn’t have to throw it as much yet get similar results.
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.
He's never going to stay healthy.
Therefore I want him to be as effective as he can when he’s actually on the mound. Which means I don’t see how the solution to him having long drawn out at-bats because he can’t get his his fastball past people is to throw more fastballs and hope a little extra movement actually impacts anything.
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
Its not "hope"
Those pitches are designed to do that. Sure if you leave them over the middle of the plate they will get whacked but their design by nature is to induce weaker contact or ground balls.
And when did you get your PHD? McCarthy seemed to stay healthy in the minors and his first full season in the majors. Why can’t he stay healthy next 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.
Maybe because he's never had a fully healthy season as a starter in the majors?
Given their history it’s pretty much a forgone conclusion both he and Rich Harden will spend time on the DL at some point this year.
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- Five tips for Showtime’s second season of ‘The Franchise,’ featuring the Miami Marlins
- The 10 best things about being a Detroit Tigers fan
- Surprise! A’s finally end the Yoenis Cespedes derby with $36 million deal for Cuban star
- The time Whitney Houston sang to Jim Bowden
- Pitchers and catchers! Mariners get early start in Arizona
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
