Lone Star Ball: FanPosts

Three way deal only works if...

2009-11-20T22:04:40Z

Rangers receive: Bradley, Tom Gorzelanny and $5 million from Cubs

Rangers receive: John Maine and $5 million from Mets

Mets receive: Kevin Millwood and a player that we will expose in Rule 5 anyway

Cubs receive: Luis Castillo and a player we will expose in Rule 5 anyway

We get two serviceable pitchers to let Maddux try and re-discover, plus our RH bat for $10 million over two years.

If Bradley behaves for two years and gives 100%, I would rather do this deal and lose Byrd.

I know the teams are saying the original rumor isn't happening, but maybe there is a combination out there like this to make a deal better for the Rangers.

OT: The global warming hoax exposed?

2009-11-20T20:21:29Z

You know, usually in a global warming argument, generally accepted fundamental tenants even GW opponents accept, is that the world is warming. GW opponents and proponents alike will usually say something like "we all agree the world is warming. What we disagree on is if man is the cause". But I've been in plenty of these arguments, and I'll always say, frankly, I certainly dont know enough to say if the world is warming or not. I flatly dont accept "scientists" word for it. There's too much money and bias involved.

Call me a nutjob, but I've never, ever, bought that. I mean, I dont do the data, and quite frankly, I dont trust the "scientists" who do one bit, not one bit. I've already heard evidence that scientists do in fact "adjust" the raw temperature data. Of course then you could get into an argument whether the "adjustments" are legit.

Anyways the point of all this, is I dont even know how legit this is, maybe it'll blow over and turn into some fraud, but apparently the email at a major pro global warming "science" center was hacked, and well, lets just say they dont look good, it appears plenty of likely fraud occured. Of course, I'm sure this will all be spun away by the global warming cover up mainstream media machine in the next few days, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. But anyway... link to get you started.

Link

Pertinent Fangraphs Articles

2009-11-20T18:36:25Z

These may not be fanpost worthy, but I figured that they might help distract from the Hicks imbroglio and help start or continue a few conversations we are having elsewhere regarding our offseason targets. Please forgive me if these have already been posted in old fanshots.

The first article is a comparison of the values and perceived values of Jason Bay and Mike Cameron. The second is a take on Dan Uggla's trade value, which may be lower than I initially realized. The last is a look at Adrian Beltre's potential away from Safeco, which habitually drives down RH power numbers. Given our need for a RH bat and that our only real defensive liability is at 3B, I figured I'd post it, even though the chances of us actually going after Beltre and shifting Young elsewhere are slim.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/bay-vs-cameron

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/ugglas-value

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/adrian-beltres-bat-away-from-safeco

For whatever reason, hyperlinks aren't working for me today, so I'll have to just post them like this...

Frankie Piliere scouting for fans now

2009-11-20T04:10:24Z

I typically just read and RARELY throw in any thoughts...Just haven't seen this on the site and wanted to throw it out there.

Former Ranger's Pro Scout Frankie Piliere is now "scouting for the fans." He's set up at fanhouse.com as well as twitter and plans to do everything he did for pro teams, but instead of report to them...he wants to report to the fans. He did a great Q/A session with fans the other day that's still up on his site(under subtitle-Free Agency Nears) . Gave a ton of love for Ranger prospects. (first one is here because of the debate on whether or not to sign Vlad. but the final two answers are my favorite!!!) Check out his stuff..follow him on twitter (he's the only reason I check twitter).

http://www.fanhouse.com/staff/frankie-piliere/

[Comment From Rick WeisbergRick Weisberg: ] Does it make sense for the Angels to retain Guerrero at his age and with his injuries?

4:04

Frankie Piliere: If they can get him for just one year then yes, absolutely. I really think he's got a lot left in the tank offensively

5:00

[Comment From TylerTyler: ] matt harrison showed signes of greatness in a few starts? can he be a sub 4.00 SP within 2 years?

5:00

Frankie Piliere: Yes he can. He can be a very solid guy, just a little inconsistent right now

[Comment From GuestGuest: ] Is Derek Holland a top of the rotation guy? if so how soon?

4:58

Frankie Piliere: I think he has that type of stuff, but i think he'll be learning on the job for a couple years

[Comment From ReillyReilly: ] How fast will Perez move in the Texas system?

Wednesday November 18, 2009 4:46 Reilly

4:47

Frankie Piliere:
As fast as they are willing to allow. I think his talent could move him very quick!

[Comment From ReillyReilly: ] What is the Martin Perez scouting report?

4:43

Frankie Piliere: He's very, very, very good. Ok, I can do better than that. Sits around 93-95 and can spot his secondary pitches. Sharp breaking ball. Best thing about him, though, is his demeanor. He's got a quiet presence that's hard to teach. He attacks hitters with no fear

Rangers AFL Review

2009-11-20T01:59:32Z

The Surprise Rafters' season ended today, and with it so did the stateside winter play of many of our beloved prospects. As a parting gift, many were active on its last day and most ended with a flourish. Lemon began his 2009 regular season on an amazing run, and appropriately bookended it with a strong stretch of games. He finished his season on a 17-40 run that included four HRs, which is neat until you realize he only hit one all year with Frisco, and then it becomes astonishing even in a hitter friendly environment like AZ. Mitch Moreland, on the other hand, was pretty consistent throughout the regular season, and continued that in the AFL, winning over many scouts and pundits along the way. Taylor Teagarden, part of a cache of young catchers that has failed to click at the big league level, had two solid games to end the season to save his bat from utter embarrassment. Gutcheck (a name I have given Gutierrez given his issues) gave up three runs today in three innings but struck out six and walked zero, so I won't write him off just yet. Scheppers rebounded from his worst professional start and threw a scoreless inning, and Harrison struck out three during three scoreless innings, so he finished with six scoreless and only two baserunners in his final two outings. I think he ends up being a very valuable member of our bullpen next year.

Other things to note: The Nationals are probably okay with their draft haul right now, finishing with the league leader in saves and ERA (Storen) and wins (Strasburg). Those stats are useless, but on the whole both pitchers apparently pitched quite well. Some kid named Robbie Weinhardt, an Okie State alum in the Tigers' system, put himself on my prospect map by striking out 29 hitters in just 18 innings, and Andrew Cashner dominated every start in which he didn't face Surprise...unfortunately three of his six starts came against the Rafters so he posted pretty pedestrian numbers overall.

If you want to spend some time looking through statistics and perhaps share greater insights than I am capable of, then be my guest...

Per Jayson Stark - Rangers interested in Uggla

2009-11-19T21:51:42Z

According to Jayson Stark, the Rangers are interested in Dan Uggla. The mention is about 3/4 of the way through the article. No details are provided other than the mention of the Giants and Rangers showing interest at the GM meetings.

Personally I'm not sure what to think about this report. I have yet to hear Uggla's name mentioned in connection with the Rangers. Obviously we have little use for him in our infield. Perhaps he's being considered as a LF/DH option.

Thoughts?

Lincecum wins NL Cy Young

2009-11-19T19:32:16Z

Remember when JD thought Tim had fallen to the Rangers in the draft? Good times, good times...

Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching Pitching

Rangers add Kirkman and Phillips to the 40

2009-11-19T18:49:31Z

Per the Newberg:

After a couple years of missing on my 40-man roster predictions by a player or two, I got it right this time around. As I speculated in this morning's report, the Rangers have announced that lefthanders Michael Kirkman and Zach Phillips have been added to the 40-man roster, protecting them from exposure to next month's Rule 5 Draft. x x x x x x x x x x x

Jamey

Playoff Ticket Refunds?

2009-11-18T17:54:06Z

Does anyone know the status of these refunds? I cannot find any mention of this on texasrangers.com and we are now a few weeks from the end of the World Series. This is frustrating to be out this long for that kind of money. This is becoming a little ridiculous.

Grateful for any feedback that you can provide.

Need more words. Need more words. Need more words. Need more words. Need more words. Need more words.

Texas Minor League Free Agents

2009-11-18T00:41:19Z

Didn't know AJ Murray was a FA. I expect the Rangers to resign Benjamin or a sign a FA SS to stash at OKC next year.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=6994

Texas Rangers (19)
RHP: Bryan Corey (AAA), Brian Gordon (AAA), Jailen Peguero (AAA), Corey Ragsdale (Lo A), Elizardo Ramirez (AAA), Josh Rupe (AAA), Mike Wood (AAA)
LHP: Mike Hinckley (AAA), A.J. Murray (AAA)
1B: Ian Gac (Hi A), Mauro Gomez (Hi A), Royce Huffman (AAA)
3B: Adam Fox (AAA), Justin Leone (AAA)
3B: Travis Metcalf (AAA)
SS: Casey Benjamin (AAA)
OF: Ryan Freel (AAA), Dustin Majewski (AA), Kevin Thompson (AAA)

Pedro wants to pitch all of 2010. Interested?

2009-11-17T15:43:30Z

So according to ESPN Pedro felt so good pitching during the playoffs and World Series he wants to pitch all season in 2010. Last year he signed a 1 million dollar deal with Philly to pitch half the season. With all the talk of signing Sheets I think I would rather give Pedro a shot and it would probably cost the same if not less than what Sheets would. So who here would be interested in Pedro on a one year deal?

OT: Mavs vs. Bucks

2009-11-17T03:43:25Z

!!!!

I shouldn't be this excited for the Mavs beating such a crappy Bucks team but that whole game was such a clusterf starting with the third quarter.

And while Drew Gooden has done much to improve his stock with me, Barea is on notice. Beaubois can't grow up fast enough.

But Dirk really is the man. This is the best I think I've seen him. When he's on, he's on.

Oh, and Brandon Jennings will be amazing but you knew that today you could get him to make some rookie mistakes. He seemed to take missing that shot a little hard.

Bailey ROY, Elvis second

2009-11-16T19:16:52Z

Per Jamey's e-mail and also linked here, A's reliever Andrew Bailey was voted the AL Rookie of the Year and Elvis Andrus was second.

From the mlb.com article: OAKLAND -- Andrew Bailey's rise from Minor League obscurity to Major League limelight is a story that won't soon be forgotten. It turned historic on Monday when Bailey was named the winner of the American League Rookie of the Year Award. complete awards coverage The right-handed reliever beat out Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus, A's teammate Brett Anderson, infielder Gordon Beckham of the White Sox, catcher Matt Wieters of the Orioles and righty starters Rick Porcello of the Tigers and Jeff Niemann of the Rays, who were among the other candidates for the award. With a season strikingly similar to that a year earlier by fellow A's reliever Brad Ziegler, who took the baseball world by storm in 2008, Bailey's rags-to-riches story was among the feel-good highlights of 2009 -- and not just for A's fans. So compelling was Bailey's ascent -- from struggling Double-A starter to Arizona Fall League phenom to Spring Training sensation to All-Star big league closer -- that even President Barack Obama took notice. Sweeping through the AL clubhouse this July before the Midsummer Classic at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, President Obama stopped at the locker of Bailey, the only first-year player named to either team, and smiled. "Hey," President Obama said. "You're the rookie, right?" Bailey, 25, was blown away. "Come on," he said. "The president of the United States knows who I am? That's ridiculous." You could say the same about Bailey's stats. Moved from the starting rotation to the bullpen at midseason 2008 while with the Midland RockHounds of the Texas League, Bailey didn't just make a successful transition to relief work. He made the transition look like a breeze. Like he was born for relief work. "This is, I think, what Andrew was kind of meant to do," said A's pitching coach Curt Young. "His makeup, his demeanor, his stuff ... he's meant for this." Bailey, who dominated during the second half of the 2008 season at Midland, followed suit in the prestigious Arizona Fall League and did the same in his first trip to big league Spring Training to make the A's roster, posted an Oakland rookie-record 26 saves (in 30 chances) and a 6-3 record with a 1.84 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) and 91 strikeouts against 24 walks in 83 1/3 innings over 68 appearances. "Andrew," said A's catcher Kurt Suzuki, "was amazing."

LSB College Pick Choose Contest - Update

2009-11-15T21:26:27Z

1	Sam in So Cal	2032	180-35
2	BJilly	2021	183-32
3	hinduplaya	2007	179-36
4	EpicBoobGirlsaysEAndrusROY	2004	174-41
5	JBImaknee's Owls	1990	176-39

It's down to 2-3 people, but the top 5 are included (to demonstrate the mastery of the leaders by noting the separation).

Three weeks remaining in the 2009 College Pick Choose Contest, and anything could happen (not really, but I'm trying to keep it interesting).

POW! POW!

NFL Week 10 GDT

2009-11-15T08:03:50Z

THU, NOV 12		HI PASSING	HI RUSHING	HI RECEIVING
San Francisco 10, Chicago 6		Cutler 307	Gore 104	Forte 120
SUN, NOV 15	TIME (ET)	TV	RESOURCES	LOCATION
New Orleans at St. Louis	1:00 PM	FOX	Tickets \| Travel	Edward Jones Dome
Tampa Bay at Miami	1:00 PM	FOX	Tickets \| Travel	Land Shark Stadium
Detroit at Minnesota	1:00 PM	FOX	Tickets \| Travel	Metrodome
Jacksonville at NY Jets	1:00 PM	CBS	Tickets \| Travel	Giants Stadium
Buffalo at Tennessee	1:00 PM	CBS	Tickets \| Travel	LP Field
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh	1:00 PM	CBS	Tickets \| Travel	Heinz Field
Denver at Washington	1:00 PM	CBS	Tickets \| Travel	FedEx Field
Atlanta at Carolina	1:00 PM	FOX	Tickets \| Travel	Bank of America Stadium
Kansas City at Oakland	4:05 PM	CBS	Tickets \| Travel	Coliseum
Seattle at Arizona	4:15 PM	FOX	Tickets \| Travel	U of Phoenix Stadium
Dallas at Green Bay	4:15 PM	FOX	Tickets \| Travel	Lambeau Field
Philadelphia at San Diego	4:15 PM	FOX	Tickets \| Travel	Qualcomm Stadium
New England at Indianapolis	8:20 PM	NBC	Tickets \| Travel	Lucas Oil Stadium
MON, NOV 16	TIME (ET)	TV	RESOURCES	LOCATION
Baltimore at Cleveland	8:30 PM		Tickets \| Travel	Cleveland Browns Stadium
·Bye: NY Giants, Houston

Offseason FanPost - greatest at each position?

2009-11-14T18:17:47Z

Adam's "thinking about first basemen in history" post and the ensuing discussion caused me to ponder this idea. To entertain ourselves during the dark winter days of the off-season, would anyone else be interested in a fanpost series on the greatest players of all time at each position? I know I could compare and discuss Williams, Dimaggio, Hornsby, Foxx, Bench, etc. forever, so if it's something that others would participate in, I would happily be the one to start each post and provide some analysis to kick things off. I thought maybe leaving each up for a five or so days, depending on the amount of discussion, then moving on to the next position.

Is that something worth my undertaking for the offseason?

Poll

Greatest ever at each position - yea or nay?

OT: NCAA Football 11/14

2009-11-14T17:25:39Z

hook em horns!

my picks:

texas @ baylor

indiana @ Penn State

Michigan @ wisconsin

Houston @ UCF

Va Tech @ Maryland

BYU at New Mexico

Iowa at Ohio State (i think Ohio State winsby at least 3 TD)

Miami at North Carolina

Stanford @ USC

Idaho at Boise State

Fla at S Carolina

La Tech at LSU

Utah at TCU (is this on cable TV or is it on the Mtn West channel?)

Texas Tech at Oklahoma State

ND at PItt

ASU at Oregon

Rangers: Best tools

2009-11-13T19:13:08Z

Adding a new feature to this year's book (as I put the finishing touches on things.....all top 72 prospect features are finished) -- a BA-like rundown of the system's best tools. But I want to go beyond what BA does. What other categories do you want me to add besides the following?

Best Hitter for Average
Best Power Hitter
Best Strike-Zone Discipline
Best Bat Control
Fastest Baserunner
Best Baserunner
Best Athlete
Best Fastball
Best Curveball
Best Slider
Best Changeup
Best Control
(should I have separate category for Best *Command*?)
Best Life
Best Defensive Catcher
Best Defensive 1B
Best Defensive 2B
Best Defensive SS
Best Defensive 3B
Best Infield Arm
Best Defensive Outfielder
Best Outfield Arm
Most Exciting Player
Best Manager Prospect

JDN

Rangers interested in Vlad

2009-11-13T05:09:32Z

Link

Come on JD and Nolan, we need more OBP not less!!!!

Talk about a perfect match: Vladimir Guerrero, the free-agent slugger who can't get enough of Texas' ballpark, and the Rangers, who want to add a right-handed hitter.

The Rangers are interested in Guerrero, according to a Major-League source. The question is whether they can afford him in the middle of their ownership transition.

Guerrero, 34, ultimately might command only a one-year deal in the range of $3 million to $5 million, plus incentives. But the Angels' signing of right fielder Bobby Abreu to a two-year, $19 million free-agent contract raised Guerrero's expectations, according to a source with knowledge of his thinking.

The Rangers also are considering other right-handed hitters, but Guerrero's prowess at Rangers Ballpark — a batting average/on base/slugging line of .394-.471-.705 in 50 career games — is difficult to ignore.

Motivation certainly would not be a problem for Guerrero — not when he would be playing 19 games per season against the Angels, his former team.

Thinking about watching Caribbean winter ball

2009-11-13T01:56:56Z

Have any of you ever ventured down to the Caribbean to watch winter ball? My dad and I are pondering the idea. We were passing through Puerto Rico headed to St. Thomas this summer and the thought crossed our mind. Not only would we get to take in a unique sporting experience, but my granddad was stationed in Puerto Rico with the Army back in the 50s and we'd like to take him with us (he hasn't been back since he left the Army) and explore some of his old stomping grounds.

I was hoping the Caribbean Series would be in Puerto Rico this time, but apparently it's in Venezuela. So we were thinking about taking a 3-4 day trip to watch a few games in Puerto Rico and then maybe catch a puddle jumper over to Santo Domingo to watch some Dominican winter ball.

I'd appreciate any insight from those who have ventured down there (or at least have knowledge of it. I know scheduling, rosters, and such on the internet can be a bit sketchy, so I figured the best bet is to just fly down to San Juan during the winter ball season, find a baseball schedule in the paper or such, and show up to the stadium.

If any of you have any thoughts, insight, recommendations, etc., I would appreciate it.