May All-Stars

This week I will be posting my May All-Stars. These are the players that I think would be deserving if the All-Star game took place today. The stats are as of the morning of May 27^th.

Also, Texas Rangers Trades is now on twitter. The twitter name (or I guess it is called handle) is @trtrades so make sure to follow it. I will be tweeting Rangers news, rumors, links to my blog posts whenever a new one gets posted, and what to look forward to for the next week on Texas Rangers Trades.

American League:

Starters:

C: AJ Pierzynski, CWS (.312 AVG, 8 HR, 32 RBI) – AJ leads AL catchers in batting average and has some very good power numbers to go along with them, as he holds the Triple Crown for AL catchers.

1B: Paul Konerko, CWS (.396 AVG, 10 HR, 29 RBI) – Paul leads all of baseball in batting average, and like Pierzynski, Paul also holds the Triple Crown for his position in the American League.

2B: Robinson Cano, NYY (.302 AVG, 7 HR, 20 RBI) – While Robby Cano doesn’t lead all three major categories for second basemen, he does have the best all-around stats, with the best batting average, and is close to having the best power numbers.

SS: Elvis Andrus, TEX (.302 AVG, 1 HR, 22 RBI) – This was a tough choice between Andrus and Jeter, but despite a lower batting average and four less homers, Elvis has more RBIs, stolen bases, and runs, so I gave Elvis the starting nod.

3B: Adrian Beltre, TEX (.319 AVG, 9 HR, 31 RBI) – Beltre has more home runs than any other American League third baseman, although Evan Longoria may have had something to say about that had he stayed healthy, as well as one of the top the averages, and the second most RBIs.

DH: Edwin Encarnacion, TOR (.271 AVG, 15 HR, 38 RBI) – Even though Edwin has a sub-par batting average for an All-Star, he would be the AL leader in home runs and RBIs if not for Josh Hamilton being absolutely amazing.

OF: Josh Hamilton, TEX (.376 AVG, 20 HR, 53 RBI) – Josh is normally great. Josh in a contract year is even better. It’s just too bad he can’t be in a contract year every season, because he is putting up numbers that have him on pace for not only a career year, but one of the best seasons of all time.

OF: Andruw Jones, NYY (.309 AVG, 14 HR, 31 RBI) – How Andruw has performed so well with his age and his stats over the last few years, I don’t know, but he is somehow hitting over .300 with some of the best power numbers in baseball.

OF: Austin Jackson, DET (.331 AVG, 5 HR, 17 RBI) – Austin doesn’t have the power numbers of the other two starting outfielders, but he does have a great batting average. He recently got injured, however, which puts a hamper on his All-Star game chances.

SP: Justin Verlander, DET (5-2, 2.15 ERA, 75 K) – Verlander is about the only thing going right with the Detroit pitching staff right now. He is an absolutely dominant pitcher, and is definitely the best one in the game today.

Reserves:

C: Joe Mauer, MIN (.297 AVG, 2 HR, 20 RBI)
1B: Prince Fielder, DET (.311 AVG, 7 HR, 28 RBI)
       Mitch Moreland, TEX (.309 AVG, 8 HR, 19 RBI)
2B: Dustin Pedroia, BOS (.295 AVG, 5 HR, 20 RBI)
       Ian Kinsler, TEX (.286 AVG, 5 HR, 18 RBI)
SS: Derek Jeter, NYY (.342 AVG, 5 HR, 18 RBI)
      Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE (.301 AVG, 5 HR, 20 RBI)
3B: Miguel Cabrera, DET (.310 AVG, 8 HR, 37 RBI)
       Mark Trumbo, LAA (.326 AVG, 6 HR, 19 RBI)
DH: Billy Butler, KC (.301 AVG, 10 HR, 33 RBI)
        David Ortiz, BOS (.309 AVG, 10 HR, 30 RBI)
OF: BJ Upton, TB (.303 AVG, 4 HR, 16 RBI)
       Nelson Cruz, TEX (.272 AVG, 6 HR, 32 RBI)
       Josh Reddick, OAK (.271 AVG, 13 HR, 26 RBI)
       Denard Span, MIN (.305 AVG, 1 HR, 12 RBI)
SP: Chris Sale, CWS (5-2, 2.50 ERA, 46 K)
       Jered Weaver, LAA (6-1, 2.61 ERA, 57 K)
       David Price, TB (6-3, 2.71 ERA, 57 K)
       Jason Hammel, BAL (6-1, 2.78 ERA, 53 K)
       CJ Wilson, LAA (5-4, 2.90 ERA, 54 K)
       Yu Darvish, TEX (6-2, 3.05 ERA, 63 K)
       Justin Vargas, SEA (5-4, 3.39 ERA, 48 K)
RP: Jim Johnson, BAL (16 SV, 0.87 ERA, 14 K)
      Fernando Rodney, TB (15 SV, 1.13 ERA, 23 K)
      Chris Perez, CLE (16 SV, 2.79 ERA, 19 K)
      Joe Nathan, TEX (10 SV, 2.29 ERA, 24 K)
      Robbie Ross, TEX (5-0, 1.85 ERA, 17 K)

Players Per Team:
Texas Rangers – 9 (3 starters)
Detroit Tigers – 4 (2)
Chicago White Sox – 3 (2)
New York Yankees – 3 (2)
Baltimore Orioles – 3
Los Angeles Angels – 3
Tampa Bay Rays – 3
Boston Red Sox – 2
Cleveland Indians – 2
Minnesota Twins – 2
Toronto Blue Jays – 1 (1)
Kansas City Royals – 1
Oakland A’s – 1
Seattle Mariners – 1


National League:

Starters:

C: Carlos Ruiz, PHI (.362 AVG, 7 HR, 29 RBI) – The Phillies have an option on Ruiz for next season, and at the rate things are going with him, I think they’ll pick it up. He is hitting closer to .400 than he is to .300, which is amazing for a guy who has a .272 career average.

1B: Joey Votto, CIN (.321 AVG, 7 HR, 28 RBI) – First base is a pretty weak position in the National League this year, with Lance Berkman being hurt for the majority of the early part of the season, and both Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols moving to the AL, and Votto is a major beneficiary of that. He has All-Star numbers for most years, but definitely not All-Star starter numbers for first base.

2B: Omar Infante, MIA (.338 AVG, 6 HR, 20 RBI) – Omar has been the only hitter in the Marlins lineup that has been consistently good this year, putting up a solid average and good power numbers.

SS: Starlin Castro, CHC (.314 AVG, 2 HR, 26 RBI) – Like this position in the AL, it was a tough choice for the starter at shortstop, and Castro’s slim RBI lead is what put him over the top and above Rafael Furcal.

3B: David Wright, NYM (.390 AVG, 5 HR, 28 RBI) – Before this last week, Wright was hitting above .400 with an OBP above .500, and even with a mediocre week, he still leads the NL in batting average.

DH: Andre Ethier, LAD (.323 AVG, 9 HR, 41 RBI) – Andre leads the NL in RBIs, and even without a .300+ batting average that usually warrants a starting position on the All-Star team.

OF: Matt Kemp, LAD (.359 AVG, 12 HR, 28 RBI) – Kemp has had a poor May following his torrid April, as he has both slumped and now is injured. His April was good enough, however, to make up for him and keep him in the NL’s starting lineup.

OF: Melky Cabrera, SF (.356 AVG, 3 HR, 24 RBI) – Melky is third in the National League in batting average, and despite only 3 home runs, he has a decent number of RBIs.

OF: Andrew McCutchen, PIT (.338 AVG, 7 HR, 24 RBI) – Even without his 10 steals, McCutchen has a good case for being an All-Star starter with his .338 average and solid power numbers, but his stolen bases lock him into this spot.

SP: Gio Gonzalez, WAS (6-1, 1.98 ERA, 69 K) – Even though Gio doesn’t lead the league in ERA (that’s Brandon Beachy), he does have a better record and 25 more strikeouts.

Reserves:

C: Jonathon Lucroy, MIL (.348 AVG, 5 HR, 30 RBI)
     AJ Ellis, LAD (.317 AVG, 5 HR, 23 RBI)
1B: Adam LaRoche, WAS (.288 AVG, 8 HR, 35 RBI)
       Carlos Lee, HOU (.301 AVG, 4 HR, 22 RBI)
       Yonder Alonso, SD (.302 AVG, 1 HR, 14 RBI)
2B: Jose Altuve, HOU (.309 AVG, 3 HR, 15 RBI)
       Brandon Phillips, CIN (.273 AVG, 4 HR, 20 RBI)
SS: Rafael Furcal, STL (.339 AVG, 3 HR, 22 RBI)
       Ian Desmond, WAS (.275 AVG, 8 HR, 23 RBI)
       Troy Tulowitzki, COL (.279 AVG, 6 HR, 24 RBI)
3B: David Freese, STL (.273 AVG, 10 HR, 33 RBI)
       Chipper Jones, ATL (.307 AVG, 5 HR, 24 RBI)
OF: Ryan Braun, MIL (.312 AVG, 13 HR, 34 RBI)
       Carlos Beltran, STL (.291 AVG, 14 HR, 38 RBI)
       Giancarlo Stanton, MIA (.296 AVG, 11 HR, 34 RBI)
SP: Brandon Beachy, ATL (5-2, 1.77 ERA, 44 K)
      Clayton Kershaw, LAD (4-2, 1.97 ERA, 57 K)
      Wandy Rodriguez, HOU (4-4, 2.14 ERA, 45 K)
      Cole Hamels, PHI (7-1, 2.17 ERA, 66 K)
      Chris Capuano, LAD (6-1, 2.25 ERA, 50 K)
      Wade Miley, ARI (6-1, 2.41 ERA, 32 K)
      Johnny Cueto, CIN (5-2, 2.53 ERA, 41 K)
RP: Aroldis Chapman, CIN (4-0, 0.00 ERA, 43 K)
       Craig Kimbrel, ATL (13 SV, 2.12 ERA, 26 K)
       Jonathon Papelbon, PHI (14 SV, 2.33 ERA, 23 K)
       Brett Myers, HOU (12 SV, 1.59 ERA, 14 K)
       Santiago Casilla, SF (11 SV, 1.37 ERA, 17 K)

Players Per Team:
Los Angeles Dodgers – 5 (2 starters)
Cincinnati Reds – 4 (1)
Houston Astros – 4
Philadelphia Phillies – 3 (1)
Washington Nationals – 3 (1)
Atlanta Braves – 3
St. Louis Cardinals – 3
Miami Marlins – 2 (1)
San Francisco Giants – 2 (1)
Milwaukee Brewers – 2
Chicago Cubs – 1 (1)
New York Mets – 1 (1)
Pittsburgh Pirates – 1 (1)
Arizona Diamondbacks – 1
Colorado Rockies – 1
San Diego Padres – 1

Come back next week for my May Awards.

Mike Adams Interview

At spring training in March, Rangers pitcher Mike Adams was nice enough to give me a few minutes of his time for an interview on the backfields in Surprise. 

Me: What was the toughest part about pitching for four different organizations in 2006?

Mike: Just the uncertainty, not knowing where you’re going to be and moving around a lot.

Me: What is your best pitch and how was it developed?

Mike: My slider-cutter. It’s come a long way. It’s something that took a few years to develop but now I have a pretty good grasp on it. It’s my go-to pitch.

Me: What’s been the best game so far of your professional career and why?

Mike: One of the World Series games. That’s what we all play the game to be in. Just the experience of that. Those were by far the most fun games I’ve ever played in.

Me: Who are the three toughest hitters you’ve faced and why?

Mike: I’d say Miguel Cabrera. He’s one of those guys that’s just very tough to get out. Albert Pujols. Same thing. He’s one of the top hitters of all time. And Barry Bonds.

Me: What have you worked on over the offseason and why?

Mike: This offseason was really more about getting back in shape, trying to develop my changeup a little. And right now, I’m just trying to put that to use.

Me: What has been your favorite stadium to play in and why?

Mike: San Diego. Petco Park. That’s one of the more beautiful places in baseball. It’s fun to play there. The weather’s great every day. It just makes it easy to come to the park.

Me: What is the best thing about being a major leaguer and why?

Mike: Everything. Everything about being a major leaguer is fun. This is something you dream of as a kid. Every kid who plays baseball wants to be in the big leagues. Being able to have a job where I play a kids game, you can’t beat that.

Me: Other than baseball, which sports did you play growing up and which were you best at?

Mike: I played basketball and ran track, but I was a basketball player. I went to college on a basketball scholarship. It didn’t even have baseball scholarships. That was actually my true love.

Me: What college did you go to?

Mike: Texas A&M Kingsville.

Me: What was your favorite team growing up?

Mike: The Texas Rangers. It’s kind of a funny coincidence how it all worked out. This is the team I grew up rooting for. In the summers, I would go to Arlington to watch baseball.

Me: Who are your three favorite teammates since you joined the league and why?

Mike: Wow. One of them was Trevor Hoffman. (pauses and thinks) Edward Mujica from San Diego. And then probably Luke Gregerson from San Diego.

Me: Thank you so much for doing this interview. I really appreciate it.

Mike: No problem.

I would like to thank Mike again for allowing me to interview him. He was very friendly and seemed like a great guy.

Come back next week for my May All-Stars.

April Awards

This week I will post my April Awards, and even though it is called the April Awards, the stats shown will be as of the morning of May 13th, and will include the first half of May.

Rangers Awards:

MVP: Josh Hamilton, TEX (.402 AVG, 18 HR, 41 RBI) – Josh is the MVP of all of baseball and leads all of baseball in all three Triple Crown categories, so he is obviously the Rangers MVP.
Runner-up: Adrian Beltre, TEX (.313 AVG, 6 HR, 20 RBI)

Cy Young: Yu Darvish, TEX (5-1, 2.84 ERA, 51 K) – Darvish is tied for the AL lead in wins, he leads all Rangers starters in both ERA and strikeouts, and this is only his first month in the big leagues.
Runner-up: Alexi Ogando, TEX (1-0, 0.48 ERA, 19 K)

Rookie of the Year: Yu Darvish, TEX (5-1, 2.84 ERA, 51 K) – Darvish is the AL ROY, and so there is no question whether or not he is the Rangers ROY.
Runner-up: Robbie Ross, TEX (4-0, 2.45 ERA, 11 K)


AL Awards:

AL MVP: Josh Hamilton, TEX (.402 AVG, 18 HR, 41 RBI) – Josh is the leader in all three Triple Crown categories, and second place in each isn’t even close, so there really is no question here.
Runner-up: David Ortiz, BOS (.349 AVG, 7 HR, 24 RBI)

AL Cy Young: Jered Weaver, LAA (5-0, 1.60 ERA, 47 K) – Jered is second in ERA, and has four more wins than Drew Smyly, the ERA leader, and he also has a no-hitter under his belt.
Runner-up: Jake Peavy (4-0, 1.89 ERA, 44 K)

AL Rookie of the Year: Yu Darvish, TEX (5-1, 2.84 ERA, 51 K) – Yu is tied for the AL lead in wins, in the top 15 in ERA, and is third in strikeouts, all in his rookie season.
Runner-up: Tommy Milone, OAK (5-2, 3.92 ERA, 25 K)

Manager of the Year: Buck Showalter, BAL (22-12, 1st place) – Buck has taken a team that was expected to be a distant 5th place, and has them in a tie for the best record in the American League a month and a half into the season.
Runner-up: Manny Acta, CLE (18-15, 1st place)


NL Awards:

NL MVP: Matt Kemp, LAD (.365 AVG, 12 HR, 27 RBI) – After a torrid start, Kemp has slowed down quite a bit in the month of May, but is still third in average, tied for first in homers, and tied for third in RBIs.
Runner-up: David Wright, NYM (.402 AVG, 4 HR, 21 RBI)

NL Cy Young: Johnny Cueto, CIN (4-0, 1.12 ERA, 31 K) – Cueto is yet to lose a game, has an ERA near 1.00, and has stayed healthy, unlike last year when he was about 10 innings away from qualifying for the ERA title, which he would have won.
Runner-up: Lance Lynn, STL (6-0, 1.40 ERA, 37 K)

NL Rookie of the Year: Wade Miley, ARI (3-1, 2.76 ERA, 22 K) – Miley has been far and away the best rookie pitcher in the NL, with a sub-3.00 ERA, and those numbers to go along with nothing but solid play from the position player rookies, Miley is a no-brainer at this point in the season.
Runner-up: Kirk Nieuwenhuis, NYM (.303 AVG, 2 HR, 12 RBI)

NL Manager of the Year: Don Mattingly, LAD (22-11, 1st place) – Even though the Dodgers aren’t necessarily a surprise team, they do have the best record in baseball and that makes Mattingly deserving.
Runner-up: Davey Johnson, WAS (21-12, 1st place)

Come back next week for an interview with Rangers pitcher Mike Adams (and I really mean it this time).

April All-Stars

This week I will post my April All-Stars. These are the players that I think would be deserving if the All-Star game were to happen today. All stats are as of Friday evening April 27^th.  

A couple weeks ago I had posted that I would be posting an interview with Mike Adams the next week. That interview will now be posted in two weeks, as I will be posting my April Awards next week.

American League: 

Starters: 

C: AJ Pierzynski, CWS (.339 AVG, 4 HR, 16 RBI) – AJ leads AL catchers in both batting average and RBIs, so I think this is a pretty obvious choice. 

1B: Paul Konerko, CWS (.365 AVG, 4 HR, 14 RBI) – Like AJ, first base was a pretty clear-cut decision, as Paul leads AL first basemen in batting average by a wide margin, and has some of the best power numbers. 

2B: Ian Kinsler, TEX (.304 AVG, 5 HR, 12 RBI) – With Cano struggling, second base has been a fairly weak position in the AL so far this year. Kinsler, however, has been fantastic, hitting over .300 with solid power numbers. 

SS: Derek Jeter, NYY (.420 AVG, 4 HR, 13 RBI) – Jeter leads the American League in batting. That pretty much locks him into a starting spot. But even on top of that, he has 4 homers and 13 RBIs, some of the best power numbers of any shortstop so far. 

3B: Evan Longoria, TB (.309 AVG, 4 HR, 14 RBI) – In a position that has been very strong by far, Longoria has been the best all-around player despite him not leading his position in any category. 

DH: David Ortiz, BOS (.420 AVG, 3 HR, 16 RBI) – Ortiz is tied with Jeter for AL batting average lead, and that coupled with the 1 home run and 3 RBI he has over Michael Young gives Big Papi the starting nod. 

OF: Josh Hamilton, TEX (.390 AVG, 8 HR, 19 RBI) – Hamilton has been the AL MVP so far this year, leading the league in homers and close to the lead in batting average and RBI. 

OF: Nolan Reimold, BAL (.353 AVG, 5 HR, 10 RBI) – Reimold is having a good bounce-back year so far, hitting over .350 with very solid power numbers. 

OF: Josh Willingham, MIN (.333 AVG, 5 HR, 13 RBI) – While he struggled against the Rangers (something he didn’t do last season with Oakland), Josh had lots of success against everyone else, giving him solid to great numbers in all three major categories. 

SP: Matt Harrison, TEX (3-0, 1.66 ERA, 13 K) – Matt is tied for second in the AL in wins (behind Robbie Ross) and leads the league in ERA. That no question makes him the All-Star starter. 

Reserves: 

C: Mike Napoli, TEX (.271 AVG, 7 HR, 14 RBI)

    Matt Weiters, BAL (.288 AVG, 6 HR, 13 RBI)

1B: Adrian Gonzalez, BOS (.300 AVG, 2 HR, 14 RBI)

       Carlos Pena, TB (.284 AVG, 4 HR, 13 RBI)

2B: Dustin Pedroia, BOS (.303 AVG, 3 HR, 7 RBI)

SS: Mike Aviles, BOS (.324 AVG, 4 HR, 13 RBI)

      Alcides Escobar, KC (.286 AVG, 1 HR, 5 RBI)

      Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE (.294 AVG, 2 HR, 3 RBI)

3B: Adrian Beltre, TEX (.313 AVG, 3 HR, 10 RBI)

       Miguel Cabrera, DET (.288 AVG, 6 HR, 15 RBI)

       Mark Trumbo, LAA (.342 AVG, 3 HR, 8 RBI)

DH: Michael Young, TEX (.356 AVG, 2 HR, 13 RBI)

OF: Adam Jones, BAL (.316 AVG, 6 HR, 10 RBI)

       Matt Joyce, TB (.322 AVG, 4 HR, 8 RBI)

       Nick Swisher, NYY (.264 AVG, 5 HR, 17 RBI) 

SP: Justin Verlander, DET (2-1, 1.72 ERA, 31 K)

       Jason Hammel, BAL (3-0, 1.73 ERA, 25 K)

       Jake Peavy, CWS (3-0, 1.88 ERA, 26 K)

       Tommy Millone, OAK (3-1, 2.00 ERA, 13 K)

       Colby Lewis, TEX (2-0, 2.03 ERA, 24 K)

       Yu Darvish, TEX (3-0, 2.42 ERA, 24 K)

       Kyle Drabek, TOR (2-1, 2.25 ERA, 18 K)

RP: Jim Johnson, BAL (7 SV, 0.00 ERA, 6 K)

       Brandon League, SEA (7 SV, 1.69 ERA, 5 K)

       Fernando Rodney, TB (6 SV, 1.08 ERA, 7 K)

       Grant Balfour, OAK (5 SV, 1.50 ERA, 7 K)

       Robbie Ross, TEX (4-0, 2.25 ERA, 7 K)

Players per Team:

Texas Rangers – 9 (3 starters)

Baltimore Orioles – 5 (1 starter)

Boston Red Sox – 4 (1 starter)

Tampa Bay Rays – 4 (1 starter)

Chicago White Sox – 3 (2 starters)

New York Yankees – 2 (1 starter)

Detroit Tigers – 2

Oakland Athletics – 2

Minnesota Twins – 1 (1 starter)

Cleveland Indians – 1

Kansas City Royals – 1

Los Angeles Angels – 1

Seattle Mariners – 1

Toronto Blue Jays – 1

National League: 

Starters: 

C: Buster Posey, SF (.362 AVG, 3 HR, 7 RBI) – While Buster only has 7 RBIs, the catching position in the NL has overall had very poor power numbers, which allows Buster’s stellar average to earn him the starting job. 

1B: Bryan LaHair, CHC (.364 AVG, 4 HR, 11 RBI) – LaHair has been a big surprise early on in the year, and he leads NL first basemen in batting average. Bryan also has very good power numbers. 

2B: Jose Altuve, HOU (.377 AVG, 1 HR, 8 RBI) – As surprising as LaHair is, Altuve is probably a bigger one through the first month of the year, and has a very rare batting average at higher than .370. 

SS: Starlin Castro, CHC (.333 AVG, 0 HR, 9 RBI) – Starlin has no homers, yet still has the most RBI of any of my National League All-Star shortstops with a very mediocre nine. This weak competition combined with Castro’s good batting average allow Starlin to be my starting shortstop. 

3B: David Freese, STL (339 AVG, 4 HR, 18 RBI) – Despite the pain that goes into even seeing this name, He Who Shall Not Be Named has had a great start to the year and is very deserving to be the starter. 

OF: Matt Kemp, LAD (.449 AVG, 10 HR, 23 RBI) – Kemp has been far and away the best player in baseball through the first month, as he leads all of baseball in batting average, home runs, and RBIs. 

OF: Chris Young, ARI (.410 AVG, 5 HR, 13 RBI) – Chris is second to Kemp in the NL in batting average, hitting over .400 and displaying very good power. 

OF: JD Martinez, HOU (.313 AVG, 3 HR, 18 RBI) – JD is another Astro who is off to a surprisingly good start, hitting over .300 and being in the top 5 in the NL in RBI. 

SP: Ted Lilly, LAD (2-0, 0.90 ERA, 11 K) – While Lilly lacks the third win that many other pitchers have, he also lacks the loss, but, most importantly, lacks even the 3-digit ERA which is incredible, especially for a pitcher that’s getting close to 40. 

Reserves: 

C: Josh Thole, NYM (.362 AVG, 0 HR, 4 RBI)

    Carlos Ruiz, PHI (.302 AVG, 2 HR, 5 RBI)

1B: Adam LaRoche, WAS (.324 AVG, 2 HR, 14 RBI)

       Freddie Freeman, ATL (.288 AVG, 3 HR, 15 RBI)

2B: Omar Infante, MIA (.314 AVG, 5 HR, 7 RBI)

       Darwin Barney, CHC (.294 AVG, 1 HR, 7 RBI)

SS: Rafael Furcal, STL (.338 AVG, 0 HR, 8 RBI)

       Ian Desmond, WAS (.278 AVG, 2 HR, 7 RBI)

3B: Pablo Sandoval, SF (.333 AVG, 3 HR, 13 RBI)

       David Wright, NYM (.362 AVG, 3 HR, 10 RBI)

       Chase Headley, SD (.275 AVG, 4 HR, 13 RBI)

OF: Corey Hart, MIL (.305 AVG, 6 HR, 13 RBI

       Andre Ethier, LAD (.288 AVG, 4 HR, 22 RBI)

       Michael Cuddyer, COL (.303 AVG, 2 HR, 11 RBI)

       Andrew McCutchen, PIT (.329 AVG, 0 HR, 6 RBI) 

SP: Kyle Lohse, STL (3-0, 0.99 ERA, 16 K)

       Brandon Beachy, ATL (2-1, 1.05 ERA, 20 K)

       Stephen Strasburg, WAS (2-0, 1.08 ERA, 25 K)

       Joe Saunders, ARI (1-1, 1.29 ERA, 14 K)

       Jake Westbrook, STL (2-1, 1.31 ERA, 10 K)

       Lance Lynn, STL (4-0, 1.33 ERA, 24 K)

       Gio Gonzalez, WAS (2-0, 1.52, 27 K)

       Jordan Zimmerman, WAS (1-1, 1.33 ERA, 16 K)

RP: Craig Kimbrel, ATL (7 SV, 1.13 ERA, 14 K)

       Rafael Betancourt, COL (6 SV, 1.13 ERA, 6 K)

       Jonathon Papelbon, PHI (6 SV, 1.13 ERA, 7 K)

       Henry Rodriguez, WAS (5 SV, 0.00 ERA, 10 K)

       Aroldis Chapman, CIN (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 20 K)

Players per Team:

St. Louis Cardinals – 5 (1 starter)

Washington Nationals – 5

Chicago Cubs – 3 (2 starters)

Los Angeles Dodgers – 3 (2 starter)

Atlanta Braves – 3

Houston Astros – 2 (2 starters)

Arizona Diamondbacks – 2 (1 starter)

San Francisco Giants – 2 (1 starter)

New York Mets – 2

Philadelphia Phillies – 2

Cincinnati Reds – 1

Colorado Rockies – 1

Miami Marlins – 1

Milwaukee Brewers – 1

Pittsburgh Pirates – 1

San Diego Padres – 1

Come back next week for my April Awards.

Robbie Ross Interview

During spring training, I interviewed Rangers pitcher Robbie Ross on the backfields in Surprise after workouts one morning.

Robbie is a great guy and was really nice throughout the whole process. After agreeing to do the interview early in the week, there were multiple mornings where he took the time to look for me after the workouts to try and do the interview. On the day that the interview took place, he was completely focused on the interview, even while a crowd was starting to develop for autographs. He then signed for everyone there after we were done. I was very impressed with Robbie. He is a really good guy.

Note that this interview was done prior to Robbie learning that he had earned a spot on the major league team.

Me: What did you change after the 2010 season in order to change your 5.37 High-A ERA in 2010 to a 2.26 High-A ERA in 2011?

Robbie: Well, I just approached it like it was another game, focused a little more, and just tried to just get in there and learn what I did the year before that was wrong and kind of figure out what I needed to do. I just focused in on that and tried to hone in on my skills again. So I just really focused on the little things that I might have done wrong that I needed to work on.

Me: What is the biggest difference you have noticed between Single-A and Double-A hitters?

Robbie: Double-A hitters are a little more patient. They focus a little better than some of the high-A hitters. Guys come out hacking in high-A, but in double-A they become a little more patient and become a little more students of the game because they can see what’s going on in the games and what they need to do.

Me: Yeah, that’s what I’ve heard from a lot of different pitchers. What made you decide to sign with the Rangers and go pro instead of going to play college ball at Kentucky?

Robbie: Well, I really prayed about it. I’m a Christian and I just prayed about it. I talked to my family and I talked to my wife, who was my girlfriend at the time, about what I wanted to do and told her, if the opportunity comes and I feel like it’s right and I feel like God’s pushing me in that direction, I should go. I ended up going in that direction.

Me: That’s always a good reason to make a decision.

Robbie: Yeah

Me: Which means more to you, being named the 2008 Kentucky Player of the Year, or being named last year’s Carolina League Pitcher of the Year?

Robbie: I’ve never really been a big fan of those things, titles and stuff like that. I’m playing to have fun and I enjoy it. Both of them were an honor and I appreciate the titles, but it’s really just that I’d love to get to the big leagues at some point. If I could get to the big leagues, I’d sacrifice all of the awards I’ve ever gotten, so that’s really what I’m focusing on right now.

Me: What have you been working on so far this offseason and why?

Robbie: I’ve just really been working on getting my fastball on both sides of the plate. And I’ve been working on a curve ball recently and trying to get that going a little bit in my pitching repertoire, I guess you could say.

Me: You’ve been named to a lot of ʽTop Prospectsʼ lists recently. What does that mean to you? I guess you’ve really already kind of answered that. I guess you just try to ignore those?

Robbie: Yeah, it’s really just a bunch of people trying to say that you’re doing this, and this, and this right. They’re good things, you know. It’s nice to be named to those but at the same time, you can’t focus too much on that because you’ve got to grind it out every day and try to do what you have to do. It’s just a bunch of numbers and things like that that lead to those lists, but in the end, we’re all working to get to the big leagues. If we get these accolades or whatever, it’s just another writing or whatever it is. We’re just trying to get to the big leagues at some point.

Me: What do you think has been your best professional game and why?

Robbie: I don’t really know actually. Whatever I’m doing, I try to go through it every day and I’m trying to pitch. I really don’t know what my best game was. There have been bad games and there have been good games. I learn from my good ones and I learn from the bad. That’s pretty much it.

Me: Who are your three favorite teammates since you joined the Rangers organization and why?

Robbie: (laughs) Well, I’ve met a lot of new guys. A lot of them are on the minor league side, like Ben Henry. I knew him from the very beginning. Joe Wieland just got traded and he was one of my best buddies, too. Those guys were a big part of my life and dudes that I’ve been hanging out with. Then Chad Bell also is another good guy. Actually, all three of those guys were in my wedding. So those are probably the guys that I’ve hung out with the most.

Me: Can you please rate the ballparks in the Rangers organization that youʼve played in from 1 to 10 (10 being the best) and explain your ratings?

Robbie: 10 probably is being in Frisco, because Frisco’s probably the best place to play at. Myrtle Beach was amazing also. But nothing beats being in Spokane in rookie ball because, for me, it’s been the most people I’ve been around. So that’s probably the best so far.

Me: What is the toughest thing about minor league life and why?

Robbie: Just the daily grind, in and out of going to practice. Traveling, being away from your family, is the toughest part. Because I have younger siblings that I don’t get to see, so that’s pretty tough. Missing friends and family and that atmosphere is the hardest part.

Me: What was your favorite team growing up?

Robbie: Probably the Reds.

Me: Oh, really? My dad’s from Cincinnati and I’m a Reds fan too.

Robbie: Really? I’m from Kentucky (Lexington) so that’s the closest team around us.

Me: So are you a Kentucky Wildcats fan?

Robbie: Oh yeah

Me: Ugh

Robbie: Not like extremely huge but I like them a lot.

Me: OK, well, I like Louisville, so…

Robbie: Yeah? Sorry (laughs)

Me: What sports did you play growing up and which were you best at, other than baseball?

Robbie: Soccer. I loved soccer. I would have liked to have played in college but I ended up going with baseball.

Me: What is the worst injury you’ve had to deal with?

Robbie: A twisted ankle. Knock on wood. Hopefully that’s all I have to deal with but if it ends up being something else, that’s part of it. Life goes on.

Me: Thank you so much for doing this.

Robbie: No problem, man.

I would like to thank Robbie for giving so much of his time for this interview.

Come back next for an interview with Rangers pitcher Mike Adams.

Season Predictions

This week, I’ll provide my predictions for the 2012 season.

AL West:

1. Texas Rangers – The Rangers have made the World Series two straight years and have yet another great team this year. With Derek Holland on the verge of a breakout year and a stellar offense, they should run away with this division even with the Angels improving.
2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (wild card) – While I don’t think they can keep up with the Rangers due to their lack of hitting around Albert Pujols, they have one of the best rotations in baseball, and that should be good enough to get them one of the two wild card spots.
3. Oakland Athletics – There is a huge gap in between the Angels and the A’s. It is the difference of a playoff team and one of the 5 worst teams in baseball. The A’s have no hitting or pitching, as they traded away their two best starters and have never had any real threats at the plate the last few years.
4. Seattle Mariners – As bad as Oakland is, the Mariners are even worse. Seattle has better pitching, with Felix Hernandez, but an even worse offense, even with two young prospects in Dustin Ackley and Jesus Montero.

AL Central:

1. Detroit Tigers – I really don’t think this is a very good team, but the Tigers are in a weak division, and a rotation of Verlander, Fister, and Scherzer should be able to fight through the pitiful defense Detroit will have and do a good enough job to pull out the division title.
2. Kansas City Royals – Before their closer, Joakim Soria, got injured and was declared out for the year, I was going to predict Kansas City to win the division. I still think they have a chance, with their young line-up anchored by Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, and Jeff Francoeur.
3. Cleveland Indians – The Indians are also an improving young team, and over the next few years it will most likely be Cleveland and Kansas City fighting for the AL Central. While they have some good young hitters in Carlos Santana and Jason Kipnis, the Indians’ strength is in their pitching rotation, where they have Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez, and bullpen, with Chris Perez and Rafael Perez.
4. Minnesota Twins – The Twins just have a bad team. They have a poor rotation and a mediocre lineup. There is a good chance that Justin Morneau will be traded by the end of the year, which will make them even worse. They have no chance.
5. Chicago White Sox – The White Sox are definitely about to go into rebuilding mode. The problem is that some of their veterans have contracts too big to trade away, like Adam Dunn, and they have a weak farm system. This is a team that will be terrible for years.

AL East:

1. New York Yankees – The Yankees improved their rotation this off-season with the addition of Michael Pineda, who is currently on the 15-day DL, but I don’t think that the signing of Hiroki Kuroda was a good one for them. Kuroda is in his upper thirties and his fly ball to ground ball ratio took a huge jump from good to okay last year, and going into the Yankees’ hitter-friendly park from the Dodgers’ pitcher-friendly one, he should struggle.
2. Tampa Bay Rays (wild card) – A lot like the Angels, Tampa Bay has a weak lineup around one great hitter, this one Evan Longoria, but, also like the Angels, they have an amazing pitching staff. They have a rotation made up of three aces, with a possible fourth, in David Price, Jeremy Hellickson, James Shields, and Matt Moore. And also like the Angels, I have the Rays as a wild card.
3. Toronto Blue Jays – I think Toronto is a very underrated team. They are right around .500 every year. They have an ace in Ricky Romero, and another pitcher who I think will have a breakout season in Brandon Morrow. They also have an anchor in their lineup with Jose Bautista, surrounded by solid hitters like Adam Lind, Kelly Johnson, Yunel Escobar, Brett Lawrie, Colby Rasmus, and JP Arencibia. I could easily see Toronto making a playoff run this year.
4. Boston Red Sox – Boston has a solid lineup, but a weak rotation and a dysfunctional lineup. After Jon Lester, their rotation consists of an injury-prone and inconsistent Josh Beckett, another injury-prone and inconsistent pitcher in Clay Buchholz, a career relief pitcher that doesn’t have what it takes to be a starter in Daniel Bard, and a consistently mediocre Alfredo Aceves.
5. Baltimore Orioles – Baltimore is another one of those bad teams that has absolutely no chance. They have some good hitters sprinkled in their lineup with Matt Weiters, Adam Jones, and Nick Markakis, but they don’t have any great ones. And they certainly don’t have any great pitchers, as their rotation is just awful. There’s always next decade, Baltimore.

NL West:

1. Arizona Diamondbacks – The D’Backs have one of the best rotations in all of baseball, headed by Ian Kennedy (21-4, 2.88 ERA in 2011), Daniel Hudson (16-12, 3.49 ERA), and Trevor Cahill (18-8, 2.97 ERA in 2010), and rounded out by Joe Saunders (3.69 ERA in 2011) and Josh Collmenter (3.38). They also have one of the top pitching prospects in baseball set to come up mid-season in Trevor Bauer. They should be a fantastic team this year.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers – The Dodgers aren’t a great team by any stretch of the matter, but after Arizona, this is a weak division. Los Angeles is good enough for second because they have four solid to okay pitchers after Clayton Kershaw to go along with Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier leading the mediocre offense.
3. San Francisco Giants – The Giants just aren’t a very good team. They have a great top three in their rotation with Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Madison Bumgarner, but Ryan Vogelsong can’t be expected to repeat his 2011 season, and Barry Zito is extremely mediocre. Also, their third best hitter is Melky Cabrera, and their best is Pablo Sandoval. That is a horrendous lineup.
4. San Diego Padres – Even after trading Mat Latos to the Reds, the Padres are still better than Colorado. San Diego has a decent rotation, with Cory Luebke, Clayton Richard, Tim Stauffer, Dustin Mosely, and Edinson Volquez. But the real reason they aren’t in last place is because the Rockies are absolutely awful.
5. Colorado Rockies – I haven’t seen a rotation as bad as Colorado’s since, well, I can’t remember one. Their “ace” is Jeremy Guthrie, who had a 4.33 ERA last year. Their #2 pitcher is Jamie Moyer, who didn’t play last year after having a 4.84 ERA in 2010. He’s 49 years old. Their #3 pitcher is Juan Nicasio, who posted a 4.14 ERA last season. Their #4 and #5 starters combine for 57 career starts. Oh, and their offense stinks, too.

NL Central:

1. Cincinnati Reds – Despite the Reds losing their closer, Ryan Madson, for the year, they still have a very good pitching staff. Their rotation sports Mat Latos (3.47 2011 ERA, 2.92 2010 ERA), Johnny Cueto (2.31 2011 ERA, 3.64 2010 ERA), Mike Leake (3.86, 4.23), Bronson Arroyo (5.07, 3.88), and either Homer Bailey (4.43, 4.46) or Aroldis Chapman (3.60, 2.03). That goes along with a very solid lineup, with Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce, Drew Stubbs, and Scott Rolen along with a couple of good rookie prospects.
2. St. Louis Cardinals (wild card) – The Cardinals get Adam Wainwright back this year after missing all of 2011, but also lose Chris Carpenter for an undetermined amount of time. St. Louis has a solid rotation and a solid lineup, and are a solid overall team. But solid is all that they are.
3. Chicago Cubs – The Cubs aren’t a very good team. They have a decent top two in their rotation with Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza, but they then finish the rotation with Jeff Samardzija, Chris Volstad, and Paul Maholm, with Maholm being the only one rotation-worthy. Their lineup has some good players sprinkled in, but lacks a great hitter.
4. Milwaukee Brewers – The loss of Prince Fielder is a killer for the Brewers, as he was a huge part of that lineup. I don’t expect Rickie Weeks to have the same kind of season he had last year, and the same goes for Nyjer Morgan and Aramis Ramirez.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates – The Pirates’ rotation is made of five #4 starters, with AJ Burnett, Jeff Karstens, Kevin Correia, Charlie Morton, and Erik Bedard. They have a solid bullpen and a solid lineup, with underrated players like Garrett Jones, Neil Walker, Jose Tabata, and Andrew McCutchen. But they don’t have a rotation to finish much higher than fifth.
6. Houston Astros – Houston is by far the worst team in the league. I have talked about how bad the Rockies, Orioles, Mariners, and White Sox are, but none of them compare to the disaster that is the Astros. After Wandy Rodriguez, their rotation consists of Bud Norris (#3 Triple-A starter talent level), JA Happ (long relief talent level), Jordan Lyles (Triple-A starter talent level), and Kyle Weiland (Double-A starter talent level). At catcher they have Jason Castro, the worst catcher in the majors, including backups, Carlos Lee, an aging veteran who is just okay now, Jose Altuve, a utility infield talent at best, Jed Lowrie, also a utility infield talent, Chris Johnson, a .260 hitter with about 10 homers a year, JD Martinez, who is also not deserving of a big league role, Jordan Schafer, who isn’t good enough to be a backup outfielder, and Brian Bogusevic, who would be in Triple-A with any other franchise. They are truly awful.

NL East:

1. Philadelphia Phillies – I think this is the last year that the Phillies will be a playoff contender for a while. Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee are both aging, and Cole Hamels is a free agent this offseason, and is probably leaving for the highest bidder. That means their rotation is sliding quite a bit. And their hitting is subpar already, and will just deteriorate more. Philadelphia has to have the oldest lineup in baseball. Their window of opportunity is closing fast, but they’ve got one more year in them.
2. Washington Nationals (wild card) – While the Phillies are falling downhill, the Nationals are skyrocketing in talent, with a really good young rotation, and a solid lineup to go along with it. The Gio Gonzalez trade they made this offseason should help them tremendously, and I think, will be a huge reason they make the playoffs.
3. Atlanta Braves – The Braves are like the Phillies. They are an aging team that has about one more good year in them before their window closes. However, I don’t think their year this season will be good enough, because they are just an okay team. They have an okay rotation with an okay lineup with a fantastic bullpen. If they make the playoffs, their bullpen will have to carry them there.
4. Miami Marlins – Miami made a big splash this offseason. They have a new stadium, new players, new ugly uniforms, a new manager, but not a new amount of success. The players they got (at ridiculous prices) are either injury-prone, old, or overrated, or all. I also don’t see that group of guys meshing well in a clubhouse and I see them being more of a circus than a baseball team.
5. New York Mets – The Mets are the only team that could make a claim to being worse than the Astros. They aren’t worse, but you could make an argument. They have no players that are All-Star worthy, and only about half of their team is major league worthy. They should finish double-digit games behind fourth place.


AL Awards:

MVP: Evan Longoria, TB
Runner-up: Jose Bautista, TOR

Cy Young: David Price, TB
Runner-up: Jeremy Hellickson, TB

Rookie of the Year: Jesus Montero, SEA
Runner-up: Matt Moore, TB

Manager of the Year: Ned Yost, KC
Runner-up: Ron Washington, TEX


NL Awards:

MVP: Joey Votto, CIN
Runner-up: Matt Kemp, LAD

Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw, LAD
Runner-up: Mat Latos, CIN

Rookie of the Year: Zack Cosart, CIN
Runner-up: Devin Mesoraco, CIN

Manager of the Year: Dusty Baker, CIN
Runner-up: Davey Johnson, WAS


Playoffs:

Wild Card Round:

Tampa Bay Rays over Los Angeles Angels

Washington Nationals over St. Louis Cardinals


ALDS:

Texas Rangers over Tampa Bay Rays

New York Yankees over Detroit Tigers


NLDS:

Cincinnati Reds over Washington Nationals

Arizona Diamondbacks over Philadelphia Phillies


ALCS:

Texas Rangers over New York Yankees


NLCS:

Arizona Diamondbacks over Cincinnati Reds


World Series:

Texas Rangers over Arizona Diamondbacks


Come back next week for an interview with Rangers pitcher Robbie Ross.

Spring Training Trip Report

My dad, my granddad, my grandma, and I went on a trip to Spring Training in Surprise, Arizona over Spring Break. It was the 7th straight year we’ve gone to Arizona for Rangers Spring Training, and the first for my grandma. We got there on Sunday, March 11th and left on Thursday, March 15th. It was a great trip and I had a blast. This week I’ll give a recap of my trip and a report on how the players looked.

Sunday, March 11th:

On Sunday morning, my dad and I had an 8:30 AM flight from Dallas to Phoenix, causing us to wake up at around 5:00-ish, which was not fun since it was the morning we last an hour due to daylight savings. However, the flight went very smoothly, as we got upgraded to first class and there were no delays. The rental car pick-up went smoothly when we got there and the drive to Surprise was just fine, too.

Once we got to Surprise, we went straight to the backfields and saw the amazingly large crowd of people that were back there. It was larger by a good amount than any other year. When we first started attending spring training in 2006, there were usually about 10-20 fans at the backfields during workouts. This year, I heard estimates of anywhere from 1000 to 1500 fans attending the workouts every morning. The scene has definitely changed as a result of the team’s success and popularity. One positive change this year is that the Rangers moved the entrance to the backfields from the west side to the east side. This makes it a much shorter walk to get to the fields where the major leaguers practice and, more importantly, is on the same side of the complex as the stadium, so you can now walk from the backfields to the stadium after morning workouts instead of driving.

We got our first look at Yu Darvish that morning, as he spent some time throwing the ball on the side. It was interesting to see the large group of Japanese reporters who followed him wherever he went during the week.

We also met up with my granddad and grandma once we got there, as they had driven up from Dallas so that they could see Sedona and the Grand Canyon once the Spring Training part of the trip was over. This year was my grandma’s first year to come with us.

After spending an hour or so at the morning workouts, my dad and I headed on into the stadium for the Rangers game against the Indians. Derek Holland pitched in this game against Kevin Slowey for Cleveland. Holland looked very sharp on the mound, going three innings and allowing one run. Greg Reynolds also pitched well in relief, throwing two perfect innings. I can’t say the same about Joe Beimel though, and despite his not allowing a run, he looked poor, throwing 86 mph, completely straight fastballs with poor command on almost every pitch. Neal Cotts, another lefty, was also very uninspiring, throwing in the low-90s with poor command. However, Mitch Stetter, a third straight lefty, looked brilliant, with great movement and location making up for his low-80s fastball. Michael Kirkman pitched very okay in his inning of work. Hitting-wise, Luis Hernandez and Yangervis Solarte, two men fighting for the utility infield job, both played well, combining to go 3-for-5. Julio Borbon also played well at the plate, but made a base running blunder and got picked off of second. The Rangers ended up winning the game 6-1, with 3 of those runs coming in the 4th inning, an inning which seemed to go on forever. Tony Sipp was the pitcher, and he was using every possible tactic to delay throwing the ball. His at-bat vs. Solarte took so long that the on-deck hitter, Josh Hamilton, ended up sitting down on a chair next to the coaches by the end of the at-bat.

It was great being back at the Rangers stadium in Surprise, which is still one of the nicest stadiums in the Cactus League. It has open concourses and a good look and feel to it. It’s a comfortable place to watch a game. The only negative is that they need a bigger gift shop. It has two but they’re both too small to handle the large crowds the Rangers are now drawing. The weather was perfect all week. A little hot in the sun but perfect in the shade. We know the stadiums well enough that we made sure all of our seats were in the shade throughout the week when we bought tickets.

After the game ended the three of us picked up my grandma and drove over to Red Robin for dinner. We go there every year, and their burgers and fries are fantastic. After we ate, we drove to our hotel, which is on the same street as the Rangers ballpark, just a 2 to 3 minute walk away, checked in, hung out, and went to sleep.


Monday, March 12th:

I went over to the morning workouts again this morning, and I got to watch Neil Ramirez and Martin Perez each throw simulated sessions. Ramirez really struggled, having a hard time keeping the ball down, as he left almost all of his pitches up in the zone. Perez also had some trouble, as his curveball was all over the place despite him having pinpoint fastball command. As far as batting practice went, Elvis Andrus and Adrian Beltre were by far the two most impressive hitters, while Michael Young really struggled, hitting weak grounders on almost every pitch. To get by the media this morning, Yu Darvish hid on the back of a golf cart until he got to a roped off area. Also, Josh Hamilton, as always, was really good with kids and was really, really friendly. I also got to see and talk with TR Sullivan, Evan Grant, and Jamey Newberg .

My dad, granddad, and I went to Peoria after the workouts to see the Rangers play at the Mariners, and Matt Harrison started this one. Like Holland, Matt went 3 innings and allowed 1 run, and like Holland, Matt pitched very well. The pitchers after him were Yoshinori Tateyama, who pitched well, Mark Lowe, who was okay, Joe Nathan, who had no control and allowed 3 runs in 1 inning, and Mark Hamburger, who also struggled, allowing 2 runs in 2 innings. At the plate, no one was very impressive and no one had more than one hit. However, both Nellie Cruz and David Murphy hit solo homers. The final score was Mariners 6, Rangers 4.

Peoria has a middle-of-the-road spring training stadium. It’s a nice enough place to watch a game but has closed concourses, so you can’t see the game when you get concessions or walk to the restroom.

Before the game, I got to meet Rollie Fingers, who was signing autographs for charity. For $20, you got an autographed ball, with a case for it, plus you got to pose for a picture with Rollie. He seemed like a good guy.

After the game we did the same thing we did on Sunday, we picked my grandma up and went to eat, this time at NYPD (New York Pizza Department). Like Red Robin, we go there every year. NYPD has such good pizza, and I got pepperoni and sausage. After dinner, we went back to the hotel room and I watched some Prison Break and a little of The Office before going to bed.


Tuesday, March 13th:

Tuesday morning was a pretty slow one at the Rangers backfields, and the only thing of note that I saw was a Greg Reynolds simulated session. Greg didn’t pitch too well, as despite good command of his pitches, he had almost no speed and almost no movement. He got hit pretty hard.

The Rangers played at the Indians (in Goodyear) this game, and my grandma came with us to this one (her first-ever spring training game). It was also Yu Darvish’s start. It was a very interesting atmosphere, as the fans were much more into this game than any other one, and there were Japanese advertisements in the Rangers bullpen. Darvish struggled a bit in this one, walking 4 and allowing 2 runs in 3 innings of work. He had some control issues but you could also see that he has good movement. But he wasn’t the only pitcher to struggle, as Koji Uehara came in after him and allowed 2 runs in just 1 inning, and Joe Beimel and Mike Adams both did the same thing in the 5th and 6th innings. Tanner Scheppers, Robbie Ross, Mitch Stetter, and Roman Mendez combined to throw 4 scoreless frames the rest of the way, with Ross really pitching well. Craig Gentry sprained his wrist going after a fly ball early on in the game. At the plate, Yangervis Solarte had another good game, hitting a home run. Yorvit Torrealba, Engel Beltre, and Mitch Moreland also hit well in this one. The game ended in an 8-8 tie after going 10 innings.

Goodyear is a very disappointing ballpark, as even though it is one of the newest, it is awful. It has this metal that is designed to look old and rusty, which is ugly, and has almost no shade. However, the Reds and Indians backfields are very nice.

Once we left the game, we drove straight to Outback, and then went back to our hotel. I watched the NCAA tournament first-round games and then went to sleep.


Wednesday, March 14th:

Wednesday was a very good day at the Rangers backfields, as I got to see Alexi Ogando, Derek Holland, and Scott Feldman all throw simulated sessions. Ogando and Holland both looked fantastic, each with good to great command with nasty movement, but Feldman really struggled, with poor command and not much movement. I interviewed both Jared Hoying and Robbie Ross this morning, and those interviews should be posted within the next few weeks. They’re both great guys and I appreciated their giving me their time.

After the workouts, we headed over to the Rangers ballpark to watch the Rockies at the Rangers. Feliz was the starter in this one, and went 3 innings allowing 1 run. Despite allowing 4 hits, Neftali pitched great, and really controlled his breaking stuff, which had a lot of movement. However, after Feliz came out, the pitching fell apart, with Kirkman allowing 1 run in 1 inning, Sean Green allowing 3 runs in 0.2 innings, Cotts allowing 1 run in 1.1 innings, but then finishing with 3 scoreless innings by Cody Eppley, Miguel De Los Santos, and Justin Miller. Offensively, Ian Kinsler was the only Ranger with multiple hits. Colorado won the game 6-1.

After the Rangers game, my dad, granddad, and I picked up my grandma and we all drove down to Scottsdale to see the Diamondbacks play at the Rockies (Colorado had a split-squad this day). Both teams play at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, which is the newest ballpark in the Cactus League and by far the nicest. It has great food selection, a great jumbotron, and a lot of shade. The Rockies won that game 7-4. The only disappointment was our choice of food for the evening. They had a burger bar, which made itself appear like it was a real burger place. Normally burgers from concession stands are terrible. But we were assured that these were high quality and not typical concession burgers, so we ordered some. What we got were standard ballpark burgers, pre-cooked and pre-wrapped with no flavor.

After the 6th inning we headed on back to our hotel since it was about an hour away. We all crashed almost as soon as we got back.


Thursday, March 15th:

Thursday was the last day in Phoenix for me and my dad, and my grandma and granddad were already gone to see Sedona and the Grand Canyon. This morning I interviewed Mike Adams (another great guy). I also got to watch, or should I say had to watch, Koji Uehara throw a simulated session. He left almost every pitch either down the middle or up in the zone and he got crushed.

Since we were leaving this day and Surprise is so far away from the airport, my dad and I drove down to Tempe Diablo Stadium to see the Reds at the Angels. The Angels stadium is one of the worst. It looks great from the outside but has nothing to offer from the inside. It has narrow concourses, making it incredibly congested and hard to walk, and probably has the least amount of shade of any ballpark in the Cactus League.

We got to see a tremendous pitching match-up between CJ Wilson and Johnny Cueto. I actually got to talk to CJ for a couple of minutes before the game, and as always, he was super nice. It was a very well-pitched game by both pitchers, and the two teams combined for 5 extra base hits the entire game. The Angels won the game, 3-1.

Our experience getting home was the exact opposite of when we flew to Phoenix. Going there, we had an early morning flight with no delays, we got upgraded to first class, and we got there on time. Coming back, we had a late night flight in coach (which was packed), with a two-hour long delay and we didn’t get home until after 1 AM.

Despite a bad ending, it was an amazing trip, like always. I would like to thank my dad and granddad for taking me every year, and my grandma for coming with us this time. It was a lot of fun.

Come back next week for my pre-season predictions.