I did an interview this week with Thomas Diamond. I have been able to talk to Thomas a few times over the past year and he has always been very friendly to me. He is a great guy and is very open to the fans, especially the kids. Below are the results of my interview.
Question 1: Who are your three favorite teammates since you joined the Rangers organization and why?
Answer: It is hard to say, because everyone seems to get along pretty good. John Danks is one, because we can relate to each other. We are both in a similar situation here. Jesse Chavez is another guy, because we hang around a lot at the field and play cards together. Travis Metcalf would have to be my third. He is my roommate on the road, and he is a great teammate.
Question 2: Can you please rate the ballparks in the Rangers organization that you’ve played in from 1 to 10 (10 being the best) and explain your ratings?
Answer: I have been in all of them except Oklahoma City, so they will not be in this. Frisco by far is the best. I give that stadium the 10. Spokane is the second best, receiving probably a 7. Third would probably have to be Bakersfield. That field would get about a 5. Last would be Clinton. The park was just really old and the factories around it were bad. However, every place has extremely great fans that supported me no matter what.
Question 3: Did you notice a difference between single-A and double-A hitters and, if so, what is it?
Answer: There is a difference. Some people say that the single-A to double-A jump is the biggest that a player has to make. The hitters are a lot more disciplined at the plate, and they work more counts.
Question 4: What are three major differences between major league and minor league spring training camps?
Answer: One you get to leave earlier at big league camp. Two the pay is better. Three there are less people doing drills in big league camp than at minor league camp.
Question 5: What is the toughest thing about minor league life and why?
Answer: The constant bus life around the different leagues. It’s tough to play a 7:00 game and then have a bus trip for seven hours after that game. We have to be ready to play no matter how long the trip is.
Question 6: Who are the three toughest hitters you’ve faced and why?
Answer: So far this year they have been Hunter Pence from Corpus, Alex Gordon from Wichita, and Lahair from San Antonio.
Question 7: What was your favorite team growing up?
Answer: The Atlanta Braves.
Question 8: What sports did you play growing up and which were you best at?
Answer: Football, Basketball, and Baseball. I was better at football.
Question 9: What are your hobbies?
Answer: Fishing, golf, and just hanging out.
Question 10: What was the biggest reason that you decided to go to college instead of going to the Devil Rays when you were drafted in 2001?
Answer: I didn't really feel that I was ready to take on pro ball at the age of 18.
Question 11: How did you feel when you dominated the Northwoods League?
Answer: I really didn't feel anything. I just went out every five days and tried to get people out.
Question 12: What is the worst injury you’ve had to deal with?
Answer: I strained my MCL my sophomore year of high school. I was going to be the #3 starter on our team behind two seniors, but when I got hurt I couldn't throw for the rest of the season.
I thank Thomas for doing this interview. I know that he is very busy and it was very nice of him to give me this much time, which just proves how great of a guy he is.
Come back next week for my analysis of the Marc LaMacchia trade. After that will be my May awards, which were postponed because of the interview and the trade.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Rangers Hall of Fame Predictions Part 3 of 3
Two weeks ago I analyzed the 1980’s candidates for the 2006 Rangers Hall of Fame induction. This week, I will look at the players from the 1990’s decade.
Decade 3: Will Clark, Mark McLemore, Dean Palmer, Roger Pavlik, Mickey Tettleton and Bobby Witt.
Will Clark:
Clark played for the Rangers from 1994-98. He holds the Rangers all-time record for the highest OBP for a season for a left-hander at .431 in 1994 and ranks 2nd on the Rangers’ all-time batting average list at .308. Will also ranks 10th on the Rangers all-time walks list with 324. He was an All-Star in 1994. Clark has the popularity and stats to have the best chance of getting into the Rangers Hall of Fame for this decade.
Percentage 65%
Mark McLemore:
Mark played for the Rangers from 1995-99 and in those years he got the highest batting average for a month, for a Ranger, at .472. He is 2nd on the Rangers’ all-time stolen base list with 83 and 8th on the Rangers’ all-time walks list 358. McLemore might have enough popularity to be inducted in his 1st eligible year but probably will have to wait.
Percentage 23%
Dean Palmer:
Palmer played for the Rangers in 1989 and 1991-97. He ranks 6th on the Rangers’ all-time home run list with 154 and 9th on the Rangers’ all-time runs list with 425. He also ranks 6th on the Rangers’ all-time slugging percentage list at .470. Palmer is the 3rd most deserving (behind Will Clark and Bobby Witt) and also the 4th most popular (behind Will Clark, Bobby Witt and Mark McLemore), which isn’t good enough for him to be inducted this year.
Percentage 10%
Roger Pavlik:
Pavlik played for the Rangers from 1992-98. He is tied with 3 for the best record after 10 decisions for a Ranger, going 9-1 in 1996. He was an All-Star in 1996. Pavlik isn’t very popular and didn’t have a very good career as a Ranger so he probably won’t be inducted this year.
Percentage 3%
Mickey Tettleton:
Tettleton was a Ranger from 1995-97, having his best year in ’95 when he batted .238 with 32 HR and 78 RBI’s. He didn’t do well enough for the Rangers, didn’t play long enough for the Rangers and isn’t popular enough to be inducted this year.
Percentage 0%
Bobby Witt:
Witt played for the Rangers from 1986-92 and 1995-98. He is tied with 3 players for the best start for a Rangers starting pitcher at 6-0 in 1997 and has the most consecutive wins as a Ranger with 12 in 1990. Bobby ranks 4th on the Rangers’ all-time games list at 276 and 5th on the Rangers’ all-time complete games list with 33. He also ranks 3rd on the Rangers’ all-time wins list with 104, is tied for 9th with 4 others on the Rangers’ all-time shutouts list with 5 and is 2nd on the Rangers’ all-time strikeouts list with 1,405. Witt is the most deserving player in this decade and the 2nd most popular in this decade, which I think gives him the 2nd best chance.
Percentage 42%
Come back next week for my May awards.
Decade 3: Will Clark, Mark McLemore, Dean Palmer, Roger Pavlik, Mickey Tettleton and Bobby Witt.
Will Clark:
Clark played for the Rangers from 1994-98. He holds the Rangers all-time record for the highest OBP for a season for a left-hander at .431 in 1994 and ranks 2nd on the Rangers’ all-time batting average list at .308. Will also ranks 10th on the Rangers all-time walks list with 324. He was an All-Star in 1994. Clark has the popularity and stats to have the best chance of getting into the Rangers Hall of Fame for this decade.
Percentage 65%
Mark McLemore:
Mark played for the Rangers from 1995-99 and in those years he got the highest batting average for a month, for a Ranger, at .472. He is 2nd on the Rangers’ all-time stolen base list with 83 and 8th on the Rangers’ all-time walks list 358. McLemore might have enough popularity to be inducted in his 1st eligible year but probably will have to wait.
Percentage 23%
Dean Palmer:
Palmer played for the Rangers in 1989 and 1991-97. He ranks 6th on the Rangers’ all-time home run list with 154 and 9th on the Rangers’ all-time runs list with 425. He also ranks 6th on the Rangers’ all-time slugging percentage list at .470. Palmer is the 3rd most deserving (behind Will Clark and Bobby Witt) and also the 4th most popular (behind Will Clark, Bobby Witt and Mark McLemore), which isn’t good enough for him to be inducted this year.
Percentage 10%
Roger Pavlik:
Pavlik played for the Rangers from 1992-98. He is tied with 3 for the best record after 10 decisions for a Ranger, going 9-1 in 1996. He was an All-Star in 1996. Pavlik isn’t very popular and didn’t have a very good career as a Ranger so he probably won’t be inducted this year.
Percentage 3%
Mickey Tettleton:
Tettleton was a Ranger from 1995-97, having his best year in ’95 when he batted .238 with 32 HR and 78 RBI’s. He didn’t do well enough for the Rangers, didn’t play long enough for the Rangers and isn’t popular enough to be inducted this year.
Percentage 0%
Bobby Witt:
Witt played for the Rangers from 1986-92 and 1995-98. He is tied with 3 players for the best start for a Rangers starting pitcher at 6-0 in 1997 and has the most consecutive wins as a Ranger with 12 in 1990. Bobby ranks 4th on the Rangers’ all-time games list at 276 and 5th on the Rangers’ all-time complete games list with 33. He also ranks 3rd on the Rangers’ all-time wins list with 104, is tied for 9th with 4 others on the Rangers’ all-time shutouts list with 5 and is 2nd on the Rangers’ all-time strikeouts list with 1,405. Witt is the most deserving player in this decade and the 2nd most popular in this decade, which I think gives him the 2nd best chance.
Percentage 42%
Come back next week for my May awards.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Shouse, Hudgins, and Sinisi Traded
I’m delaying the third part of the Rangers Hall of Fame ballot review to analyze the two trades that happened this week.
Trade 1 - The Rangers traded John Hudgins and Vincent Sinisi to the Padres for Freddy Guzman and Cesar Rojas.
John Hudgins:
John was a third round pick for the Rangers in 2003 after pitching in the College World Series.
In ’04 (his first full season), John looked great and like he might be a real prospect. He had his career year and pitched best in Stockton. Here are his lines for the 2004 season.
2004:
Oklahoma:
0-1, 7.50 ERA, 3 games, 2 starts, 12 IP, 8 SO
Frisco:
5-3, 3.13 ERA, 12 games, 12 starts, 69 IP, 64 SO
Stockton:
3-1, 2.35 ERA, 15 games, 11 starts, 65 IP, 73 SO
Combined:
8-5, 3.14 ERA, 30 games, 25 starts, 146 IP, 145 SO
In ’05, he had a major downfall and had to go back down to Frisco before getting injured with a sore right forearm, which had to have surgery.
2005:
Oklahoma:
3-7, 5.87 ERA, 19 games, 19 starts, 102.2 IP, 77 SO
Frisco:
1-2, 4.67 ERA, 3 games, 2 starts, 17.1 IP, 11 SO
Combined:4-9, 5.70 ERA, 22 games, 21 starts, 120 IP, 88 SO
So far in 2006, he has really struggled with a 6.38 ERA in 7 games. He has pitched more in relief than as a starter but looks like he will become a starter in the Padres organization.
2006:
Oklahoma:
1-1, 6.38 ERA, 7 games, 2 starts, 18.1 IP, 16 SO
Vincent Sinisi:
The Rangers selected Sinisi in the second round in 2003.
In 2004, Vincent got off to a great start and put up these numbers:
2004:
Stockton:63 games, 248 AB, 7 HR, 40 RBI, .310 AVG, .383 OBP, .472 SLG
During the 2004 season, Sinisi ran into Joaquin Arias on a short fly ball and broke his forearm. It required seven surgeries and he was out until May 2005.
Sinisi started off the year in Bakersfield and played great, earning a promotion to Frisco where he was on fire for the 1st week but then fell apart for the rest of the season.
2005:
Frisco:
65 games, 248 AB, 4 HR, 29 RBI, .258 AVG, .300 OBP, .343 SLG
Bakersfield:
35 games, 135 AB, 6 HR, 22 RBI, .363 AVG, .438 OBP, .600 SLG
So far in 2006, Sinisi has struggled in Oklahoma but played well in Frisco, even though he has hit for almost no power.
2006:
Oklahoma:
14 games, 50 AB, 0 HR, 7 RBI, .220 AVG, .298 OBP, .300 SLG
Frisco:
18 games, 68 AB, 0 HR, 9 RBI, .309 AVG, .373 OBP, .368 SLG
Freddy Guzman:
In 2004, Guzman hit .283 with a .359 OBP for the Padres’ AA team and was promoted to AAA, where he batted .292 with a .365 OBP. This earned him his major league debut.
In 2005, he was competing for the starting center field job before he blew out the elbow on his throwing arm, making him undergo Tommy John surgery to end his season.
So far this year, he struggled in April but has really performed well so far in May.
Here are his career stats.
Minor league career stats prior to this year:
5 seasons, 369 games, 1434 AB, 7 HR, 106 RBI, .272 AVG, .355 OBP, .352 SLG, 253 stolen bases
Major league stats:
1 season (2004 with San Diego), 20 games, 76 AB, 0 HR, 5 RBI, .211 AVG, .250 OBP, .250 SLG, 5 stolen bases
2006 AAA stats:
30 games, 124 AB, 2 HR, 14 RBI, .274 AVG, .348 OBP, .411 SLG, 11 stolen bases
Cesar Rojas:
Cesar signed with the Padres out of Venezuela in 2002. He is only 19 years old. He has pitched one year in the US (2005) and struggled in the Arizona Rookie League with the following stats:
2-4, 6.75 ERA, 13 games, 11 starts, 49.1 IP, 33 SO
Trade Evaluation:
John Hudgins looked like a great prospect in 2004 but then started struggling and does not seem likely to make the majors anytime soon.
Vincent Sinisi would have good potential if he was a center fielder, second baseman, or shortstop but since he plays first base and left field, his potential is limited because he doesn’t have enough power for those positions. If he can move to those positions and field them well enough, he might be able to make a starting lineup someday.
Freddy Guzman seems to be a pretty good prospect with a lot of speed that could become the Rangers’ center fielder in a couple of years and may make the Rangers as a fourth outfielder and pinch runner this year.
Cesar Rojas looks like he might be a good pitching prospect if he can get his ERA down.
Overall, I think we gave up two players who probably won’t do much in the majors for a player that will probably help us soon and a player that might help us in a few years.
Grade: A-
Trade 2 - The Rangers traded Brian Shouse to the Brewers for Enrique Cruz and a player to be named later.
Brian Shouse:
Shouse made his MLB debut with the Pirates in 1993 but didn’t pitch in the majors again until ’98 with the Red Sox.
Major League career stats prior to 2006:
6 seasons, 5-4, 3.98 ERA, 215 games, 185.1 IP, 128 SO
He joined the Rangers in 2003 and put up the following stats last year:
2005:
Texas:
3-2, 5.23 ERA, 64 games, 53.1 IP, 35 SO
Shouse made the team out of Spring Training but got injured early in the year and has been on rehab since. Here are his 2006 stats.
2006:
Texas:
0-0, 4.15 ERA, 6 games, 4.1 IP, 3 SO
Oklahoma:
0-1, 5.40 ERA, 5 games, 5.0 IP, 3 SO
Frisco:
0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 games, 2.0 IP, 1 SO
Enrique Cruz:
Enrique has spent one year in the majors and that was in 2003 with the Brewers, but it was only because he was taken in the rule 5 draft from the Mets.
Here are his major league totals:
60 games, 71 AB, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .085 AVG, .145 OBP, .099 SLG
In 2005 at AA, he hit .300 with a .354 OBP and .466 SLG, with 14 HR.
Trade Evaluation:
Brian Shouse has performed well in the past but has struggled lately. He might be struggling because he is becoming a veteran and his arm might be thrown out from throwing underhanded so much. I think that it was good to trade him now before his value drops even more. Brian is a situational lefty, so he usually only pitches to one batter at a time, making it hard to keep him on the roster.
Enrique Cruz seems to be one of those players who would surprise you if he ever bats over .280 in the majors and probably does not have a great chance of making the MLB.
This sounds worse than it is because Shouse had been designated for assignment so it’s good that we got anything for him.
Grade: B+
Come back next week for the last part of the Rangers Hall of Fame ballot analysis.
Trade 1 - The Rangers traded John Hudgins and Vincent Sinisi to the Padres for Freddy Guzman and Cesar Rojas.
John Hudgins:
John was a third round pick for the Rangers in 2003 after pitching in the College World Series.
In ’04 (his first full season), John looked great and like he might be a real prospect. He had his career year and pitched best in Stockton. Here are his lines for the 2004 season.
2004:
Oklahoma:
0-1, 7.50 ERA, 3 games, 2 starts, 12 IP, 8 SO
Frisco:
5-3, 3.13 ERA, 12 games, 12 starts, 69 IP, 64 SO
Stockton:
3-1, 2.35 ERA, 15 games, 11 starts, 65 IP, 73 SO
Combined:
8-5, 3.14 ERA, 30 games, 25 starts, 146 IP, 145 SO
In ’05, he had a major downfall and had to go back down to Frisco before getting injured with a sore right forearm, which had to have surgery.
2005:
Oklahoma:
3-7, 5.87 ERA, 19 games, 19 starts, 102.2 IP, 77 SO
Frisco:
1-2, 4.67 ERA, 3 games, 2 starts, 17.1 IP, 11 SO
Combined:4-9, 5.70 ERA, 22 games, 21 starts, 120 IP, 88 SO
So far in 2006, he has really struggled with a 6.38 ERA in 7 games. He has pitched more in relief than as a starter but looks like he will become a starter in the Padres organization.
2006:
Oklahoma:
1-1, 6.38 ERA, 7 games, 2 starts, 18.1 IP, 16 SO
Vincent Sinisi:
The Rangers selected Sinisi in the second round in 2003.
In 2004, Vincent got off to a great start and put up these numbers:
2004:
Stockton:63 games, 248 AB, 7 HR, 40 RBI, .310 AVG, .383 OBP, .472 SLG
During the 2004 season, Sinisi ran into Joaquin Arias on a short fly ball and broke his forearm. It required seven surgeries and he was out until May 2005.
Sinisi started off the year in Bakersfield and played great, earning a promotion to Frisco where he was on fire for the 1st week but then fell apart for the rest of the season.
2005:
Frisco:
65 games, 248 AB, 4 HR, 29 RBI, .258 AVG, .300 OBP, .343 SLG
Bakersfield:
35 games, 135 AB, 6 HR, 22 RBI, .363 AVG, .438 OBP, .600 SLG
So far in 2006, Sinisi has struggled in Oklahoma but played well in Frisco, even though he has hit for almost no power.
2006:
Oklahoma:
14 games, 50 AB, 0 HR, 7 RBI, .220 AVG, .298 OBP, .300 SLG
Frisco:
18 games, 68 AB, 0 HR, 9 RBI, .309 AVG, .373 OBP, .368 SLG
Freddy Guzman:
In 2004, Guzman hit .283 with a .359 OBP for the Padres’ AA team and was promoted to AAA, where he batted .292 with a .365 OBP. This earned him his major league debut.
In 2005, he was competing for the starting center field job before he blew out the elbow on his throwing arm, making him undergo Tommy John surgery to end his season.
So far this year, he struggled in April but has really performed well so far in May.
Here are his career stats.
Minor league career stats prior to this year:
5 seasons, 369 games, 1434 AB, 7 HR, 106 RBI, .272 AVG, .355 OBP, .352 SLG, 253 stolen bases
Major league stats:
1 season (2004 with San Diego), 20 games, 76 AB, 0 HR, 5 RBI, .211 AVG, .250 OBP, .250 SLG, 5 stolen bases
2006 AAA stats:
30 games, 124 AB, 2 HR, 14 RBI, .274 AVG, .348 OBP, .411 SLG, 11 stolen bases
Cesar Rojas:
Cesar signed with the Padres out of Venezuela in 2002. He is only 19 years old. He has pitched one year in the US (2005) and struggled in the Arizona Rookie League with the following stats:
2-4, 6.75 ERA, 13 games, 11 starts, 49.1 IP, 33 SO
Trade Evaluation:
John Hudgins looked like a great prospect in 2004 but then started struggling and does not seem likely to make the majors anytime soon.
Vincent Sinisi would have good potential if he was a center fielder, second baseman, or shortstop but since he plays first base and left field, his potential is limited because he doesn’t have enough power for those positions. If he can move to those positions and field them well enough, he might be able to make a starting lineup someday.
Freddy Guzman seems to be a pretty good prospect with a lot of speed that could become the Rangers’ center fielder in a couple of years and may make the Rangers as a fourth outfielder and pinch runner this year.
Cesar Rojas looks like he might be a good pitching prospect if he can get his ERA down.
Overall, I think we gave up two players who probably won’t do much in the majors for a player that will probably help us soon and a player that might help us in a few years.
Grade: A-
Trade 2 - The Rangers traded Brian Shouse to the Brewers for Enrique Cruz and a player to be named later.
Brian Shouse:
Shouse made his MLB debut with the Pirates in 1993 but didn’t pitch in the majors again until ’98 with the Red Sox.
Major League career stats prior to 2006:
6 seasons, 5-4, 3.98 ERA, 215 games, 185.1 IP, 128 SO
He joined the Rangers in 2003 and put up the following stats last year:
2005:
Texas:
3-2, 5.23 ERA, 64 games, 53.1 IP, 35 SO
Shouse made the team out of Spring Training but got injured early in the year and has been on rehab since. Here are his 2006 stats.
2006:
Texas:
0-0, 4.15 ERA, 6 games, 4.1 IP, 3 SO
Oklahoma:
0-1, 5.40 ERA, 5 games, 5.0 IP, 3 SO
Frisco:
0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 games, 2.0 IP, 1 SO
Enrique Cruz:
Enrique has spent one year in the majors and that was in 2003 with the Brewers, but it was only because he was taken in the rule 5 draft from the Mets.
Here are his major league totals:
60 games, 71 AB, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .085 AVG, .145 OBP, .099 SLG
In 2005 at AA, he hit .300 with a .354 OBP and .466 SLG, with 14 HR.
Trade Evaluation:
Brian Shouse has performed well in the past but has struggled lately. He might be struggling because he is becoming a veteran and his arm might be thrown out from throwing underhanded so much. I think that it was good to trade him now before his value drops even more. Brian is a situational lefty, so he usually only pitches to one batter at a time, making it hard to keep him on the roster.
Enrique Cruz seems to be one of those players who would surprise you if he ever bats over .280 in the majors and probably does not have a great chance of making the MLB.
This sounds worse than it is because Shouse had been designated for assignment so it’s good that we got anything for him.
Grade: B+
Come back next week for the last part of the Rangers Hall of Fame ballot analysis.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Rangers Hall of Fame Predictions Part 2 of 3
Two weeks ago I analyzed the 1970’s candidates for the 2006 Rangers Hall of Fame induction. This week, I will look at the players from the 1980’s decade.
Decade 2: Steve Buechele, Danny Darwin, Pete O’Brien, Larry Parrish, Jeff Russell and Mickey Rivers.
Steve Buechele:
Steve played for the Rangers from 1985-91 and 1995. Buechele ranks 10th on the Rangers’ all-time number of games list. Steve set a MLB record with a .991 fielding percentage at third base in 1991. I think he is the least deserving on this list but the most popular which makes me think that he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.
Percentage 55%
Danny Darwin:
Danny played with the Rangers from 1978-1984 and in 1995. The “Bonham Bullet” is tied with 3 players for the best Rangers record after 10 decisions at 9-1 in 1980. He’s 8th on the Rangers’ all-time games list at 224. Danny is 7th on the Rangers’ all-time loss list with 52 but is also 8th on their all-time wins list with 55. Darwin is tied for 9th with 4 others on the Rangers’ all-time shutouts list with 5 and 10th on their all-time strikeouts list with 566. He is also 7th on their all-time ERA list at 3.71. Darwin is definitely close to the top half for the most deserving but also is the least popular in the ‘80’s, so I think that he will not make it this year.
Percentage 3%
Pete O’Brien:
Pete was a 1st baseman for the Rangers from 1982-88 and ranks 9th on their all-time # of games. He’s 9th on the Rangers’ all-time RBI list with 487 and also is 10th on their all-time runs list with 419 (tied with Larry Parrish). Pete is 6th on the Rangers’ all-time walks list 444, 8th on their all-time slugging percentage list at .432, and 9th on their all-time hits list at 914. Pete also ranks 6th on the Rangers’ all-time OBP list with .348. He is decently popular and decently deserving which I think gives him a decent chance of winning.
Percentage 32%
Larry Parrish:
Larry played for the Rangers from 1982-88 just like Pete O’Brien. He is tied for the AL record for the most grand slams in a week with 3 other players at 3 in 1982 and ranks 7th on the all-time Rangers’ home run list with 149. Parrish is 7th on the Rangers’ all-time RBI list with 522 and also is 10th on their all-time runs list tied with Pete O’Brien with 419. He also ranks 7th on their all-time slugging percentage list at .454 and 10th on their all-time hits list at 852. He was an All-Star in 1987 for the Rangers. Larry isn’t that popular but is very deserving as he played very well for the Rangers. He is probably not going to be inducted this year.
Percentage 10%
Jeff Russell:
Jeff played with the Rangers from 1985-92 and 1995-96. He is tied with 3 players for the best start for a Rangers starting pitcher at 6-0 in 1988. Jeff ranks 2nd on the Rangers’ all-time games list at 445 and 2nd on their all-time saves list with 134. He also ranks 8th on their all-time ERA list at 3.73. During his career as a Ranger he was an All-Star in 1988 and 1989. I think Jeff is very deserving but isn’t popular enough to win this year.
Percentage 12%
Mickey Rivers:
Mickey played with the Rangers from 1979-84. He holds the highest batting average in a season for a Rangers’ left-hander at .333 and the most singles in a season by a Ranger at 165 in 1980. Rivers also ranks 7th on the Rangers’ all-time batting average list at .303. Mickey is probably the 3rd most popular player (after O’Brien and Buechele) in this decade and the 2nd most deserving (after Russell) in this decade, which gives him a pretty good chance.
Percentage 38%
Come back next week for the conclusion of my Hall of Fame analysis series.
Decade 2: Steve Buechele, Danny Darwin, Pete O’Brien, Larry Parrish, Jeff Russell and Mickey Rivers.
Steve Buechele:
Steve played for the Rangers from 1985-91 and 1995. Buechele ranks 10th on the Rangers’ all-time number of games list. Steve set a MLB record with a .991 fielding percentage at third base in 1991. I think he is the least deserving on this list but the most popular which makes me think that he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.
Percentage 55%
Danny Darwin:
Danny played with the Rangers from 1978-1984 and in 1995. The “Bonham Bullet” is tied with 3 players for the best Rangers record after 10 decisions at 9-1 in 1980. He’s 8th on the Rangers’ all-time games list at 224. Danny is 7th on the Rangers’ all-time loss list with 52 but is also 8th on their all-time wins list with 55. Darwin is tied for 9th with 4 others on the Rangers’ all-time shutouts list with 5 and 10th on their all-time strikeouts list with 566. He is also 7th on their all-time ERA list at 3.71. Darwin is definitely close to the top half for the most deserving but also is the least popular in the ‘80’s, so I think that he will not make it this year.
Percentage 3%
Pete O’Brien:
Pete was a 1st baseman for the Rangers from 1982-88 and ranks 9th on their all-time # of games. He’s 9th on the Rangers’ all-time RBI list with 487 and also is 10th on their all-time runs list with 419 (tied with Larry Parrish). Pete is 6th on the Rangers’ all-time walks list 444, 8th on their all-time slugging percentage list at .432, and 9th on their all-time hits list at 914. Pete also ranks 6th on the Rangers’ all-time OBP list with .348. He is decently popular and decently deserving which I think gives him a decent chance of winning.
Percentage 32%
Larry Parrish:
Larry played for the Rangers from 1982-88 just like Pete O’Brien. He is tied for the AL record for the most grand slams in a week with 3 other players at 3 in 1982 and ranks 7th on the all-time Rangers’ home run list with 149. Parrish is 7th on the Rangers’ all-time RBI list with 522 and also is 10th on their all-time runs list tied with Pete O’Brien with 419. He also ranks 7th on their all-time slugging percentage list at .454 and 10th on their all-time hits list at 852. He was an All-Star in 1987 for the Rangers. Larry isn’t that popular but is very deserving as he played very well for the Rangers. He is probably not going to be inducted this year.
Percentage 10%
Jeff Russell:
Jeff played with the Rangers from 1985-92 and 1995-96. He is tied with 3 players for the best start for a Rangers starting pitcher at 6-0 in 1988. Jeff ranks 2nd on the Rangers’ all-time games list at 445 and 2nd on their all-time saves list with 134. He also ranks 8th on their all-time ERA list at 3.73. During his career as a Ranger he was an All-Star in 1988 and 1989. I think Jeff is very deserving but isn’t popular enough to win this year.
Percentage 12%
Mickey Rivers:
Mickey played with the Rangers from 1979-84. He holds the highest batting average in a season for a Rangers’ left-hander at .333 and the most singles in a season by a Ranger at 165 in 1980. Rivers also ranks 7th on the Rangers’ all-time batting average list at .303. Mickey is probably the 3rd most popular player (after O’Brien and Buechele) in this decade and the 2nd most deserving (after Russell) in this decade, which gives him a pretty good chance.
Percentage 38%
Come back next week for the conclusion of my Hall of Fame analysis series.
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