Texas Rangers Trades

Yu Darvish and Brad Hawpe Analysis

2012-01-22T20:00:00.001-06:00

This week I will provide my analysis on both of the Rangers’ moves this week, the signing of Yu Darvish, and the signing of Brad Hawpe. I also provided a look-ahead for the rest of the offseason. This post will be a fairly short one as I was gone all of Saturday at a church retreat.

YU DARVISH: I really like this signing, as I think Yu is a future ace, and the Rangers are getting him right at the beginning of the prime of his career at age 25. He has a career 1.99 ERA in Japan, including an ERA of 1.44 this past season. Scouts have said that he has 7 pitches, including 2-3 great ones. He has great command of his fastball, which is normally at about 93-95 mph. He also is supposed to be a hard worker with a lot of drive and determination. I think that he will be one of the top 5 pitchers in baseball in the very near future, and if he is that, then 6 years and $110 million will be a bargain.
GRADE: A, it is very hard to get aces to sign here in Texas with the hitter’s ballpark and with the heat, and so this is a great way for the Rangers to get an ace. I love this move.

BRAD HAWPE: I also like this pick-up, as Hawpe will be very good depth, and is a low-risk, high-reward addition. Brad had a rough year last year, and has really had a rough 2 years, but has been an All-Star as recently as 2009. Before having back-to-back years with batting averages of .245 and .231 and combined power numbers of 13 home runs and 63 RBI’s, Brad had really been playing well. Starting in 2006, Hawpe had averages of .293, .291, .283, and .285, and hit 20+ home runs to go along with 80+ RBIs in each of those four years. Also, the depth he gives is important in case Mitch Moreland struggles, especially coming off of his wrist injury, and also gives us the depth we need to trade Mitch for starting pitching or for a center fielder if the Rangers sign Prince Fielder.
GRADE: A-, I’m always in favor of depth-adding, low-risk, high-reward moves, just because they cost you almost nothing, and give you so many options. And if they work out well, the players can be an integral part of the team.

REMAINING RANGERS NEEDS AND OPTIONS AVAILABLE:

UTILITY INFIELDER WITH SHORTSTOP ABILITY: The most likely options here would be Edgar Renteria and Miguel Tejada. They are both veteran players, who will not get a starting job, and although neither excites me much, there just are not many options left at this position.

LEFT-HANDED RELIEF PITCHER: Mike Gonzalez is by far the most likely player to fill this role, as the Rangers have been in talks with him, and already have familiarity with him from last year. I would love to bring him back, and I think he will have a really good season next year. There really aren’t any other options at lefty. If they don’t sign a lefty, they will probably sign a righty, such as Juan Cruz, or maybe even Michael Wuertz.

PRINCE FIELDER: I wouldn’t necessarily call him a need, but there are a lot of rumors connecting him to the Rangers, and I would love to sign him. He would be a huge addition to the line-up, and would also open up the Rangers to trade Mitch Moreland for a Wade Davis type pitcher, or in a package for a Matt Garza caliber one.

Come back next week for more offseason analysis, hopefully on the signing of Prince Fielder.

CJ Wilson

2012-01-08T15:57:00.000-06:00

Ever since CJ has become a free agent and was then signed by the Angels, I have heard a lot of people say that they are glad that he is gone, and it has really frustrated me.

First off, he had a lot of success with the franchise, with a career record of 43-35, with a 3.60 ERA and 52 saves along with 637 strikeouts in 708 innings. Those are numbers that easily make him one of the Top 50 All-Time Rangers, as he ranked number 33 in my most recent list. There is no way that anybody should be saying good riddance to one of the franchise’s top players, and a player that has been a key part of back-to-back American League champion teams.

He has had this success as a starter, a closer, and a set-up man, showing his versatility and willingness to do whatever the team asks him to. He was 31-15 in his two full seasons as a starter, with ERAs of 3.35 and 2.94, pitching well enough to be an All-Star in 2011. He also led the league in games started this past year. Are those the numbers of someone that you want to get rid of?

As a closer, he had plenty of success, converting the vast majority of save opportunities, and definitely did his job. He also spent part of two seasons as a set-up man, and had ERAs of 3.03 and 2.81 in those years.

And while, yes, he did struggle in the playoffs this year, he did well in the 2010 playoffs. He compiled a 3.70 ERA and held opponents to a .191 batting average in the 2010 playoff run, and pitched extremely well in both the ALDS and World Series. So it’s not like he has been a terrible playoff pitcher in his career.

And that’s just what he had done on the field. He has also been great for the Rangers off the field. Over the course of his career, he has done a lot of work out in the community, and has been at a lot of charity events, even starting his own charity. So not only is he a great pitcher, but he is a great person, and that’s something that I have personally been able to see. He has probably been the nicest Ranger I have ever met, and that is saying a lot with all of the great guys in the organization. He did an interview with me and also helped me line up an interview with Ian Kinsler. He has taken a lot of time to talk with me. There were multiple times at Spring Trainings when he talked with me for a good 20 minutes after the morning workouts were over, while every other player on the team was back in the clubhouse showering and getting ready.

CJ is a guy that I will sorely miss, and has received a lot of unfair criticism and negativity.

Rangers Offseason Analysis

2011-12-27T20:55:00.001-06:00

Sorry I haven’t posted anything in a couple of weeks. I have been out of town in Cincinnati and in Disney World.

This week I will analyze the moves that the Rangers have made so far this offseason, along with giving them a grade, on an A through F scale, with A being the best, and giving them an importance grade, on an A through F scale, based on how important the move is for the Rangers, with A being the most important.

On November 21st, the Rangers signed closer Joe Nathan on a 2-yr, $14 million deal with a club option worth $9 million for a third year.

ANALYSIS: I think that this is a really good move by the Rangers. They are getting a guy in Nathan who has the potential to be the best closer in baseball, as before his Tommy John surgery he was posting ERAs of 1.58, 1.88, and 1.33 consecutively. And while he struggled coming off of the injury last year, he did improve towards the end of the year. He also makes the Rangers all-around pitching staff better, as his signing allowed the Rangers to move Neftali Feliz to the rotation, which may move Alexi Ogando back to the bullpen, leaving the Rangers with a new potential ace in the rotation and another dominant set-up man alongside Mike Adams. They may have overpaid just a little bit to sign Nathan, but I still like the move, especially with all of the positive ramifications it creates.
GRADE: B+
IMPORTANCE: A

On December 1st, the Rangers traded C Taylor Teagarden to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for RHP Randy Henry.

ANALYSIS: While I will miss Taylor, as he is a really good guy and a good defensive catcher, I am happy he will get the opportunity to back up Matt Wieters in Baltimore. However, this is not a big loss at all for the Rangers, as he was spending almost all of his time at Triple-A and the Rangers obviously had no confidence in him, as they even traded for an emergency third catcher for September in Matt Treanor. Taylor had only 34 big league at-bats last year. Randy Henry is a right-handed relief pitcher who had a very good year last year, posting a 2.22 ERA between Low-A and High-A, including a 0.82 ERA against right-handed batters while in High-A. Despite a good season last year, Randy doesn’t figure to have a significant future with the Rangers.
GRADE: C
IMPORTANCE: D

On December 9th, the Rangers signed 2B Alberto Gonzalez to a minor league contract.

ANALYSIS: This is a nice pick-up as a guy to replace Esteban German, who went to Japan. Alberto is a utility infielder with plenty of major league experience that they can have in the minors as an emergency man in case there is an injury amongst the Rangers infield (cough, Kinsler). Alberto isn’t all that great, but he provides some good depth. He did have 247 at-bats last year, however, and while he hit only .215, he played good defense, and hit well with runners in scoring position, with a .278 average.
GRADE: B-
IMPORTANCE: C

On December 19th, the Rangers won the bidding for the rights to negotiate with Japanese SP Yu Darvish with a $51.7 million bid.

ANALYSIS: I love this move. Darvish has all the pitches to be an ace. He throws up to 96 miles per hour, and reportedly has 4 plus pitches, which is just ridiculous. He posted an ERA of 1.44 this past year for the Nippon Ham Fighters. That was the best ERA of his career, and it is hard to set a new low when you have ERAs of 1.82, 1.88, 1.73, and 1.78 in your first four seasons. He has thrown for 200+ innings in four of his five seasons, which shows that he can be a workhorse, and he had a ridiculous amount of strikeouts (276) in 2011. Another thing I like about him is that he is only 25 years old, unlike most pitchers who come out of Japan who are already veterans. Now, the Rangers obviously haven’t signed Yu yet, as they only won the right to negotiate with him, but I think he is worth the amazing amount of money it will take to get him.
GRADE: A
IMPORTANCE: A-

On December 21st, the Rangers traded RHP Ryan Kelly to the San Diego Padres in exchange for C Luis Martinez.

ANALYSIS: Like the pick-up of Alberto Gonzalez, this trade adds good depth in the minor league system at a position where depth is needed. Also, like Gonzalez, Martinez has some major league experience, and is much, much better defensively than at the dish. He hit just .203 last year in 59 at-bats for the Padres, but he played very well defensively, committing no errors, and throwing out a decent percentage of base-stealers. The loss of Tucker isn’t a big deal, either, as he did not have a place on the Rangers, and even if there were injuries, he would be well down the list for a potential call-up.
GRADE: B-
IMPORTANCE: C

Come back next week for more offseason analysis.

Pre-Season Predictions vs. Results

2011-12-04T15:30:00.001-06:00

This week I will compare my preseason predictions with what ended up happening.

AL East:

Prediction:
1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees (wild card)
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Tampa Bay Rays
5. Baltimore Orioles

Result:
1. New York Yankees
2. Tampa Bay Rays (wild card)
3. Boston Red Sox
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

Percentage Correct:
1/5 (20%)

Explanation:
I bought into the Red Sox hype coming into the year, and so their late-season collapse really hurt me here. Also, the Rays huge comeback hurt me, as I figured there was no way they’d be any good after losing Garza, Pena, Crawford, and Bartlett.

AL Central:

Prediction:
1. Minnesota Twins
2. Chicago White Sox
3. Detroit Tigers
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Cleveland Indians

Result:
1. Detroit Tigers
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Minnesota Twins

Percentage Correct:
1/5 (20%)

Explanation:
Wow, was Minnesota bad. They won the division last year and basically returned the exact same team. However, almost every single one of their pitchers pitched worse than last year, and Mauer was injured and out most of it. Also, I learned never to buy into the White Sox. Too old.

AL West:

Prediction:
1. Texas Rangers
2. Oakland Athletics
3. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
4. Seattle Mariners

Result:
1. Texas Rangers
2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
3. Oakland Athletics
4. Seattle Mariners

Percentage Correct:
2/4 (50%)

Explanation:
I actually did pretty well predicting this division.

AL MVP:
Prediction:
Winner: Adrian Gonzalez, BOS
Runner-up: Robinson Cano, NYY
Result:
Winner: Justin Verlander, DET
Runner-up: Jacoby Ellsbury, BOS
Percentage Correct:
0/2 (0%)
Explanation:
I didn’t get either right, but my predictions weren’t terrible as they finished 6th and 7th in voting.

AL Cy Young:
Prediction:
Winner: Clay Buchholz, BOS
Runner-up: CC Sabathia, NYY
Result:
Winner: Justin Verlander, DET
Runner-up: Jered Weaver, LAA
Percentage Correct:
0/2 (0%)
Explanation:
This one didn’t work out as I wanted, as I went out on a limb on Buchholz. Not only did he get injured, he struggled beforehand. Bad pick.

AL Rookie of the Year:
Prediction:
Winner: JP Arencibia, TOR
Runner-up: Brent Morel, CWS
Result:
Winner: Jeremy Hellickson, TB
Runner-up: Mark Trumbo, LAA
Percentage Correct:
0/2 (0%)
Explanation:
This is always a tough award to predict, but Arencibia was highly disappointing.

NL East:

Prediction:
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. Atlanta Braves (wild card)
3. Florida Marlins
4. New York Mets
5. Washington Nationals

Result:
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Washington Nationals
4. New York Mets
5. Florida Marlins

Percentage Correct:
3/5, 60%

Explanation:
I was awesome on this division. First one over 50%. Yes!

NL Central:

Prediction:
1. Cincinnati Reds
2. Milwaukee Brewers
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Chicago Cubs
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

Result:
1. Milwaukee Brewers
2. St. Louis Cardinals (wild card)
3. Cincinnati Reds
4. Pittsburgh Pirates
5. Chicago Cubs
6. Houston Astros

Percentage Correct:
0/6 (0%)

Explanation:
Oh, man. That was bad. I don’t even want to talk about this one. 0 for 6.

NL West:

Prediction:
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. San Francisco Giants
3. Colorado Rockies
4. San Diego Padres
5. Arizona Diamondbacks

Result:
1. Arizona Diamondbacks
2. San Francisco Giants
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Rockies

Percentage Correct:
1/5 (20%)

Explanation:
Despite the percentage, I feel pretty good about this division, as nobody could’ve predicted the Diamondbacks’ run. Also, I didn’t jump on the Colorado bandwagon like everybody else was.

NL MVP:
Prediction:
Winner: Ryan Braun, MIL
Runner-up: Jay Bruce, CIN
Result:
Winner: Ryan Braun, MIL
Runner-up: Matt Kemp, LAD
Percentage Correct:
1/2 (50%)
Explanation:
I got this one right.

NL Cy Young:
Prediction:
Winner: Roy Halladay, PHI
Runner-up: Cliff Lee, PHI
Result:
Winner: Clayton Kershaw, LAD
Runner-up: Roy Halladay, PHI
Percentage Correct:
1/2 (50%)
Explanation:
Since my 1 and 2 finished 2 and 3, I feel pretty good about this one.

NL Rookie of the Year:
Prediction:
Winner: Freddie Freeman, ATL
Runner-up: Brandon Belt, SF
Result:
Winner: Craig Kimbrel, ATL
Runner-up: Freddie Freeman, ATL
Percentage Correct:
1/2 (50%)
Explanation:
Yet another successful NL Awards prediction. I was great with those last year, too.

Playoffs:

ALDS Predictions:
Boston Red Sox over Minnesota Twins
Texas Rangers over New York Yankees

ALDS Results:
Texas Rangers over Tampa Bay Rays
Detroit Tigers over New York Yankees

Percentage Correct:
Teams: 2/4, 50%
Series Results: 1/2, 50%

Explanation:
Not bad, not bad. Too bad I bought into the Sox.

NLDS Predictions:
Philadelphia Phillies over Los Angeles Dodgers
Cincinnati Reds over Atlanta Braves

NLDS Results:
Milwaukee Brewers over Arizona Diamondbacks
St. Louis Cardinals over Philadelphia Phillies

Percentage Correct:
Teams: 1/4, 25%
Series Results: 0/2, 0%

Explanation:
This is embarrassing.

ALCS Prediction:
Boston Red Sox over Texas Rangers

ALCS Result:
Texas Rangers over Detroit Tigers

Percentage Correct:
Teams 1/2, 50%
Series Results: 0/1, 0%

Explanation:
I will never again pick against my team.

NLCS Prediction:
Philadelphia Phillies over Cincinnati Reds

NLCS Result:
St. Louis Cardinals over Milwaukee Brewers

Percentage Correct:
Teams: 0/2, 0%
Series Result: 0/1, 0%

Explanation:
This was a very surprising NLCS, so I don’t blame myself for not predicting it.

World Series Prediction:
Philadelphia Phillies over Boston Red Sox

World Series Result:
St. Louis Cardinals over Texas Rangers

Percentage Correct:
Teams: 0/2, 0%
Series Result: 0/1, 0%

Explanation:
I went with the common prediction, the Phillies and Sox, and it came back to bite me. The popular predictions never come to be.

Overall Percentage Correct:
16/63 (25%)

Come back next week for offseason analysis.

Updated Top 50 Rangers All-Time List

2011-11-27T19:17:00.002-06:00

This week I will post an updated version of my Top 50 All-Time Rangers List, which I had done at the end of the 2009 season and updated after the 2010 season. Below you will find my new list, along with where those players were previously. Below the list is my reasoning for players that moved up on the list.

1. Ivan Rodriguez: 5754 AB, .305 AVG, 217 HR, 842 RBI, 1,747 career Rangers hits, 866 R, .489 SLG, 352 2B, 2806 TB, 28 3B, MVP (99), Silver Slugger (94-99), Gold Glove (92-01), All-Star (92-01)

2. Michael Young: 6 200-hit seasons (03-07, 11), 2061 H (franchise leader), 917 RBI, 169 HR, 1667 G (franchise leader), 6788 AB (franchise leader), .304 AVG, 1006 R (franchise leader), 388 2B (franchise leader), 3060 TB, 52 3B (franchise leader), All-Star MVP (06), Gold Glove (08), All-Star (04-09, 11), Batting Title (05) [was 3]

3. Juan Gonzalez: 5435 AB, .293 AVG, 372 HR (franchise leader), 1,180 RBI (franchise leader), 878 R, .565 SLG% (franchise leader), 1595 H, 320 2B, 3073 TB (franchise leader), MVP (96, 98), Silver Slugger (92, 93, 96, 97, 98), All-Star (93, 98), HR King (92, 93), RBI Leader (98) [was 4]

4. Rafael Palmeiro: 5830 AB, .290 AVG, 321 HR, 1039 RBI, 1,573 G, 958 runs, 805 BB (franchise leader), .519 SLG, 1692 H, .378 OBP, 321 2B, 3026 TB, Silver Slugger (99), Gold Glove (99), All-Star (91, 99), 200-Hit (91), Hit Leader (90)

5. Nolan Ryan: Rangers Hall of Fame, 51 W, 939 K, 3.43 ERA, .567 W%, All-Star (89), K-Leader (89, 90)

6. Kenny Rogers: Rangers Hall of Fame, 528 G (franchise leader), 133 W, 1909 IP, 1201 K, .581 W%, Gold Glove (00, 02, 04, 05), All-Star (95, 04, 05) [was 7]

7. Charlie Hough: Rangers Hall of Fame, 139 W (franchise leader), 1452 K (franchise leader), 344 G, 98 CG (franchise leader), 11 shut-outs, 2308 IP (franchise leader), 3.68 ERA, All-Star (86) [was 6]

8. Alex Rodriguez: 482 consecutive games, MVP (03), best Rangers career slugging percentage, 156 HR, .305 AVG, 1863 AB, Hank Aaron Award (01-03), Silver Slugger (01-03), Gold Glove (02, 03), All-Star (01-03), 200-Hit (01), HR King (01-03), RBI Leader (02)

9. Ruben Sierra: 4580 AB, .279 AVG, 180 HR, 742 RBI, 3 100-RBI seasons with the Rangers, 1 200-hit season with Rangers (91), 2 .300 batting average seasons with Rangers, 325 consecutive games played, 90 SB, 645 R, 1281 H, 44 3B, Silver Slugger (89), All-Star (89, 91, 92), RBI Leader (89)

10. Fergie Jenkins: Rangers Hall of Fame, 90 CG, 93 W, 17 shut-outs (franchise leader), 1410.1 IP, 895 K, 3.56 ERA, .564 W%, 25-Game Winner (74), T-Win Leader (74)

11. Gaylord Perry: 55 CG, 12 shutouts, 575 K, 3.26 ERA

12. Al Oliver: 163 games played in one season, .319 career Rangers batting average (highest), 337 RBI, 49 HR, Silver Slugger (80, 81), All-Star (80, 81), 200-Hit (80)

13. Rusty Greer: 3829 AB, .305 AVG, 119 HR, 614 RBI, 643 R, .387 OBP

14. John Wetteland: Rangers Hall of Fame, 150 saves (franchise leader), All-Star (98, 99)

15. Mike Hargrove: .399 career Rangers OBP (highest), .293 AVG, ROY (74), All-Star (75)

16. Jim Sundberg: Rangers Hall of Fame, 4685 AB, 482 R, 544 BB, 431 RBI, 54 HR, Gold Glove (76-81), All-Star (74, 78)

17. Josh Hamilton: .311 AVG (2nd), 99 HR, 378 RBI, 33 SB, MVP (10), All-Star (08-11), Silver Slugger (08, 10), ALCS MVP (10), Batting Champion (10), RBI Leader (08) [was 21]

18. Toby Harrah: Rangers Hall of Fame, .257 AVG, 122 HR, 143 SB, 4188 AB, 546 RBI, 582 R, 668 BB, All-Star (75, 76) [was 17]

19. Julio Franco: 98 SB, .307 AVG, 55 HR, 331 RBI, All-Star MVP (90), Silver Slugger (89-91), All-Star (89-91), 200-Hit (91), Batting Title (91) [was 18]

20. Buddy Bell: Rangers Hall of Fame, 3623 AB, .293 AVG, 87 HR, 499 RBI, 471 R, Silver Slugger (84), Gold Glove (79-84), All-Star (80-82, 84), 200-Hit (79) [was 19]

21. Mark Teixeira: 153 HR, 499 RBI, 426 R, .533 SLG, Silver Slugger (04), Gold Glove (05, 06), All-Star (05) [was 20]

22. Ian Kinsler: .275 AVG, 124 HR, 395 RBI, 136 SB, 558 R, All-Star (08, 10), 30-30 club (09, 11) [was 37]

23. Larry Parrish: 149 HR, 522 RBI, .264 AVG, All-Star (87) [was 22]

24. Pete O’Brien: 3351 AB, .273 AVG, 114 HR, 487 RBI [was 23]

25. Will Clark: .308 AVG, 397 RBI, 77 HR, All-Star (94) [was 24]

26. Kevin Brown: 40 CG, 78 W, 1278.2 IP, 742 K, 3.81 ERA, .549 W%, 78-64, All-Star (92), 21-Game Winner (92), T-Win Leader (92) [was 25]

27. Bobby Witt:104-104, 1680.2 IP, 1405 K, 4.85 ERA [was 26]

28. Jeff Russell: 445 G, 134 saves, 3.73 ERA, 42-40, Rolaids Fireman of Year (89), All-Star (88, 89), Save-Leader (99) [was 27]

29. Francisco Cordero: 49 saves in a season, 356 G, 117 saves, 21-20, 3.45 ERA, 393 K, 297 IP, All-Star (04) [was 28]

30. Jose Guzman: 66 W, 24 CG, 1013.2 IP, 715 K, 66-62, 3.90 ERA [was 29]

31. Danny Darwin: 224 G, 55-52, 872 IP, 566 K, 3.72 ERA [was 30]

32. Rick Helling: 68-51, 1008 IP, 687 K, .571 W%, 4.86 ERA, 20-Game Winner (98), T-Win Leader (98) [was 31]

33. CJ Wilson: 43-35, 3.60 ERA, 52 SV, 708 IP, 637 K, All-Star (11) [was 41]

34. Nelson Cruz: .271 AVG, 106 HR, 323 RBI, 52 SB, All-Star (09), ALCS MVP (11), 14 playoff HR (franchise leader), 27 playoff RBI (franchise leader) [was 50]

35. Matlack: 3.41 ERA, 43-45, 493 K, 915 IP [was 32]

36. Doc Medich: .538 W%, 50-43, 3.95 ERA, 790.1 IP, 322 K [was 33]

37. Neftali Feliz: 74 saves, 2.55 ERA, 162.2 IP, 164 K, ROY (10), All-Star (10), 0.95 WHIP (franchise leader, 100+ IP) [was off list]

38. Hank Blalock: .272 AVG, 150 HR, 525 RBI, All-Star (03, 04) [was 34]

39. Comer: 3.80 ERA, .574 W%, 39-29, 205 K, 575.2 IP [was 35]

40. Bert Blyleven: 11 shut-outs, 2.74 ERA (lowest), 23-23, 326 K, 437 IP [was 36]

41. Bump Wills: 161 SB (franchise leader), .265 AVG, 30 HR, 264 RBI [was 38]

42. Mickey Rivers: .303 AVG, 22 HR, 168 RBI, 200-Hit (80) [was 39]

43. Aaron Sele: .649 W% (highest), 37-20, 4.50 ERA, 417.2 IP, 353 K, All-Star (98) [was 40]

44. Steve Foucault: 35 saves, 26-25, 3.22 ERA, 231 K, 382.2 IP [was 42]
45. Colby Lewis: 38-36, 4.90 ERA, 578 IP, 492 K, 2.34 playoff ERA [was off list]

46. Jeff Burroughs: .255 AVG, 108 HR, 412 RBI, MVP (74), All-Star (74), RBI Leader (74) [was 43]
47. Elvis Andrus: .271 AVG, 11 HR, 135 RBI, 102 SB [was off list]

48. Scott Feldman: 33-33, 4.75 ERA, 604 IP, 337 K [was off list]

49. Dean Palmer: 154 HR, .247 AVG, 451 RBI [was 44]
50. David Murphy: .281 AVG, 57 HR, 256 RBI, 41 SB [was off list]

Bumped Off List:

Gary Ward: .293 AVG, 41 HR, 200 RBI, All-Star (85) [was 45]
Jim Kern: 37 saves, 17-18, 2.59 ERA, 236.1 IP, 196 K, Rolaids Fireman of Year (79), All-Star (79), Save-Leader (79) [was 46]
Jeff Zimmerman: 32 saves, 17-12, 3.27 ERA, 228.2 IP, 213 K, All-Star (99) [was 47]
Tom Henke: 58 saves, 11-12, 3.55 ERA, 169 K, 172.1 IP [was 48]
Steve Buechele: .240 AVG, 94 HR, 338 RBI [was 49]

Reasons for Players Who Moved Up:

Michael Young (from 3 to 2): Michael had another great year, and now has way more hits than Juan Gonzalez (the previous number 2) did, and he also set a few more franchise records.

Kenny Rogers (from 7 to 6): Charlie Hough (the previous number 6) was just barely above him before this year, and the only reason he was above Kenny was because he was in the Rangers Hall of Fame and Kenny wasn’t. This year, when Kenny got inducted, Hough no longer had that.

Josh Hamilton (from 21 to 17): Josh kept his batting average at second in franchise history while improving his power numbers and making another All-Star game.

Ian Kinsler (from 37 to 22): Ian had yet another solid season, and not only did he add a lot to his power totals, but he put a second 30-30 season on his resume.

CJ Wilson (from 41 to 33): CJ made his first All-Star game as a Ranger, while lowering his ERA by a large amount and adding a couple hundred more strikeouts to his total.

Nelson Cruz (from 50 to 34): While Nellie had a solid regular season, the real reason he moved up was because of his playoffs. This year he added an ALCS MVP and brought up his home run and RBI totals in the playoffs to 14 and 27, both franchise records.

Neftali Feliz (from off list to 37): Nefty moved himself way up the Rangers save list, had another great year, and lowered his WHIP even farther, making him the franchise leader, all following a year where he won the Rookie of the Year Award.

Colby Lewis (from off list to 45): Just like Cruz, Colby didn’t get himself on the list with his regular season play (where he struggled), but with his once again dominant postseason pitching.

Elvis Andrus (from off list to 47): Elvis doesn’t have great numbers at the plate, hitting around .270 in his career with almost no power, but he has already stolen over 100 career bases, and has played stellar defense.

Scott Feldman (from off list to 48): Scott didn’t do a whole lot in the regular season this year, but he had just missed out on the list last year, and he added a couple of wins to his total this year, and a decent amount of innings and strikeouts. He also pitched well in the playoffs.

David Murphy (from off list to 50): David raised his power numbers and still has a solid career average, but at #50 on the list, he wasn’t competing with too much.

Come back next week for my analysis on the Rangers offseason so far.

Free Agent Pitcher Predictions

2011-11-14T08:31:00.001-06:00

This week I will make my free agent predictions for pitchers. Last week I made my hitter predictions, and just like last week, I will include where I think the pitcher will go along with my reasoning for it. Also, I have predicted the pitchers’ locations assuming the Rangers do not get Prince Fielder, as I no longer believe that they will sign him.

SP Mark Buehrle, CWS (13-9, 3.59 ERA, 109 K)
GOING TO: Miami Marlins
REASONING: The Marlins have been very aggressive so far this offseason, having already offered contracts to Albert Pujols and Jose Reyes, along with Buehrle. While I don’t think they’ll land the other two, the Marlins seem to be going all-out for a big splash this year to try and get the fans excited to come to their new ballpark, and I think they will end up over-paying to try and get a pitcher who is only solid, like Mark Buehrle.

SP Yu Darvish, JAP (18-6, 1.44 ERA, 276 K in Japan)
GOING TO: Toronto Blue Jays
REASONING: The Blue Jays have the cash to spend this offseason and are trying to make a run at the playoffs within the next couple of years, and their main focus is going to be on pitching during free agency. Darvish will be a very expensive player, coming from Japan and considered to be the best pitcher in free agency by many scouts, as teams will have to bid to even get the rights to negotiate a contract with him, but I think that Toronto will be willing to do that.

SP Edwin Jackson, STL (12-9, 3.79 ERA, 148 K)
GOING TO: New York Yankees
REASONING: The Yankees can obviously afford Edwin, and he is definitely the kind of pitcher the Yankees always seem to like. Edwin is a guy with very high potential, throws a hard fastball, and is capable of greatness. However, some qualities that the Yankees have been prone to overlook, like mental toughness, Edwin lacks.

SP Hiroki Kuroda, LAD (13-16, 3.07 ERA, 161 K)
GOING TO: Los Angeles Dodgers
REASONING: The Dodgers seem to be the only team that Hiroki is interested in signing with. He has played there his whole career, and turned down trades this July with his no-trade clause because he wanted to stay in LA. It has been reported that if he doesn’t play for the Dodgers that he’ll be back in Japan. I think he stays in America and stays with the Dodgers.

SP Roy Oswalt, PHI (9-10, 3.69 ERA, 93 K)
GOING TO: Texas Rangers
REASONING: The Rangers have expressed interest in Oswalt, who wants a two-year deal and is coming off of a year full of back problems. Texas also fits the profile of a team that Roy wants to go to. Roy wants to stay close to home, in Mississippi. Check. He really wants to win a World Series for the first time in his career, and his agent said it mostly came down to him getting an opportunity to get a ring. Check.

SP Javier Vazquez, FLA (13-11, 3.69 ERA, 162 K)
GOING TO: Retired
REASONING: It has been reported that if Javier doesn’t get at least a $10 million dollar contract with Miami he will retire. With the Marlins going after so many top free agents, I don’t see them giving him that contract.

SP CJ Wilson, TEX (16-7, 2.94 ERA, 206 K)
GOING TO: Washington Nationals
REASONING: The Nationals, much like the Marlins and Blue Jays, are planning on making some major free agent splashes this offseason, in order to both make a playoff run and to get their fans excited. I think the Nats will be willing to offer CJ the most money, and so I think that’s where he goes. I think CJ would rather go to the Yankees or Rangers, but the Yanks don’t seem overly interested, and I don’t see the Rangers giving him the kind of money that Washington will.

CP Heath Bell, SD (43 SV, 2.44 ERA, 51 K)
GOING TO: San Diego Padres
REASONING: Heath loves it in San Diego, and didn’t want to leave at the trade deadline. I don’t think he’ll want to leave now, either. He is willing to take a major home-town discount and the Padres want him back. I don’t see him leaving.

CP Francisco Cordero, CIN (37 SV, 2.45 ERA, 42 K)
GOING TO: Cincinnati Reds
REASONING: Co-co has been in Cincinnati for four years now and seems to enjoy it there. The Reds aren’t going after any big free agents this offseason, so they have the means to keep Francisco for a playoff run with a solid team next year, and I think they will use their resources to keep Cordero.

CP Ryan Madson, PHI (32 SV, 2.37 ERA, 62 K)
GOING TO: Texas Rangers
REASONING: With the Rangers looking to move Neftali Feliz into the rotation next year, they are trying to get a closer this offseason, and Madson is one of the better ones available via free agency. He had a great year in his first full season in a closer role in 2011, and is a clutch pitcher in the playoffs. It is a very good fit.

Come back next week for my updated Top 50 All-Time Rangers List.

Free Agent Hitter Predictions

2011-11-06T20:14:00.001-06:00

This week I will post the first of two editions of my free agent predictions, this one on the hitters. Next week I will make my pitcher free agent predictions.

1B Prince Fielder, MIL (.299 AVG, 38 HR, 120 RBI)
GOING TO: Texas Rangers
REASONING: This is a perfect fit for both Prince and the Rangers. Prince is only 27 and still has another big contract after this one, and the hitter’s ballpark that Texas has will be appealing. Also, his agent has said that Prince wants to play in the AL so that he can DH some, and the Rangers fit that bill, too. The biggest question I have here is not whether Prince wants the Rangers, it’s how badly the Rangers want Prince.

1B Albert Pujols, STL (.299 AVG, 37 HR, 99 RBI)
GOING TO: St.Louis Cardinals
REASONING: With Tony La Russa gone, I think there is a good chance that Albert signs with the Cubs, but I just don’t see the Cardinals letting that happen. Pujols means too much to the Cardinals organization for them to let him go, so they will probably be willing to give him some big bucks.

1B Carlos Pena, CHC (.225 AVG, 28 HR, 80 RBI)
GOING TO: Milwaukee Brewers
REASONING: With the Brewers most likely losing Prince Fielder but still having a good team that is close to playoff talent even without Prince, they will definitely go after a guy like Carlos Pena to try and fill the hole in the lineup that Fielder will leave behind. Pena is a good home run hitter, and would help the Brewers batting order in the clean-up spot.

2B Aaron Hill, ARI (.246 AVG, 8 HR, 61 RBI)
GOING TO: Arizona Diamondbacks
REASONING: Aaron is asking for more money than the Diamondbacks are willing to give him right now, but he should still stay in Arizona, as no teams are willing to give him the money he wants. Also, he is an important piece for Arizona, and was fantastic for them after he was traded to the D-backs, hitting .315 in his 33 games with Arizona last year.

2B Kelly Johnson, TOR (.222 AVG, 21 HR, 58 RBI)
GOING TO: Detroit Tigers
REASONING: Kelly had a pretty good year last year and the Tigers will be looking for a second baseman, as both Ramon Santiago and Carlos Guillen are free agents this year. Kelly would be a good pick-up for them, and would add some very good power into their line-up. However, a problem with this scenario may be that, since Kelly probably won’t get much more than a one-year deal, he might want to sign with a team that has a better hitter’s park.

SS Jose Reyes, NYM (.337 AVG, 7 HR, 44 RBI)
GOING TO: San Francisco Giants
REASONING: While I think Jose Reyes will be a bust for any team that signs him, since he gets injured so often, there will be teams willing to give him big bucks, and I think the Giants are one of those teams. They have the money to do so, and are in a dire need of offense, something that Reyes supplies when healthy. This seems like a very good fit.

SS Jimmy Rollins, PHI (.268 AVG, 16 HR, 63 RBI)
GOING TO: Philadelphia Phillies
REASONING: I don’t think that any teams will be willing to give Jimmy a big pay day as, not only is he injury-prone like Jose Reyes is, but he hasn’t been very productive since his MVP year in 2007. However, the Phillies don’t have any viable options to replace him, and he is an important figure in their clubhouse, so I think they will be willing to give him a decent-sized contract to keep him.

3B Aramis Ramirez, CHC (.306 AVG, 26 HR, 93 RBI)
GOING TO: Miami Marlins
REASONING: The Marlins are supposedly trying to spend a lot of money this offseason with the new ballpark coming next year, and Ramirez would fit a need on their roster. I think that Miami would be willing to give him the three or four year deal Aramis is looking for, and they will definitely be willing to give him the money he is looking for.

LF Josh Willingham, OAK (.246 AVG, 29 HR, 98 RBI)
GOING TO: Chicago White Sox
REASONING: With Juan Pierre in free agency and the White Sox not showing a whole lot of interest, they definitely have a need at left field. They also have the means to go out and get a very good left fielder, and there aren’t many good left fielders to be had this year. Josh is coming off a very good year in Oakland and would be a great fit in Chicago.

CF Grady Sizemore, CLE (.224 AVG, 10 HR, 32 RBI)
GOING TO: Texas Rangers
REASONING: The Rangers could use a center fielder in a one-year scenario, buying time for Leonys Martin to get ready in the minors, and Grady Sizemore fits the bill. Grady probably won’t be too expensive this offseason, and shouldn’t get more than a one-year deal. The Rangers have already been listed as one of the favorites to land Sizemore, and I think they will end up with him.

RF Carlos Beltran, SF (.300 AVG, 22 HR, 84 RBI)
GOING TO: Boston Red Sox
REASONING: The Red Sox definitely need a right fielder this offseason, and with their money, they will probably try to go after the best one, and that is Carlos Beltran. Carlos had a good year last year, and even though he is injury-prone, the Sox will probably still be willing to pay him the money.

RF Michael Cuddyer, MIN (.284 AVG, 20 HR, 70 RBI)
GOING TO: Philadelphia Phillies
REASONING: There have been numerous reports that have said that the Phillies are willing to do whatever it takes to get Cuddyer. They could definitely use him, as not only does Philadelphia need a right fielder (which Cuddyer is), they also need a first baseman for the first couple months of the year with Ryan Howard out, and Cuddyer plays that position also.

RF Jason Kubel, MIN (.273 AVG, 12 HR, 58 RBI)
GOING TO: Tampa Bay Rays
REASONING: The Rays have to go and get a bat this offseason with a DH spot that was terrible last year, and both Casey Kotchman and Johnny Damon in free agency. Kubel fits their team perfectly, as he is just a solid hitter, which puts him at a contract that they can afford, and he can play both left and right field, as well as DH.

DH David Ortiz, BOS (.309 AVG, 29 HR, 96 RBI)
GOING TO: Boston Red Sox
REASONING: While David is very frustrated with the Red Sox right now, chances are that he’ll stay. He wants a three-year deal, and nobody will give that to him, but the Sox will probably be the most willing to give him a large deal. Also, he has been in Boston for a while, and I just don’t see him leaving.

Come back next week for my pitcher free agent predictions.

Free Agent Wish List

2011-10-30T15:30:00.003-05:00

This week I will post my free agent wish list. I have listed the six free agents that I want the most, the reason why I want them, the contract I would be willing to give him, and whether that contract will be enough to get him.

I did not post anything on the World Series, because I am still too depressed to think about it.

1. Prince Fielder, MIL

Prince is not only one of the best hitters in baseball, but would fit perfectly into our lineup. The Rangers lineup is righty-heavy, and is only lacking a first baseman and center fielder as far as hitting goes. Mitch Moreland is an average player both offensively and defensively, and that may be all he will ever be. And you can’t go wrong with Prince Fielder, as he is an unbelievable hitter. This past season, he hit .299 with 38 home runs and 120 RBIs. The year before that, he had a down year, hitting just .261 with 32 home runs and 83 RBIs. But in 2009, he had a monster year, hitting .299 with 46 homers and 141 RBIs. He has now had an OBP of over .400 for three consecutive years, which is unheard of.

What I Would Be Willing To Give: 8 years, $225 million, $28.125 million per year
Will That Be Enough: Probably, most offers are rumored to be at 7 years and around $180 million

2. Yu Darvish, JAPAN

Darvish is probably the most talented available pitcher this off-season. He is 25 and currently pitches for the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan. He is widely believed to be headed to the US this offseason, and the Rangers are one of the favorites to land him. Darvish has absolutely dominated Japanese hitters, with a 1.81 career ERA. In his four seasons, he has had ERAs of 1.82, 1.88, 1.73, and 1.78 in 207.2, 200.2, 182, and 202 innings pitched, respectively. He averages 9.2 strikeouts per 9 innings in his career. Scouts have said that he has as many as four plus pitches, and I would love to have him on the Rangers. He should be a true ace.

What I Would Be Willing To Give: $55 million posting fee, 5 years, $75 million, $15 million per year
Will That Be Enough: Probably, $55 million should be the top bid, and then Darvish would definitely accept 5 years, $75 million

3. CJ Wilson, TEX

CJ posted a 2.94 regular season ERA, was an All-Star, and threw 223.1 innings, but I still don’t consider him to be an ace even with those ace-like numbers. He is a great pitcher, and I would love to have him back, but his 0-3 postseason with a 5.79 ERA are not numbers that an ace would have in the playoffs. I would want to bring him back even if we get Yu Darvish, but I don’t want to give him ace money regardless of what happens with Darvish. The best-case scenario here would be to bring him back as our number 2 starter.

What I Would Be Willing To Give: 4 years, $65 million, $16.25 million per year
Will That Be Enough: Probably not, 5 years, $75 million has been rumored from some teams

4. Michael Cuddyer, MIN

Cuddyer would be a very good fit on a Rangers team that already has great hitting. Obviously, if the Rangers got Prince Fielder, which would be awesome, Cuddyer would not be considered by Texas. However, Michael plays first base and would definitely be an improvement over Moreland, and Cuddyer can also play right field if/when Nelson Cruz gets hurt. Michael made his first All-Star team this year, hitting .284 with 20 home runs and 70 RBIs. He is a very, very solid player that I would love to have. He is also known for being a great leader and is supposed to be great for a clubhouse.

What I Would Be Willing To Give: 3 years, $35 million, $11.67 million per year
Will That Be Enough: Probably, the highest offers rumored are 3 years, $30 million; only a home-town discount would make that offer not be enough

5. Ryan Madson, PHI

While the Rangers have a great closer in Neftali Feliz and a great replacement closer in Mike Adams if Feliz moves to the rotation, it would be good to get either a closer or an 8th-inning man in free agency so that Feliz can move to the rotation without the bullpen taking a major hit. And Madson fits that bill. He has been both a closer and a set-up man, but would almost surely be a closer if the Rangers were to sign him in free agency. Last year, Madson had 32 saves and a 2.37 ERA, and in 2010, as a set-up man, Madson had a 2.55 ERA. On top of regular season success, Ryan has pitched well in the postseason, with a 2.31 ERA in 35 career playoff innings on 33 appearances.

What I Would Be Willing To Give: 3 years, $25 million, $8.3 million per year
Will That Be Enough: Probably not; there are so many teams looking for closers this year, Madson will probably end up with around $10 million a year

6. Grady Sizemore, CLE

I know, he’s injury-prone, he hasn’t hit over .250 since 2008, and he strikes out way too much. But, still, on a one-year deal, Grady would be a great get, as long as you weren’t expecting the 2005-2008 form. What Grady still provides, when he is healthy, is unbelievable defense, very good speed on the basepaths, and some solid pop. And on a one-year deal, that allows him to play center next year, and then in 2013 Leonys Martin can take over, since he should be ready by then. Last year, Grady hit just .224, but he still had 10 home runs and 32 RBIs in only 71 games. Over a full season, those power numbers are about 25 homers and 80 RBIs. Those are very good power numbers to go along with his great defense.

What I Would Be Willing To Give: 1 year, $7.5 million
Will That Be Enough: Definitely, nobody will be willing to give him a multi-year deal, and the Indians just turned down a $9 million option, showing that they won’t go that high. And it doesn’t sound like anyone else will, either.

Come back next week for my free agent predictions.

World Series Predictions

2011-10-16T20:26:00.003-05:00

This week the Rangers won the ALCS over the Detroit Tigers 4 games to 2 (which I predicted would happen) and punched their ticket to the World Series for the second straight year. I was there Saturday night to see them clinch and will be there this weekend for the World Series. I am so pumped and can’t wait for Wednesday, when the Series starts.

Below are my predictions for both potential World Series scenarios.

Rangers vs. Cardinals:

Game 1: CJ Wilson, TEX vs. Chris Carpenter, STL in St. Louis

CARDINALS WIN – While Carpenter has only had one good start out of three so far this postseason, he still has a 3.71 postseason ERA, and had a great start in his only ever World Series appearance, going 8 scoreless innings. Also, CJ has been really struggling so far in these playoffs, with an 8.04 ERA, allowing 6 home runs, and allowing 6 earned runs in 2 of his 3 outings. He is doing this despite ending the year with a 1.21 September ERA. However, in his only World Series start last year, he allowed just 2 runs in 6 innings.

Game 2: Colby Lewis, TEX vs. Jaime Garcia, STL in St. Louis

RANGERS WIN – Colby will probably start Game 2 since it will be on the road, and he had a 3.43 road ERA this year compared to a 5.54 ERA at home. So far these playoffs he has had one great start and one bad start, totaling up to a 3.86 ERA. In his career, he has a 2.37 playoff ERA, and had a great start and picked up the win in his start in the World Series last year. Meanwhile, Jaime has struggled so far in the playoffs, with a 5.74 ERA. He didn’t get out of the 5th inning in either of his two NLCS starts, and I see those struggles continuing against this great Rangers lineup.

Game 3: Derek Holland, TEX vs. Edwin Jackson, STL in Arlington

RANGERS WIN – While Edwin Jackson has done well so far in these playoffs, I don’t think that will continue. I think the Rangers offense will get to him early and often, and get to the bullpen early in the game. Meanwhile, Holland has been awful so far in these playoffs, with a 5.27 ERA, and I think the Cards will get to the Rangers bullpen early, too. Both bullpens have been great so far in the postseason, and so I give this game to the Rangers based on the hitting edge. By the way, I think that Scott Feldman should take Holland’s spot in the rotation.

Game 4: Matt Harrison, TEX vs. Kyle Lohse, STL in Arlington

RANGERS WIN – While Harrison hasn’t gone deep into either of his two starts, he has allowed only 2 runs in 5 innings in each game, which is enough to let the Rangers shutdown bullpen win the game. Kyle Lohse, however, has been awful in the playoffs so far, with a 7.45 ERA, and 9 runs, 8 earned, in just 9.2 innings. In his 8 career playoff outings, Lohse has a 5.09 ERA.

Game 5: CJ Wilson, TEX vs. Chris Carpenter, STL in Arlington

CARDINALS WIN – Carpenter shows up big in big games, and CJ hasn’t shown that this postseason.

Game 6: Colby Lewis, TEX vs. Jaime Garcia, STL in St. Louis

RANGERS WIN – Lewis has been good on the road and in the playoffs in his career, but the major reason the Rangers win this one is because of the run support Colby should get.

Rangers win World Series 4 games to 2.

Rangers vs. Brewers:

Game 1: CJ Wilson, TEX vs. Zack Grienke, MIL in Milwaukee

RANGERS WIN – This one will probably be a very high scoring game, as CJ has an 8.04 playoff ERA and Grienke has a 6.48 playoff ERA, and both are facing prolific offenses. I think the difference here will be that CJ has World Series experience while Grienke does not.

Game 2: Colby Lewis, TEX vs. Randy Wolf, MIL in Milwaukee

RANGERS WIN – Once again, Colby will probably go in Game 2 since he has been much better on the road than at home this season. And while Colby has been good in the playoffs throughout his career, Randy Wolf has not and has an 8.10 ERA this postseason, allowing 4 home runs in 10 innings to offenses that are nowhere near as powerful as the Rangers’. Also, the Rangers bullpen is better than the Brewers, which should have a big effect in this one, as I don’t expect either starter to go deep into the game.

Game 3: Derek Holland, TEX vs. Shaun Marcum, MIL in Arlington

RANGERS WIN – While Holland has not been good in these playoffs, with a 5.27 ERA, and having no starts in which he has gone more than 5 innings, Shaun Marcum has been much worse. In two starts so far, Shaun has a 12.46 ERA, allowing 7 runs, all earned in 4.2 innings in his first start, and 5 runs, all earned in 4 innings in his second start. Also, the Brewers were 39-42 on the road during the season, and are 1-4 on the road so far in the playoffs.

Game 4: Matt Harrison, TEX vs. Yovani Gallardo, MIL in Arlington

BREWERS WIN – Gallardo has been the only good pitcher for the Brewers in the playoffs so far, with a 2.84 ERA, but even he has had a bad start, allowing 4 runs in 5 innings in his first NLCS start. Unfortunately for the Brewers, he will have to pitch Game 7 of the NLCS (if there is one), most likely making him the Game 4 starter. And while Harrison hasn’t been bad, he hasn’t been good, either.

Game 5: CJ Wilson, TEX vs. Zack Grienke, MIL in Arlington

RANGERS WIN – This should be another high scoring game, but the Rangers get the edge due to the Brewers’ road struggles and the team’s experience.

Rangers win World Series 4 games to 1.

Come back next week for more World Series coverage.

LCS Predictions

2011-10-08T15:15:00.002-05:00

I had a great weekend in Arlington last weekend (two Rangers playoff games plus a Cowboys game) and am about to head out for tonight’s ALCS game, followed by another one tomorrow night. It’s definitely a good time to be a Rangers fan.

This week I made my predictions for the two League Championship Series.

ALCS:

Rangers vs. Tigers

Game 1: CJ Wilson, TEX vs. Justin Verlander, DET in Arlington

TIGERS WIN – While neither pitcher has pitched too well so far in the playoffs, CJ with a 10.80 ERA and Verlander with a 5.00 ERA, this one should be a pitchers’ duel. However, Justin has the upper edge in this one as he is definitely the best pitcher in the American League right now. Both starters have only faced the other team once so far this year. However, if it can be a 1 or 2 run Tigers lead and Verlander gives the ball to the bullpen, the Rangers could definitely make that up, as the Tiger bullpen has been shaky so far this postseason.

Game 2: Derek Holland, TEX vs. Max Scherzer, DET in Arlington

RANGERS WIN – Derek and Max each allowed just 1 earned run in their first postseason start this year, and they both picked up the win. They also both finished the year off well. However, Derek had both a better year and a better finish to the year than Scherzer did. Also, Scherzer didn’t exactly shut the Rangers down when he faced them this year, as he allowed 9 runs, all earned, in 17 innings in his 3 starts on the year against the Rangers.

Game 3: Colby Lewis, TEX vs. Doug Fister, DET in Detroit

RANGERS WIN – While based on the pitchers’ regular seasons, it would appear as if Detroit had a huge advantage in this game, that actually is not the case. During the season, Colby had a 4.40 ERA, including a 4.66 September ERA. Meanwhile, Doug Fister had a 2.83 ERA, including a 0.53 September ERA, a month in which he went 5-0. But Doug has been awful so far in the playoffs, and in 2 games against the Yankees in the ALDS, he went a total of just 9.2 innings, allowing 7 runs, a 6.52 ERA. And in Colby’s first start, he backed up his clutch pitching in last year’s playoffs (where he went 3-0 with a 1.71 ERA in 26.1 innings), by allowing only 1 run on 1 hit in 6 innings of work.

Game 4: Matt Harrison, TEX vs. Rick Porcello, DET in Detroit

RANGERS WIN – Matt has the edge in this match-up in both the regular season and postseason stats. While Harrison had a very good regular season, with a 3.39 ERA, Porcello really, really struggled, as he posted a 4.75 ERA. Also, Rick had a bad first start of the postseason, allowing 4 runs in 6 innings, while Matt allowed 2 runs in 5 innings in his only start so far. Also, the bullpen should play an important role in this game, with Porcello not known for going deep into games, and the Rangers have an advantage in this category.

Game 5: CJ Wilson, TEX vs. Justin Verlander, DET in Detroit

TIGERS WIN – Once again, it should be a pitchers’ duel, and I could see the Rangers pulling out a close one here, but Verlander is just too good. The guy won the pitching triple crown this year and should be the MVP of the league.

Game 6: Derek Holland, TEX vs. Max Scherzer, DET in Arlington

RANGERS WIN – Derek has pitched better than Scherzer this year, and has a knack for pitching very well in big games.

RANGERS DEFEAT TIGERS 4-2

NLCS:

Brewers vs. Cardinals

The Cardinals have not yet announced their pitching rotation, but they will be outmatched in most games. In game 1, they will be facing Zack Greinke, who has an 11-0 record and a 3.13 ERA at home this year. They will also have to face Shaun Marcum, who posted a 3.54 ERA, and Yovani Gallardo, the ace, who had a 3.52 regular season ERA, and has a 1.29 ERA so far this postseason. The Brewers also have a dynamite offense, with Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, both MVP candidates, anchoring the lineup. Not to mention Milwaukee’s shut-down bullpen.

However, the Cardinals do have a solid rotation, with Jaime Garcia (3.56 ERA), Chris Carpenter (3.45 ERA), Kyle Lohse (3.39 ERA), and Edwin Jackson (3.79 ERA). But, they just do not have the offense or the bullpen to match up to the Brewers, and it would be very surprising to me if the Cards won this series.

BREWERS DEFEAT CARDINALS 4-2

Come back next week for more playoff coverage.

End Of Season Awards

2011-10-05T21:12:00.001-05:00

This week the Rangers defeated the Rays 3 games to 1 in the ALDS. They will play either the Yankees or the Tigers in the ALCS, and I think they match up well with both teams. I will make my predictions once I know which team they will face.

This week I will do my end-of-season awards for the AL, NL, and Rangers.

Rangers:

MVP: Michael Young, TEX (.338 AVG, 11 HR, 106 RBI) – Michael led the Rangers in batting average, and was second in the AL in that category. And while he didn’t have many home runs, he still got over 100 RBIs.
Runner-up: Adrian Beltre, TEX (.296 AVG, 32 HR, 105 RBI)

Cy Young: CJ Wilson, TEX (16-7, 2.94 ERA, 206 K) – CJ led the team in ERA, strikeouts, and tied for the team lead in wins. He obviously deserved this one.
Runner-up: Derek Holland, TEX (16-5, 3.95 ERA, 162 K)

Rookie of the Year: Craig Gentry, TEX (.271 AVG, 1 HR, 13 RBI) – Craig played well, as he stole 18 bases on 18 attempts, played great defense, and had a respectable batting average. But, he won this award because of weak competition. The runner-up had 8 at-bats on the year.
Runner-up: Leonys Martin, TEX (.375 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI)

AL:

MVP: Justin Verlander, DET (24-5, 2.40 ERA, 250 K, 251 IP) – Verlander was amazing, and despite being a pitcher, he deserves the MVP. He had 24 wins, which is a crazy number nowadays, to go along with a league-leading 2.40 ERA, and 250 strikeouts in an astounding 251 innings pitched.
Runner-up: Miguel Cabrera, DET (.344 AVG, 30 HR, 105 RBI)

Cy Young: Justin Verlander, DET (24-5, 2.40 ERA, 250 K, 251 IP) – If he won my MVP, he obviously is going to win the Cy Young. He won the pitching triple crown.
Runner-up: Jered Weaver, LAA (18-8, 2.41 ERA, 198 K)

Rookie of the Year: Jeremy Hellickson, TB (13-10, 2.95 ERA, 117 K) – Hellickson had an ERA in the 2.00s on a playoff team in his rookie year. That is just unbelievable.
Runner-up: Mark Trumbo, LAA (.254 AVG, 29 HR, 87 RBI)

Manager of the Year: Joe Madden, TB (91-71, wild card) – Joe brought a team back from the largest September deficit ever for a playoff team. This one is a no-brainer.
Runner-up: Jim Leyland, DET (95-67, AL Central Champs)

NL:

MVP: Ryan Braun, MIL (.332 AVG, 33 HR, 111 RBI, 33 SB) – Braun’s stats might not be quite as good as Matt Kemp’s, but the difference is that while Braun is on a playoff team, Kemp was on a 3rd-place team. Braun hit over .330, and was a 30-30 man this year. He had an amazing year.
Runner-up: Matt Kemp, LAD (.324 AVG, 39 HR, 126 RBI, 40 SB)

Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw, LAD (21-5, 2.28 ERA, 248 K) – Kershaw won the pitching triple crown in the National League, so there is no way you can pick against him. He had 21 wins, the best ERA in the major leagues, and almost 250 strikeouts.
Runner-up: Ian Kennedy, ARI (21-4, 2.88 ERA, 198 K)

Rookie of the Year: Craig Kimbrel, ATL (46 SV, 2.10 ERA, 127 K) – Despite a late-season collapse by Kimbrel, he still had an incredible season. He set the rookie saves record with 46, had an ERA just above 2.00, and had a crazy 127 strikeouts in just 77 innings pitched.
Runner-up: Josh Collmenter, ARI (10-10, 3.38 ERA, 100 K)

Manager of the Year: Kirk Gibson, ARI (94-68, NL West Champs) – Gibson manages a team that was projected to finish in last place this year, after finishing in the cellar of the division last year, and made them into the runaway NL West Champions. He definitely deserved to be the NL Manager of the Year.
Runner-up: Tony La Russa, STL (90-72, wild card)

Come back next week for my ALCS and NLCS series predictions.

Rangers Playoff Prediction

2011-09-25T20:55:00.002-05:00

This week I will give my predictions on how the ALDS will go for the Rangers in all of their 3 possible match-ups, the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays. My Rangers rotation is just my prediction of what it will be. CJ Wilson is locked into the #1 spot, but after that, numbers 2-4 are up in the air. I decided to go with Harrison at #2, Colby at #3, and Holland at #4. I chose that order because Harrison has the best ERA of the three and has been pitching well of late. Even though he has struggled this year, I still put Colby at #3 just because he was so good in the playoffs last year.

Rangers Playoff Match-Ups:

Rangers vs. Yankees

Game 1: CJ Wilson, TEX vs. CC Sabathia, NYY in New York

RANGERS WIN – CC Sabathia is a very good pitcher, but usually struggles against the Rangers, allowing 13 runs in 19.1 innings against the Rangers this season. In the ALCS last year against the Rangers, CC allowed 7 runs on 17 hits in 10 innings. Meanwhile, in CJ’s only start against the Yankees this year, he allowed only 2 runs and struck out 10 in 8 innings of work.

Game 2: Matt Harrison, TEX vs. Ivan Nova, NYY in New York

YANKEES WIN – I don’t think the Yankees will leave New York down 2 games to nothing. Harrison has had a good year, but so has Ivan Nova. Harrison has a slightly better ERA, but I think the Yankees’ home-field advantage, and their determination after losing Game 1, will just be too much and will help them win in a close one.

Game 3: Colby Lewis, TEX vs. AJ Burnett, NYY in Arlington

RANGERS WIN – While Colby hasn’t pitched very well this year, with a 4.45 ERA, AJ Burnett has been worse, with a 5.28 ERA. The Rangers have all the edges in this game, a better starting pitcher, a better bullpen, home-field advantage, and at worst an even line-up. Also, Colby pitched great last year in the playoffs, going 3-0, with a 1.71 ERA, including 2 wins and a 1.98 ERA against the Yankees.

Game 4: Derek Holland, TEX vs. Freddy Garcia, NYY in Arlington

RANGERS WIN – Freddy Garcia has had a very good year overall for the Yankees, but it the month of September, he has a 7.36 ERA and has a 5.40 ERA in 4 career divisional series starts. Meanwhile, Derek has an ERA of 3.92, including a 1.63 September ERA and didn’t allow a run in 5.2 innings against the Yankees last year in the playoffs. I don’t think this series goes back to New York.

RANGERS WIN 3-1

Rangers vs. Red Sox

Game 1: CJ Wilson, TEX vs. Josh Beckett, BOS in Arlington

RANGERS WIN: Both CJ and Josh have had great years this year, both of them have ERA’s under 3.00, but the difference between the two is that Beckett has a 4.24 September ERA while CJ has a September ERA of 1.27 and has been unhittable. Also, CJ has allowed only 2 earned runs in 12.1 innings against Boston this year, and Boston is falling apart, with a 5-18 record in September.

Game 2: Matt Harrison, TEX vs. Jon Lester, BOS in Arlington

RANGERS WIN: Once again, this is a matchup of two pitchers that have similar numbers on the year, with Lester at a 3.49 ERA and Harrison at a 3.46 ERA. However, once again, they have pitched very differently of late, with Lester at a September ERA of 5.96 and Harrison’s September ERA at 2.92. Lester has just been bombed of late, and all reports say that he just doesn’t have the stuff he did at the beginning of the year.

Game 3: Colby Lewis, TEX vs. John Lackey, BOS in Boston

RANGERS WIN: Colby really hasn’t pitched well this year, with a 4.45 ERA in 194 innings, but he is on a team that is both hitting and playing well right now. The same thing can’t be said for John Lackey, who really needs help, as his season ERA is 6.49, including a 10.70 September ERA. The Red Sox are in bad shape for any game that Lackey starts in.

RANGERS WIN 3-0

Rangers vs. Rays

Game 1: CJ Wilson, TEX vs. James Shields, TB in Arlington

RANGERS WIN: This one might just be 0-0 going into extra innings. Both pitchers have ERAs under 3.00, and have pitched fantastic in September. Also, they have both pitched well against the teams they are facing, as CJ has allowed 5 runs in 21.2 innings against the Rays this year, while Shields has allowed just 1 run in 17 innings against the Rangers this year. In the end, I think this match-up is just so even that I will give it to the home team.

Game 2: Matt Harrison, TEX vs. David Price, TB in Arlington

RAYS WIN: Matt Harrison has had a good year so far, and has pitched well of late, and his numbers might actually be close to David Price’s on the year, but he just isn’t a match for Price. David has pitched well against the Rangers this year, going 15 innings and allowing 5 runs, and has lots of playoff experience.

Game 3: Colby Lewis, TEX vs. Jeremy Hellickson, TB in St. Petersburg

RAYS WIN: Despite pitching lights-out in the playoffs last year, Lewis has struggled so far this year, and the 2011 Lewis is what I think we will see in this year’s playoffs, not the 2010 playoff Colby. Meanwhile, Hellickson has had an amazing year, with a 2.90 ERA, including a 2.28 September ERA and a 2.48 August ERA, so he has been almost unhittable for a couple of months now.

Game 4: Derek Holland, TEX vs. Wade Davis, TB in St. Petersburg

RANGERS WIN: Derek has been lights-out so far in September and he tends to pitch well in big games. He has lowered his ERA down under 4.00 on the year, and I think he would pitch a gem against the weak Rays line-up. Meanwhile, Davis has a 4.45 ERA, and allowed 7 runs on 12 hits in just 2.2 innings in his only start against the Rangers this year.

Game 5: CJ Wilson, TEX vs. James Shields, TB in Arlington

RAYS WIN: I gave the first showdown between these two to CJ, so I’ll give the second one to Shields since they are so evenly matched.

RAYS WIN 3-2

Come back next week for my playoff predictions and my end-of-season awards.

August Awards

2011-09-04T14:21:00.000-05:00

This week I will post my August Awards.

Rangers Awards:

MVP: Michael Young, TEX (.336 AVG, 11 HR, 90 RBI) – Michael leads the team in batting average (2nd in the AL) and RBIs. He has had a fantastic season, and is on pace to get to both 200 hits and 100 RBIs this year.
Runner-up: Josh Hamilton, TEX (.300 AVG, 19 HR, 76 RBI)

Cy Young: CJ Wilson, TEX (14-6, 3.28 ERA, 173 K) – CJ leads the Rangers in wins (14), ERA (3.28), and strikeouts (173), and has pitched well enough this year to be named to the All-Star team. This decision was a no-brainer.
Runner-up: Alexi Ogando, TEX (12-7, 3.68 ERA, 115 K)

Rookie of the Year: Craig Gentry, TEX (.235 AVG, 0 HR, 7 RBI) – Craig won this by process of elimination. He plays great defensively, and has played in the majors. That got him this award.
Runner-up: Leonys Martin, TEX (.500 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI)

AL Awards:

MVP: Adrian Gonzalez, BOS (.342 AVG, 23 HR, 103 RBI) – Adrian leads the league in batting average and is 2nd in RBI. He is having a great season, and is making my pre-season prediction of him for MVP look very good.
Runner-up: Curtis Granderson, NYY (.271 AVG, 38 HR, 107 RBI)

Cy Young: Justin Verlander, DET (21-5, 2.34 ERA, 224 K) – You know a pitcher is having an unbelievable season when there is talk about him being MVP. Verlander leads the AL in wins, ERA, and strikeouts, and is on track for the pitching triple crown.
Runner-up: Jered Weaver, LAA (16-7, 2.49 ERA, 176 K)

Rookie of the Year: Jeremy Hellickson, TB (11-10, 3.01 ERA, 106 K) – Jeremy is having a great rookie year, with an ERA just barely above 3.00, and without any really good offensive rookies this year, I think he definitely deserves this year’s ROY.
Runner-up: Mark Trumbo, LAA (.256 AVG, 25 HR, 77 RBI)

NL Awards:

MVP: Matt Kemp, LAD (.320 AVG, 31 HR, 102 RBI) – Despite playing on a very bad team, I still think that Kemp deserves to be the MVP. His numbers this year are incredible, as he is 4th in the NL in average, tied for 4th in home runs, and 3rd in RBI.
Runner-up: Ryan Braun, MIL (.331 AVG, 25 HR, 91 RBI)

Cy Young: Ian Kennedy, ARI (18-4, 2.96 ERA, 167 K) – Kennedy leads the National League in wins with 18, and on top of that, he has an ERA under 3.00 and is right on the verge of 200 innings for the season. Ian has had a great year.
Runner-up: Clayton Kershaw, LAD (17-5, 2.45 ERA, 212 K)

Rookie of the Year: Craig Kimbrel, ATL (42 SV, 1.60 ERA, 112 K) – Craig has already broken the rookie saves record set last year by Neftali Feliz (40), has a good chance at 50 saves on the season, has an ERA well below 2.00, and has a ridiculous 112 strike-outs in 67.2 innings.
Runner-up: Freddie Freeman, ATL (.291 AVG, 18 HR, 64 RBI)

Come back next week for part 3 of my ballpark rankings.

Myrtle Beach Trip Report

2011-08-28T18:36:00.003-05:00

After my trip to Phoenix, my dad and I flew up to Myrtle Beach and met up with my mom, sister, grandma, and granddad, at my grandparents’ condo in Myrtle Beach. My family goes up there once every year, and I always really enjoy the trip. This week I have posted my trip report.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans:

A couple of days before the end of our trip, my dad, granddad, and I went to see the Myrtle Beach Pelicans play. The Pelicans are, for the first time, the High-A affiliate of the Rangers this year (in previous years they were a Braves affiliate). We go see a Pelicans game every summer, so I was very excited to see the Rangers’ prospects there.

It ended up being an amazing night.

I had gotten to know Chuck Greenberg, the Pelicans’ owner, from his days with the Rangers last year (my interview with Chuck last August is at http://texasrangerstrades.blogspot.com/2010/08/chuck-greenberg-interview.html). I shot him an e-mail the day before I went to the game to see if he would be there, and while he said no, he wasn’t in town, he did get me in touch with the Pelicans’ GM, Scott Brown. Scott was extremely nice and set me up to be on the Pelicans’ pre-game show on the jumbotron. However, since it was raining that day (causing a 40 minute rain delay), the pre-game show never happened. Instead, I talked with the Pelicans’ radio play-by-play broadcaster, Tyler Maun, who also does the pre-game show, before the game. He told me that he’d like to have me on the radio for part of the game, which is broadcast on the Myrtle Beach ESPN radio station. Obviously, I was excited.

He told me to come up in the bottom of the 2nd, so I watched the first inning from our seats. At the top of the 2nd, we made our way up to the press box and found the radio booth. After the top of the inning, Tyler invited me into the booth, gave me a headset, and started interviewing me when the inning resumed. I was on the air with him through the end of the 3rd inning, so I got to be on the broadcast for an inning and a half. It was so much fun and I really, really enjoyed it. While I was on air, I realized that Tyler Maun was a very good play-by-play guy, with a good voice for it and skilled at providing descriptions of the plays. He is also a very nice person with deep baseball knowledgeable. I think he should be considered for the open broadcasting spot for the Rangers this off-season.

I put a couple of segments of my time on the radio broadcast on YouTube here and here.

A couple of innings after we got back to our seats, Scott Brown (the Pelicans GM) came to our seats to introduce himself. He is really great guy and very friendly. We talked with him for a little while, and then he took me down to the gift shop and gave me a Pelicans t-shirt (actually, a shirt from the Rangers spring training game in the stadium earlier in the year), which was really nice of him.

We also realized that Jon Daniels was at the game, as we saw him sitting a few rows in front of us. I said hello to him and was able to talk with him for a few minutes between innings. He was in the area for a few days, watching Hickory and Myrtle Beach.

It was just an all-around great night. I would like to thank Chuck, Scott, and Tyler for all of their friendliness and hospitality. I was amazed at how generous everyone was.

However, while my night was great, the Pelicans’ night wasn’t so great. The Pelicans lost to the Kinston Indians 9-3, and Kennil Gomez had a very poor start for Myrtle Beach, going 4.2 innings, allowing 7 runs, 4 earned, on 5 hits, 2 walks, and 3 hit batsmen. The offense didn’t do much either, as Vincent DiFazio was the only one who had a good night at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a home run.

If you’re ever in South Carolina, I recommend seeing a Pelicans game. They have a very nice ballpark. It’s one of the better minor league parks I have been to. They have very wide seats there, which is nice. They also have a good amusement area out in left field for small kids, with a bounce house. They have lots of Pelicans history along the concourse, including a spot where they have a plaque for every Pelican who has ever played in the major leagues and banners showing every Opening Day line-up the Pelicans have ever had. It’s always a fun experience.

Putt-Putt:

Every year when we go down to Myrtle Beach, my dad, granddad, and I have a putt-putt competition. Myrtle Beach has what has to be about the best putt-putt in the world. This year we went to 9 different courses, which were:

1. Mutiny Bay – a pirate-themed course with a show in which a pirate ship on the water and a fort shoot cannonballs at each other, making big splashes in the water, and in which the fort eventually gets hit and shoots up fire.

2. Mayday – an airplane-themed course with some very tough holes, and lots of much-needed shade.

3. Dinosaur Adventure – obviously a dinosaur themed course, which really isn’t all that good, as there is no shade, and just a few dinosaurs, only one of which moves.

4. Dragon’s Lair – a medieval times themed course, which is really awesome, as you play in a castle with turrets for some of the holes. There is also a hole with a jester that makes jokes and laughs at you, and there is a show with a dragon.

5. Molten Mountain – this one is volcano-themed, and has half of its holes indoors and air-conditioned, which makes it fantastic.

6. Lost Treasure – in this course you go through ancient ruins and dinosaur fossils and old pirate towns, and kind of follow in an archaeologist’s, named Professor Hacker, footsteps. You start every game by taking a small ride on a mine train through caves, where you see explorers digging for gold. The ride drops you off at the first hole.

7. Captain Hook – a Peter Pan themed course, in which you play holes in the Lost Boys’ cave, or in Captain Hook’s boat (complete with an audio-animatronic Captain Hook and crocodile), or by an audio-animatronic Peter Pan. It is a very neat course. In one cave, you can hear Tinker Bell calling out for help. If you follow the voice, it takes you to Captain Hook’s cabin, where you can see an animated Tinker Bell trapped under glass, asking you to free her.

8. Jurassic Golf – this one is themed after Jurassic Park and is very, very neat, with many moving dinosaurs, and almost every hole is by either water, a dinosaur, or some sort of rock formation.

9. Hawaiian Rumble – another volcano-themed course, but this one only has 18 holes.

The competition was great this year, especially since I won. We use a point system, based on first and second place finishes. I was down by 1 point on my granddad going into the last day, but I had a great putting day to come back and win the tournament for the second straight year.

Other:

When we first arrived, our first meal was Georgio’s Pizza, like it is every year. Georgio’s is probably the best pizza I’ve ever had. I ate sausage and pepperoni pizza.

Staying with food and pizza, we also ate at Ultimate California Pizza on our trip (which is not associated with California Pizza Kitchen). We also go there every year, and their pizza is great, too, although not quite up to Georgio’s caliber. I got the Hollywood, which is a pizza with 4 different meats.

Obviously we went down to the beach every day, since we were staying in Myrtle Beach in a condo with an ocean-view. We normally would do putt-putt in the morning, hang around in the afternoon when the beach was packed and hot, and then go down to the beach in the evening. Most nights when we would go down to the beach, my 6-year-old sister, Kate, and I, would play in the sand, jump waves, and then go into the lazy river before going back up to the room.

One afternoon, my mom, dad, sister, and I went to Pirate’s Voyage, a dinner show where pirates have competitions. Unfortunately, our side lost, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the outcome was decided beforehand. Anyways, the food was good, and my little sister really enjoyed it.

Unfortunately, it was eventually time to come home and start school again. But it was a great way to end the summer.

Come back next week for my August Awards.

Phoenix Trip Report

2011-08-16T15:30:00.003-05:00

Last week my dad and I took our annual baseball trip, this time to Phoenix. While there, I got to see games at the Diamondbacks’ stadium (Chase Field) plus a couple of Arizona Rookie League games.

Sunday, August 7th:

My dad and I had an extremely early flight that left at 6:00 in the morning, which forced me to wake up at 3:30 AM, which is always loads of fun. We got to the airport around 4:30, and everything went very smoothly, with no delays or anything. Due to the time difference, we arrived in Phoenix at 6:30am local time but were lucky enough to be able to check into our hotel, Embassy Suites, early. We also got to eat breakfast there, and their breakfast is amazing. They have outstanding omelets, very good bacon and sausage, and good potatoes.

We left the hotel around 10:30am to get to the Diamondbacks stadium when the gates opened at 11:00 for a 1pm game. The D-backs stadium is Chase Field and is very nice. When we got there, we walked around the outside of the stadium to see if there was anything interesting to see. The west side of the stadium has a plaza with a large number of plaques set in the ground detailing big moments in baseball history. There are also a few plaques detailing big moments in Diamondbacks’ history, including their first game, their first win, their first playoff appearance, and their World Series appearance and championship. Personally, I think they should only have their franchise’s history, as it seems a stretch to me to have plaques’ about baseball history that has nothing to do with their team. Also, there are lots of other big Diamondbacks’ moments that they don’t mention, such as their 2002 and 2007 playoff appearances and Randy Johnson’s perfect game and Cy Young awards. I’d rather see that information when outside the D-backs’ stadium than information about Johnny Vander Meer’s back-to-back no-hitters for the Reds, which happened decades before the local team existed. The history is a nice touch, I just think it could have been executed better. Another idea would be to include information about Cactus League spring training history, sort of like the Rays have leading up to their stadium in Tampa.

We went inside when the gates opened. I was very impressed by their ballpark. It was nice and it was air-conditioned, as they have a retractable roof, and has lots of nice little touches. Out in right field, where we came in, they have Uptown, named for their star player, Justin Upton. They have lots of Upton pictures and Uptown signs. As we walked around the outfield we saw the pool in right-center field, and walked behind their ginormous scoreboard, which is out in dead center. Out in left field, they have a burger stand called Fatburger, which is a burger franchise that hasn’t made its way to Dallas yet. We stopped and ate there. My dad and I both agreed that it was a good burger. They also have open concourses, which means you can see the game even when getting concessions, and wide concourses. As we were walking around, we saw a great variety of food, almost all of it good. The ballpark also had a very good old-timey feel to it with the brick walls. When we went to the upper deck, we took a look at the kids play area, which had a wiffle ball park, batting cages, and a couple of other things. Right next to the play area, the Diamondbacks had Baxter’s house. Baxter is the Diamondbacks mascot, a bobcat, and his house was very detailed. They had a hole in the wall for his mouse, a fridge stocked with food, and lots of other small details. There is an area out front for the kids to meet Baxter in.

The team did a good job displaying their playoff appearances and championship. In the entry plaza, there’s a display case where you can see their championship trophy from 2001, along with other memorabilia from those games (jerseys, bats, balls). There’s also a TV above the display case showing highlights from the 2001 World Series. Inside the stadium, their four division championships, their NL pennant, and their championship are prominently displayed and easy to see and read. Compare this to the Rangers ballpark, where the Rangers fly tiny flags for each of their playoff appearances, including an AL championship flag that cannot possibly be read from the stands.

The one thing that I didn’t like about Chase Field was how cavernous it felt. The upper deck probably went up about 50 rows, and it felt a little like a football stadium because of that.

We also got to see a very good game. The Dodgers were in town to play Arizona and the pitching match-up was Clayton Kershaw vs. Ian Kennedy, both teams’ aces. The Diamondbacks scored two runs in the bottom of the first on a Kelly Johnson 2-run home run to take the lead. The 2-0 score stayed that way until the top of the 5th, when a Dodgers solo home run by James Loney cut the lead in half. Kennedy would struggle in the next inning, too, allowing 2 runs, both earned, in the 6th. Ian also pitched the 7th, and his final line was 7 innings, 3 earned runs, 3 K. The Dodgers didn’t hold their 3-run lead long, though, as Cody Ransom hit his 1st home run of the season on a 2-run shot in the bottom of the 7th off of Clayton Kershaw, which sent him to the showers. David Hernandez and JJ Putz each pitched a scoreless inning to finish the game.

With this game, I have now been to 26 of the current 30 major league ballparks (plus a few retired ones). All that I have left are the Marlins, Mariners, A’s, and Giants.

After the game, my dad and I drove to the Pink Pony, a very good steak place in Scottsdale that has some baseball memorabilia. But they were closed on Sundays, which was very disappointing, as we were both looking forward to it. We then ended up eating at the Embassy Suites manager reception, and got a quesadilla, which was mediocre. After dinner, we went and hung out in our hotel room.

Monday, August 8th:

When we woke up on Monday morning, we once again got to eat the awesome Embassy Suites breakfast. They may just have the best breakfast anywhere, and it’s at a hotel.

After we ate, we drove out to Surprise to see an Arizona League Rangers rookie game. It felt like Spring Training, driving up to Surprise and going to the Rangers’ backfields. It was a really fun and very different experience. They played the game at one of the Rangers backfields at their Spring Training complex (Nolan Ryan Field). We were the only fans there. All of the players who weren’t playing in the game were just sitting in the stands watching it. The Rangers won the game 4-3, and the star of the game was definitely Luis Mendez, the Rangers shortstop who not only played great defense, but homered and drove in 3 of the Rangers’ 4 runs. Like Mendez, Jimmy Swift, the second baseman, played outstanding defense in the game. The Rangers’ starter, Abel De Los Santos, also played a very good game, going 5 innings and allowing no runs, while striking out 5.

After the game, we stayed in Surprise to eat lunch at NYPD, New York Pizza Department. We go there every year during Spring Training, and we always love their pizza. Like normal, the pizza there was great, and as always, we ordered pepperoni and sausage.

When we got back to Phoenix, we stayed at the hotel for a couple of hours, and then went to the movie theater to see Captain America, which was great. It was one of the best, if not the best, movie this summer, in my opinion. It was a very old theater and didn’t even have stadium seating, but that didn’t end up mattering, as it was my dad, me, and only one other guy in the theater.

Tuesday, August 9th:

We woke up fairly early on Tuesday morning for a 9:30 AM tour of Chase Field. We got there earlier than we wanted to, which was fine, since we got to watch this neat contraption they had in front of the entrance. It had all sorts of ramps, with lots of balls going around them. Sometimes, the balls would trigger movement, like a circle of fans doing the wave or making a baseball player swing.

Only two people besides us went on the tour. The tour took us around the lower level, up to the club level, which was very nice, into the press box, into a suite, down into the tunnels, and into the dugout. We learned a lot about the ballpark on the tour. It took about an hour and fifteen minutes. After the tour, we ate lunch at Friday’s, which is actually in the ballpark, and got a table overlooking the field. It’s always cool eating at a restaurant that overlooks the ballpark. I wish the Rangers still had one. We just got an appetizer as we weren’t really that hungry.

After we ate, we drove to Goodyear to see an Arizona League Reds game. It was also played on the backfields, but this time the Reds’ ones. My dad and I walked around some, and the Reds have some really nice backfields. We got to the game at about the 4th inning and stayed there until it ended. The Padres beat the Reds, 7-3, with all of the games runs being scored in the 6th inning or later.

Once the game was over, we drove back to the Phoenix area, and after a couple of hours at the hotel, we headed back over to Chase Field for a Diamondbacks game. This time we sat in the club level, and the Diamondbacks have a great one. It is very old-timey looking, with bricks and powdery looking glass windows. It is also very comfortable, with nice furniture and lots of comfortable places to sit and eat. The concourse of the club level is basically a large air conditioned hallway, meaning that it’s always climate controlled, even when the roof is open. They definitely have a better club level than the Rangers.

This time, Arizona hosted the Astros, and had Jason Marquis pitching against Jordan Lyles. This one was a really good game. After the Diamondbacks took a 1-0 lead in the 1st inning, the Astros dominated innings 2-4. They scored 1 in the second, 3 in the third, and 3 in the fourth. JD Martinez and Brian Bogusevic each homered in the 3rd, while Carlos Lee and Humberto Quintero also picked up RBI singles in innings 2-4. Bogusevic also had an RBI double. However, from that point forward, it was almost all Arizona, as they scored 4 in the bottom of the 5th, on a Justin Upton 2-RBI double and a Miguel Montero 2-RBI single. The Diamondbacks also scored 4 runs in the 6th inning, and Upton was a big contributor again, this time with a 2-run homer. Earlier in the inning, Willie Bloomquist had hit a 2-RBI single. The Astros did score a run in the top of the 7th, though, to make it a one-run game on a Jimmy Paredes home run. The Diamondbacks weren’t done scoring runs though, as they scored 2 runs in the 8th inning with RBI doubles from both Ryan Roberts and Kelly Johnson, making the Astros’ lone run in the 9th unimportant. The final score was Diamondbacks 11, Astros 9, and it was tied for the biggest comeback in franchise history.

Wednesday, August 10th:

We once again had a very early flight, this time at around 7:00. We had to wake up at 4:15 and it was too early to enjoy an Embassy Suites breakfast. Once again, the flight went very smoothly. It was a great trip overall.

Come back next week for a Myrtle Beach trip report.

Rangers Trade Analysis - Deadline Deals

2011-08-01T20:35:00.002-05:00

This week the Rangers made two trades before the trading deadline, and I will analyze both of them.

On July 30th, the Rangers acquired RP Koji Uehara and cash from the Orioles in exchange for 1B/3B Chris Davis and SP Tommy Hunter.

Evaluation: I really like this trade. Koji Uehara is a fantastic relief pitcher, one of the best in all of baseball, and the Rangers desperately needed relief help. Koji has a 1.72 ERA on the year, following up a good year last year in which he posted a 2.86 ERA. He has also struck out 64 batters in 48 innings this season and has held opponents to a .150 average, which is incredible. He will probably also be a Ranger next year, as his contract vests with about 10 more appearances this year for 2012. He has a 3.01 career ERA.

Meanwhile, the Rangers didn’t have to give up a whole lot to get him. I don’t think Chris Davis would ever have been a consistent role player for the Rangers, and I think if he plays well for the Orioles, it will have happened due to the change of scenery. Chris has a career .247 batting average, but has not had a good year in the majors since his rookie year in 2008 when he hit .285 with 17 home runs and 55 RBIs. In 2009, he hit .238 with 21 homers and 59 RBIs. In 2010, he really struggled, batting .192 with just 1 home run and 4 RBIs in 120 at-bats, and before the trade this year, he was hitting .250 with 3 home runs and 6 RBIs.

Tommy Hunter is a bigger loss than Davis, but I don’t think he will be missed too much. Tommy was a solid pitcher, with a 4.36 career ERA, but I think that he has reached his ceiling. I don’t think he’ll ever be much more than a #4 or #5 pitcher in a rotation, and the Rangers’ starting pitching is really stacked right now. The Rangers have Alexi Ogando, Matt Harrison, Derek Holland, and Neftali Feliz as young pitchers with lots of potential in the majors right now that could be in the rotation next year to go along with Colby Lewis. Also, there is a good chance they re-sign CJ Wilson out of free agency, and they also have Martin Perez, one of the top prospects in baseball in Triple-A right now.

Grade: A+, the Rangers got a lot in this deal, but didn’t have to give up much to get it

On July 31st, the Rangers acquired RP Mike Adams from the Padres in exchange for SP Robbie Erlin and SP Joe Wieland.

Evaluation: I’m not as sure about this trade as I was about the Uehara deal. I really like Mike Adams, and think he is a great addition, but the Rangers gave up two major prospects to get him. However, Mike is arguably the best setup man in baseball, with an unbelievable 1.13 ERA in 48 innings this season. He has struck out 49 batters and held them to a .155 batting average this year. Mike has been dominant each of the past four years, posting ERAs of 2.48, 0.73, 1.76, and 1.13. Also, he has closer stuff and is an obvious candidate to step into Feliz’s closer role if Neftali goes to the rotation next year, as Adams is signed through 2012, which is another key part of this trade.

But while Mike Adams is a big addition, Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland are very significant losses. At this point Erlin and Wieland were probably the Rangers’ #2 and #3 pitching prospects, and while neither probably will ever be an ace, they are pretty surely going to be very solid #2-4 guys in a good rotation. After a great season in 2010, when Robbie Erlin had an ERA of 2.12 and struck out 125 batters in 114.2 innings, all of them with Low-A Hickory, Robbie started off 2011 with High-A Myrtle Beach. Erlin dominated with the Pelicans, and quickly got called up to Double-A Frisco after just 54.2 innings in which he had a 2.14 ERA. Since the call-up however, Robbie has struggled a bit, with a 4.32 ERA in 66.2 innings with the RoughRiders.

Joe Wieland, on the other hand, has been fantastic ever since he was called up to Frisco earlier this season, with a 1.23 ERA in Double-A before the trade. His last start in the Rangers organization was a no-hitter against the San Antonio Missions. He was called up earlier this year after starting off the season very well with Myrtle Beach, posting a 2.10 ERA in 85.2 innings of work. 2011 was a big improvement from last year for Joe, who pitched well in Low-A Hickory in 2010 with a 3.34 ERA, before struggling in the hitter-friendly California League with High-A Bakersfield, where his ERA spiked to 5.19. With his performance this year, Joe has quickly climbed most prospect rankings.

Grade: B, this was a great deal for the next couple of years, but the Rangers gave up two very good pitching prospects to get this deal done

Come back next week for my July Awards.

Newberg Night Report

2011-07-25T14:53:00.001-05:00

Last night was Newberg Report Night at the ballpark. As always, it was lots of fun and Jamey did a good job of putting it together. I would like to thank Jamey Newberg and Eleanor Czajka for making it happen, and Jason Parks, Kevin Goldstein, Thad Levine, and Jon Daniels for doing the Q&A sessions.

he Q&A sessions were held in the Rangers Hall of Fame’s theater like usual. We got there at about 2:35 and went on up to the theatre, which was already almost completely full, even though the doors had just opened at 2:30. Jason Parks and Kevin Goldstein were the first Q&A session, which started at 3:30. They both did a great job, and it was Jason’s first year to be at the event. Here are a couple of the questions and answers:

Q: How would you rank the American League West farm systems?
A: (Kevin) I think you would have to rank the Rangers first right now. The Rangers are the best team in the West and also have the best system in the West, not only to bring people up, but to use another purpose of a prospect, which is being an asset to bring something in a trade. Those are equally important things. That said, Oakland and the Angels both have a very good farm system, and have things coming, and are not going to go away and start handing the Rangers division titles for the next decade. It’s going to be tough. Seattle’s system is just so-so. It’s not horrible, it’s just so-so, but at the same time, Seattle just called up Michael Pineda this year, who is pretty darn good, and Dustin Ackley this year is pretty darn good, so they’ve added an above-average position player and a potential stud starting pitcher. Their system’s done its job for a while, and even if it’s down a little bit, that’s ok. The Rangers still have a good system that’s one of the better ones in baseball, and while it’s not the best, it’s one of the better ones. They do a good job drafting and a crazy good job internationally.

Q: Where do you think Jurickson Profar will be in the next couple of years and who is he comparable to?
A: (Kevin) As young as he is, I think we’ll see him in High-A next year and Double-A in 2013, I don’t think he should have a big league timetable now. This kid is so young and is really, really good, and you look at what he’s doing in Low-A. Everyone always talks about how young Bryce Harper is, and Profar is six months younger than him. And he’s playing an elite, up-the middle position very well, hitting, stealing bases. I think he has the potential to be a shortstop who hits .280-.300 with 15-20 home runs, and 15-20 stolen bases, and that’s a massive talent, which is a $15-20 million dollars on the free agent market.

(Jason) This is a guy who I think could be at Double-A right now. He could handle Double-A. Profar adjusts to the level he’s on well, which is why he was able to handle this advanced assignment to start the season, and that’s why he could handle an advanced assignment next season. He could start at Double-A next year, I wouldn’t be surprised, and could handle the major leagues by the time he’s 20.

After the Goldstein/Parks Q&A session, an auction was held that raised over $15,000 for the Shannon Stone Memorial Foundation. Following the auction was the main event, the Jon Daniels Q&A. Assistant GM Thad Levine was there as well and also answered a few questions. As usual, Jon did a great job, taking questions for more than 90 minutes. Here are some excerpts from the Q&A.

Q: How much of an information gap is there between the players that you have and the players that other teams have, as far as scouting goes?
A: We’ve tried to do as much as possible to narrow that gap. We don’t really talk about that, but at the end of the day that is our goal with our pro scouting. We scout their personal history, and that kind of stuff to try to help us know everything possible about players on other teams.

Q: (me) When you are working with agents on contracts, what are some of your biggest pet peeves?
A: (Jon) When they open their mouths.
(Thad) I think that one thing that we’ve done since we’ve been here is really try to forge relationships with everybody in the industry, whether it’s other GMs, other team’s scouts, agents, so I think for the most part we have done just that. We have pretty good relationships with agents. I think the biggest issue I have when you’re negotiating a player’s contract is when there is an early impass, when somebody says, ‘We’re at an impasse, there’s no way we’re gonna get a deal done’, and there’s no creativity in the flow of conversations. But beyond that, I think we’ve learned if you have the relationships beforehand and you treat each of these negotiations as the next building block of the relationship, then there’s no reason you can’t come to an agreement. It’s when they treat it as one isolated event instead of as a building block to a relationship; otherwise there’s nothing stopping you from getting a deal done.

Q: Do you enjoy the trading deadline or free agency period more?
A: Definitely the trading deadline, no doubt. What we do now is going to have an immediate impact on a pennant race. In November, what you do isn’t going to do anything to help your team win for a few months.

Q: What are some teams that you like and don’t like doing business with?
A: I can’t name specific teams, but there are teams that we casually keep in touch with year-round for no trade reasons or anything else, but just to catch up with, and there are some organizations that we don’t do that with.

Q: Is there a plan among MLB to improve the umpiring?
A: They changed the leadership on the baseball operations side this year to Joe Torre, who is in charge of all of baseball ops. He hired two vice presidents, who both have extensive experience working for clubs. It’s one of those deals where they’re not going to tell us specifically, or publicize, their specific training or repercussions for umpires, but I know they are pretty confident. You saw them change one of the umpiring groups recently and that made the news a little bit before the All-Star break. I think they’re going to be a little more proactive in addressing some of this stuff. One of the suggestions that Buck Showalter made was that they should take former ballplayers that want to stay in the game (RA Dickey was his example) and put them in an umpiring school to get them into the system.

Q: Is there any developmental difference between Bakersfield and Myrtle Beach?
A: It is such a better environment for developing players in Myrtle Beach. We’re thrilled going over there. It doesn’t change a guy’s developmental plan. We understand that a guy’s number in the California League are going to be different than the numbers in the Carolina League, but it doesn’t change how we approach certain guys, with the exception that we may be willing to keep a guy there a little longer, where otherwise we would have felt it may hurt a guy negatively staying in a bad environment.

A couple of additional interesting comments from Jon:
- They were looking for a way to bring Chris Davis up even before Beltre got hurt. He said that long-term, Chris could be a corner utility guy, as he can play 1B, 3B, LF, and RF.
- He doesn’t believe in giving free agent relievers big, long contracts (which I totally agree with). He said that it was risky, and that while it works out in some cases, it’s normally not worth the risk.

Like usual, Jon did a great job answering the questions and I would like to thank him for giving us so much of his time.

After the Daniels Q&A, we went to our seats for the game. The Rangers lost to the Blue Jays 3-0, and only got 6 baserunners in a complete game shutout for the Blue Jays’ Brett Cecil. Alexi Ogando started for the Rangers and was doing great until a 3-run 6th inning when Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, and Travis Snider each drove in a run. Offensively, Craig Gentry was the only Ranger to have multiple hits.

Once again, I would like to thank everyone that made this happen.

Come back next week for trade analyses or my July awards. Also, be sure to check out the Newberg Report minor league recaps this weekend. I’ll be filling in for Scott Lucas’ this Friday through Sunday.

Rangers Notes

2011-07-10T14:35:00.001-05:00

I will be posting a short blog this week, as I have spent the last three days playing baseball in a tournament up in Stillwater. My team played very well, and although we lost all four games, they were all close, and we were facing some of the best 16-year-old teams in the country, and my team is only 15. My dad and I drove up to Stillwater Thursday morning for our first game, which was at Guthrie High School, and their field was extremely cool. The center field fence was 702 feet from home plate, as the baseball and football fields were connected there, and right field had a hill going up to the fence, like at old Crosley Field. On Friday, we got to play at Oklahoma State’s field which was awesome, and we even got to hang out in the clubhouse before the game. It was a very fun trip. We even got to eat at Eskimo Joe’s.

I am very excited about the All-Star Game on Tuesday, as the Rangers will have five players in Phoenix (Josh Hamilton, CJ Wilson, Adrian Beltre, Alexi Ogando, and Michael Young), including two starters (Hamilton and Beltre). Beltre was moved into the starting role when A-ROD was removed from the roster due to injury, and Ogando replaced James Shields, who pitched on the Sunday before the All-Star Game, making him ineligible. 5 All-Stars is tied for the second most in franchise history with 2004 when the Rangers had Francisco Cordero, Michael Young, Alfonso Soriano, Kenny Rogers, and Hank Blalock, and is only behind 2010, when they had Cliff Lee, Ian Kinsler, Josh Hamilton, Vladimir Guerrero, Neftali Feliz, and Elvis Andrus. It is also a very fun game to watch, especially when your team has a lot of players in the game. Out of the five Rangers All-Stars this year, Josh Hamilton is probably the least deserving, as he has been injured for a large portion of the season, and has missed too much time to be a deserving All-Star, in my opinion. The two pitchers, CJ Wilson and Alexi Ogando, are both deserving with 9-3 records and very solid ERAs. Obviously Michael Young should be an All-Star, as he has an average well over .300 with plenty of RBIs. The main reason Adrian Beltre is on the roster is because of his power, as he is tied for 8th in the American League in home runs with 18, and is 2nd in RBIs, to go along with a decent .272 average.

Another good thing that has happened recently is how well the Rangers have been doing in the international free agent market. The Rangers have signed OF Nomar Mazara, who is supposed to have incredible power, for $5 million, OF Ronald Guzman, one of the most sought after international players, to $3.5 million, and SP Pedro Payano to $600 thousand. Also, they are close to signing SP Yohander Mendez, a Venzuelan lefty who Baseball America projected to be one of the top 20 international prospects in terms of signing bonuses, to more than $1 million. It is very exciting to see the new ownership group being willing to spend so much money on prospects, and I can’t wait to see these guys in Frisco and, hopefully, in Arlington.

Also, while I was in Stillwater, I was very sad to hear the news about Shannon Stone, the Rangers fan who fell over the left field fence at the ballpark and passed away. This is a terrible thing to have happened, and I hope this kind of thing never happens again.

Come back next week for the third edition of my ballpark rankings.

June Awards

2011-07-03T15:56:00.000-05:00

This week I will post my June Awards. The stats are as of Friday, July 3rd.

My dad, granddad, and I have been to three Rangers games in the last couple weeks, and have managed to see Derek Holland pitch in all of them, including the 5-runs-in-2/3-inning game against Florida. I think that they should give Derek one more start, and if that doesn’t go well, they should move Derek to the bullpen and Tommy Hunter into the starting rotation. Holland has an ERA over 5.00 and that is extremely poor, especially for someone with so much talent.

Also, Darren O’Day didn’t looked too good in his first game back from the DL, which worries me that the Rangers can’t count on him to be their bullpen help. Jon Daniels definitely still needs to trade for some relievers, and the sooner the better.

Rangers Awards:

Rangers MVP: Michael Young, TEX (.318 AVG, 7 HR, 53 RBI) – Michael has had a great year, with a batting average well above .300 and a very good number of RBIs, which was good enough to get him on the All-Star team.
Runner-up: Adrian Beltre, TEX (.259 AVG, 14 HR, 57 RBI)

Rangers Cy Young: CJ Wilson, TEX (8-3, 3.14 ERA, 100 K) – CJ has been extremely consistent this season, as I can’t remember the last time he had a bad start, and certainly deserved the All-Star selection that he got.
Runner-up: Alexi Ogando, TEX (7-3, 2.87 ERA, 65 K)

Rangers Rookie of the Year: Craig Gentry, TEX (.258 AVG, 0 HR, 6 RBI) – The Rangers have not had a whole lot of rookies contribute this year, so while Gentry hasn’t done much, he’s done more than any other Rangers rookie.
Runner-up: Yoshinori Tateyama, TEX (1-0, 1 SV, 3.71 ERA, 14 K)

AL Awards:

AL MVP: Adrian Gonzalez, BOS (.352 AVG, 16 HR, 71 RBI) – Adrian may not have crazy home run totals, but he leads the AL in RBIs and batting average.
Runner-up: Paul Konerko, CWS (.321 AVG, 21 HR, 61 RBI)

AL Cy Young: Jered Weaver, LAA (9-4, 1.97 ERA, 106 K) – Jered has 9 wins, which is towards the tops of the American League, along with an ERA that is sub-2.00.
Runner-up: Justin Verlander, DET (11-3, 2.32 ERA, 130 K)

AL Rookie of the Year: Michael Pineda, SEA (7-5, 2.65 ERA, 99 K) – Michael Pineda, as a rookie, was a possibility to make the AL All-Star team with a winning record, 99 K’s and an ERA below 3.00.
Runner-up: Jeremy Hellickson, TB (7-7, 3.18 ERA, 66 K)

AL Manager of the Year: Manny Acta, CLE (42-37, 2nd place) – The Indians were supposed to be a bad team this year, and I predicted them to be in last place, but they just keep hanging around and are in second place right now.
Runner-up: Jim Leyland, DET (44-38, 1st place)

NL Awards:

NL MVP: Matt Kemp, LAD (.331 AVG, 22 HR, 63 RBI, 22 SB) – Matt has incredible numbers, with a batting average way over .300, great power numbers, and 22 stolen bases.
Runner-up: Prince Fielder, MIL (.302 AVG, 21 HR, 69 RBI)

NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, PHI (10-3, 2.40 ERA, 123 K) – Roy is tied for the NL lead in wins, and has an ERA well under 3.00. However, the thing that puts him ahead of Jair Jurrjens in my opinion, is his 123 strikeouts compared to Jair’s 55.
Runner-up: Jair Jurrjens, ATL (10-3, 2.07 ERA, 55 K)

NL Rookie of the Year: Craig Kimbrel, ATL (23 SV, 2.63 ERA, 65 K) – Craig has had a fantastic season, with 23 saves a very good ERA and an unbelievable 65 strikeouts in 41 innings pitched.
Runner-up: Dillon Gee, NYM (8-1, 3.32 ERA, 51 K)

NL Manager of the Year: Clint Hurdle, PIT (41-39, 3rd place) – Clint has come to a team in the Pirates that has been awful for years, was predicted to be in last place, and has them in 3rd with a winning record. He has done a great job.
Runner-up: Kirk Gibson, ARI (44-38, 2nd place)

Come back next week for the third edition of my ballpark rankings.

June All-Stars

2011-06-21T14:58:00.001-05:00

This week I will give my AL and NL All-Star teams. These are as if the All-Star game was today, and who I think should be on the team.

AL Starters:

Catcher: Alex Avila, DET (.305 AVG, 9 HR, 41 RBI) – Alex is having a great year for the Tigers, and leads American League catchers in both batting average and RBIs.

First Base: Adrian Gonzalez, BOS (.348 AVG, 15 HR, 64 RBI) – Adrian was an easy choice here, as his batting average is outstanding and he has great power numbers to go along with it.

Second Base: Robinson Cano, NYY (.292 AVG, 14 HR, 46 RBI) – Cano has by far the most home runs and most RBIs among American League second basemen, and has one of the better batting averages, too.

Shortstop: Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE (.296 AVG, 12 HR, 43 RBI) – There are many good shortstops in the American League this year, but Asdrubal barely beat out Jhonny Peralta for the starting spot, with slightly better power numbers.

Third Base: Alex Rodriguez, NYY (.289 AVG, 13 HR, 43 RBI) – This year, the American League third basemen as a whole are performing horrendously, and A-ROD is the starter with numbers that aren’t starter worthy.

Designated Hitter: David Ortiz, BOS (.320 AVG, 17 HR, 46 RBI) – Big Papi has 9 home runs more than anybody else at DH, and also has more RBIs than anybody else.

Outfield: Curtis Granderson, NYY (.283 AVG, 21 HR, 54 RBI) – Granderson has a solid batting average, but a crazy amount of home runs, which are what got him to be a starter.

Outfield: Jose Bautista, TOR (.336 AVG, 21 HR, 46 RBI) – Bautista has had a fantastic year, and has good, if not great, numbers in batting average, home runs, and RBIs.

Outfield: Jacoby Ellsbury, BOS (.312 AVG, 8 HR, 36 RBI, 24 SB) – Jacoby has a very solid batting average, decent power numbers, but a very high stolen base total, and that is what puts him ahead of the other outfielders in the AL.

Starting Pitcher: Josh Beckett, BOS (6-2, 1.86 ERA, 79 K) – Beckett’s 6 wins and 72 strikeouts aren’t all that impressive, but is 1.86 ERA leads the American League by a pretty wide margin and is outstanding.

AL Reserves:

C: AJ Pierzynski, CWS (.282 AVG, 2 HR 22 RBI)

1B: Adam Lind, TOR (.331 AVG, 15 HR, 44 RBI)
Paul Konerko, CWS (.327 AVG, 19 HR, 56 RBI)
Miguel Cabrera, DET (.328 AVG, 14 HR, 48 RBI)

2B: Howie Kendrick, LAA (.301 AVG, 7 HR, 23 RBI)

SS: Elvis Andrus, TEX (.280 AVG, 3 HR, 29 RBI, 21 SB)
Jhonny Peralta, DET (.303 AVG, 11 HR, 40 RBI)
JJ Hardy, BAL (.293 AVG, 8 HR, 24 RBI)

3B: Adrian Beltre, TEX (.260 AVG, 12 HR, 51 RBI)
Kevin Youkilis, BOS (.261 AVG, 11 HR, 50 RBI)

DH: Jason Kubel, MIN (.310 AVG, 5 HR, 30 RBI)
Victor Martinez, DET (.329 AVG, 6 HR, 39 RBI)

OF: Alex Gordon, KC (.281 AVG, 8 HR, 41 RBI)
Adam Jones, BAL (.295 AVG, 10 HR, 38 RBI)
Matt Joyce, TB (.312 AVG, 10 HR, 36 RBI)

SP: Jered Weaver, LAA (8-4, 2.06 ERA, 96 K)
James Shields, TB (7-4, 2.40 ERA, 108 K)
Justin Verlander, DET (9-3, 2.54 ERA, 110 K)
Michael Pineda, SEA (7-4, 2.64 ERA, 85 K)
Alexi Ogando, TEX (7-2, 2.66 ERA, 64 K)
Gio Gonzalez, OAK (6-5, 2.69 ERA, 82 K)
Phillip Humber, CWS (7-3, 2.90 ERA, 55 K)
CJ Wilson, TEX (7-3, 3.03 ERA, 93 K)

RP: Brandon League, SEA (20 SV, 3.90 ERA, 20 K)
Chris Perez, CLE (17 SV, 2.39 ERA, 18 K)
Mariano Rivera, NYY (17 SV, 1.98 ERA, 20 K)
Kyle Farnsworth, TB (15 SV, 1.69 ERA, 18 K)
Neftali Feliz, TEX (14 SV, 2.13 ERA, 17 K)

Players per Team:
Boston Red Sox – 5 (4)
Detroit Tigers – 5 (1)
Texas Rangers – 5
New York Yankees – 4 (3)
Chicago White Sox – 3
Tampa Bay Rays – 3
Cleveland Indians – 2 (1)
Toronto Blue Jays – 2 (1)
Baltimore Orioles - 2
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 2
Seattle Mariners – 2
Kansas City Royals – 1
Minnesota Twins – 1
Oakland Athletics – 1

NL Starters:

Catcher: Brian McCann, ATL (.297 AVG, 11 HR, 39 RBI) – Brian has the best power numbers among NL catchers, and a batting average near .300 to go along with it.

First Base: Prince Fielder, MIL (.301 AVG, 20 HR, 61 RBI) – Prince definitely deserves to be the starting first basemen, with a .301 average and an incredible amount of home runs and RBIs.

Second Base: Rickie Weeks, MIL (.288 AVG, 14 HR, 32 RBI) – Second base does not have a whole lot of good players in the NL this year, but Rickie has had a very good season and doesn’t have much competition.

Shortstop: Jose Reyes, NYM (.341 AVG, 3 HR, 29 RBI, 26 SB) – This was one of the easiest selections, as Reyes has an incredible batting average and has stolen 26 bases.

Third Base: Placido Polanco, PHI (.295 AVG, 4 HR, 38 RBI) – Not only in the AL, but in the NL, not a whole lot of third basemen are playing well, and Polanco got to be the starting third basemen by process of elimination.

Designated Hitter: Lance Berkman, STL (.308 AVG, 17 HR, 51 RBI) – Lance did not have good enough numbers to be a starting outfielder, but was starter worthy and ended up being the NL starting DH.

Outfield: Matt Kemp, LAD (.328 AVG, 20 HR, 57 RBI, 17 SB) – Kemp has had an incredible year for the Dodgers, and every single one of his numbers is impressive.

Outfield: Ryan Braun, MIL (.310 AVG, 15 HR, 51 RBI, 16 SB) – Braun, like Kemp, has had a great year, although not quite as good, as he has shown power, speed, and the ability to hit for a high average.

Outfield: Michael Morse, WAS (.309 AVG, 13 HR, 43 RBI) – Morse has come out of nowhere and went from not being on my May All-Star team to starting in my June All-Star team.

Starting Pitcher: Jair Jurrjens, ATL (9-3, 2.11 ERA, 53 K) – Jurrjens, like Beckett in the AL, doesn’t have a whole lot of strikeouts, but Jair has a high number in the win column, and leads the NL in ERA.

NL Reserves:

C: Yadier Molina, STL (.297 AVG, 4 HR, 28 RBI)
Miguel Montero, ARI (.279 AVG, 8 HR, 37 RBI)

1B: Joey Votto, CIN (.327 AVG, 9 HR, 43 RBI)
Gaby Sanchez, FLA (.309 AVG, 12 HR, 44 RBI)
Todd Helton, COL (.308 AVG, 9 HR, 30 RBI)

2B: Brandon Phillips, CIN (.276 AVG, 5 HR, 36 RBI)
Neil Walker, PIT (.260 AVG, 8 HR, 46 RBI)

SS: Starlin Castro, CHC (.315 AVG, 1 HR, 32 RBI)
Troy Tulowitzki, COL (.276 AVG, 13 HR, 46 RBI)

3B: Chase Headley, SD (.286 AVG, 2 HR, 26 RBI)
Aramis Ramirez, CHC (.285 AVG, 5 HR, 32 RBI)

OF: Jay Bruce, CIN (.285 AVG, 17 HR, 48 RBI)
Justin Upton, ARI (.302 AVG, 12 HR, 38 RBI, 13 SB)
Hunter Pence, HOU (.321 AVG, 9 HR, 51 RBI)
Matt Holliday, STL (.347 AVG, 8 HR, 35 RBI)

SP: Tommy Hanson, ATL (8-4, 2.48 ERA, 89 K)
Cole Hamels, PHI (9-3, 2.51 ERA, 103 K)
Roy Halladay, PHI (9-3, 2.56 ERA, 114 K)
Jhoulys Chacin, COL (8-4, 2.81 ERA, 81 K)
Shawn Marcum, MIL (7-2, 2.85 ERA, 84 K)
Kyle Lohse, STL (7-3, 2.88 ERA, 56 K)
Ian Kennedy, ARI (7-2, 2.98 ERA, 85 K)

RP: Brian Wilson, SF (20 SV, 2.53 ERA, 33 K)
John Axford, MIL (19 SV, 2.78 ERA, 44 K)
Joel Hanrahan, PIT (19 SV, 1.39 ERA, 29 K)
Heath Bell, SD (18 SV, 2.79 ERA, 23 K)
Drew Storen, WAS (17 SV, 2.41 ERA, 29 K)

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

Come back next week for my June Awards.

May Awards

2011-06-04T23:02:00.001-05:00

This week I will post my May Awards.

Before getting to them, though, I want to mention my great baseball weekend over Memorial Day. I got to see three levels of the Rangers’ system in four days. On Friday night, we went to the RoughRiders game and on Sunday afternoon, we were at the Rangers game, where we got to see Mike Napoli’s walkoff slide. Then on Memorial Day, I went down to Round Rock to see the Express play against the Iowa Cubs. It was my first trip to Dell Diamond and it was a very fun experience. The Express have a great ballpark. I probably like the RedHawks’ old park better, because it’s in a downtown setting and has more history and character, but that’s nothing against Dell Diamond. Pros for Dell Diamond were the covered concourse that provided a lot of shade on a hot day, the Nolan Ryan grill area that is nicely covered and provides picnic tables for eating, a restaurant on the suite level, and rocking chairs (also in the shade) that you can reserve for the game on a first-come, first-served basis. I’m too old for it but they also had a great kids’ area with rock climbing, a basketball court, and bungee trampolines. One negative is that the seats are very narrow. Before the game, we walked over to the Salt Lick Barbeque, which is right next door.

My dad, granddad, and I saw Seth McClung pitch in Round Rock, and he got pounded, giving up 7 runs on 10 hits in only 4 innings. Justin Miller then came in and did a very good job, as he threw three shutout innings. Hitting wise, there wasn’t much for the Express, but they did have three players with two hits a piece (Matt Kata, Doug Deeds, and Luis Cruz). Doug Deeds also had two RBIs in the game. Iowa beat the Express 8-6 in the game.

Rangers Awards:

MVP: Michael Young, TEX (.329 AVG, 3 HR, 37 RBI) – Michael is second on the team in RBIs and leads the team in batting average. He is having a fantastic year.
Runner-up: Mitch Moreland, TEX (.310 AVG, 7 HR, 18 RBI)

Cy Young: Alexi Ogando, TEX (6-0, 2.20 ERA, 53 K) – Alexi is my runner-up for my AL Cy Young, so he is definitely my Rangers Cy Young. He is undefeated and has an ERA of 2.20.
Runner-up: CJ Wilson, TEX (5-3, 3.32 ERA, 75 K)

Rookie of the Year: Craig Gentry, TEX (.225 AVG, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 5 SB) – Craig was my Rangers Rookie of the Month by using the process of elimination. The Rangers hardly have any rookies this year.
Runner-up: Yoshinori Tateyama, TEX (0-0, 3.00 ERA, 5 K)

AL Awards:

MVP: Jose Bautista, TOR (.360 AVG, 20 HR, 40 RBI) – Jose leads all of baseball in average and home runs, and is one of the top RBI men in the American League.
Runner-up: Adrian Gonzalez, BOS (.335 AVG, 10 HR, 47 RBI)

Cy Young: Josh Beckett, BOS (4-2, 1.80 ERA, 63 K) – Josh might not have the best record, but that isn’t his fault, as he leads the American League in ERA.
Runner-up: Alexi Ogando, TEX (6-0, 2.20 ERA, 53 K)

Rookie of the Year: Michael Pineda, SEA (6-2, 2.30 ERA, 73 K) – Michael was a Cy Young candidate and you hardly ever see that from a rookie. He has a very bright future.
Runner-up: Jeremy Hellickson, TB (6-3, 2.80 ERA, 46 K)

Manager of the Year: Manny Acta, CLE (33-22, 1st place) – The Indians were expected to be in last place (that’s where I predicted them), but Manny has the Indians in first place.
Runner-up: Eric Wedge, SEA (30-27, 2nd place)

NL Awards:

MVP: Ryan Braun, MIL (.309 AVG, 13 HR, 42 RBI, .405 OBP) – Ryan has a batting average above .300 (11th in NL), 13 HR (t-2nd in NL) and 42 RBI (t-4th in NL). He may not be the leader of anything, but he has had a very good all-around year.
Runner-up: Jay Bruce, CIN (.294 AVG, 17 HR, 46 RBI)

Cy Young: Jair Jurrjens, ATL (7-1, 1.51 ERA, 38 K) – Jair Jurrjens is tied for second in the NL in wins, and has the best ERA in baseball. He is the obvious choice for the NL Cy Young.
Runner-up: Kyle Lohse, STL (7-2, 2.13 ERA, 47 K)

Rookie of the Year: Craig Kimbrel, ATL (17 SV, 2.79 ERA, 43 K) – Craig is the Braves closer and has had a very good year with 17 saves and an ERA under 3.00.
Runner-up: Freddie Freeman, ATL (.278 AVG, 5 HR, 21 RBI)

Manager of the Year: Kirk Gibson, ARI (32-26, 2nd place) – After a bad start to a season expected to be terrible, the Diamondbacks have gone on a run and are now half a game out of first place.
Runner-up: Edwin Rodriguez, FLA (31-24, 2nd place)

Come back next week for the third edition of my ballpark rankings.

May All-Stars

2011-05-22T17:22:00.001-05:00

This week I will give my AL and NL All-Star teams. These are as if the All-Star game was today, and who I think it should be (which is completely hypothetical, since with the fan vote there will be about 8 Yankees starting, and possibly one player from a team outside the Bronx).

American League:

Starters:

Catcher: Alex Avila, DET (.290 AVG, 6 HR, 24 RBI) – Alex leads all American League catchers on the ballot in batting average, and has very solid power numbers to go along with that.

First Base: Adrian Gonzalez, BOS (.328 AVG, 9 HR, 41 RBI) – Adrian leads all of baseball with 41 RBIs, has a very respectable 9 home runs to go along with that, and has a batting average over .300.

Second Base: Howie Kendrick, LAA (.322 AVG, 7 HR, 18 RBI) – Howie is having a fantastic season. He is one of the leaders among AL second basemen in average, homers, and RBIs.

Third Base: Kevin Youkilis, BOS (.280 AVG, 8 HR, 30 RBI) – Most years, Kevin’s numbers would not be starting caliber, but this year, they are, as AL third basemen are doing horrible.

Shortstop: Jhonny Peralta, DET (.289 AVG, 6 HR, 23 RBI) – Jhonny is having a great year, and has a batting average near .300 and very solid power numbers.

Outfield: Jose Bautista, TOR (.364 AVG, 18 HR, 31 RBI) – Jose leads all of baseball with a .364 batting average and 18 home runs, and also has 31 RBIs, which is very good.

Outfield: Matt Joyce, TB (.358 AVG, 7 HR, 23 RBI) – Matt is second in baseball with a .358 batting average, and his power numbers are pretty good.

Outfield: Curtis Granderson, NYY (.263 AVG, 15 HR, 33 RBI) – While Curtis’ batting average isn’t to the level of Jose Bautista or Matt Joyce, his power numbers definitely are worthy of starting.

Designated Hitter: Michael Young, TEX (.341 AVG, 2 HR, 31 RBI) – Michael has a fantastic batting average at .341, and while he only has two home runs, his RBI numbers are still very high.

Starting Pitcher: Trevor Cahill, OAK (6-1, 1.79 ERA, 52 K) – Trevor is tied for the American League lead with 6 wins, and is second in the AL in ERA, behind Josh Beckett.

Reserves:
C: Russell Martin, NYY (.271 AVG, 8 HR, 24 RBI)
1B: Adam Lind, TOR (.313 AVG, 7 HR, 27 RBI)
Paul Konerko, CWS (.306 AVG, 10 HR, 35 RBI)
Miguel Cabrera, DET (.314 AVG, 8 HR, 30 RBI)
2B: Robinson Cano, NYY (.275 AVG, 9 HR, 27 RBI)
Ben Zobrist, TB (.260 AVG, 8 HR, 28 RBI)
3B: Adrian Beltre, TEX (.254 AVG, 10 HR, 37 RBI)
Alex Rodriguez, NYY (.267 AVG, 9 HR, 25 RBI)
SS: Erick Aybar, LAA (.314 AVG, 2 HR, 14 RBI)
Asdrubel Cabrera, CLE (.282 AVG, 7 HR, 27 RBI)
OF: Jacoby Ellsbury, BOS (.296 AVG, 4 HR, 22 RBI, 15 SB)
Adam Jones, BAL (.296 AVG, 5 HR, 24 RBI)
Jeff Francoeur, KC (.282 AVG, 8 HR, 27 RBI)
DH: Travis Hafner, CLE (.345 AVG, 5 HR, 22 RBI)
Jason Kubel, MIN (.319 AVG, 5 HR, 24 RBI)
SP: Josh Beckett, BOS (3-1, 1.73 ERA, 52 K)
Dan Haren, LAA (4-2, 1.84 ERA, 66 K)
Alexi Ogando, TEX (4-0, 2.13 ERA, 37 K)
Zach Britton, BAL (5-2, 2.14 ERA, 33 K)
Michael Pineda, SEA (6-2, 2.16 ERA, 61 K)
James Shields, TB (4-2, 2.26 ERA, 60 K)
Josh Tomlin, CLE (6-1, 2.41 ERA, 30 K)
RP: Mariano Rivera, NYY (13 SV, 1.80 ERA, 16 K)
Chris Perez, CLE (12 SV, 2.84 ERA, 12 K)
Jose Valverde, DET (10 SV, 2.84 ERA, 20 K)
Kyle Farnsworth, TB (9 SV, 1.76 ERA, 9 K)
Neftali Feliz, TEX (8 SV, 1.26 ERA, 8 K)

Players per Team (starters in parentheses):
Tampa Bay Rays – 4 (1)
New York Yankees – 5 (1)
Boston Red Sox – 4 (2)
Toronto Blue Jays – 2 (1)
Baltimore Orioles – 2
Cleveland Indians – 4
Detroit Tigers – 4 (2)
Kansas City Royals – 1
Chicago White Sox – 1
Minnesota Twins – 1
Texas Rangers – 4 (1)
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 3 (1)
Oakland Athletics – 1 (1)
Seattle Mariners – 1

National League:

Starters:

Catcher: Ramon Hernandez, CIN (.337 AVG, 6 HR, 15 RBI) – Ramon leads all National League catchers in both batting average and home runs. That is definitely worthy of being a starter.

First Base: Joey Votto, CIN (.331 AVG, 5 HR, 26 RBI) – Joey Votto has the best all-around numbers of all NL first basemen, even though Prince Fielder has better power numbers.

Second Base: Brandon Phillips, CIN (.323 AVG, 5 HR, 26 RBI) – Brandon is the third Red to be a starter here, and is well deserving, with good power numbers and a .323 batting average.

Third Base: Placido Polanco, PHI (.337 AVG, 2 HR, 25 RBI) – Placido has a terrific batting average, and while he doesn’t hit many homers, he still has plenty of RBIs.

Shortstop: Jose Reyes, NYM (.318 AVG, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 17 SB) – Jose has stayed healthy. That is a miracle. On top of that, he is hitting .318 and has 17 stolen bases.

Outfield: Matt Kemp, LAD (.324 AVG, 10 HR, 32 RBI, 12 SB) – Matt Kemp also has a lot of stolen bases, although not as many as Reyes, but Kemp does have better hitting numbers.

Outfield: Ryan Braun, MIL (.301 AVG, 12 HR, 35 RBI, 10 SB) – Once again, Ryan Braun is having an amazing year. This guy is too good.

Outfield: Matt Holliday, STL (.356 AVG, 6 HR, 30 RBI) – It looks like Matt might do something that I never thought would happen. He may very well be the only Cardinals’ 3 or 4 hitter (he hits 4, Pujols hits 3) to make the All-Star team, as he is on mine.

Designated Hitter: Lance Berkman, STL (.349 AVG, 11 HR, 35 RBI) – Lance is having a terrific start to the season. I still don’t think he will be able to keep it up, though.

Starting Pitcher: Jaime Garcia, STL (5-0, 1.64 ERA, 53 K) – Jaime is tied for the lead in baseball with a 1.64 ERA, has a good amount of strikeouts, and is tied for 5th in the NL in wins. That is a good year.

Reserves:
C: Jonathon Lucroy, MIL (.320 AVG, 4 HR, 18 RBI)
1B: Ike Davis, NYM (.302 AVG, 7 HR, 25 RBI)
Prince Fielder, MIL (.287 AVG, 10 HR, 36 RBI)
Gaby Sanchez, FLA (.311 AVG, 7 HR, 27 RBI)
Todd Helton, COL (.323 AVG, 6 HR, 20 RBI)
2B: Neil Walker, PIT (.283 AVG, 6 HR, 30 RBI)
Rickie Weeks, MIL (.292 AVG, 7 HR, 14 RBI)
3B: Pablo Sandoval, SF (.313 AVG, 5 HR, 14 RBI)
Chipper Jones, ATL (.262 AVG, 4 HR, 27 RBI)
SS: Stephen Drew, ARI (.271 AVG, 3 HR, 27 RBI)
Starlin Castro, CHC (.324 AVG, 1 HR, 21 RBI)
OF: Carlos Beltran, NYM (.281 AVG, 8 HR, 25 RBI)
Andre Ethier, LAD (.311 AVG, 4 HR, 21 RBI)
Hunter Pence, HOU (.293 AVG, 5 HR, 33 RBI)
Jay Bruce, CIN (.265 AVG, 10 HR, 26 RBI)
SP: Josh Johnson, FLA (3-1, 1.64 ERA, 56 K)
Jair Jurrjens, ATL (5-1, 1.80 ERA, 29 K)
Tim Lincecum, SF (4-4, 2.06 ERA, 75 K)
Kyle Lohse, STL (5-2, 2.17 ERA, 36 K)
Roy Halladay, PHI (6-3, 2.21 ERA, 80 K)
Shaun Marcum, MIL (6-1, 2.37 ERA, 62 K)
Charlie Morton, PIT (5-1, 2.62 ERA, 29 K)
RP: Leo Nunez, FLA (17 SV, 2.66 ERA, 24 K)
Francisco Rodriguez, NYM (15 SV, 0.76 ERA, 25 K)
Joel Hanrahan, PIT (13 SV, 1.66 ERA, 16 K)
Heath Bell, SD (9 SV, 1.13 ERA, 12 K)
Drew Storen, WAS (9 SV, 0.38 ERA, 19 K)

Players per Team:
Philadelphia Phillies – 2 (1)
Atlanta Braves – 2
Florida Marlins – 2
New York Mets – 4 (1)
Washington Nationals – 1
St. Louis Cardinals – 4 (3)
Cincinnati Reds – 4 (3)
Chicago Cubs – 1
Milwaukee Brewers – 5 (1)
Pittsburgh Pirates – 3
Houston Astros – 1
Colorado Rockies – 1
Los Angeles Dodgers – 2 (1)
San Francisco Giants – 2
San Diego Padres – 0
Arizona Diamondbacks – 1

Come back next week for my May Awards.

Ballpark Rankings Part 2

2011-05-15T14:11:00.000-05:00

This week I will post the second entry of my ballpark rankings. Last week I rated the ballparks of the Red Sox, Reds, Orioles, Indians, and Braves. This week I have the Cubs, White Sox, Rockies, Tigers, and Astros. The ballparks will be ranked with a point system with three categories: personality, which is basically a ballpark’s signature features, history, and game experience. Each category will be rated from 1 to 10, with 10 being the best.

Chicago Cubs (Wrigley Field)

Personality: 10, Wrigley obviously has lots of personality, from its ivy walls to the big red board outside the ballpark. Wrigley also has a great old-fashioned scoreboard in center field. It was built in 1914 and this also adds personality to the park. The neighborhood feel of the whole Wrigleyville are adds to the personality as well.

History: 6, while the stadium is history itself, the Cubs haven’t put a whole lot of history into it. They have statues of Harry Caray and Ernie Banks outside the stadium. They also have pennants and retired numbers.

Game Experience: 10, it feels like you are watching the game a long time ago, as there is an old-time feel. They have a celebrity lead the singing of Take Me Out to the Ballgame each game, which is a nice touch. But basically this park gets a 10 because you’re in an authentic old-time baseball setting. There’s no match for the feel of a game at Wrigley or Fenway.

Total: 26

Chicago White Sox (US Cellular Field)

Personality: 2, the personality at US Cellular Field stinks. They basically don’t have a personality. This stadium is a real yawner. The only thing that the White Sox have are big pinwheels on top of the scoreboard. Although they’ve made some attempts to improve it over the last ten years, it’s still just a big dull and sterile stadium. They built this park just before Camden Yards started the trend of building new old-timey classic ballparks with lots of character. So the White Sox are stuck with a stadium that looks like it was built during the cookie-cutter era of ballparks.

History: 8, the White Sox have at least done a solid job on history, most of which has been added over the last few years. They have a home plate marker for old Comiskey Park in the parking lot, and they have a gift shop that also contains a mini-White Sox museum. But the best things they have are all of their statues in the outfield concourse. They have Charles Comiskey, Minnie Minoso, Carlton Fisk, Nellie Fox, Luis Aparicio, Billy Pierce, Harold Baines, and will have Frank Thomas on July 31st of this year. These are all recent additions. And like most teams, you can see their pennants and retired numbers.

Game Experience: 1, not only is the ballpark lousy, but if you have seats to the middle or upper decks, you aren’t even allowed to walk around the lower level concourses. That is a stupid rule, especially since the stadium stinks, anyways.

Total: 11

Colorado Rockies (Coors Field)

Personality: 8, Coors Field is a very nice stadium. They have a nice entrance at home plate and you can also see the Rocky Mountains from inside the ballpark.

History: 3, the Rockies really don’t have much history at all in their stadium, and that is probably because they haven’t been around very long. They do have a statue of Branch Rickey outside the ballpark, but I don’t know why, as he has nothing to do with the Rockies.

Game Experience: 7, Coors Field does not have a big scoreboard, and that really detracts, but other than that, I have no problems with it.

Total: 18

Detroit Tigers (Comerica Park)

Personality: 7, the Tigers ballpark is certainly not the best, but it does have a solid personality with Tigers on top of the scoreboard, a carousel, and a ferris wheel.

History: 9, Comerica Park has plenty of history, with statues in center field representing the players whose numbers have been retired, including Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg, Charlie Gehringer, Willie Horton, Al Kaline, and Hal Newhouser. They also have Tigers history all along the lower concourse.

Game Experience: 4, Comerica Park doesn’t have a good feel to it. There’s not any particular beef that I have with it, aside from their terrible scoreboard, but I just don’t like it.

Total: 20

Houston Astros (Minute Maid Park)

Personality: 9, Minute Maid Park has plenty of personality. The coolest thing there is the train above the left field seats that goes across the track whenever the Astros hit a home run. They also have a good kids play area, and a neat area on the field in center field where they have Crosley Field’s incline and a flag pole like Forbes Field on the field of play.

History: 8, while the Astros don’t have a museum, they still found ways to incorporate history. Outside of the ballpark, the Astros have a mini-field with statues of Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio, plaques from every playoff appearance, and other parts of Astros history. On the inside, they also have banners along a concourse with all of the Astros home run leaders. Also, the team’s pennants and retired numbers are displayed where they can be easily seen and read from just about anywhere in the stadium.

Game Experience: 9, the Astros park has a good feel to it. It is always in good weather, as they have a retractable roof (why don’t the Rangers have one?). The Astros’ park includes a fantastic club level, too. The open concourses on the lower level are great and allow you to see the game as you walk around. Also, just this year they added a very large scoreboard in center field called El Grande.

Total: 26

Rankings so Far:
1. Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox) – 29
2. Camden Yards at Oriole Park (Baltimore Orioles) – 27
3. Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs) – 26
3. Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros) – 26
5. Great American Ballpark (Cincinnati Reds) – 25
6. Turner Field (Atlanta Braves) – 24
7. Progressive Field (Cleveland Indians) – 21
8. Comerica Park (Detroit Tigers) – 20
9. Coors Field (Colorado Rockies) – 18
10. US Cellular Field (Chicago White Sox) – 11

Come back next week for my May All-Stars.

Ballpark Rankings Part 1

2011-05-07T22:02:00.000-05:00

This week I will start my ballpark rankings. I will only rank the ballparks I have been, too (which is 25 of the 30 current ballparks), and the ballparks will be ranked by a point system. There will be three categories: personality, which is basically a ballpark’s signature features, history, and game experience. Each category will be rated from 1 to 10, with 10 being the best.

Atlanta Braves (Turner Field)

Personality: 6, the Braves did a pretty good job as far as giving their stadium some personality. The open concourses that they have always help the personality, and the Coca-Cola Sky Field is cool. You can also see downtown Atlanta from a lot of the seats. However, they don’t have any signature features that are special just to their park.

History: 10, the Braves have their history all over the place. They have a Braves museum inside the stadium, they have a plaza outside the stadium with statues and retired numbers, and they did a good job of displaying their banners for when they won the division, NL, or World Series, as the banners are legible.

Game Experience: 8, Turner Field is a great place to see a game. As far as I could tell, there is not a bad seat in the house and the atmosphere is good. I also like the tomahawk chop, as that is a purely Braves thing. The Braves also have a nice, big scoreboard and a really good sound system.

Overall Score: 24

Baltimore Orioles (Oriole Park at Camden Yards)

Personality: 10, the Orioles could not have done much better with the personality at their ballpark. The warehouse is great for the personality and the whole look and feel of the ballpark is fantastic. You can also see downtown Baltimore from inside the stadium.

History: 10, the Orioles did a very good job displaying history. One of my favorites is the fact that they have placed plaques on the ground marking every home run ball that has ever landed on Eutaw Street out in right field. There are probably about 100 of them out there, and it is very neat. Eutaw Street also has a Orioles Hall of Fame wall, with plaques for each member. They also have statues of the Orioles’ retired numbers just outside the ballpark, along with a statue of Babe Ruth (who was born in Baltimore). To top it off, there is the Sports Legends Museum just outside the ballpark, which contains the official Orioles Hall of Fame along with other Oriole exhibits. And a short distance from there is the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum, which you can find by following 60 baseballs that are set into the sidewalks.

Game Experience: 7, the Orioles stadium is a nice place to see a game, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not the best, either. Baltimore has a small scoreboard and if you sit at the bottom of the upper deck, you can hardly see because of all the bars in your way. Also, they do not have open concourses and that always hurts, because you can’t see the game as you walk around the concourse.

Overall Score: 27

Boston Red Sox (Fenway Park)

Personality: 10, Fenway is full of personality. They have the Green Monster, Pesky Pole, a very good all-around green color scheme which includes the advertisements, and, on top of that, it was built in 1912.

History: 9, the Red Sox did a good job of displaying their franchise’s history. They have statues outside the ballpark of Ted Williams (twice), Bobby Doerr, Johnny Pesky, and Dom DiMaggio. Also, they have a Hall of Fame with plaques of former Red Sox greats and do a great job of displaying all of their pennants, championships, etc.

Game Experience: 10, Fenway is a fantastic place to see a game. It doesn’t have many seats, so that makes it feel more intimate, and the fans and atmosphere are just great. They also have a nice new big scoreboard this year, and that helps, too.

Overall Score: 29

Cincinnati Reds (Great American Ballpark)

Personality: 8, the Reds really did a good job of giving their ballpark some personality. First off, they have it located right by the Ohio River. Unfortunately, they built it where you can only see the river from a very small number of seats. Also they have a boat out in center field, with smokestacks out in right-center. The smokestacks shoot fireworks when a Reds player hits a home run.

History: 10, the Reds have what is probably the best museum of any team right outside of their ballpark. It is very, very large, and is all about the Reds, including their official Hall of Fame. The Reds did a fantastic job with this, and are deserving of a 10 out of 10 with that museum. On top of that, the Reds have statues of Joe Nuxhall, Ernie Lombardi, Ted Kluszewski, and Frank Robinson outside the ballpark and have also put some of their history all along the concourses.

Game Experience: 7, the Reds have a nice big scoreboard and that is always a good thing for the game experience. They also have a very, very nice club level, which is air conditioned and is much nicer than the Rangers’.

Overall Score: 25

Cleveland Indians (Progressive Field)

Personality: 5, the Indians don’t necessarily have a bunch of signature features. They have a big wall out in left field, and you can see downtown from many of the seats.

History: 9, the Indians recently added a great new feature to their ballpark. They added Heritage Park in 2007, which is located out in center field and has plaques of all the former Cleveland greats and other bits of Cleveland baseball history. There’s also a statue of Bob Feller outside the gates and the Indians do a nice job of displaying their pennants.

Game Experience: 7, there is nothing wrong with the game experience at an Indians game, but there’s nothing special, either. The Indians also have a nice, big, new scoreboard in left field, and there are open concourses, which always help the experience as you don’t have to miss any of the game while ordering food.

Overall Score: 21

Rankings so Far:
1. Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox) – 29
2. Camden Yards at Oriole Park (Baltimore Orioles) – 27
3. Great American Ballpark (Cincinnati Reds) – 25
4. Turner Field (Atlanta Braves) – 24
5. Progressive Field (Cleveland Indians) – 21

Come back next week for my second edition of my ballpark rankings.

April Awards

2011-04-30T18:16:00.001-05:00

This week I will give my April Awards. The awards are as if the season ended today.

Rangers:

MVP: Adrian Beltre, TEX (.263 AVG, 7 HR, 21 RBI) – Adrian leads the team in both home runs and RBIs, and his batting average is just good enough to allow him to be team MVP.
Runner-up: Michael Young, TEX (.340 AVG, 0 HR, 17 RBI)

Cy Young: Alexi Ogando, TEX (3-0, 2.30 ERA, 21 K) – Alexi is tied for the team lead in wins, and has the best ERA of any Rangers starter, making him the Rangers Cy Young for the month of April.
Runner-up: CJ Wilson, TEX (3-1, 3.35 ERA, 34 K)

Rookie of the Year: Pedro Strop, TEX (1.17 ERA, 9 K, 7.2 IP) – As there are no rookies that have had an at-bat, and only two rookies have pitched 5 innings or more (one of them with a 6.75 ERA), this award became more a process of elimination than anything else.
Runner-up: Cody Eppley, TEX (1-0, 1.93 ERA, 4.2 IP)

AL:

MVP: Robinson Cano, NYY (.319 AVG, 8 HR, 21 RBI) – Cano is tenth in batting average in the American League, second in home runs, and tied for second in RBIs, and, while he may not be the best at anything so far, he is the best all-around player to this point.
Runner-up: Jose Bautista, TOR (.372 AVG, 9 HR, 15 RBI)

Cy Young: Jered Weaver, LAA (6-0, 0.99 ERA, 49 K) – Weaver is a no-brainer. He leads the majors in wins, ERA, strikeouts, and innings pitched, all outright. This guy is ridiculous.
Runner-up: Dan Haren, LAA (4-1, 1.23 ERA, 38 K)

Rookie of the Year: Michael Pineda, SEA (4-1, 2.01 ERA, 30 K) – Pineda has four wins in one month while pitching for the Mariners. That automatically means you get some sort of award, and his 2.01 ERA doesn’t hurt, either.
Runner-up: Zach Britton, BAL (4-1, 2.84 ERA, 19 K)

Manager of the Year: Manny Acta, CLE (17-8, 1st place) – The Indians are a very, very bad team, but right now Manny Acta has gotten the Indians to the best record in the AL.
Runner-up: Joe Maddon, TB (15-12, 2nd place)

NL:

MVP: Lance Berkman, STL (.402 AVG, 8 HR, 22 RBI) – As much as it pains me to say it, Lance Berkman is having a decent year. Okay, he’s having a great year, with an average above .400 and great power numbers.
Runner-up: Ryan Braun, MIL (.362 AVG, 10 HR, 23 RBI)

Cy Young: Josh Johnson, FLA (3-0, 1.06 ERA, 33 K) – Like Jered Weaver in the AL, Josh Johnson is an obvious choice for NL Cy Young at this point. He leads the league in ERA by almost 0.60, which is a huge margin, and is undefeated.
Runner-up: Kyle Lohse, STL (4-1, 1.64 ERA, 24 K)

Rookie of the Year: Darwin Barney, CHC (.321 AVG, 1 HR, 13 RBI) – Barney has had the best season among all National League rookies, and not just because of his name, although I’m sure it plays a part in it. Barney (I love typing his name) is hitting over .300 with a good amount of RBIs.
Runner-up: Craig Kimbrel, ATL (6 SV, 1.59 ERA, 14 K)

Manager of the Year: Edwin Rodriguez, FLA (16-8, 2nd place) – Edwin has the Marlins only one game out of first place and playing above expectations.
Runner-up: Jim Tracy, COL (16-8, 1st place)

Come back next week for part one of my ballpark rankings.

April All-Stars

2011-04-24T15:20:00.000-05:00

This week I will give my All-Star teams for the season to date.

AL:

Starters:

Catcher: Russell Martin, NYY (.314 AVG, 4 HR, 11 RBI) – Russell leads all catchers with his 4 home runs and is tied for the lead with 11 RBIs. He also has a batting average above .300, so it was a no-brainer to have him as the starting catcher.

First Base: Paul Konerko, CWS (.329 AVG, 5 HR, 16 RBI) – Paul’s power numbers are one of the tops at first base, as he is tied for the position lead in RBIs and is tied for 2nd in home runs. His .329 batting average doesn’t hurt, either, and that is what makes him deserving all-around of a starting spot.

Second Base: Robinson Cano, NYY (.303 AVG, 4 HR, 13 RBI) – While Brian Roberts (also an All-Star) has more RBIs than Cano, Robinson has more home runs and a much higher batting average than Roberts, and therefore gets the edge.

Third Base: Alex Rodriguez, NYY (.366 AVG, 4 HR, 10 RBI) – A-Fraud has solid power numbers, but his batting average puts him above all other AL third basemen. A .366 batting average is fantastic, and definitely makes him deserving of the starting 3B spot.

Shortstop: Jed Lowrie, BOS (.426 AVG, 3 HR, 12 RBI) – While Jed will not hit .400 for the year, it is still impressive that he has done it three weeks into the season, and he also has good power numbers, especially for a shortstop.

Outfield: Jeff Francoeur, KC (.329 AVG, 3 HR, 17 RBI) – Jeff leads all American League outfielders in RBIs, has hit a decent amount of home runs, and has a batting average well over .300 as well.

Outfield: Alex Gordon, KC (.361 AVG, 1 HR, 14 RBI) – Gordon’s average is fantastic at .361 and is the second Royals outfielder to earn a starting position. Also, despite his one home run, he has a high RBI total at 14.

Outfield: Carlos Quentin, CWS (.320 AVG, 6 HR, 16 RBI) – Carlos Quentin leads all American League outfielders with 6 home runs and has a good number of RBIs to go with it. He also has a very high batting average.

Designated Hitter: Travis Hafner, CLE (.344 AVG, 4 HR, 10 RBI) – Hafner is having a great April and if he can keep it up, he would be Comeback Player of the Year, no question. He is hitting .344, and has very good power numbers.

Pitcher: Jered Weaver, LAA (5-0, 1.23 ERA, 39 K) – This guy is amazing. He leads the majors in wins and strikeouts and leads the American League in ERA. There is no doubt that this guy should be the starting pitcher at this point.

Reserves:

C: Alex Avila, DET (.292 AVG, 3 HR, 11 RBI)
1B: Miguel Cabrera, DET (.333 AVG, 5 HR, 14 RBI)
Mitch Moreland, TEX (.314 AVG, 2 HR, 8 RBI)
2B: Brian Roberts, BAL (.280 AVG, 3 HR, 14 RBI)
Dustin Pedroia, BOS (.314 AVG, 2 HR, 6 RBI)
3B: Adrian Beltre, TEX (.263 AVG, 6 HR, 18 RBI)
Wilson Betemit, KC (.383 AVG, 1 HR, 11 RBI)
Alberto Callaspo, LAA (.303 AVG, 2 HR, 7 RBI)
SS: Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE (.269 AVG, 4 HR, 14 RBI)
Maicer Izturis, LAA (.355 AVG, 2 HR, 9 RBI)
OF: Brandon Boesch, DET (.339 AVG, 1 HR, 12 RBI)
Jose Bautista, TOR (.339 AVG, 5 HR, 8 RBI)
Sam Fuld, TB (.366 AVG, 1 HR, 8 RBI)
DH: Billy Butler, KC (.352 AVG, 2 HR, 9 RBI)
Michael Young, TEX (.359 AVG, 0 HR, 11 RBI)
SP: Dan Haren, LAA (4-1, 1.46 ERA, 33 K)
Justin Masterson, CLE (4-0, 1.71 ERA, 15 K)
Matt Harrison, TEX (3-1, 1.88 ERA, 19 K)
Josh Beckett, BOS (2-1, 1.93 ERA, 28 K)
Gio Gonzalez, OAK (2-1, 1.80 ERA, 23 K)
Michael Pineda, SEA (3-1, 1.78 ERA, 21 K)
Scott Baker, MIN (1-2, 3.24 ERA, 24 K)
RP: Mariano Rivera, NYY (7 SV, 1.93 ERA, 7 K)
Chris Perez, CLE (6 SV, 2.25 ERA, 4 K)
Neftali Feliz, TEX (5 SV, 1.08 ERA, 6 K)
Jose Valverde, DET (4 SV, 1.04 ERA, 9 K)
Jonathon Papelbon, BOS (5 SV, 2.16 ERA, 11 K)

Players per Team:
Texas Rangers – 5
Boston Red Sox – 4 (1 starter)
Cleveland Indians – 4 (1 starter)
Detroit Tigers – 4
Kansas City Royals – 4 (2 starters)
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 4 (1 starter)
New York Yankees – 4 (3 starters)
Chicago White Sox – 2 (2 starters)
Baltimore Orioles – 1
Minnesota Twins – 1
Oakland Athletics – 1
Seattle Mariners – 1
Tampa Bay Rays – 1
Toronto Blue Jays – 1

NL:

Starters:

Catcher: Ramon Hernandez, CIN (.325 AVG, 2 HR, 9 RBI) – Ramon has one of the best batting averages and some of the best power numbers among all NL catchers, and has had the best all-around season among that group.

First Base: Joey Votto, CIN (.394 AVG, 3 HR, 10 RBI, .500 OBP) – Joey has had an incredible season, even though his power numbers aren’t outstanding. He has an OBP of .500 and an average near .400.

Second Base: Brandon Phillips, CIN (.354 AVG, 2 HR, 7 RBI) – Phillips missed a week, but his stats are still good enough to make him the best second baseman so far in the National League. He has decent power numbers for a second baseman, and an outstanding average.

Third Base: Placido Polanco, PHI (.359 AVG, 2 HR, 15 RBI) – Polanco has a lot of RBIs and a really high batting average. While he may not have the best number in the home run column, he still has more RBIs than any other third baseman, and when it really comes down to it, RBIs are more important than HRs.

Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki, COL (.329 AVG, 7 HR, 14 RBI) – Troy has started off the season hot, and leads all of baseball in home runs. That, especially at the shortstop position, pretty much guarantees a spot on the starting squad.

Outfield: Lance Berkman, STL (.349 AVG, 6 HR, 15 RBI) – Lance said that last year the Rangers caught lightning in a bottle, but really, that’s what he’s done the first month of the season. I don’t think he will end up being an All-Star, and I think his final stats won’t be too good, but his April is good enough to make him a starting outfielder at this point.

Outfield: Ryan Braun, MIL (.382 AVG, 6 HR, 15 RBI) – Braun has identical power numbers with Lance Berkman, but a better average, making his season better than Lance’s (take that, Rangers hater!). There is no doubt in my mind that he deserved this starting spot.

Outfield: Matt Kemp, LAD (.403 AVG, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 8 SB) – While Berkman and Braun have had good years, Kemp has probably had the best, with a batting average over .400, and the same number of RBIs as both of the other starting outfielders with 15. And while he may have less homers than both of them, he does have 8 stolen bases to his credit, while the others have a total of…..0.

Designated Hitter: Prince Fielder, MIL (.352 AVG, 3 HR, 19 RBI) – Prince leads all of baseball in RBIs with 19, but is still not having the best year among National League first baseman, as Prince’s average and OBP just don’t compare to that of Joey Votto.

Pitcher: Josh Johnson, FLA (3-0, 1.00 ERA, 27 K) – Josh Johnson has had four starts so far this season, and has almost thrown a no-hitter in three of them. The dude is amazing, and has the best ERA in all of baseball at 1.00.

Reserves

C: Brian McCann, ATL (.319 AVG, 2 HR, 10 RBI)
Nick Hundley, SD (.317 AVG, 3 HR, 9 RBI)

1B: Ryan Howard, PHI (.278 AVG, 3 HR, 17 RBI)
Ike Davis, NYM (.290 AVG, 3 HR, 16 RBI)

2B: Danny Espinosa, WAS (.273 AVG, 2 HR, 15 RBI)
Jeff Baker, CHC (.355 AVG, 1 HR, 6 RBI)

3B: Pablo Sandoval, SF (.328 AVG, 5 HR, 13 RBI)
Ryan Roberts, ARI (.349 AVG, 4 HR, 11 RBI)
David Freese, STL (.339 AVG, 2 HR, 10 RBI)

SS: Starlin Castro, CHC (.369 AVG, 1 HR, 7 RBI)

OF: Matt Holliday, STL (.447 AVG, 2 HR, 11 RBI)
Logan Morrison, FLA (.327 AVG, 4 HR, 11 RBI)
Andre Ethier, LAD (.388 AVG, 2 HR, 10 RBI)
Drew Stubbs, CIN (.284 AVG, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 6 SB)

SP: Aaron Harang, SD (4-0, 1.88 ERA, 21 K)
Jaime Garcia, STL (3-0, 1.44 ERA, 24 K)
Kevin Correia, PIT (3-1, 2.48 ERA, 12 K)
Roy Oswalt, PHI (3-0, 1.88 ERA, 21 K)
Shaun Marcum, MIL (2-1, 1.90 ERA, 20 K)
Tim Lincecum, SF (2-1, 1.67 ERA, 32 K)
Brett Myers, HOU (1-0, 2.39 ERA, 14 K)

RP: Logan Ondrusek, CIN (2-1, 0.77 ERA, 13 K)
Heath Bell, SD (5 SV, 1.13 ERA, 5 K)
Jose Contreras, PHI (5 SV, 0.00 ERA, 9 K)
Craig Kimbrel, ATL (5 SV, 1.00 ERA, 14 K)
JJ Putz, ARI (5 SV, 1.13 ERA, 10 K)

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

Come back next week for my April Awards.

Elvis Andrus Interview

2011-04-09T21:54:00.001-05:00

Before the season started, I was able to conduct a brief interview with Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus.

Me: Is there anything specific you’ve been working on in the off-season and, if so, what is it?

Elvis: My body. I want to be in shape the whole season.

Me: What is the biggest adjustment you had to make when you started facing major-league pitchers?

Elvis: Trying to swing at strikes and be ready.

Me: Out of all the minor league stadiums you’ve played in, what was your favorite and why?

Elvis: Myrtle Beach because it’s pretty all around.

Me: What ballpark is your favorite to play in throughout the majors and why (not including the Rangers)?

Elvis: Fenway Park for the history of the ballpark.

Me: What were your favorite parts of the All-Star game and the activities around the game last year?

Elvis: I think the red carpet. You felt like a movie star (laughs).

Me: In 2009, when you were named to the Sally League All-Star team, were you happy to be on the team, or would you rather have had the days off?

Elvis: You’re always happy when you get the call for an All-Star game.

Me: Which Futures Game did you enjoy more, 2007 or 2008, and why?

Elvis: 2008 because it was the last year of the old Yankee Stadium.

Me: Do you think being so young made it harder or easier to adjust to major league life?

Elvis: It depends. For me, it was easy because all my teammates and family helped me out every day.

Me: What is the Arizona Fall League like? Are there many fans? What’s the overall experience like?

Elvis: It’s a great league to grow as a player. Nope, there's no fans and the whole experience is great.

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

Elvis: Felix Hernandez, Tim Lincecum and Erik Bedard, because they’re tough.

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

Elvis: Ian (Kinsler), Michael (Young) and Nelson (Cruz) because they helped me out every day and they’re always there for me.

Me: What adjustments did you make in 2007 after you were traded, as you hit .244 before the trade, and .300 after it?

Elvis: I think the desire to play soon in the bigs.

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

Elvis: Game 5 against Tampa Bay because it was the key game for the team.

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

Elvis: The consistence every day on and off the field.

Me: What is the worst injury you’ve ever had and why?

Elvis: I broke my finger in Double-A Frisco. Because I love to play, not to watch.

Me: What sports did you play growing up and which were you best at?

Elvis: Soccer. I just love it.

Me: What was your favorite team growing up and why?

Elvis: The Indians because my idol was there - Omar Vizquel.

Me: What are your hobbies?

Elvis: Music and keeping myself happy.

I would like to thank Elvis for giving me some of his time and agreeing to do this interview.

Season Predictions

2011-04-03T15:05:00.000-05:00

This week, I’ll provide my predictions for the 2011 season.

AL East:
1. Boston Red Sox – I really like Lester and Buchholz at the top of the Red Sox rotation, but, at least in my opinion, it gets shaky after that. It’s a good thing their line-up is so good.
2. New York Yankees – The Yankees starting pitching is very thin, but you can get away with that in the regular season if you have the offense that the Yankees have. However, that does not bode well for the playoffs.
3. Toronto Blue Jays – The Blue Jays have loads of young talent on their team, with Ricky Romero and Kyle Drabek in their rotation, JP Arencibia behind the plate, and Travis Snider in left field. I think that the Jays have a bright future, but as far as 2011 goes, ‘future’ is the key word in that statement.
4. Tampa Bay Rays – I really don’t like anything about this Rays team. After David Price, their rotation is very questionable, their bullpen is awful, and, with their lineup, they will probably average about a run per game. They are better than the Orioles, though.
5. Baltimore Orioles – The O’s added come nice pieces this offseason, like Vladimir Guerrero, Mark Reynolds, Kevin Gregg, JJ Hardy, Derrek Lee, and Justin Duchscherer. They also have plenty of young prospects on the team. Despite their improvement and youth, however, they still will struggle, especially in this division.

AL Central:
1. Minnesota Twins – While the Twins don’t have an ace, their entire rotation is composed of solid pitchers, with Pavano, Liriano, Blackburn, Baker, and Duensing, and solid pitching is all you need to make it through the regular season.
2. Chicago White Sox – The White Sox could very possibly have an amazing rotation, but it is just as possible that it will be very mediocre. Buehrle and Danks are going to be very good pitchers as always, but then there is Edwin Jackson, who could be amazing, or could be mediocre, at #4 there is Gavin Floyd, and he is another guy who could be awesome or could struggle. And then who knows if Jake Peavy will stay healthy.
3. Detroit Tigers – The Tigers made a couple of big moves this offseason, signing Victor Martinez and Joaquin Benoit. But they didn’t do anything to help their starting rotation, which is what needed the most help. After Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, the Tigers have Rick Porcello, who has loads of talent and had a very good rookie season in 2009, but then followed that year up with an ERA near 5.00 in 2010. They finish out the rotation with Brad Penny and Phil Coke, which is a very uninspiring 4 and 5.
4. Kansas City Royals – The Royals are not a good team. The average baseball fan could probably name about …… 0 players on the Royals roster. After Billy Butler, their second best hitter is probably Jeff Francoeur, and on most teams he would be a 4th outfielder. Their Opening Day starter had a 4.81 ERA last year. This team is bad.
5. Cleveland Indians – As bad as the Royals are, the Indians are worse. Their infield looks like a Triple-A squad, and their starting rotation is terrible. They have some good pieces, with Shin-Soo Choo and Carlos Santana, but those are about their only good pieces.

AL West:
1. Texas Rangers – The Rangers can hit like crazy. The line-up contains 5 players that hit 20+ home runs last year (Josh Hamilton, Adrian Beltre, Michael Young, Nelson Cruz, and Mike Napoli), and another guy who has hit as many as 31 homers in a season (Ian Kinsler). The starting rotation may not be great, but it is good enough to get the Rangers their second straight division title.
2. Oakland Athletics – The A’s have fantastic young pitching. They have a good bullpen. Their overall pitching is phenomenal. But they have absolutely no hitting. Nobody on their team hit more than 21 home runs last year. However, since they have no power, they make up for it with their lack of contact and their mediocre speed.
3. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – The Angels rotation could be very, very good, but I wouldn’t count on it. Jered Weaver will be an ace, but Dan Haren is getting older and struggled last year, Ervin Santana is extremely inconsistent, and Scott Kazmir seems to have lost it. And, on top of that, their lineup consists of old men on the downside of their careers.
4. Seattle Mariners – The Mariners have the reigning Cy Young winner in Felix Hernandez. They have one of the best hitters in baseball in Ichiro Suzuki. And that’s about it. Aside from those two players, there is no way to put it other than this: They’re a bad team.

AL MVP: Adrian Gonzalez, BOS
Runner-up: Robinson Cano, NYY

AL Cy Young: Clay Buchholz, BOS
Runner-up: CC Sabathia, NYY

AL Rookie of the Year: JP Arencibia, TOR
Runner-up: Brent Morel, CWS

NL East:
1. Philadelphia Phillies – With the signing of Cliff Lee, no one has a better starting rotation than the Phillies. They are far and away better than anyone else in that category. But once you get past their rotation, they are shaky. Their bullpen isn’t very good, and they will struggle to score.
2. Atlanta Braves – The Braves have a very good rotation, with Tim Hudson, Tommy Hanson, Derek Lowe, Jair Jurrjens, Brandon Beachy (who had a 0.90 ERA this spring), and have some good hitters in a solid lineup, even if it doesn’t blow you away.
3. Florida Marlins – It seems like every year, I pick the Marlins as a surprise team. Well, they never come through for me, and I am done picking them. I like their rotation, and I think their offense has potential, but I’ve learned my lesson. They’re underperformers.
4. New York Mets – The Mets are awful. Their rotation stinks, their offense is old, slow, and injury-prone, and their only good bullpen pitcher beat up his girlfriend’s dad. This franchise has many more bad years in its future.
5. Washington Nationals – Livan Hernandez was the Opening Day starter. Ian Desmond is leading off. I think that says enough. They’ll be doing well if they win 50 games this year.

NL Central:
1. Cincinnati Reds – Even though they have no ace, the Reds probably have the deepest rotation in baseball, with 6 proven big league starters in Edinson Volquez, Bronson Arroyo, Travis Wood, Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey, and Mike Leake. Oh, and by the way, they also have one of the best lineups in all of baseball.
2. Milwaukee Brewers – Yes, they can hit. Yes, the top three in their rotation are very, very good. But they still have one of the worst bullpens in baseball, and that is why I don’t think they are good enough to be a playoff team.
3. St. Louis Cardinals – I don’t think the Cards would have won with Wainwright, but without him, they don’t have much of a chance. Their lineup has a total of two good hitters, and their rotation without Wainwright isn’t very good.
4. Chicago Cubs – Come on, it’s the Cubs. They’re old. They underperform. They’re hotheads. And they lose. The rotation could be good, but it won’t be. The offense could be good, but it won’t be. That’s the way the Cubs work, and that’s the way it will go in 2011.
5. Houston Astros – The Astros are terrible. It’s a good thing they have a good farm system. Oh, wait, they don’t have that either. It’s a good thing they’re in a good ownership situation. Oh, wait, that’s wrong. Well, there’s always 20 years from now, Houston.
6. Pittsburgh Pirates – The team slogan for the year for the Pirates is: ‘Pride. Passion. Pittsburgh Pirates.’ There is nothing for this team to be proud about, as their #1 starter had a 5.31 ERA last year, and they don’t hit the ball well.

NL West:
1. Los Angeles Dodgers – I really like this Dodgers team. They have a deep rotation like the Reds, but unlike the Reds, they have an ace. They have six starting pitchers who have proven they can pitch well in the majors in Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda, Jon Garland, and Vicente Padilla. And while they won’t score too many runs, they’re offense is good enough to win ballgames.
2. San Francisco Giants – The Giants still have a great rotation, but I think that their hitting will be even worse than last year, and I just don’t see them going back to the playoffs, as while their rotation is very good, it’s not all that deep, and an injury would be terrible for this team.
3. Colorado Rockies – This Rockies team will hit the ball, but I think that they will get hit hard as well. After Ubaldo Jimenez, I’m not a big fan of their rotation, and I just don’t think that they are good enough to be ahead of either the Dodgers or the Giants.
4. San Diego Padres – I said this last year and it was wrong, so maybe it will be wrong this year, too, but the Padres have a bad team. They have okay pitching, and they will struggle to score runs offensively.
5. Arizona Diamondbacks – Every time I see their roster, I am surprised at how bad it is. Aside from Justin Upton and Chris Young, they don’t hit well, and there is not one pitcher in their rotation that you can count on to be good this year. This team has last place written all over it.

NL MVP: Ryan Braun, MIL
Runner-up: Jay Bruce, CIN

NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, PHI
Runner-up: Cliff Lee, PHI

NL Rookie of the Year: Freddie Freeman, ATL
Runner-up: Brandon Belt, SF

ALDS:

Boston Red Sox over Minnesota Twins

Texas Rangers over New York Yankees

NLDS:

Philadelphia Phillies over Los Angeles Dodgers

Cincinnati Reds over Atlanta Braves

ALCS:

Boston Red Sox over Texas Rangers

NLCS:

Philadelphia Phillies over Cincinnati Reds

World Series:

Philadelphia Phillies over Boston Red Sox

Come back next week for a brief interview with Elvis Andrus

Spring Training Trip Report

2011-03-26T22:33:00.002-05:00

My dad, my granddad, and I went on a trip to Spring Training in Surprise, Arizona over Spring Break. It was the 6th straight year we’ve gone to Arizona for Rangers Spring Training. We got there on Sunday, March 13th and left on Thursday, March 17th. 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 13th:

We had an extremely early flight in the morning that required me to wake up at about 3:00 AM the morning of Daylight Savings Time. Needless to say, that part was not too fun, but it was well worth it. Our flight went very smoothly, and my dad got us upgraded to first class, which was very nice. We landed on time and got to Surprise in time to go to the backfields for the Rangers morning workouts. At the workouts, I spent some time watching Hector Nelo pitch. It wasn’t a great outing, and he left everything high. I also got to see Joe Wieland and Matt Thompson pitch. Fortunately, they both looked good.

One of the fun parts about going to spring training is getting to catch up with the people we see there every year. On Sunday morning along, I got to talk with Jamey Newberg (and his kids Erica and Max), the Cookie Lady and her husband, Thad Levine, and TR Sullivan (whose blog I was mentioned in the next day at http://trsullivan.mlblogs.com/2011/03/14/poor-tobys-spring-almanac-day-27/). After the workouts, we went to lunch at NYPD (New York Pizza Department), which we go to every year, and which, as usual, was very, very good. I got pepperoni and sausage, my dad got the same plus meatballs, and my granddad got a salad that he said wasn’t too good, but it was his own fault for getting a salad at a pizza place.

After a good lunch, we headed over to the Rangers game. The Rangers were playing at home against the Giants, in a World Series rematch (in fact, it drew the biggest crowd ever at Surprise Stadium – over 11,000 people with even standing room sold out). Tommy Hunter started the game, and he looked horrible and just got clobbered. He allowed 7 runs, 4 earned, and 9 hits in 3.2 innings pitched. Mark Lowe came in to pitch the 5th after Mark Hamburger finished off the 4th inning, and looked fantastic. The Giants’ hitters went down 1-2-3. In the 6th inning, Arthur Rhodes really struggled, as he allowed 2 runs, both earned in his one inning of work. The Rangers brought Darren O’Day in to pitch the 7th, and like Lowe, he had a 1-2-3 inning. Brett Tomko pitched the last two innings for the Rangers, and while he looked decent in his first inning of work, he struggled in his second inning, and his final line was 2 runs in 2 innings. Offensively, the Rangers did well, however, and Elvis Andrus went 2-for-4 with 5 RBI’s, and David Murphy belted a Wilmin Rodriguez pitch in the 9th inning for a solo home run. Also of note would be Julio Borbon, who went 3-for-3 and scored twice, but looked very bad on defense. Mike Olt, the Rangers’ 2010 3rd round pick out of Connecticut, was impressive, as he connected for a double over the left fielder’s head at the plate, and also made two very slick defensive plays. In fact, Olt impressed me all throughout camp, between the games and the morning workouts. The final score of the game was Giants 11, Rangers 8.

That night, after the game, we went to Red Robin and got some burgers. This time my granddad got the restaurant’s specialty and ordered a burger. Red Robin is always good, and I enjoyed my fries, my burger, and my Oreo shake.

After dinner, we went to our hotel, a Marriot Residence Inn that is in easy walking distance of the Rangers’ stadium and backfield. It was awesome. We had two bedrooms, which my dad and granddad took, and a living room with a kitchen attached to it that had a sleeper sofa that I took. Having all of this space was great and made for a much better trip. In previous years, the three of us had been crammed into one big room. This year, we each had our own room (and our own TV), plus there were two bathrooms between the three of us. And being in walking distance of the stadium was nice because we could come and go between the hotel and the ballpark whenever we wanted all week.

Monday, March 14th:

On Monday morning, my dad, my granddad, and I all headed over to the workouts, and today we got to talk to Anthony Andro and his family, Jim Sundberg, and Terry Clark. We also talked with Tim Murphy for a few minutes, and he’s having to go through rehab this spring after he needed Tommy John late last year. Tim is easily one of the nicest guys in the Rangers’ system (which is saying a lot because the Rangers have a lot of nice guys in their system). We were at a table with him at a Rangers Winter Awards Banquet a few years ago and, ever since then, whenever we see him, he always takes time to come and talk with us. Even if he sees us first, he goes out of his way to come over and talk. We also talked to Josh Hamilton for a little while, and again I’m always amazed at what a great guy Josh is. He was on his way in from the workouts and was probably tired and ready to shower, but when he saw us, he still put his stuff down and spent about five minutes with us. It’s been almost three years since I interviewed him but he still always remembers me and takes time to talk.

While we were at the workouts, we saw a lot of batting practice and some PFPs (pitcher fielding practice). I also got to see Michael Kirkman’s bullpen, which was not impressive, as he was leaving a lot of pitches up.

After workouts, we headed over to the ballpark, where the Rangers were hosting the Dodgers. Neftali Feliz was the starter in this one, and he looked fantastic. His location was great, and the results showed it, as he allowed just one run in his four innings of work, and he struck out five. Eric Hurley came in next, and also pitched very well, and his results were identical to Feliz’s: 4 IP, 1 ER, 5 K. We also got to see Miguel De Los Santos pitch in the 9th, in his only major league Spring Training game before being sent down to minor league camp. Even though he allowed two runs, both earned, he was impressive to watch. I’m looking forward to seeing him in Frisco soon. The Rangers offense wasn’t all that great in this game, but Josh Hamilton did manage to hit a bomb over the Rangers’ right field bullpen. David Murphy also hit well, going 2-for-4 with a double. This game was Adrian Beltre’s first game of the spring, and he went 1-for-3. The Rangers ended up beating the Dodgers in this game 5 to 4.

After the game, we drove to Outback, where I got a steak and a baked potato, both of which were very good. I didn’t have much time to eat my steak, though, because Jamey Newberg had a Q&A session back at Surprise Stadium with John Rhadigan, Scott Servais, Tom Grieve, Eric Nadel, and Josh Boyd. I have a summary of the Q&A posted on my blog at http://texasrangerstrades.blogspot.com/2011/03/summary-of-jamey-newbergs-spring.html. It was a lot of fun. We went back to the hotel for the rest of the night and I watched TV after the session was over.

Tuesday, March 15th:

When we woke up on Tuesday, we went to the lobby and ate the mediocre (but free) breakfast that the hotel provided, and then walked over to the backfields, where the Rangers were playing against the Royals in a B game. During the game, I got to talk to Jamey Newberg, Scott Lucas (who had just arrived in Surprise), and Evan Grant.

Darren Oliver started the game, and pitched two innings, and he looked much better in the second one than the first. Dave Bush also pitched in the game, and in the three innings I saw him, he was inconsistent. He looked very, very good in the first inning, bad in the second one, and solid in the third one. He had great stuff, but the Royals hitters were pouncing on his fastballs. At the plate, Yorvit Torrealba did not look good, and swung at multiple pitches in the dirt. Brian Barden, however, did not look so bad, and actually looked good as he hit a home run off of Vin Mazzaro. There were two different mental errors in the game. One was when Endy Chavez got picked off, and the other was Jose Ruiz, as he just flat-out dropped a throw that was right to him.

Tuesday was a very busy day, as after the B game we went straight to the Dodgers’ stadium in Glendale to see the Rangers play the Dodgers. Derek Holland started in this game, and really struggled, allowing four runs, all earned, on seven hits and two walks in four innings. Alexi Ogando followed that up with a poor performance of his own, as he allowed three runs on six hits in 3.2 innings. Cody Eppley got the final out of the game. The Rangers hit Clayton Kershaw well, but after he was pulled they couldn’t get anything going. Once again, David Murphy swung the bat well, going 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs and the Rangers’ only extra-base hit of the game. The Dodgers ended up winning 7-6.

Right after the Rangers game was over, we drove over to Scottsdale, and went to eat at the Pink Pony. The Pink Pony is a steak place that has a lot of baseball memorabilia and in the past has been a hangout for baseball players like Mickey Mantle and Billy Martin. The Pink Pony actually closed last year after being open for 60 years, but new owners opened it back up just last month. The steak was very good, and the fries were good, too.

After eating, we headed over to see the Giants at Diamondbacks game in the Diamondbacks’ new stadium (that they share with the Rockies), Salt River Field at Talking Stick. It was fantastic, by far the best stadium in the Cactus League. Even though we left after five innings (it had been a long day), we still got to see three home runs, one for Chris Young, another for Justin Upton, and one for Freddy Sanchez.

After leaving the game, we made the hour-long drive back to our hotel in Surprise and called it a day.

Wednesday, March 16th:

On Wednesday, we went to our last Rangers game of the trip, but before that, we went to the workouts, which this morning was only the minor leaguers. In batting practice, Jonathon Roof was really impressive, and in his bullpen, Yoshinori Tateyama had very good location. This day, there were two intrasquad games on the minor league side, one with Double-A vs. Triple-A, and another with High-A vs. Low-A, where Wilfredo Boscan got pummeled and Alejandro Selen homered off of him.

Since the Rangers played a night game, during the day we went and saw the first few innings of the Giants at White Sox game in Glendale, which featured an impressive pitching match-up, with the Giants throwing Tim Lincecum, and the White Sox pitching Mark Buehrle. When we left after four innings, both pitchers had pitched well, and it was 1-1. The final score was Giants 5, White Sox 3.

The reason we left early was so that we could see the Rangers major league workouts, but it was so crowded we didn’t stay long. However, we did get to see the pitchers hit BP, which was kind of cool. In general, the crowds at Rangers camp were large this year, the largest we had ever seen at spring training. I guess that’s what winning the pennant will do for you.

At 6:00 PM, the Rangers played a game at home against the Rockies, and I took play-by-play notes of this one. See the end of this post for my notes from this game.

Thursday, March 17th:

On Thursday morning, we went over to the minor league workouts. Since the Rangers had another night game, the major leaguers were not out in the morning. I got to talk to Jamey Newberg and Scott Lucas again, and also got to talk to Jake Krug for a while. I watched Jordan Akins hit, and boy is he big. He looked a little inconsistent, but very powerful.

After we watched the minor leaguers work out for about an hour, we headed back to our hotel and packed up before going to the Reds game. After we were packed, we headed over to Goodyear to see the Indians play against the Reds. My dad was born in Cincinnati, so my dad and I are both Reds fans, although they are second for both of us. It was a fun game, and the Reds won 5-1. We got to see some good pitchers, but the most exciting pitcher we saw was Aroldis Chapman, and seeing him was so cool. Unfortunately, though, they didn’t have the radar gun on, so I can’t report that he hit 300 MPH or some crazy number like that.

After the Reds game was over, we drove straight to the airport, and our flight home went extremely smoothly. It was a great week like always. I’d like to thank my dad and granddad for taking me every year and I’d also like to thank Rich Rice for the help he gave me during the week.

My play-by-play notes from the March 16th Rockies/Rangers game in Surprise:

Top 1st – CJ Wilson pitching

Eric Young, Jr.: Strike-out looking. CJ fooled him on a backdoor slider, and had great location this AB.

Dexter Fowler: Flyout to Left Field.

Ty Wigginton: HR. Left a 2-2 pitch down the middle, and was hit over the LF fence.

Troy Tulowitzki: Infield Single. Elvis Andrus should have made this play, but he took a bad route to the ball.

Jason Giambi: Groundout to 2B.

1 run, 1 hit (Rockies 1, Rangers 0)

Bottom 1st – Jason Hammel pitching

Ian Kinsler: Double. Ian ripped a grounder down the LF line that was barely fair.

Elvis Andrus: Groundout to 3B. Very weak ground ball.

Josh Hamilton: Sac fly to LF. High fly ball that scored Ian.

Adrian Beltre: Single to CF. Line drive up the middle.

1 run, 2 hits (Rangers 1, Rockies 1)

Top 2nd – CJ Wilson pitching

Ryan Spilborghs: BB.

Jordan Pacheco: K looking. 3 pitch at-bat.

Ian Stewart: Groundout to 2B. CJ had good location in this AB.

Charlie Blackmon: K swinging. CJ threw a great slider for the third strike.

0 runs, 0 hits (Rangers 1, Rockies 1)

Bottom 2nd – Jason Hammel pitching

Mike Napoli: Popout to CF. His swing did not look good.

Mitch Moreland: Double to Left-Center. Hit liner to the warning track.

Chris Davis: Double to Right-Center. Hit the ball to the wall. Got an RBI.

Doug Deeds: Single to RF. Poked an 0-2 pitch over the second baseman’s head.

Ian Kinsler: E2. Ian got a sac bunt down, but catcher overthrew first and Ian got to third base.

Elvis Andrus: Groundout to 2B. Did not score Ian because the infield was playing in.

Josh Hamilton: BB. 4-pitch walk.

Adrian Beltre: 3-run HR. Crushed the ball over the right-center field wall.

Michael Young: BB. Got down 0-2, then watched 4 straight balls.

Mike Napoli: Groundout to SS. Didn’t look very good.

6 runs, 4 hits (Rangers 7, Rockies 1)

Top 3rd – CJ Wilson pitching

Eric Young, Jr.: Single to RF. Hit a broken bat grounder through the hole.

Dexter Fowler: E1. CJ made an error on a sac bunt attempt.

Ty Wigginton: Flyout to RF. CJ came back after starting down 3-0.

Troy Tulowitzki: Single to RF. Got tagged out after a big turn at first base.

Jason Giambi: Groundout to 2B.

1 run, 2 hits (Rangers 7, Rockies 2)

Bottom 3rd – Jason Hammel pitching

Mitch Moreland: Flyout to LF. Hit the ball to the warning track.

Chris Davis: Solo HR. Hit a moon shot to dead center. Hit the ball extremely high in the air.

Doug Deeds: K swinging. Chased two pitches.

Ian Kinsler: HBP.

Elvis Andrus: K swinging. Swung at three pitches in the dirt.

1 run, 1 hit (Rangers 8, Rockies 2)

Top 4th – CJ Wilson pitching

Ryan Spilborghs: K swinging. CJ had good location in this AB.

Jordan Pacheco: Groundout to 2B.

Ian Stewart: Single.

Charlie Blackmon: Single to 3B. CJ jammed him, but weak grounder was placed well.

Eric Young, Jr.: Groundout to Pitcher.

0 runs, 2 hits (Rangers 8, Rockies 2)

Bottom 4th – Eric Stults pitching

Josh Hamilton: Single to RF. Soft liner.

Adrian Beltre: Groundout to SS. Fielders Choice.

Michael Young: BB. 4 pitch walk.

Mike Napoli: Flyout to RF. Looked bad again.

Mitch Moreland: K swinging. Bad swings.

0 runs, 1 hit (Rangers 8, Rockies 2)

Top 5th – CJ Wilson pitching

Willy Taveras: Groundout to 2B.

Ty Wigginton: K looking. CJ had good location this AB.

Troy Tulowitzki: Groundout to SS.

0 runs, 0 hits (Rangers 8, Rockies 2)

Bottom 5th – Eric Stults pitching

Chris Davis: Single to 2B. SS threw the ball away after Davis got the hit.

Doug Deeds: Groundout to 1B.

Ian Kinsler: Groundout to 3B.

Elvis Andrus: Single to RF. Blooper that scored Davis.

Josh Hamilton: Groundout to SS.

1 run, 2 hits (Rangers 9, Rockies 2)

Top 6th – Mark Lowe pitching

Jason Giambi: Solo HR. Has that ball come down yet?

Ryan Spilborghs: Single to CF. Smashed the ball.

Jordan Pacheco: Flyout to RF.

Ian Stewart: BB.

Charlie Blackmon: Single to RF.

Eric Young: Single to RF. Got picked off of first base after taking a big turn on single.

Willie Taveras: Single to RF.

Ty Wigginton: Flyout to LF.

4 runs, 5 hits (Rangers 9, Rockies 6)

Bottom 6th – Rafael Betancourt

Brian Barden: K swinging.

Chad Tracy: Flyout to CF.

Taylor Teagarden: K looking.

0 runs, 0 hits (Rangers 9, Rockies 6)

Top 7th – Darren O’Day

Alfredo Amezaga: Triple to CF.

Mike Jacobs: 2-run HR. Crushed over Rangers bullpen in RF.

Cole Garner: Double to RF. Blooper fell in between three fielders.

Wilin Rosario: Groundout to SS.

Hernan Irabarren: K swinging.

Charlie Blackmon: Flyout to CF. Hit to warning track.

2 runs, 3 hits (Rangers 9, Rockies 8)

Bottom 7th – Franklin Morales

Joey Butler: Solo HR. Crushed into the Home Run Party Deck sign.

Jose Ruiz: Groundout to 3B.

Endy Chavez: Flyout to CF.

Omar Quintanilla: Lineout to 3B.

1 run, 1 hit (Rangers 10, Rockies 8)

Top 8th – Darren O’Day

Eric Young, Jr.: E1. O’Day made an error. Caught Stealing. Taylor Teagarden gunned him down at second with a perfect throw.

Willy Taveras: Single to 3B.

Ben Paulson: K swinging.

Alfredo Amezaga: Flyout to RF.

Bottom 8th – Matt Daley

Esteban German: K looking. Good battle. 8 pitch AB.

David Paisano: Flyout to RF.

Brian Barden: K swinging.

0 runs, 0 hits (Rangers 10, Rockies 8)

Top 9th – Seth McClung

Mike Jacobs: BB. All over the place.

Cole Garner: 2-run HR. Demolished the ball over LF fence.

Wilin Rosario: E6. Caught Stealing. Taylor Teagarden hosed him trying to take second base with a terrific throw.

Hernan Irabarren: Groundout to 1B.

Charlie Blackmon: Single to CF. I’m not sure if he could’ve hit the ball harder.

PITCHING CHANGE:
New Pitcher – Zach Jackson

Eric Young, Jr.: Single to SS. Slow roller, but ran it out.

Willy Taveras: Single to LF.

Ben Paulson: Groundout to 1B.

3 runs, 5 hits (Rockies 11, Rangers 10)

Bottom 9th – Craig Baker

Chad Tracy: K looking.

Taylor Teagarden: BB. 4 pitch walk.

Joey Butler: BB. 4 pitch walk.

Jose Ruiz: Lineout to 3B. Runner on second picked off by third baseman.

0 runs, 0 hits.

FINAL SCORE: Colorado Rockies 11 (22 hits), Texas Rangers 10 (11 hits)

Come back next week for my season predictions.

Rangers Spring Training Pitchers Analysis

2011-03-20T18:36:00.003-05:00

The Rangers have had 30 pitchers in major league camp, although some of them have already been sent to minor league camp. I did an analysis of all of the pitchers who were in big league camp at any point this spring, gave their chances of making the team at the end of Spring Training, and predicted the pitching roster. I’ve also included each player’s spring training stats as of March 18th.

Omar Beltre (0 IP)
Due to surgery on his spinal cord to fix his spinal stenosis, Omar will start the season on the 60-day DL and will miss at least 2 months of the season due to the surgery. Obviously, this means that there is a 0% chance of Beltre being on the Opening Day roster. Last year, Omar made two spot starts for the Rangers, but neither went very well. In his first game, he allowed 3 runs, all earned in 4 innings against the Angels, and while he struck out 6, he also walked four. In his second start, against the Indians, Omar allowed 4 runs in 3 innings. However, Omar pitched very well in AAA in 2010, with a 2.65 ERA in 85 innings of work. Despite a very low ERA, Omar had a record of just 3-9 with the Redhawks. Had he been healthy, Omar would have had a chance at a spot in the back end of the rotation, but since he isn’t healthy, he will not have that chance.
Percentage: 0%

Yhency Brazoban (4 IP, 1 ER, 2.25 ERA, 5 BB)
Probably due to the difficulty of spelling his name, Yhency has been sent down to minor league camp, and is now somebody else’s spelling problem. This, of course, leaves him with a 0% chance at making the major league team out of Spring Training. I would be very surprised if he was on the big league team at any point this season. Brazoban does have major league experience, though, with 115 major league innings spread out over five years, all with the Dodgers. He has a career ERA of 4.70, but really struggled in his only year in which he had a full season in the majors. In 2005, Yhency had a 5.33 ERA and converted 21 out of 27 save opportunities in 72.2 innings. While Yhency has seen a decent amount of time in the big leagues, he has no opportunity to be on the Rangers Opening Day roster, and has already been sent down to minor league camp.
Percentage: 0%

Dave Bush (8 IP, 4 ER, 4.50 ERA, 5 K, 4 BB)
Dave Bush is still fighting for either a back-of-the-rotation starting job or a job coming out of the bullpen as a long reliever, and while he wouldn’t be a bad option at either, he wouldn’t necessarily be a good one. He has thrown 95+ innings in every year since 2004, and has a career ERA of 4.66. His only 200-inning season was in 2006 with the Brewers, when he threw 210 innings. The last three years have been up and down for Bush. In 2008, Dave posted a 4.18 ERA in 185 innings, and was a pretty solid pitcher for Milwaukee. But then in 2009, Bush had a terrible year, and had an ERA of 6.38 in 114.1 innings. But Dave got back on track in 2010, as he lowered his ERA back into the 4.00s, as he had a 4.54 ERA in 174.1 innings. He has one postseason start in his career, and it went well, as he allowed just one run in 5.1 innings. Dave will most likely not make the Opening Day roster, but he would be a fantastic option as a spot starter.
Percentage: 38.5%

Fabio Castillo (0 IP)
Not only has Fabio been sent down to minor league camp, but he is also injured with a broken bone in his foot. This puts him at a 0% chance of making the Opening Day roster in two ways, and even if he was healthy and in big league camp, he still wouldn’t have made the team. Fabio spent the bulk of last year in High-A Bakersfield last year, where he dominated, posting a 1.94 ERA in 51 IP. He also spent a very short time in Frisco, giving up 2 runs in 3.1 innings. There is no way that Castillo has any chance at being on the major league roster coming out of Spring Training.
Percentage: 0%

Miguel De Los Santos (1 IP, 2 ER, 18.00 ERA, 2 K)
Miguel never had a chance to make the team, as he has never played above Low-A ball, but since he has been sent down to minor league camp, he really doesn’t have a chance. However he did pitch very well in the minors last year, with a 1.69 ERA in 32 short-season A innings with Spokane and a 3.99 ERA is 38.2 low-A innings with Hickory. However the fact that Miguel was added to the Rangers 40-man roster during the offseason is a clear indication as to how the organization feels about his potential.
Percentage: 0%

Cody Eppley (5.1 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 5.06 ERA, 3 K)
In his third pro season, Cody pitched very, very well in both High-A Bakersfield and Double-A Frisco, but then struggled a little bit once he got promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City. He had a 0.00 ERA in 18 High-A innings, a 1.19 ERA in 22.2 Double-A innings, but then a 4.08 ERA in 28.2 Triple-A innings, which is where he will most likely start the 2011 season, as the major league level was ruled out when he was sent down to minor league camp. Cody doesn’t have a chance at making the Rangers Opening Day roster, but if there’s room on the 40-man roster for him, he may end up being one of the Rangers’ September call-ups if he has another good year.
Percentage: 0%

Scott Feldman (0 IP)
Scott went into the 2010 season as the Rangers #1 starter, and enters the 2011 recovering from knee surgery, which will prevent him from being ready for the start of the regular season. In 2009, Scott went 17-8 with a 4.08 ERA in 189.2 innings, including a 3.79 ERA in 31 games started. But in 2010, Scott really struggled, with a 7-11 record to go along with a very disappointing 5.48 ERA in 141.1 innings. Players hit .313 off of Feldman last year, and that is a very bad number. Even if he was healthy, Scott would’ve had to fight to win a spot on the team.
Percentage: 0%

Neftali Feliz (9 IP, 1 ER, 1.00 ERA, 9 K)
After the All-Star season that Neftali Feliz had last year, in which he set the rookie record for saves in a season with 40, there is no question whether he will be on the Opening Day roster or not. But there is a question as to which role that will be in, as the Rangers have been stretching him out this spring to see if he should be a starter for the 2011 squad. In two big league seasons, Feliz has a career ERA of 2.42, which is incredible. In 2009, he justified his being called up with an outstanding 1.74 ERA in 31 innings. Then in 2010, he justified his spot as the team’s closer with a 2.73 ERA in 69.1 innings, and 40 saves. And despite some location problems in the playoffs, Neftali had a postseason ERA of 1.23. Feliz will be on the Rangers major league team to start off the season. The only question is whether it will be as a starter or as a closer.
Percentage: 100%

Matt Harrison (9 IP, 1 ER, 1.00 ERA, 5 K)
To this point a disappointment, Matt will most likely have a chance to change that this year. In his bid for a job in the starting rotation, Harrison has had a very good spring, allowing just one run in nine innings of work. Last year, Matt spent most of his time coming out of the bullpen, as he made 31 appearances out of the ‘pen, while making only 6 starts. Matt also pitched better coming out of the bullpen, with a 4.26 ERA as a reliever, and a 5.29 ERA as a starter, which totaled up to a 4.71 ERA on the year. But despite a very mediocre season last year, Matt’s spring has been good enough to where it looks as if he will be in the Rangers Opening Day starting rotation.
Percentage: 81.3%

Derek Holland (9 IP, 5 ER, 5.00 ERA, 12 H, 9 K)
Derek is fighting for a spot in the starting rotation, and the Rangers are hoping that this is the year that he can put it all together. He improved last year from his 2009 form, as his ERA went from 6.12 in 2009 to 4.08 in 2010, and his batting average against dropped from .288 in 2009 to .247 in 2010. His WHIP also dropped by 0.12. But due to injuries, Derek only got to pitch in 57.1 major league innings last year in the regular season. Derek’s statistics in his first two big league seasons aren’t that great, but even though the stats don’t blow you away so far, he has the potential to be an ace, and so I think that he will make the team coming out of Spring Training.
Percentage: 74.6%

Tommy Hunter (8.2 IP, 11 R, 8 ER, 8.31 ERA, 15 H, 10 K)
Tommy’s numbers have gotten better in every big league season. In 2008, he pitched 11 innings, and had an ERA of 16.36 while hitters had a batting average of .404 off of him, which made his WHIP extremely high at 2.36. Then, in 2009, Tommy lowered his ERA to 4.10 in 112 innings, while his WHIP improved to 1.30 as his batting average against lowered to .259. In 2010, Tommy’s ERA lowered again to 3.73 in 128 innings, as his WHIP (1.24) and batting average against (.255) also lowered again. But while his numbers have gotten better, the pattern in each of the past two seasons has stayed the same. He has started off the year well, with a 2.35 ERA pre-All-Star break in 2009, and a 2.34 ERA pre-All-Star break in 2010. But then, after that, Tommy has started to tail off at the end of the year with post-All-Star break ERAs of 4.55 in 2009 and 4.41 in 2010. He also really struggled in the playoffs last year, with a 5.56 ERA in 11.1 postseason innings. So while Tommy has been getting better every year, he still might not make the Opening Day roster, although I think he probably will.
Percentage: 84.6%

Eric Hurley (9 IP, 1 ER, 1.00 ERA, 5 K)
Despite a very good spring, Eric has been sent down to minor league camp, and has a 0% chance of making the team, after missing two full seasons due to injuries. But even though Eric will not be on the Opening Day roster, my guess is that he will be on the major league team at some point in the 2011 season. That could change, though, if he continues to struggle at any level above Double-A. In two stints in Triple-A Oklahoma City, Eric posted ERAs of 4.91 and 5.30 in 73.1 and 74.2 innings pitched, and those certainly are not very good numbers. Eric made it to the majors in 2008, and in 24.2 innings, Eric had an ERA of 5.47 while allowing 5 home runs, which is way too many for 24.2 innings. But while Eric will not be on the Opening Day roster, don’t expect him to stay in the minors all year long.
Percentage: 0%

Zach Jackson (4.1 IP, 3 ER, 6.23 ERA)
Even though Zach Jackson is a former Aggie, which obviously improves his chances tremendously, he probably does not have much of a chance at making the Rangers major league team out of Spring Training. He has spent parts of three seasons in the majors, but they haven’t gone so well, as he has a career ERA of 5.81 in 105.1 major league innings. And if he doesn’t improve his performance at the minor league level, Jackson probably won’t have another shot at the majors. The last three seasons at Triple-A, Zach has had ERAs of 7.85, 6.09, and 6.38. That won’t get it done, and I don’t see Jackson being on the Rangers’ active roster anytime soon.
Percentage: 2.3%

Michael Kirkman (11.1 IP, 13 R, 7 ER, 5.56 ERA, 9 K)
After a fantastic season at Triple-A last year, where Michael had a 3.09 ERA in 131 innings, Kirkman got called up to the big leagues, where he also pitched very well. Kirkman had a 1.65 ERA in 14 regular season major league games, while holding opposing hitters to a .161 average. So while he may not be having the best of springs, his performance at every level last season, in my opinion, should at least get him on the Rangers Opening Day roster, even if they do have a very short leash on him.
Percentage: 61.3%

Colby Lewis (9 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 4.00 ERA, 6 K)
In his first year back from Japan, Colby pitched well enough to lock himself into a rotation spot in 2011, most likely the #2 spot. Colby had an ERA of 3.72 in the regular season, and started off the year strong, with a 3.33 ERA pre-All-Star break. He broke the 200-inning mark, with 201 innings, and finished the season four strikeouts away from 200 K’s. But while Colby pitched well in the regular season, his biggest mark was in the postseason. He went 3-0 with a 1.71 ERA in 26.1 innings pitched and held opponents to a .176 average. His three wins include the Rangers’ only World Series victory, and the win that sent the Rangers to the World Series.
Percentage: 100%

Mark Lowe (6 IP, 8 R, 7 ER, 10.50 ERA, 11 H, 3 K)
Despite a horrendous spring and a terrible short stint with the Rangers last season, Mark seems like he has a bullpen spot to lose. Mark has played two full major league seasons, and has had one good one and one bad one. In 2008, Mark pitched 63.2 innings, and had an ERA of 5.37, while hitters crushed him, with a .301 average. But then in 2009, Mark had an ERA of 3.27 in 80 innings, while hitters hit only .232. He started off 2010 well with the Mariners, as he had an ERA of 3.48 before he got injured and then traded to the Rangers. He then allowed four runs in three innings in the regular season with the Rangers, and then had an ERA of 67.50 in the playoffs, as he allowed 5 runs in 0.2 innings. But while he hasn’t performed at all with the Rangers, his 2009 season seems to have given him an edge for a spot in the bullpen.
Percentage: 51.2%

Seth McClung (6 IP, 9 ER, 13.50 ERA, 7 BB, 10 H, 2 K)
Despite six years of big league experience, Seth McClung has no shot at being on the Rangers Opening Day roster, as he has been sent down to minor league camp. And, really, Seth doesn’t have much of a chance at being on the Rangers’ big league squad at any point during the season, as he is not on the 40-man roster, and isn’t exactly first in line to be put onto the 40-man roster. Seth has had three big league seasons in which he has thrown more than 100 innings, two with the Devil Rays and one with the Brewers. In 2005, he threw 109.1 innings for Tampa Bay, and had a 6.59 ERA, which did not improve much the next year, where Seth had a 6.29 ERA in 103 innings for the Devil Rays. In 2008, McClung pitched 105.1 innings, and had a 4.02 ERA, as he made 12 starts and made 25 appearances out of the bullpen for Milwaukee. Even though he is a major league veteran, I would be very surprised if he wore anything but a Round Rock Express uniform in the Rangers organization.
Percentage: 0%

Darren O’Day (6 IP, 4 ER, 6.00 ERA, 12 H, 4 K)
With the seasons that Darren O’Day has had in each of the past two years, there is no way that the Rangers can leave O’Day off the team. In 2009, Darren had an ERA of 1.84 in 58.2 innings, with 55.2 of those innings coming with the Rangers. Then in 2010, Darren had an ERA of 2.03 in 62 innings. In both years, Darren had a batting average against of below .200 (.199 in 2009 and .196 in 2010). Unless he gets injured, he should once again have a very, very good year coming out of the Rangers bullpen.
Percentage: 100%

Alexi Ogando (8.2 IP, 5 ER, 5.19 ERA, 12 H, 8 K)
Alexi will be on the Rangers Opening Day roster, whether it’s as a starter, a reliever, or even as a closer. The Rangers have been pitching him as a starter this spring, but my guess is that he starts the season as the set-up man. Last year, Alexi was incredible, as his ERA was 1.30 in 41.2 innings pitched for the Rangers, and he also pitched well in the postseason. In his six postseason innings, Alexi allowed only one run (a 1.50 ERA), and struck out eight. So while Alexi is not locked into any one role going into the regular season, he does have a spot on the roster, wherever that might be.
Percentage: 100%

Darren Oliver (2 IP, 3 R, 1 ER, 4.50 ERA)
Oliver is the third of the Rangers ‘O No’s’ in the bullpen (O’Day, Ogando, and Oliver - the other teams’ hitters say ‘O No’ when they come in to pitch). He has had ERAs below 3.00 in each of the past three seasons, and had the lowest ERA of his career last year, when he had a 2.48 ERA. He pitches very well against lefties, as he held lefties to a .200 batting average off of him last year, while righties hit .281. Despite the possibility that Darren will need a cane to get to the mound from the bullpen by the end of the season, there is a 100% chance that he will be on the Rangers Opening Day roster.
Percentage: 100%

Zach Phillips (2.2 IP, 0 ER, 0.00 ERA, 3 BB, 4 H, 2 K)
Ever since Zach has been moved to the bullpen, he has been very successful in the minor leagues. However, Zach has been sent down to minor league camp, and will have to continue his minor league success if he wants to be on the big league team at any point in 2011. Up to 2008, Zach was a starter, and had a 5.54 ERA at High-A Bakersfield in 28 starts. Since then, though, he has been great. In 2009, he was moved to the bullpen, where he posted ERAs of 1.23 and 1.60 in High-A Bakersfield and Double-A Frisco, respectively. Then, last year, Zach had a 1.08 ERA in 16.2 Double-A innings before being moved up to Triple-A Oklahoma City, where his ERA was quite a bit higher at 3.22, but still very good. If Zach can keep this up in the Rangers’ farm system, he should at least be a September call-up.
Percentage: 0%

Arthur Rhodes (4 IP, 3 ER, 6.75 ERA, 5 K)
It’s not often that a relief pitcher that is not a closer makes it into an All-Star game, but Arthur Rhodes pitched so well last season that he forced his way onto the National League All-Star roster at the age of 40. Rhodes had a 2.29 ERA last season with the Cincinnati Reds, including a 1.54 ERA before the All-Star break, and has posted ERAs below 2.55 in each of the past three season, and four of the past five. After a 2.08 ERA in 2005, Rhodes struggled in 2006 as he recorded a 5.32 ERA on the season, but then found his 2005 form following Tommy John surgery which cost him the entire 2007 season to post a 2.04 ERA in 2008, a 2.53 ERA in 2009, and a 2.29 ERA in 2010. There is no way that Rhodes is not on the team coming out of Spring Training.
Percentage: 100%

Tanner Scheppers (1.2 IP, 4 ER, 21.60 ERA, 5 H, 2 BB)
Tanner came into camp with a decent chance at making the Rangers big league team, but due to a back injury, he really doesn’t have much of a chance at this point. After dominating Double-A with the Frisco RoughRiders last year, where he had a 0.82 ERA in 11 innings, Tanner was called up to Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he ran into some problems. His ERA with the Redhawks was 5.48 in 69 innings. While Tanner will probably not make the major league team on Opening Day, he definitely has the talent and potential to be on the team at some point during the 2011 season.
Percentage: 8.7%

Pedro Strop (7 IP, 0 ER, 0.00 ERA, 9 K)
Despite a terrible year when he was in Arlington last year, Pedro Strop has pitched well enough this spring to garner roster consideration. So far this spring, Pedro has pitched extremely well, which was not expected after his 10.13 ERA in 10.2 major league innings last season, and after his 7.71 ERA in 7 major league innings in 2009. However, he did not at all struggle at Triple-A last year, as he had a 1.91 ERA in 42.1 innings for Oklahoma City. So while I don’t think that he will be on the big league team on Opening Day, I think he has a good shot at it, and I would be surprised if we didn’t see him in Arlington at some point during the season.
Percentage: 43.5%

Yoshinori Tateyama (4.2 IP, 4 ER, 7.71 ERA, 11 H, 2 K)
Yoshinori has also been sent down to minor league camp, after having a horrendous spring on the big league side. In 4.2 innings, he allowed 11 hits (a .458 average), and really struggled against righties, which is supposed to be his specialty. Righties hit .583 off of Tateyama. In Japan last year, righties hit just 1.86 off Tateyama, as Yoshinori had a 1.80 ERA for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. With his age at 35, Tateyama needs to have enough success at Triple-A this year to get called up to have much of a chance at a decent big league career in America.
Percentage: 0%

Mason Tobin (3.2 IP, 3 R, 0 ER, 0.00 ERA, 3 BB, 2 K)
After missing the entire 2010 season and most of the 2009 season, the Cubs claimed Tobin in the Rule 5 draft from the Angels, and then sold him to the Rangers. In 2009, Tobin got injured after 2.2 innings and needed Tommy John surgery. In his last lengthy minor league action, Mason had a 3.13 ERA in 37.1 innings for the Angels Short-Season-A squad, the Cesar Rapids Kernels. If Tobin does not make the major league team, the Rangers will need to either offer him back to the Angels or offer a trade to the Angels to keep Tobin.
Percentage: 31.2%

Brett Tomko (7 IP, 6 ER, 7.71 ERA, 10 H, 6 K)
Brett will most likely not make the major league roster coming out of Spring Training, but if he does well in Round Rock, may have a chance to be moved up to the big league team. If he pitches like he did last year in the minor leagues, he will most definitely not be called up. He had a 7.18 ERA in 62.2 innings pitched split between three different levels. However, Brett does have 13 years of major league experience, and pitched very well in 57.1 major league innings in 2009. He had a 3.77 ERA between the Yankees and the Athletics. While Brett probably will not be on the Opening Day roster, if he pitches well in the minors, he may be called up at some point during the season or used as trade bait.
Percentage: 17.2%

Ryan Tucker (5.1 IP, 3 ER, 5.06 ERA, 8 H, 5 K)
The Rangers claimed Tucker off of waivers from the Florida Marlins last October, and his stats over the last couple of years definitely called for waivers and for the minor league camp that the Rangers have sent him down to. In his only major league stint (2008), Ryan had an ERA of 8.27 (awful) and a WHIP of 1.92 (awful) in 37 innings. After that, he fell apart in the minor leagues, too, as he posted an ERA of 8.40 in 15 Triple-A innings in 2009 (his only innings above Rookie ball), and an ERA of 6.15 in 33.2 innings pitched in 2010 (all in Triple-A). Ryan has no chance at being on the Opening Day roster.
Percentage: 0%

Brandon Webb (0 IP)
While Webb will definitely be in the Rangers major league rotation when he is healthy, there is no way that he will be healthy by Opening Day. However, when Brandon is healthy, if he can return to his pre-injury form (an injury that cost him two full seasons of baseball), then he should be an ace. In six years pre-injury, Brandon never posted an ERA above 3.59, and hit the 200-inning mark in 5 of the 6 years, his rookie year being the only one below 200 innings (180.2 IP). Brandon won the Cy Young Award in 2006, and is an extreme groundball pitcher, with a career GO/AO (ground-out/air-out) ratio of 3.15, which is unheard of, as he is getting over three groundball outs for every one fly ball out. So even though Brandon won’t make an appearance on Opening Day, he will still hopefully have a huge effect on the Rangers’ season.
Percentage: 0%

CJ Wilson (14 IP, 8 R, 7 ER, 4.50 ERA, 18 H, 11 K)
CJ comes into the season pretty locked into the #1 spot in the Rangers rotation, which means that barring an injury, there is a 100% chance that he makes the team. In his first year back in a starting role after being moved to the bullpen permanently in 2006, CJ went 15-8 with a 3.35 ERA in 204 innings pitched. He held opponents to a .217 batting average against, which was second in the American League, and held lefties to a .144 batting average against. He was very consistent throughout the season, as he had a 3.35 ERA before the All-Star break, and a 3.36 ERA after the All-Star break. CJ will go into Opening Day as the Rangers’ ace, and I expect him to go into October as the Rangers’ ace.
Percentage: 100%

Projected Pitching Rotation:
SP #1: CJ Wilson
SP#2: Colby Lewis
SP #3: Matt Harrison
SP #4: Tommy Hunter
SP #5: Derek Holland

Projected Bullpen:
LRP: Michael Kirkman
MRP: Mark Lowe
MRP: Arthur Rhodes
MRP: Darren Oliver
MRP: Darren O’Day
SU: Alexi Ogando
CL: Neftali Feliz

Next in Line:
Pedro Strop
Dave Bush
Mason Tobin

Come back next week for my spring training trip report.

Summary of Jamey Newberg's Spring Training Q&A Event

2011-03-15T00:56:00.001-05:00

On Monday night in Surprise, Jamey Newberg held a Q&A event with Tom Grieve, Eric Nadel, John Rhadigan, Scott Servais, and Josh Boyd. The event lasted for about an hour and 15 minutes. It was a great evening, with a very relaxed atmosphere and a lot of good information. I would like to thank Tom, Eric, John, Scott, and Josh for all of their time and Jamey for organizing the event.

I was able to ask two questions during the evening:

Me: Who do you think are the three most underrated players in the Rangers minor league system?

Scott: There are some younger players on our backfields that are pretty exciting. David Perez is 17 years old. He’s about 6’5”. He hits 90-94 miles per hour, very good curve ball and changeup. I saw him pitch today. He’s a guy who’s not really on the radar yet, because he’s so young. He would definitely be one of those guys. One guy we’re looking at to maybe have a breakout year is Leury Garcia. Some of you may have seen him. He’s played in some of our big league (spring training) games. Very talented, very toolsy player. Quick runner, great arm, plays shortstop, quick hands. He’s starting to slow the game down a little bit so will hopefully make a few less errors this year. Every time you come to spring training, some players take the next step. We’re hoping Leury’s one of those guys who can take that step. The third player that sticks out… I’m trying to pick someone who’s not on Jamey’s Top 50 list. Those are probably the top two guys.

Me: Which positions do you feel have the most and least depth in the system?

Scott: Depth-wise in our system, I like our third basemen. We obviously have very talented players at the major league level. We have Mike Olt, Christian Villanueva. We’ve got some very young players at third base. I like our depth there. Shortstop depth is much different in this system than it was probably three to four years ago, with Leury Garcia, Jurickson Profar. Luis Sardinas is a very young talented young player. He’s been out with a shoulder issue but he’ll probably be back by the time the Spokane season starts. Center field. We picked Skole last year. We have a young player, Teodoro Martinez. And pitching is always going to be deep and a focus of our scouts. You cannot have enough pitching. It’s difficult. There are so many things that happen in the development process. There are so many kids who come into the system and they were all the best pitcher on their high school or college team. Just the amount of work and the amount of throwing that we do. Having to pitch every fifth day. Most high school kids have pitched maybe once a week. In college, it’s Friday night or Saturday and that’s it. You can never have enough pitching so that will always be a focus for us.

Below is a summary of some of the other questions and answers from the session.

Q: Talk a little bit about catching depth in the minors and what we may be seeing up here in the next few years.

Scott: Taylor Teagarden will be in the mix. The young player that’s coming is Jose Felix. He played in Frisco last year during the second half of the season. He’s been in major league camp as a non-roster player. He’s a 22-year old, right handed hitter from Mexico. Great personality. All kinds of energy. Has all the intangibles you’re looking for from a catcher. Very good thrower. Threw out over 50% of runners last year. He’s definitely top of the minor league group that’s coming because he’s closer to the big leagues. One of our first round picks last year was Kellin Deglan, a Canadian kid. He’s 19 years old and it’s his first full year. One of the more underrated players out here is Jorge Alfaro, who is an 18 year old player from Columbia and may have as good a tool package as we have on the backfields. Power, good arm, but very very young. Those would probably be the three guys that stick out in our system right now.

Q: I read recently that Feliz now has a plus-plus curve ball. Today I read that he’s really excited about his cut fastball. Can someone give us an update on his secondary pitches?

Scott: We all know that Neftali has a really special arm. Mike Maddux has talked to him over the last week and a half about throwing a cut fastball. The idea behind that is that Neftali gets into a lot of higher pitch counts. Guys foul off a lot of balls. He doesn’t get a lot of easy outs. He gets a lot of strikeouts but usually has 4, 5, 6 pitch at-bats. The cut fastball should allow him to get some easier outs because it looks just like his fastball but it cuts right at the end. It’s a work in progress but it’s something that will definitely help him. Hopefully he can keep those pitch counts down, especially if he’s going to be a starter.

Q: Tom, from your GM past perspective, is it much different today being a GM today than when you were a GM?

Tom: I think it’s much more difficult now. The financial part of the game is so extraordinary. We used to be presented a budget in November. Within that budget, we could pretty much do whatever we wanted. We had to let ownership know what we were doing but, in ten years, I don’t think they ever said no, we long as we stayed within the budget. Because very seldom was there a transaction that would impact the budget in a way that they were worried about. Right at the end, when we were trying to sign Kevin Brown and Ruben Sierra and contracts got to be 4 or 5 years for 20-23 million dollars, ownership began to get involved in those kinds of discussions, and you can understand why. It’s come so far since then. Ownership is very involved in the conversations when you’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars. There are more people in the organization. When I was a general manager, we didn’t have an advance scout and we had one major league scout. We didn’t have a strength coordinator at every minor league team. We didn’t have the budget for that. So I would say that the general manager’s job today is much more difficult than it was when I was a general manager. Just the Internet makes it more difficult. Every single thing you talk about and every single thing you do is second-guessed. The talk radio makes it so much more difficult. I think maybe the last year or two when I was a general manager, The Ticket had just started and they were basically the only one. There was no Internet. I never had a cell phone as a GM. And just those several things give you an idea as to how much more time goes into it now then back then.

Josh: I think another example of that was the question about who the sleepers are in the system. There’s so much coverage now – Jamey, Baseball America, various blogs – that it’s difficult to even identify three sleepers because the players have been talked about since the second they signed. As far as the size of the scouting staff, we have eight full-time pro scouts plus a few special assistants. On the amateur side, there are 20, 25. International is too many to count. 15-20 more there. And then multiple people doing advanced scouting.

Jamey: Josh, can you talk a little about your group and what they do this time of year, how that changes in June and July, what goes on at the end of the season, and that sort of thing?

Josh: This time of year, we basically have everyone split up. Half here, half in Florida. They each have 3-4 organizations they cover. They’re on the backfields for those organizations basically every day. Once opening day starts, each of the pro scouts has four organizations they cover, from the major leagues down to low-A. Five teams within each organization. When June rolls around, there’s more of a focus on specific targets and you’re always trying to stay one step ahead of where that next trade might come from.

Q: John, how are things going so far for you?

John: I think it’s going well. I was surprised how nervous I wasn’t on the first telecast and I think it’s because I have my security blanket, Tom Grieve, with me. Tom couldn’t be easier to work with. Really friendly and a great guy and couldn’t be more patient with a guy who’s doing major league baseball for the first time.

Q: What should we make of Hurley’s performance today?

Scott: He pitched very well today. I know his velocity isn’t where he wants it to be but he had a very effective slider, threw strikes when behind in the count, located his fastball. I thought he did a nice job and had a very positive outing.

Jamey: To dovetail on that, I was hoping you guys could comment on what Miguel De Los Santos did in the 9th. He’s a guy who’s come from off the radar in a similar way that Alexi Ogando did just because he hadn’t been in the states for a while. And what he did today, even though it was against minor leaguers because it was the 9th, I thought was really interesting.

Scott: Miguel had a great season for us last year. He pitched at lower levels. He pitched in Hickory and Spokane and to put a guy on the 40-man roster that pitched that low in our system is kind of unheard of. But if you track his numbers, they’re unbelievable. The number of people he struck out last year in the minors. And you saw the game today. He has a tremendous changeup and a very good curve ball. Command of the fastball will be the thing he needs to work on throughout the season. Very good outing today. He’s a little bit behind the rest of the pitchers and that’s why you hadn’t seen him in spring training to this point. He had an arm issue so they were slow getting him going, but it was definitely a step in the right direction.

Q: If we make Feliz a starter, do we have anyone else in the system who can come up and be a closer and be as strong as him?

Scott: The biggest thing to do in the minor leagues is to develop starting pitchers. What determines whether you can or can’t start a lot of the time is secondary pitches. If you don’t have them, a lot of times you slide to the bullpen. That usually happens around the double-A or triple-A level. We have a really good nucleus of pitchers at the high-A and low-A levels. Those kids are coming. There’s not one person I could put a tag on and say ‘that’s our closer’.

Q: Besides Tanner Scheppers and Martin Perez, who is the next big thing as far as minor league pitchers are concerned?

Scott: Neil Ramirez is a kid who has really come on. Neil was a supplemental pick back in the draft when we had Michael Main, Blake Beavan, Julio Borbon, and Tommy Hunter. The kid who pitched today, Miguel De Los Santos is another one. Robbie Erlin is a kid who had probably one of the lowest ERA’s in all of minor league baseball last year, his first full year. He’s a left-handed pitcher with tremendous control. Like I mentioned earlier, David Perez. Joe Wieland. Jacob Brigham. I could probably go 10, 15 deep. And there are some younger ones who haven’t even pitched that much yet. Our scouts have done a tremendous job of identifying young pitching. And that’s what’s great about our job. We get the chance to mold it and develop it.

Q: What is your favorite stadium to announce games in?

Eric: As far as a vantage point, I really like Anaheim. We’re very low. Most of the broadcast booths now tend to be higher. Our stadium is actually the worst in the American League for us. It’s the farthest from home plate. It’s the highest and the farthest back. In the old stadiums, like in Detroit and Cleveland, you almost overhung the netting.

Q: How did Jarrod Saltalamacchia fail so badly with us and he’s the starting catcher for the Boston Red Sox on opening day?

Scott: You know, I probably spent as much time with Jarrod as anyone in the organization. Obviously there are a lot of things that go into playing that position. The development of catching takes time. We’re built to win now. Last year we knew we had a very good team with a good pitching staff that was starting to come together. We needed to have veteran catching. Jarrod’s probably at a better spot now than he was maybe a year ago. He looks to be healthy. The catching instructor for Boston happens to be a good friend of mine. That’s just part of the game. You make trades. Guys get opportunities. They get a fresh start. And guys get it going. That’s why they make trades. I wish Jarrod the best of luck.

Jamey: Just to jump off that a little bit, Scott, I know you as a player crossed paths with Yorvit Torrealba once or twice. And I’m guessing you had as much input as anybody in targeting that guy and deciding to bring him here. Talk about what about his game attracted you to bringing him forward to be the starter.

Scott: Anytime we acquire a player, it’s a group decision. With Torrealba, I was at the end of my career and he was just coming up with the Giants. I saw him when he was about a 20-year-old player. At the time, he was not a very good hitter but was a very good catch-and-throw. He’s been a very productive in the major leagues. He’s been on winning teams. He’s helped teams get into the playoffs and been a big part of that. He plays with a lot of energy. I think you’ll all appreciate that. You can see that when you see him play. He has a little flair to his game, which is fine. He’s probably not the defensive catcher he was 5-6 years ago but on the flipside he’s a better offensive catcher. I don’t think anyone projects him to catch 120-130 games. He’s never done that in his career. He’s probably a 90-100 game guy. That’s why we have Matt Treanor and Mike Napoli. I think he’s going to be a good player for us. He does a very good job with the pitching staff. We’ve already seen it in spring training, getting to know our young guys, getting them to use all their pitches. Guys like Derek Holland and Matt Harrison should benefit greatly from it.

Q: Scott, how do you rate our minor league pipeline over the next few years and what are the most significant changes you’ve seen in the game since you played?

Scott: I think we’re in a good position. Obviously every year, the draft is very important. With the depth we have now, I really see us being a top 10 system over the next 3-4 years. My last year of playing was 2002. The biggest change is probably around agents. I had an agent when I played but I didn’t really have one until I got to the major league level. Now it seems like every player in our minor league system has an agent.

Tom: How about in broadcasting, Eric, you’ve been doing it for so long. What sorts of changes have you seen?

Eric: The biggest change of course involves the Internet. Game preparation is just totally different from what it used to be. So much of the information that we gather comes off of the Internet. I still really like to go down and talk to players to get stuff that only I can get. You can go out and get all of the same stuff on the Internet that I can. But you don’t have the access to go down to the clubhouse and get the players’ viewpoints. The availability of the information on the Internet is what’s changed the most.

Tom: How did you get that information before the Internet?

Eric: Well I didn’t have nearly as much. But the information I got generally came from the other team’s announcers, talking to the other team’s manager. But I really went into a broadcast with much less information than I do now. Now it’s a matter of choosing, for me, what’s interesting and what’s just filler. And that’s part of the challenge now, whereas in the old days it was a matter of accumulating enough information to try and fill the time between pitches. Although since I started, the average game time has gone from about 2:20, 2:25 up to 2:50 or whatever it is now, so we have another half hour to fill.

Q: I’m just curious what you see happening with Chris Davis.

Scott: Chris has had a great spring. One of the things we talk about is his versatility. Chris is a special athlete. He can really defend and play a lot of different positions on the field. It’s all about the bat. He really got a great start when he first showed up in Texas and it’s been up and down since. But is he going to make the team, is there a spot on the team for him, we’ll see what happens. But I know one thing. When you’re putting a team together, you can’t have too many good players. There will be injuries and there will be things that come up throughout the season and if he isn’t with the big league club to start, I’m sure he’ll put himself in a position where he’s one of the first guys we go to because he’s versatile. He can play a lot of positions.

Q: We can’t leave without a question about Michael Young. How is Michael really doing and what are the chances he’ll be with us at the end of the year?

Tom: I don’t think any of us can speak to the chances of him being here at the end of the year. That’s a question that I don’t think anybody can answer. How’s he doing? He may still be upset but you’ll never know it when he’s on the field. Some of the silliest things I read in the offseason were questions about whether Michael would report to spring training and if he does will he be a distraction. You can’t know anything about Michael Young and come up with those two questions. He was going to be here when he was supposed to be here. And he addressed his team, which they probably told him he didn’t have to do, to say that he won’t be a distraction. He’ll play hard, he’ll play well at third, short, second, first, DH, wherever Ron Washington puts him in the lineup. If he’s here, he’ll be a huge part of our team. The hardest part about the whole situation is when you look at the people that are involved – the three main players – Jon Daniels, Nolan Ryan, and Michael Young. You can’t get three better people than this. They’ve all got great reputations. Their integrity speaks for itself. So it’s hard to understand how the situation could ever have happened, and it’s too bad. But it will have absolutely nothing to do with what goes down on the field. It won’t matter at all. Michael will be fine. He’ll be playing hard. The players don’t care about it and it will not be an issue. Now whether or not he’ll be here - if someone has an injury and calls up Jon Daniels and they make him a great offer tomorrow, who knows what could happen. Right now, I think all of us feel the same way. We’re glad he’s here, we need him and he’ll be a huge part of our team. I feel bad a little bit for Michael that for ten years, he’s built up this equity and people are so quick to jump off his bandwagon. And at the same time, I feel bad for Jon Daniels because his integrity has been questioned too and that’s too bad because I don’t think he deserves that either. So whatever the miscommunication was, probably none of us will ever know and it won’t impact the team.

It was a fun evening and I’m really glad that it happened while I was in Surprise. Thanks again to everyone involved.

Come back this weekend when I hope to finally post my spring training pitchers analysis, which has been taking me a lot longer than expected to put together. Also, I’ll be posting my spring training trip report soon.

Rangers Spring Training Catchers Analysis

2011-03-06T15:46:00.000-06:00

The Rangers have 5 catchers in major league camp. I did an analysis of all the catchers in big league camp, gave their chances of making the team at the end of Spring Training, and predicted the catching roster. I’ve also included each player’s spring training stats as of this morning (March 6th).

By the way, since I didn’t have a post last weekend, I’m posting twice this weekend. If you haven’t read it yet, I just posted my infielders analysis yesterday. It’s the next post just below this one.

Kevin Cash (0-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB)
Kevin has almost no chance at making the major league roster coming out of Spring Training, and will most likely not even be the starting catcher at Triple-A, where Taylor Teagarden will most likely fill that role. However, Cash has played in the majors for at least a part of the season for each of the past eight seasons, and it would not surprise me if he had a short stint once again in 2011. He is a very good defensive catcher, but has lots of problems at the plate. His career batting average is .183 in 641 major league at-bats, and his highest season average was .231 in 2009, a year in which he had only 26 at-bats. While Cash does have big league experience, I don’t think that there is much of a chance that he is on the Opening Day roster.
Percentage: 6.7%

Jose Felix (4-for-4, 1 R)
Jose has just about no chance to be on the Opening Day roster, and if he somehow made his way onto it, I would be shocked. So, barring injuries to Yorvit Torrealba, Matt Treanor, Taylor Teagarden, and Kevin Cash, I feel pretty safe in saying that he will not be on the big league team. Jose is solid defensively, and can handle a pitching staff well. In fact, in 2010, he threw out 63% of attempted base-stealers at High-A Bakersfield, which is an amazing rate. Jose also hit pretty well in 2010, posting a .278 batting average between Bakersfield and Frisco. He should start off the season in Frisco, and he will not end Spring Training at a higher level than Triple-A.
Percentage: 1.2%

Taylor Teagarden (1-for-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 R)
Taylor really struggled offensively in 2010, hitting just .155 with 4 home runs and 6 RBIs in 71 at-bats. His offensive production has gone down in each of the past two seasons after hitting well in his rookie year. In 2008, Taylor hit .319 with 6 home runs and 17 RBIs, which he followed up in 2009 by hitting a mediocre .217 with six homers and 24 RBIs. Taylor also struggled defensively last year, and his defense is supposed to be his best tool. At this point, Taylor still has the potential, and should be third on the Rangers’ catching depth chart in the organization. But the top two seem pretty set, which most likely leaves Taylor in Triple-A.
Percentage: 20.3%

Yorvit Torrealba (0-for-3)
Yorvit was signed by the Rangers this offseason as the team’s starting catcher, and it looks like that will be his role to start off the season. I don’t see any scenario (assuming that he’s healthy) in which Yorvit is left off of the major league team at the end of Spring Training. Torrealba is good defensively, and should be a good veteran presence in the clubhouse. He is also coming off of two of his best offensive seasons of his career, if not his best two. In 2009, Yorvit hit .291 (career high) with 2 home runs and 31 RBIs. Last year, he hit .271 with 7 homers (second most in career) and 37 RBIs. He also hits well with runners in scoring position, as in 2010 he had a .316 average in that situation. If he was not on the Opening Day roster, I would be very surprised.
Percentage: 100%

Matt Treanor (1-for-2, 1 RBI, 2 BB)
Coming into Spring Training, Matt seems pretty locked into the backup catching role. It does not look like there is much of a chance that he will become the starter or that he will be sent down to Triple-A at the start of the season. Despite his .211 batting average last season with the Rangers, Matt was a solid role player, and is not a bad backup catcher. As a starter, he would be on the lower end of the starting catchers in major league baseball. He hit 5 home runs and had 27 RBIs in the regular season in 2010 and also hit a homer in the postseason. Matt works well with CJ Wilson and seems to have assumed the role of his personal catcher. Matt should be the backup catcher to start off the season, and if he is not, I will not be able to claim that I saw it coming.
Percentage: 92.6%

Come back at the end of the week for my Spring Training Pitchers Analysis.

Rangers Spring Training Infielders Analysis

2011-03-05T12:55:00.002-06:00

The Rangers have 10 infielders in major league camp. I did an analysis of all the infielders in big league camp, gave their chances of making the team at the end of Spring Training, and predicted the infield roster. I’ve also included each player’s spring training stats as of this morning (March 5th).

Elvis Andrus (1-for-10, 1 RBI)
There is no question whether Elvis will be on the team to start off the season, and there is also no question whether he will be a starter. The only question is, will he be the leadoff man or will he hit out of the #2 spot? Elvis led off last year, and hit .265 with 32 steals. While he had no home runs all year after hitting 6 in his rookie season in 2009, Andrus had enough speed and defense to make the All-Star team. Elvis’ defense is outstanding, and, in my opinion, should have gotten him a Gold Glove last year, and he is extremely speedy, with 65 stolen bases in his first two seasons. There is zero chance that Elvis gets sent to the minors to start off the year, barring an injury.
Percentage of making the Opening Day Roster: 100%

Brian Barden (4-for-9, 2 BB, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 1 E)
While Barden will most likely not make the team out of Spring Training, he has a good shot at becoming the utility infielder if there is an injury during the year (Ian Kinsler perhaps). He has played for a short stint in the majors in each of the past four seasons, but has never had more than 103 at-bats in a year. Last year with the Marlins, Barden went 5-for-28 with 3 RBIs, after hitting .233 with the Cards the year before. But while Brian didn’t necessarily hit well in the majors in 2010, he dominated in the minors with the AAA New Orleans Zephyrs, where he hit .353 on the year and had a .407 OBP. Brian can play 2nd, 3rd, and short, but has played the majority of his games at third. He has also seen a little bit of time at 1st, right, center, and left, but not much time. I don’t think that Barden will make the Rangers Opening Day roster, but I think that there is a pretty good chance that he plays baseball in Arlington at some point in the year.
Percentage: 19.7%

Adrian Beltre (0-for-0)
Adrian is the second 2010 All-Star infielder for the Rangers to this point, with still one more All-Star to go, giving the Rangers an All-Star at 75% of their infield positions. Last year, Beltre hit .321 with 28 home runs (including probably about ten with one knee) and 102 RBIs. Adrian also plays some of the best defense at third base in all of baseball, as he owns two Gold Glove awards, and makes many appearances on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays. Obviously, with his 2010 numbers, his contract, and his defense, as long as he is healthy, Adrian will be the Rangers’ starting 3rd baseman to start off the year.
Percentage: 100%

Andres Blanco (2-for-12, 1 BB, 2 R)
Personally, I don’t think that Blanco should be on the Opening Day roster, as Michael can be the utility infielder and DH, and an extra pitcher in that bullpen would be nice, especially with how many good relievers the Rangers have that might not even make the team. That said, I don’t have any input on who makes the roster, and the Rangers seem set on having a utility infielder on the team. Blanco had a good year last year, hitting .277 with 13 RBIs in 166 at-bats, and did a good job of filling in for Ian Kinsler while he was hurt. From what I’ve heard, it sounds like Andres will be on the Opening Day roster.
Percentage: 79.8%

Chris Davis (5-for-14, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 2B)
Chris does not have all that much of a chance to make the Rangers out of Spring Training, especially with the Rangers having him play at third this spring, but if he can have a monster camp with the bat, he has a shot at being on the Opening Day team. Chris’ defense has never been the problem, as he is spectacular in the field, but he has struggled with the bat in each of the past two seasons. In 2009, his power numbers were good (21 HRs, 59 RBIs in 391 ABs), but his strikeout totals were ridiculous (150 K), and his batting average wasn’t so hot, either (.238 AVG). His 2010 season was much worse, with just a .192 AVG with 1 home run and 4 RBIs in 120 ABs. He was also striking out at a high rate again, with 40 strikeouts in that small number of at-bats. Chris struck out in 1 out of every 3 at-bats, which is up to Mark Reynolds levels. But even though he has struggled of late, the potential is still there, and the defense is still brilliant, so you cannot count him out.
Percentage: 21.3%

Esteban German (3-for-12, 1 R, 4 K, 1 E)
In my opinion, Esteban starts off Spring Training as the third choice for utility infielder (behind Andres Blanco and Brian Barden). That leaves a very miniscule chance of Esteban being on the major league team on Opening Day. German wouldn’t be a terrible utility man if there are some injuries, but he should not have that role for an extended period of time. Last year, Esteban had thirteen major league at-bats, and got three hits. German was actually on the Rangers AL Division Series roster just due to his speed. Even though he does have speed, I just don’t see him being on the Opening Day roster, especially with him being a non-roster invitee.
Percentage: 13.3%

Ian Kinsler (5-for-9, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 3 R, 1 SB)
Ian is yet another Rangers All-Star infielder. The Rangers have three of them, the second most of any American League team behind the Yankees. While Ian’s power numbers were down last season (31 HRs to 6 HRs and 86 RBIs to 45 RBIs), his average was way up (.253 to .286). Ian also has lots of speed, and can steal bases with regularity when healthy. And health is Kinsler’s biggest issue, as he played in only 103 games last year, and has not played more than 144 games in a season in his career. Kinsler was healthy for the postseason, though, and his numbers made that pretty obvious, as he hit .296 in the playoffs with 3 home runs and 9 RBIs. Kinsler will be in the Rangers starting lineup on Opening Day, and as of right now, it looks like he will be doing so from the leadoff spot.
Percentage: 100%

Mitch Moreland (6-for-11, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 2B)
While Mitch is not a complete lock, he would have to have a terrible spring to be sent back down to Triple-A at the start of the season, and so far, his spring has been very good. Mitch stepped in at first base last year and did a fine job. He was nothing special, hitting .255 with 9 home runs and 25 RBIs in 145 at-bats, but he didn’t hurt the Rangers offensively, and played pretty solid defense. Mitch hit very well in clutch situations, as he had a .333 batting average with runners in scoring position, and hit .400 in the late innings of close ballgames. He also hit possibly the biggest home run in franchise history in Game 3 of the World Series, which basically kept the Rangers from getting swept. So while Mitch is not 100%, I would be very surprised if he was not on the Opening Day roster.
Percentage: 92.7%

Mike Napoli (5-for-10, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 5 R)
Napoli had a very interesting offseason. First, the Angels traded him along with Juan Rivera to the Blue Jays in exchange for Toronto OF Vernon Wells. Just a few days later, Napoli was then turned around and dealt to the Rangers in exchange for reliever Frankie Francisco. So, during this one offseason alone, Napoli was on three different teams at some point. Mike should be a good addition to the Rangers line-up, and while he might not hit for that high of an average (.251 career and .238 in 2010), his power numbers are very good (26 HRs and 68 RBIs in 2010).The plan for Napoli in 2011 is to have him be a part-time DH and a backup first baseman along with Michael Young, but even if that plan changes, no matter what, Mike will be on the Rangers Opening Day roster.
Percentage: 100%

Jose Ruiz (3-for-8, 3 RBI, 2 R)
When Ruiz was signed this offseason by the Rangers, he was not brought in to be on the major league team at any point this season, and it is a major long shot that he will be on the Opening Day team. Jose was in the Tampa Bay Rays organization last season after defecting from Cuba in 2009 while he was playing for the Cuban National Series club. He hit .272 with one home run and eleven RBIs in a limited time in the Rays minor league system. Jose really does not have much of a chance to make the big league team out of Spring Training.
Percentage: 2.4%

Michael Young (5-for-8, 2 R, 1 3B, 1 E)
Despite offseason turmoil, it looks like Michael will play for the Rangers in 2011. Even though Michael had his lowest on-base percentage since 2002 (.330 in 2010), Young still had a solid season at the plate, with a .284 batting average along with 21 home runs and 91 RBIs. Young posted his largest RBI total since 2007, and hit the second most home runs in the past five years. Michael heads into Spring Training as the starting designated hitter and also as a utility infielder. Young will be working some at first base this spring, and the plan is to have him along with Napoli back up Mitch Moreland at first against righties, and start at first against lefties. Unless there is a surprising trade before the season starts, then there is no question whether or not Michael will be on the team.
Percentage: 100%

Predicted Infield Roster:
1B: Mitch Moreland
2B: Ian Kinsler
SS: Elvis Andrus
3B: Adrian Beltre
DH/UTIL: Michael Young
DH/1B: Mike Napoli
UTIL: Andres Blanco

Next in Line:
None

Come back later this week for my Spring Training Catchers Analysis and part of my pitching analysis.

Rangers Spring Training Outfielders Analysis

2011-02-21T17:21:00.004-06:00

The Rangers have 8 outfielders in major league camp. I did an analysis of all them, gave their chances of making the team at the end of Spring Training, and predicted the outfield roster.

Outfielders:

Engel Beltre
Engel is a very good prospect for the Rangers, but will probably not be big-league ready by the end of Spring Training. Last year, Beltre spent part of the season with High-A Bakersfield and part of the season with Double-A Frisco. With Bakersfield, he tore it up, hitting .331 in 263 at-bats, but then Engel struggled after making the move to Frisco, with only a .254 average in is 181 Double-A at-bats. He has not shown much power throughout his minor league career, with just 6 home runs last year, and 26 homers in his four years in the minor leagues. I don’t think Engel has much of a chance to make the team coming out of Spring Training, as even if he was ready to play in the majors, there is not enough playing time available in the Rangers outfield for the Rangers to have him on the team. They would most likely send him to Round Rock or Frisco so that he could get some playing time.
Percentage of Making the Opening Day Roster: 3.4%

Julio Borbon
Julio comes into Spring Training as the starting center fielder. Even if he does not start the season as a starter, he will be the 4th outfielder. Borbon started last season off terribly, hitting .191 in March and April, mostly hitting from the leadoff spot, but then Julio got moved to the number nine spot and hit much better, as he raised his batting average for the year to .276, with June being his best month, with a .356 average. Despite his speed, Julio stole only 15 bases in 2010. I don’t see any way that Julio does not make the Opening Day roster, barring an injury. He will be on the team.
Percentage: 100%

Endy Chavez
Endy comes into Spring Training with the Rangers as a non-roster invitee on a one-year deal for the second straight season. He did not make the team last spring, and did not play in the majors at all in 2010. In 2009, however, Chavez hit .273 in 161 at-bats for the Mariners before getting injured and ending his season. Endy went 12-for-31 in the minor leagues in 2010. I don’t think that Endy has much of a chance at making the team, as right now, I don’t think that the Rangers plan to carry five outfielders to start off the season, which means that there is no roster spot available for Endy to fill. The first four spots are already taken by Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, Julio Borbon, and David Murphy, and then on top of that, Mitch Moreland can also play some outfield. If Endy is on the Rangers’ Opening Day roster, I will be very surprised.
Percentage: 7.6%

Nelson Cruz
There is no way that Nellie will not be the Rangers’ starting right fielder to start off 2011. Last year, he hit .318 with 22 home runs and 78 RBIs in only 399 at-bats. Had he been healthy the whole year and gotten 600 at-bats like most starters do, his numbers would have been roughly 33 HRs and 117 RBIs to go along with his .318 average. Those numbers are MVP-type numbers, and if he can stay healthy this year, I think that he could compete for the American League MVP award. Nellie tore it up during the playoffs, too, hitting .317 with 6 home runs and 11 RBIs in his 60 postseason at-bats. Once again, barring an injury (which would most likely involve a hamstring) Cruz will be the starting right fielder.
Percentage: 100%

Doug Deeds
While Doug has never played in the major leagues before, he has had success throughout his minor league career. In nine seasons in professional baseball, Doug has a .296 batting average, along with 85 home runs and 417 RBIs. Last year, with Triple-A Reno, in the Diamondbacks organization, Deeds hit .302, and totaled 39 doubles, the third most in the Pacific Coast League, behind Dodgers prospects Trent Oeltjen and John Lindsey. Throughout his career, Doug has hit lots of doubles and triples, and not many home runs. He is also a solid fielder, with a .988 fielding percentage over his career. While he does not have much of a chance to make the team out of Spring Training, it would not at all surprise me if he was called up at some point during the season.
Percentage: 4.5%

Craig Gentry
Craig has had short stints in the big leagues in each of the past two seasons. While he hasn’t hit well with the Rangers (.118 in 17 ABs in 2009, and .212 in 33 ABs in 2010), he has still contributed with very good defense and speed. His defense is good enough that in 2009 he was named the Rangers Minor League Defensive Player of the Year. The past two years in the minor leagues, Craig has hit the ball very well. In 2009, he was a Texas League All-Star, and deservedly so, as he hit .303 and ended the season with 49 stolen bases with Double-A Frisco. With Oklahoma City last year, Craig hit .309 before ending his season with a wrist injury, which is still affecting him a little bit now. But, I still think that his chance of making the team is very small, as Craig will not only have to be the fifth best outfielder, he would have to play well enough to create a fifth outfield spot at the major league level, as the Rangers are going into camp planning on having four outfielders on their Opening Day roster.
Percentage: 11.7%

Josh Hamilton
Last year Josh won MVP. There is zero chance that he is not on this team, as long as he does not get injured. Last year, Josh had a .359 batting average (best in baseball), 32 home runs, and 100 RBIs, and he even missed a month. He should be the starting left fielder to start off the 2011 season. Josh is the definition of a five-tool player. He has the speed, he has the power (32 HRs, 100 RBIs), he hits for average (.359 AVG), he is an amazing fielder, and he has a great arm. When healthy, Josh is arguably the best player in all of baseball. This is a no-brainer.
Percentage: 100%

David Murphy
Murphy goes into Spring Training penciled in as the #4 outfielder, but could play his way into the starting left field position, which would make Julio Borbon the #4 outfielder. Either way, Murphy will be on the team, as there is no doubt about that. David had the best year of his career last year, as he hit .291 with 12 home runs and 65 RBIs. He hit especially well when Josh Hamilton was out, hitting .355 in September and October (not including playoffs) while he was replacing Josh. David also had 14 stolen bases last year, which is not a bad number. I don’t see any scenario in which David is not on the Rangers Opening Day roster, and as long as David stays healthy, there is a 100% chance that he will be on the team coming out of Spring Training.
Percentage: 100%

Predicted Outfield Roster:
Center Field: Julio Borbon
Right Field: Nelson Cruz
Left Field: Josh Hamilton
4th Outfielder: David Murphy

Next in Line:
None

Come back next week for an analysis of the Spring Training pitchers.

Offseason Grades

2011-02-14T09:10:00.002-06:00

This week I will give my offseason grades for all 30 major league teams, along with the players that they gained and lost and a little bit of analysis behind the grades. (And yes, I'm intentionally not commenting on the Michael Young situation. I'll comment when and if something happens. I'll just say that I hope they work it out and he stays a Ranger.)

AL East:

Baltimore Orioles

Additions: Mitch Atkins, Mark Reynolds, JJ Hardy, Jeremy Accardo, Kevin Gregg, Derrek Lee, Justin Duchscherer, Ryan Drese, Clay Rapada, Randy Winn, Nick Green, Vladimir Guerrero

Subtractions: David Hernandez, Kam Mickolio, Jim Hoey, Matt Albers, Sean Henn, Corey Patterson, Will Ohman, Frank Mata, Michael Aubrey, Cla Meredith, Scott Moore, Garrett Atkins, Ty Wigginton

Grade: A-, the O’s didn’t lose a whole lot and added a few solid players such as Reynolds, Hardy, Gregg, Duchscherer, and Guerrero.

Boston Red Sox

Additions: Brent Dlugach, Andrew Miller, Taylor Buchholz, Drew Sutton, Brandon Duckworth, Jason Bergmann, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Lenny DiNardo, Randy Williams, Matt Albers, Dan Wheeler, Bobby Jenks, Tony Pena

Subtractions: Dustin Richardson, Eric Patterson, Gustavo Molina, Felipe Lopez, Victor Martinez, Jeff Bailey, Fernando Cabrera, Fabio Castro, Kevin Cash, Adrian Beltre, Bill Hall, Dusty Brown, Mike Lowell

Grade: A-, yes, the Red Sox got Gonzalez and Crawford, but they also lost Martinez and Beltre. I’m not saying that those two sides are equal, but those are still big losses. Also, the team will still be injury-prone, so an A- is as high as I will give them.

New York Yankees

Additions: Buddy Carlisle, Doug Bernier, Mark Prior, Gustavo Molina, Russell Martin, Pedro Feliciano, Brian Schlitter, Rafael Soriano, Justin Maxwell, Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon,

Subtractions: Austin Kearns, Royce Ring, Andy Pettite, Javier Vazquez, Chad Gaudin, Kerry Wood, Lance Berkman, Marcus Thames, Dustin Mosely

Grade: D, the Yankees not only lost their #2 starter in Andy Pettite and a solid reliever in Kerry Wood, but only got one good player, which was Rafael Soriano, and that was on a ridiculous contract.

Tampa Bay Rays

Additions: Andrew Leary, RJ Swindle, Joel Peralta, Adam Russell, Cesar Ramos, Brandon Guyer, Robinson Chirinos, Christopher Archer, Sam Fuld, Kyle Farnsworth, Dirk Hayhurst, Casey Kotchman, Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon, Rob Delaney, Felipe Lopez, Juan Cruz

Subtractions: Carl Crawford, Dan Wheeler, Rafael Soriano, Jason Bartlett, Matt Garza, Fernando Perez, Joaquin Benoit, Grant Balfour, Jose Ruiz, Randy Choate, Carlos Pena, Shawn Riggins, Dioneer Navarro, Gabe Kapler, Brad Hawpe, Scott Munter, Chad Qualls

Grade: F, just look at the subtractions. It’s horrible.

Toronto Blue Jays

Additions: Rajai Davis, Carlos Villanueva, Brett Lawrie, Ryan Budde, Sean Henn, Corey Patterson, Brian Stokes, Mike Hinckley, Winston Abreu, Octavio Dotel, Chad Cordero, Wil Ledezma, Jon Rauch, Juan Rivera, Frankie Francisco

Subtractions: Jeremy Accardo, Kevin Gregg, Nick Green, Taylor Buchholz, Dirk Hayhurst, Danny Farquhar, Trystan Magnuson, Shaun Marcum, Vernon Wells, Scott Downs, John Buck, Taylor Buchholz, Russ Adams, Raul Chavez, Fred Lewis, Jeremy Reed, Lyle Overbay, Brian Tallet

Grade: B-, the Jays lost a few of their bullpen guys, but got more solid relievers to fill those holes. They also picked up a couple more solid players while getting a steal of a trade with the Angels.

AL Central:

Chicago White Sox

Additions: Adam Dunn, Kyle Cofield, Jesse Crain, Will Ohman, Philip Humber, Dallas McPherson, Lastings Milledge

Subtractions: Randy Williams, Bobby Jenks, Manny Ramirez, Scott Linebrink, Freddy Garcia, Josh Kroeger, Mark Kotsay, JJ Putz

Grade: B, the Sox added Dunn and Crain, but lost Jenks and Putz. Those are really the only players of note here, but I’ll take the add side over the loss side in this comparison.

Cleveland Indians

Additions: Jack Hannahan, Paul Phillips, Adam Everett, Austin Kearns, Travis Buck, Joe Martinez, Doug Mathis

Subtractions: Drew Sutton, RJ Swindle, Winston Abreu, Luis Rodriguez, Chris Gimenez, Andy Marte, Wyatt Toregas

Grade: D, the Indians did absolutely nothing.

Detroit Tigers

Additions: Joaquin Benoit, Victor Martinez, John Bale, Omir Santos, Brad Penny

Subtractions: Johnny Damon, Adam Everett, Armando Galarraga, Zach Miner, Phil Dumatrait, Jay Sborz, Eddie Bonine, Casey Fien, Josh Fields, Gerald Laird

Grade: B+, the Tigers didn’t add a large number of players, but added a good quality of players, while not losing much.

Kansas City Royals

Additions: Joaquin Arias, Vin Mazzaro, Brett Carroll, Steven Shell, Jeff Francoeur, Melky Cabrera, Alcides Escobar, Jeremy Jeffress, Lorenzo Cain, Zach Miner, Jeff Francis, Pedro Feliz

Subtractions: Jordan Parraz, Brandon Duckworth, Tony Pena, Juan Cruz, Philip Humber, John Bale, David DeJesus, Yuniesky Betancourt, Zack Grienke, Gil Meche, Dusty Hughes, Anthony Lerew, Jai Miller, Roman Colon, Oscar Villarreal

Grade: B, the Royals added some good pieces, and got some solid prospects to brighten their future.

Minnesota Twins

Additions: Dusty Hughes, Eric Hacker, Phil Dumatrait, Jeff Bailey, Jim Hoey, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Rene Rivera, Steve Holm

Subtractions: Rob Delaney, Jon Rauch, Jesse Crain, JJ Hardy, Jose Morales, Brian Fuentes, Nick Punto, Jose Morales, Joe Crede, Matt Guerrier, Orlando Hudson, Ron Mahay

Grade: D+, the Twins got almost nothing this offseason, but still lost solid players in Rauch, Crain, Hardy, Fuentes, Punto, Guerrier, Hudson, and Mahay. They’re lucky they didn’t get an F.

AL West:

Anaheim Angels

Additions: Hisanori Takahashi, Scott Downs, Vernon Wells

Subtractions: Ryan Budde, Brian Stokes, Travis Scott, Mike Napoli, Juan Rivera, Hideki Matsui, Robb Quinlan, Kevin Frandsen, Terry Evans

Grade: D-, the Angels in no way improved themselves this offseason, even though they really needed to.

Oakland Athletics

Additions: Willie Eyre, Travis Blackley, David DeJesus, Edwin Encarnacion, Anthony Lerew, Danny Farquhar, Trystan Magnuson, Hideki Matsui, Brandon McCarthy, Josh Willingham, Jai Miller, Fernando Cabrera, Philip Humber, Rich Harden, Guillermo Moscoso, Grant Balfour, Brian Fuentes, Andy LaRoche, Ethan Hollingsworth

Subtractions: Justin Duchscherer, Lenny DiNardo, Dallas McPherson, Travis Buck, Vin Mazzaro, Rajai Davis, Henry Rodriguez, Corey Brown, Ryan Kelly, Clay Mortenson, Jack Cust, Gabe Gross, Boof Bonser, Scott Hairston, Jeff Larish, Jeremy Hermida, Chad Reineke, Justin James, Clay Mortenson

Grade: B-, the A’s made some good moves to improve their team, but none that really stand out as something that will make a huge difference throughout the season.

Seattle Mariners

Additions: Sean Kazmar, Justin Miller, Luis Rodriguez, Chris Smith, Charlie Haeger, Fabio Castro, Jack Cust, Brendan Ryan, Royce Ring, Chris Gimenez, Denny Bautista, Miguel Olivo, Adam Kennedy, Nate Robertson, Jody Gerut, Chris Ray, Gabe Gross, Manny Delcarmen,

Subtractions: Casey Kotchman, Chad Cordero, Jack Hannahan, Jose Lopez, Rob Johnson, Anthony Varvaro, Ryan Feierabend, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Ian Snell, Brian Sweeney

Grade: C-, the Mariners are just another one of those teams that basically did nothing this offseason.

Texas Rangers

Additions: Kevin Cash, Doug Deeds, Barret Loux, Nick Urbanus, Yorvit Torrealba, Yoshinori Tateyama, Mason Tobin, Yhency Brazoban, Hirotoshi Onaka, Brian Barden, Seth McClung, Arthur Rhodes, Brandon Webb, Adrian Beltre, Ryan Kelly, Mike Napoli, Jose Ruiz, Dave Bush,

Subtractions: Clay Rapada, Mark Prior, Doug Mathis, Jeff Francoeur, Willie Eyre, Brandon McCarthy, Rich Harden, Max Ramirez, Guillermo Moscoso, Frankie Francisco, Cliff Lee, Brandon Boggs, Gregorio Petit, Jorge Cantu, Vladimir Guerrero

Grade: C+, the Rangers made some really good moves this offseason, but the loss of Cliff Lee makes it near impossible to get a good grade.

NL East:

Atlanta Braves

Additions: Scott Linebrink, Joe Mather, Dan Uggla, Jay Sborz, Wilkin Castillo, George Sherrill, Rodrigo Lopez

Subtractions: Derrek Lee, Buddy Carlisle, Kyle Farnsworth, Kyle Cofield, Melky Cabrera, Michael Dunn, Omar Infante, Clint Sammons, Joe Thurston, Juan Perez, Rick Ankiel, Takashi Saito, Matt Diaz, Billy Wagner

Grade: C+, the Braves added Dan Uggla, but really didn’t do anything else to improve their team.

Florida Marlins

Additions: Dustin Richardson, Edward Mujica, Ryan Webb, Michael Dunn, Omar Infante, John Buck, Javier Vazquez, Victor Garate, Josh Kroeger, Frank Mata, Randy Choate, Clint Sammons, Joe Thurston, Greg Dobbs

Subtractions: Brett Carroll, Brian Barden, Seth McClung, Andrew Miller, Cameron Maybin, Dan Uggla, Ronny Paulino, Taylor Tankersley, Dan Meyer, Tim Wood, Jose Veras, Ryan Vogelsong

Grade: C+, the Fins added some good role-players, but also lost some good players, so I think that adds up to a very mediocre offseason.

New York Mets

Additions: Michael O’Conner, Boof Bonser, Russ Adams, Ronny Paulino, DJ Carrasco, Chin-lung Hu, Chris Capuano, Taylor Buchholz, Taylor Tankersley, Willie Harris, Chris Young, Scott Hairston, Blaine Boyer, Raul Chavez, Tim Byrdak, Dusty Ryan

Subtractions: Pedro Feliciano, Omir Santos, Joaquin Arias, Rene Rivera, Hisanori Takahashi, Sean Green, Fernando Nieve, Henry Blanco, Wily Mo Pena, John Maine, Fernando Tatis

Grade: C-, the Mets really didn’t do anything to improve or hurt their team.

Philadelphia Phillies

Additions: Erik Kratz, Ryan Feierabend, Dan Meyer, Josh Barfield, Eddie Bonine, Jeff Larish, Pete Orr, Juan Perez, Brandon Moss, Cliff Lee, Brian Bass, Robb Quinlan, Delwyn Young, Matt Anderson, Albert Cartwright

Subtractions: Eric Hacker, Nate Robertson, Greg Dobbs, Sergio Escalona, Jayson Werth, Cody Ransom, Jamie Moyer, Mike Sweeney, Chad Durbin

Grade: B+, the Phillies added Cliff Lee, and that’s why this is a B+, because otherwise, they did nothing.

Washington Nationals

Additions: Tim Wood, Jayson Werth, Matt Stairs, Henry Rodriguez, Corey Brown, Chad Gaudin, Michael Aubrey, Rick Ankiel, Adam LaRoche, Jerry Hairston Jr., Tom Gorzelanny, Todd Coffey, Alex Cora, Cla Meredith, Laynce Nix, Kevin Barker

Subtractions: Jason Bergmann, Justin Maxwell, Joel Peralta, Mike Hinckley, Adam Dunn, Lastings Milledge, Steven Shell, Adam Kennedy, Victor Garate, Willie Harris, Pete Orr, Josh Willingham, Wil Nieves, Scott Olsen, Miguel Batista, Willy Taveras

Grade: C-, the Nats signed Jayson Werth to one of the most ridiculous contracts I’ve ever seen. What were they thinking?

NL Central:

Chicago Cubs

Additions: Carlos Pena, Scott Moore, Kerry Wood, Matt Garza, Max Ramirez, Reed Johnson, Augie Ojeda, Todd Wellemeyer

Subtractions: Mitch Atkins, Brian Schlitter, Doug Deeds, Mason Tobin, Brandon Guyer, Christopher Archer, Robinson Chirinos, Sam Fuld, Tom Gorzelanny, Xavier Nady

Grade: D, the Cubs have added some good major league players, but traded away practically their entire farm system to get Matt Garza.

Cincinnati Reds

Additions: Dontrelle Willis, Jeremy Hermida, Fred Lewis, Edgar Renteria, Chad Reineke

Subtractions: Arthur Rhodes, Wilkin Castillo, Laynce Nix, Kevin Barker, Jim Edmonds, Willie Bloomquist, Micah Owings, Aaron Harang, Mike Lincoln

Grade: D+, the Reds really didn’t hurt or improve their team this offseason, so it’s hard to get a good grade without adding anybody very good.

Houston Astros

Additions: Casey Fien, Clint Barmes, Carlos Corporan, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Bill Hall, Sergio Escalona

Subtractions: Tim Byrdak, Felipe Paulino, Matt Lindstrom, Albert Cartwright, Edwin Maysonet, Geoff Blum, Casey Daigle, Shane Loux

Grade: D, the Astros had a very quiet offseason.

Milwaukee Brewers

Additions: Justin James, Brandon Boggs, Shaun Marcum, Wil Nieves, Yuniesky Betancourt, Zack Grienke, Sean Green, Takashi Saito, Edwin Maysonet, Shawn Riggins, Jeremy Reed, Mark Kotsay

Subtractions: Chris Smith, Jody Gerut, Dave Bush, Chris Capuano, Todd Coffey, Carlos Villanueva, Brett Lawrie, Alcides Escobar, Jeremy Jeffress, Lorenzo Cain, Claudio Vargas, Gregg Zaun, Doug Davis, Trevor Hoffman

Grade: A, the Brew Crew added two front-of-the-line pitchers to go along with Yovani Gallardo, and didn’t hurt their big league club at all to get it done.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Additions: Andy Marte, Dusty Brown, Fernando Nieve, Scott Olsen, Lyle Overbay, Matt Diaz, Josh Fields, Garrett Atkins, Wyatt Toregas, Jose Veras, Joe Beimel, Kevin Correia

Subtractions: Wil Ledezma, Joe Martinez, Erik Kratz, Brandon Moss, Brian Bass, Delwyn Young, Zach Duke, Chan Ho Park

Grade: C, the Pirates did nothing wrong. They just didn’t do anything right.

St. Louis Cardinals

Additions: Brian Tallet, Ryan Theriot, Lance Berkman, Gerald Laird, Miguel Bautista, Ian Snell, Nick Punto, Jim Edmonds

Subtractions: Randy Winn, Brad Penny, Pedro Feliz, Joe Mather, Blake Hawksworth, Brendan Ryan, Jason LaRue, Aaron Miles, Jeff Suppan

Grade: D, the Cardinals were an aging and struggling team last year, and did nothing to improve themselves.

NL West:

Arizona Diamondbacks

Additions: Brian Sweeney, Geoff Blum, Juan Miranda, Zach Duke, Melvin Mora, David Hernandez, Kam Mickolio, JJ Putz, Henry Blanco, Xavier Nady, Willie Bloomquist, Wily Mo Pena, Cody Ransom, Micah Owings, Armando Galarraga

Subtractions: Travis Blackley, Barret Loux, Brandon Webb, Rodrigo Lopez, DJ Carrasco, Blaine Boyer, Adam LaRoche, Augie Ojeda, Dontrelle Willis, Carlos Corporan, Mark Reynolds

Grade: C-, the Diamondbacks really didn’t do much this offseason.

Colorado Rockies

Additions: Felipe Paulino, Jose Lopez, Ty Wigginton, Jose Morales, Matt Lindstrom, Joe Crede, Willy Taveras, Clay Mortenson, Alfredo Amezaga, Claudio Vargas

Subtractions: Doug Bernier, Octavio Dotel, Paul Phillips, Jeff Francis, Miguel Olivo, Manny Delcarmen, Yorvit Torrealba, Joe Beimel, Melvin Mora, Clint Barmes, Chaz Roe, Brad Eldred

Grade: C-, the Rockies’ best addition is Ty Wigginton, and while I don’t have anything against him and think that he’s a solid player, he should not be your best addition.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Additions: Juan Uribe, Blake Hawksworth, Tony Gwynn, Eugenio Velez, Dioneer Navarro, Matt Guerrier, Marcus Thames, Roman Colon, Gabe Kapler, Oscar Villarreal, Jon Garland, Ron Mahay

Subtractions: Russell Martin, Justin Miller, Charlie Haeger, Yhency Brazoban, George Sherrill, Chin-lung Hu, Reed Johnson, Alfredo Amezaga, Ryan Theriot, Scott Podsednik, Brad Ausmus, Jeff Weaver

Grade: A-, the Dodgers really didn’t lose anybody good, and even with their ownership situation, still managed to gain some good players to help their team.

San Diego Padres

Additions: Cameron Maybin, Gregorio Petit, Aaron Harang, Dustin Mosely, Eric Patterson, Jason Bartlett, Rob Johnson, Orlando Hudson, Brad Hawpe, Scott Munter, Kevin Frandsen, Jesus Guzman, Gregg Zaun, Chad Qualls, Jorge Cantu

Subtractions: Adam Russell, Cesar Ramos, Sean Kazmar, Michael O’Conner, Chris Young, Dusty Ryan, Josh Barfield, Matt Stairs, Jerry Hairston Jr., Tony Gwynn, Ryan Webb, Edward Mujica, Adrian Gonzalez, Adam Russell, Brandon Gomes, Cesar Ramos, Cole Figueroa, Miguel Tejada, Chris Stewart, Jon Garland, David Eckstein, Scott Hairston

Grade: F, the Padres added two solid players, while losing 7 solid players and 1 superstar. Terrible offseason.

San Francisco Giants

Additions: Miguel Tejada, Casey Daigle, Chris Stewart, Ryan Vogelsong, Terry Evans, Shane Loux, Brad Eldred, Jeff Suppan, Elmer Dessens

Subtractions: Steve Holm, Denny Bautista, Chris Ray, Todd Wellemeyer, Edgar Renteria, Juan Uribe, Eugenio Velez, Jesus Guzman, Jose Guillen

Grade: F, the Giants did absolutely nothing to improve themselves, while losing some solid contributors on their World Series run last year.

Come back next week for the start of my Spring Training Position Analysis.

Mike Napoli Trade Analysis

2011-01-30T20:41:00.002-06:00

This week I’ll give my analysis on the trade that the Rangers made with the Blue Jays.

On Tuesday, January 25th, the Texas Rangers acquired C/1B Mike Napoli from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for RP Frank Francisco.

Analysis: I really like this trade. With Mike Napoli, the Rangers are receiving a power bat off the bench that can crush lefties. In his career, Mike is a .251 hitter, with a .238 average in 2010. Neither of those averages are very good, but neither of them are awful. Against left-handed pitchers, however, he hit .305 last season, and has a .287 career batting average. Napoli is also a very good hitter at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, having hit .292 in the ballpark over his career. Last season, Mike hit 26 home runs, and has hit 92 over his career in only 5 seasons, including 66 in the past 3 years.

Napoli is not a very good fielding catcher, but that is not really important, as he should see much more time at 1B and DH, as both Yorvit Torrealba and Matt Treanor are ahead of Mike on the catching depth chart. In fact, over the past two seasons, 76% of stolen base attempts were successful, which is higher than Torrealba’s 63% in 2010, and Treanor’s 72% last year. Other catchers in the Rangers’ organization with major league experience are Taylor Teagarden (69% career rate), Kevin Cash (72% career), and Robinzon Diaz (73% career).

Frankie Francisco was the Rangers’ closer to start off the year in 2010, but after blowing multiple saves in a short time period, he quickly became the set-up man for the team. Frankie had a 3.76 ERA in 2010, but only got to pitch 52.2 innings due to missing a large chunk of the season, along with the playoffs, with an injury. In his career, Francisco has a career 3.75 ERA, so his 2010 ERA was almost exactly the same as his career ERA. He showed flashes of being able to be a shut-down set-up man last season, but was just so inconsistent that you didn’t know what you would get out of him from game to game. Another reason that Francisco should not be too large of a loss is the Rangers’ bullpen depth, as the Rangers bullpen has Neftali Feliz, Arthur Rhodes, Darren O’Day, Darren Oliver, Alexi Ogando, and plenty more depth. Pitchers who could step into Frankie’s role could be pretty much any of the pitchers I just mentioned, along with Tanner Scheppers, Yoshinori Tateyama, and Mark Lowe.

Grade: A, I don’t feel like the Rangers are losing too much in Francisco, and in return, they are getting a 1B that can really punish left-handed pitching.

Come back next week for for my offseason grades for each of the 30 major league teams or possibly another interview.

Fan Fest Recap

2011-01-23T16:38:00.001-06:00

This week I will give a recap of the Fan Fest that the Rangers had this weekend. They did a great job putting it together like always.

Saturday:

This year, the Rangers moved the Fan Fest from the Ballpark to the Arlington Convention Center and also expanded it to two days. My dad and I got there Saturday at 8:30am, about 30 minutes before it opened, with one main goal - to get Adrian Beltre’s autograph at 11:00 (he was the only person signing that I didn’t have). But when we got there, my guess is that there were already about 2000 people ahead of us in line. We were shocked. In past years, there would be maybe a couple hundred people in line 30 minutes before the event opened. As we walked up to the line, we heard them announcing that they had already given out all of the autograph wristbands for Beltre (and Nolan Ryan). Needless to say, I didn’t get his autograph. Based on past years, I certainly didn’t expect to get there 2.5 hours before Beltre signed and be too late. When the doors opened at 9:00, we went on in and walked around. Just to give an idea of how popular the event was, when the doors opened, it took about 30 minutes just to get to the front door and enter.

The Rangers did a terrific job at this year’s Fan Fest, with a lot of displays and events. The first thing we did is head over to the Newberg Table to talk with Jamey Newberg for a few minutes. After that, we went to an area where they had set up a big timeline display of baseball history. That was extremely neat, and my dad and I probably spent about 15 minutes reading it. The Rangers had also set up a big timeline of Rangers history, which we also spent a good amount of time on. There were also small displays about women in baseball, the Negro Leagues, presidential first pitches, and the Rangers’ minor leagues clubs. The displays were all well done and it was great seeing the focus on baseball history. We also got to see the American League Championship trophy, which the Rangers had set up in a little locker room display.

There was a separate large room where they had various Q&A sessions with Rangers players and personnel. Like everything else there, it was very crowded and pretty hard to get a seat. But they did a nice job with it, because they had other activities in the same room, including vendor booths and a team store. You could hear the Q&A from anywhere in the room and they had a large TV screen above the stage. So basically, even if you couldn’t get a seat for the Q&A, you could walk around the room to do other things and still keep up with the Q&A. We were there to hear Chuck Morgan interview Nolan Ryan, which was pretty interesting.

They used a different process for autographs this year. In the past, they would start lines for each player about two hours before their session. You’d get in that line and, when it was time, they’d take you to the player’s table to get his autograph. They handed out tickets early, so you would know right away whether you were going to get the person’s autograph, keeping you from wasting your time waiting in line and not getting an autograph. This year, you waited in a line to get a wristband for a given player. The wristbands were given out about two hours before each player’s appearance, but if you wanted to get it for most players, you had to be in line well before they started giving out the wristbands. If you got in line for a wristband, there was no way to know whether they would have any left by the time you got to the front of the line. Then, when it was time for that person’s autograph, you got in line again at the autograph table. You were supposed to be in line at the time the player started signing, so the wristband didn’t let you take it easy and wait for the line to go down or anything. I’m sure they had a good reason for making the change, but it seemed to me like it just added an extra line and more waiting.

I missed having minor leaguers signing at the Newberg table, like in past years. I hope they bring that back next year.

Even though everything was done so nicely for this year’s Fan Fest, I was a little disappointed. With over 7,000 people there, it was very crowded, and I couldn’t get Adrian Beltre’s autograph, which is the main reason I went. But big crowds come with having a good team, and I’ll make that trade any day. Even though it was packed and hard to do anything, it was well worth it to go to the World Series last season.

At about 11:00am, my dad and I had looked around and done what we could do without long waits, so we headed on home. On the way, we stopped to eat at a DoubleDave’s Pizzaworks that opened near the airport recently. If you haven’t been to any DoubleDave’s, you should. They have an incredible buffet, with good pizza and the best pepperoni rolls that were ever made. I got to watch Villanova upset Syracuse as I ate (and in another quick college basketball note, the #10 Aggies beat #24 Kansas State on Saturday. WHOOP!).

Sunday:

On Sunday, the one autograph that I wanted was Arthur Rhodes, who was supposed to be signing when the doors opened at noon. Due to Saturday’s crowds, my dad and I decided to get there way early, just to be safe. So we got there at 10:00am, two hours before the doors opened. There were already around 1500 people in line. So we knew as soon as we pulled up that we weren’t going to be able to get the autograph I wanted. Since we had already done everything there was to do on Saturday, and I wasn’t going to be able to get the autograph I wanted, we just turned around and went home.

The Rangers could not have done a better job with this year’s Fan Fest. It was just too bad that there were so many people there, because it made it almost impossible to get any autographs.

Come back next week for my offseason grades for each of the 30 major league teams.

Current Rangers Team Analysis

2011-01-17T10:22:00.002-06:00

This week I’ll give my grade and analysis for every asset on the Rangers’ current team (starting line-up, bench, pitching rotation, and bullpen). Also, at the bottom, I will give my analysis of the Adrian Beltre signing and the recent Rangers trade.

Starting Line-up:
SS: Elvis Andrus (.265/0/35) 2010 All-Star
DH: Michael Young (.284/21/91) 2004-09 All-Star
LF: Josh Hamilton (.359/32/100) 2010 MVP
3B: Adrian Beltre (.321/28/102) 2010 All-Star
RF: Nelson Cruz (.318/22/78) 2009 All-Star
2B: Ian Kinsler (.286/9/45) 2010 All-Star
1B: Mitch Moreland (.255/9/25)
C: Yorvit Torrealba (.271/7/37)
CF: Julio Borbon (.276/3/42)

Grade: A-
Analysis: At the top, you have the speedy stolen-base man in Andrus, followed by Michael Young, who hits .280 or higher with solid power numbers every year. The MVP bats third, followed by an All-Star in Adrian Beltre, who hit .321 with 28 HR’s and 102 RBIs last season. Nelson Cruz bats fifth, and he hits over .300 with great power numbers. Then at the #6 spot is an All-Star 2B. The bottom three are decent. I give this line-up an A-. In my opinion, the only A+ in the league is the Red Sox.

Bench:
OF: David Murphy (.291/12/65)
C: Matt Treanor (.211/5/27)
Corner INF/PH: Chris Davis (.192/1/4)

Grade: B-
Analysis: The fourth outfielder, David Murphy is great, and would be starting on many teams. The back-up catcher, Matt Treanor, is good defensively, but won’t do much with the bat. Chris Davis has a chance to be great, but also has a chance to really struggle.

Pitching Rotation:
#1: CJ Wilson (15-8/3.35/204)
#2: Colby Lewis (12-13/3.72/201)
#3: Brandon Webb (0-0/0.00/0) 2006 Cy Young
#4: Derek Holland (3-4/4.08/57.1)
#5: Neftali Feliz (4-3/2.73/69.1) 2010 All-Star

Grade: B+
Analysis: At this point, the rotation does not have a definitive ace, but I think that there is an ace in those five. Brandon Webb, Derek Holland, Neftali Feliz, and CJ Wilson all have chances to be aces, and I think that at least one of those four will turn out to be one. On top of that, you have Colby Lewis, who is a very solid pitcher.

Bullpen:
LONG: Tommy Hunter (13-4/3.73/128)
MID/LONG: Mason Tobin (0-0/0.00/0)
MID: Mark Lowe (1-3/5.40/13.1)
MID: Darren O’Day (6-2/2.03/62)
MID: Darren Oliver (1-2/2.48/61.2)
MID: Arthur Rhodes (4-4/2.29/55) 2010 All-Star
SET-UP: Frank Francisco (6-4/3.76/52.2)
CLOSER: Alexi Ogando (4-1/1.30/41.2)

Grade: A
Analysis: The only reason this isn’t an A+ is due to the fact that the closer situation is a little bit of a question mark. Otherwise, it would be an A+. Here’s my checklist for an A+ bullpen:
Solid Long-Reliever CHECK (Tommy Hunter)
Fireballer CHECK (Mason Tobin, Alexi Ogando)
Middle Reliever with Under 3.00 ERA CHECK (Darren O’Day, Darren Oliver, Arthur Rhodes)
Solid Set-up Man CHECK (Frank Francisco)
Shutdown Closer NO CHECK

Other Hitters with Chances at Making the Team:
INF: Brian Barden (.179/0/3)
INF: Andres Blanco (.277/0/13)
C: Kevin Cash (.167/2/5)
OF: Endy Chavez (.000/0/0)
OF: Doug Deeds (.000/0/0)
OF: Craig Gentry (.212/0/3)
INF: Esteban German (.231/0/1)
C: Taylor Teagarden (.155/4/6)

Other Pitchers with Chances at Team:
SP/LONG: Omar Beltre (0-1/9.00/7)
SP/LONG: Scott Feldman (7-11/5.48/141.1)
SP/LONG: Matt Harrison (3-2/4.71/78.1)
SP/LONG: Michael Kirkman (0-0/1.65/16.1)
SP/LONG: Seth McClung (0-0/0.00/0)
MID/LONG: Pedro Strop (0-0/10.13/10.2)
MID: Yoshinori Tateyama (0-0/0.00/0)

Adrian Beltre;
At first, I didn't like this move because I viewed him as a guy who played only for the money and played only during his contract year. But while in Seattle, Adrian struggled the most during his contract year, and his stats in Seattle don’t say everything, as he played at Safeco Field, one of the biggest pitcher’s parks in baseball. I’ve also heard a lot about him being a good clubhouse guy, and a lot about how hard he plays. That is definitely not how I viewed him, as his biggest image in my mind was him going crazy anytime someone touched his hair. Adrian was an All-Star last year, and led the league in home runs with 48 in 2004. Those were his last two years away from Safeco. Now, I think this is a very good move, and I’m excited about it.

Trade:
On January 8th, the Rangers acquired P Ryan Kelly from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for P Guillermo Moscoso.
Analysis: I think that this trade was a good move, especially considering the fact that Moscoso was DFA’d. Last season with West Virginia in A-ball, Kelly had a 4.20, and had 75 strikeouts in 75 innings. He is supposed to have a good fastball, and is a decent prospect. The Rangers really aren’t giving up much of anything to get him, either. Last year, Moscoso had a 5.18 ERA with Oklahoma City, and had a 1.55 WHIP, as he allowed 142 hits in only 123.1 innings pitched.
Grade: B+

Come back next week for hopefully another interview.

Matt Thompson Interview

2011-01-08T11:29:00.003-06:00

This week I will post an interview I did with Rangers pitcher Matt Thompson. Last year, Matt pitched for Hickory and joined the Rangers organization in 2008. I met Matt at Newberg Night last month and got to talk to him. He was very friendly, and I enjoyed getting to talk with him.

I would like to thank Matt for doing this for me. It was very nice of him, and he is a really great guy.

Q: Did you change anything as far as your pitching goes last year to raise your strikeouts per nine by 2.42, or was it just a byproduct of being one year further in your development?
A: That is a good question and one I receive a lot. I think it was a couple things. For one, I worked hard on adding a changeup in spring training and once I got to Hickory I found that it can be successful when mixed in the right sequences. Also, I really tried to attack hitters early with strikes and pound the zone so that I could be able to waste a few pitches to get them to chase if I needed a strikeout.

Q: Were you excited to be named to the Sally League All-Star team this past season, or would you have just rather have had the time off?
A: Being selected to the All-Star team was a great honor and I will always have memories from those two days. Even though not getting the time off to rest mid season was pretty rough, I loved the experience and I hope to get selected again in the future.

Q: Do you enjoy starting or relieving more and why? Which do you feel you are best at?
A: I enjoy starting more because I enjoy the routine of those 5 days and knowing when I will pitch. Starting and relieving require two different mentalities and it can be pretty difficult to switch back and forth during the season. Ultimately, however, I will do whatever it takes to help the team win.

Q: What do you think are some of the major reasons for your ERA rising during the season last year, after starting with a 3.10 ERA in April?
A: I think a big reason it rose was due to it being my first full year. It was a constant learning experience for me this year to try to adapt to the stresses of a full season coming off of a short season. I feel like I learned a lot this year and gained experience from being in the playoffs and being around some older guys who have been in the system a few more years than I have.

Q: Your batting average against last year was much lower in day games (.262) than in night games (.316)? Why do you think that is?
A: I have always loved pitching in day games my whole life and, honestly, I think it’s because I don't have to sit around all day and wait and think. I get to just go out there and throw and compete.

Q: What do you think is the key to your success against lefties, who hit only .270 against you?
A: I think it has to do with fastball command. I am able to spot up my fastball on the corners easier to lefties and if I'm able to get ahead, I can junk them with curveballs and changeups. My curveball can have a slight slant to it, which I like to use to bury it on their back foot as a putaway pitch sometimes.

Q: What is your best pitch and how was it developed?
A: I consider my curveball my best pitch. I've thrown it since I was about 11 years old. My dad showed me some drills to help make it bite and I continued to work on it throughout high school and my pro career.

Q: What do you think has been your best professional game and why?
A: The game I look back on and remember the most was my first professional game in 2008 in the AZL. I came on in relief and didn’t even make it through an inning. It humbled me greatly and I gained so much respect for professional hitters. Coming out of high school only months before that, I really had no idea what the jump between the levels would be like. That game made me realize that I wouldn’t be able to just lean back and heave it by guys much, but that I would have to pitch smart and learn if I was to be successful.

Q: Who are your three favorite teammates since you joined the Rangers organization and why?
A: I'm pretty good friends with Clark Murphy. We signed and reported on the same days back in 2008, and we both love to hunt. I really enjoyed being with all the guys I played with in Hickory this year. We all got along and had great chemistry and I think it showed on the field. There were no individual attitudes. Each guy wanted to pick up his teammates and everyone wanted to win.

Q: Can you please rate each of the ballparks in the Rangers organization that you’ve played in from 1 to 10 (10 being the best) and explain your ratings?
A: Well, so far I have only played in two Rangers ballparks and the Spring Training complex. The Spring Training complex is one of the best in the Phoenix area. Spokane is absolutely great. I would have to give it a 9 because the fans are all baseball fans and they get into every game and there are always a lot of them! I think they average about 4,000 to 5,000 a night, if not more. Hickory is a different atmosphere because they average less a game, but I do like the Hickory area. I would have to give it a 7.5.

Q: What is the toughest thing about minor league life and why?
A: The toughest thing for me is the length of the season. We play 140 games or so without many days off. Even when we have an off day on a schedule, it is usually a travel day. Also, long bus trips are a beating because we pack the bus out with players and coaches and bags. We usually leave after the game and drive all night, only to have a couple hours in the hotel to sleep before the bus leaves to the field to start it all over again.

Q: Who are the three toughest hitters you’ve faced and why?
A: Chris Domingues from Augusta last year was tough because I couldn’t get my offspeed over for a strike in the game I faced them and he has plus power. He got a few good hacks off of me. Kyle Colligan from Kannapolis had my number last year. I faced him in a couple of 7th inning situations and he homered. Twice. Hak-Ju Lee is an infielder with the Cubs organization and he is one of the fastest professional hitters I've seen. He’s a slap hitter with a pretty good eye, and he’ll slap high quality pitches into the ground and always be a threat to beat them out.

Q: What was your favorite team growing up?
A: Well I'm a local guy so I've always been a Ranger fan. I started following them regularly when I was about 7 or 8 and I went to quite a few games growing up.

Q: What sports did you play growing up and which were you best at?
A: I tried pretty much everything growing up. I started out playing soccer until I quit that for baseball at 7. In middle school I played tennis and I attempted basketball as well. I also played hockey for 4 or 5 years. I played quarterback my junior year in high school but when my senior year started, I decided to focus on baseball.

Q: What is the worst injury you’ve had to deal with?
A: My one and only football year in high school, I actually broke my right wrist in the final district game of the year. It was a very scary moment for my family and me because we didn’t know how serious it would be and if it would hurt my pitching career. It turned out that I was only out for about 6 weeks and had plenty of time to get ready for baseball season. Nevertheless, a very scary moment.

I would like to thank Matt again for taking the time to do this interview.

Come back next week for hopefully another interview.

Updated Top 50 All-Time Rangers List

2011-01-02T13:07:00.002-06:00

This week I will post an updated version of my Top 50 All-Time Rangers List, which I had done at the end of the 2009 season. Below you will find my new list, along with where those players were previously. Below the list is my reasoning for players that moved up on the list.

1. Ivan Rodriguez: 5754 AB, .305 AVG, 217 HR, 842 RBI, 1,747 career Rangers hits, 866 R, .489 SLG, 352 2B (franchise leader), 2806 TB, 28 3B, MVP (99), Silver Slugger (94-99), Gold Glove (92-01), All-Star (92-01)

2. Juan Gonzalez: 5435 AB, .293 AVG, 372 HR (franchise leader), 1,180 RBI (franchise leader), 878 R, .565 SLG% (franchise leader), 1595 H, 320 2B, 3073 TB (franchise leader), MVP (96, 98), Silver Slugger (92, 93, 96, 97, 98), All-Star (93, 98), HR King (92, 93), RBI Leader (98)

3. Michael Young: 5 straight 200-hit seasons (03-07), 1848 H (franchise leader), 811 RBI, 158 HR, 1508 G, 6157 AB (franchise leader), .300 AVG, 918 R, 347 2B, 2761 TB, 46 3B (franchise leader), All-Star MVP (06), Gold Glove (08), All-Star (04-09), Batting Title (05) [was 4]

4. Rafael Palmeiro: 5830 AB, .290 AVG, 321 HR, 1039 RBI, 1,573 G (franchise leader), 958 runs (franchise leader), 805 BB (franchise leader), .519 SLG, 1692 H, .378 OBP, 321 2B, 3026 TB, Silver Slugger (99), Gold Glove (99), All-Star (91, 99), 200-Hit (91), Hit Leader (90) [was 3]

5. Nolan Ryan: Rangers Hall of Fame, 51 W, 939 K, 3.43 ERA, .567 W%, All-Star (89), K-Leader (89, 90)

6. Charlie Hough: Rangers Hall of Fame, 130 W (franchise leader), 1452 K (franchise leader), 344 G, 98 CG (franchise leader), 11 shut-outs, 2308 IP (franchise leader), 3.68 ERA, All-Star (86)

7. Kenny Rogers: 528 G (franchise leader), 133 W, 1909 IP, 1201 K, .581 W%, Gold Glove (00, 02, 04, 05), All-Star (95, 04, 05)

8. Alex Rodriguez: 482 consecutive games, MVP (03), best Rangers career slugging percentage, 156 HR, .305 AVG, 1863 AB, Hank Aaron Award (01-03), Silver Slugger (01-03), Gold Glove (02, 03), All-Star (01-03), 200-Hit (01), HR King (01-03), RBI Leader (02)

9. Ruben Sierra: 4580 AB, .279 AVG, 180 HR, 742 RBI, 3 100-RBI seasons with the Rangers, 1 200-hit season with Rangers (91), 2 .300 batting average seasons with Rangers, 325 consecutive games played, 90 SB, 645 R, 1281 H, 44 3B, Silver Slugger (89), All-Star (89, 91, 92), RBI Leader (89)

10. Fergie Jenkins: Rangers Hall of Fame, 90 CG, 93 W, 17 shut-outs (franchise leader), 1410.1 IP, 895 K, 3.56 ERA, .564 W%, 25-Game Winner (74), T-Win Leader (74)

11. Gaylord Perry: 55 CG, 12 shutouts, 575 K, 3.26 ERA

12. Al Oliver: 163 games played in one season, .319 career Rangers batting average (highest), 337 RBI, 49 HR, Silver Slugger (80, 81), All-Star (80, 81), 200-Hit (80)

13. Rusty Greer: 3829 AB, .305 AVG, 119 HR, 614 RBI, 643 R, .387 OBP

14. John Wetteland: Rangers Hall of Fame, 150 saves (franchise leader), All-Star (98, 99)

15. Mike Hargrove: .399 career Rangers OBP (highest), .293 AVG, ROY (74), All-Star (75)

16. Jim Sundberg: Rangers Hall of Fame, 4685 AB, 482 R, 544 BB, 431 RBI, 54 HR, Gold Glove (76-81), All-Star (74, 78)

17. Toby Harrah: Rangers Hall of Fame, 122 HR, 143 SB, 4188 AB, 546 RBI, 582 R, 668 BB, All-Star (75, 76)

18. Julio Franco: AL Batting Title, 98 SB, .307 AVG, 55 HR, 331 RBI, All-Star MVP (90), Silver Slugger (89-91), All-Star (89-91), 200-Hit (91), Batting Title (91)

19. Buddy Bell: Rangers Hall of Fame, 3623 AB, .293 AVG, 87 HR, 499 RBI, 471 R, Silver Slugger (84), Gold Glove (79-84), All-Star (80-82, 84), 200-Hit (79)

20. Mark Teixeira: 153 HR, 499 RBI, 426 R, .533 SLG, Silver Slugger (04), Gold Glove (05, 06), All-Star (05)

21. Josh Hamilton: .315 AVG (2nd), 74 HR, 284 RBI, 25 SB, MVP (10), All-Star (08-10), Silver Slugger (08, 10), ALCS MVP (10), Batting Champion (10), RBI Leader (08) [was off list]

22. Larry Parrish: 149 HR, 522 RBI, .264 AVG, All-Star (87) [was 21]

23. Pete O’Brien: 3351 AB, .273 AVG, 114 HR, 487 RBI [was 22]

24. Will Clark: .308 AVG, 397 RBI, 77 HR, All-Star (94) [was 23]

25. Kevin Brown: 40 CG, 78 W, 1278.2 IP, 742 K, 3.81 ERA, .549 W%, 78-64, All-Star (92), 21-Game Winner (92), T-Win Leader (92) [was 24]

26. Bobby Witt:104-104, 1680.2 IP, 1405 K, 4.85 ERA [was 25]

27. Jeff Russell: 445 G, 134 saves, 3.73 ERA, 42-40, Rolaids Fireman of Year (89), All-Star (88, 89), Save-Leader (99) [was 26]

28. Francisco Cordero: 49 saves in a season, 356 G, 117 saves, 21-20, 3.45 ERA, 393 K, 297 IP, All-Star (04) [was 27]

29. Jose Guzman: 66 W, 24 CG, 1013.2 IP, 715 K, 66-62, 3.90 ERA [was 28]

30. Danny Darwin: 224 G, 55-52, 872 IP, 566 K, 3.72 ERA [was 29]

31. Rick Helling: 68-51, 1008 IP, 687 K, .571 W%, 4.86 ERA, 20-Game Winner (98), T-Win Leader (98) [was 30]

32. Matlack: 3.41 ERA, 43-45, 493 K, 915 IP [was 31]

33. Doc Medich: .538 W%, 50-43, 3.95 ERA, 790.1 IP, 322 K [was 32]

34. Hank Blalock: .272 AVG, 150 HR, 525 RBI, All-Star (03, 04) [was 33]

35. Comer: 3.80 ERA, .574 W%, 39-29, 205 K, 575.2 IP [was 34]

36. Bert Blyleven: 11 shut-outs, 2.74 ERA (lowest), 23-23, 326 K, 437 IP [was 35]

37. Ian Kinsler: .281 AVG, 92 HR, 318 RBI, 106 SB, 437 R, All-Star (08, 10) [was 46]

38. Bump Wills: 161 SB (franchise leader), .265 AVG, 30 HR, 264 RBI [was 36]

39. Mickey Rivers: .303 AVG, 22 HR, 168 RBI, 200-Hit (80) [was 37]

40. Aaron Sele: .649 W% (highest), 37-20, 4.50 ERA, 417.2 IP, 353 K, All-Star (98) [was 38]

41. CJ Wilson: 27-28, 3.90 ERA, 52 SV, 484.2 IP, 431 K [was off list]

42. Steve Foucault: 35 saves, 26-25, 3.22 ERA, 231 K, 382.2 IP [was 39]

43. Jeff Burroughs: .255 AVG, 108 HR, 412 RBI, MVP (74), All-Star (74), RBI Leader (74) [was 40]

44. Dean Palmer: 154 HR, .247 AVG, 451 RBI [was 41]

45. Gary Ward: .293 AVG, 41 HR, 200 RBI, All-Star (85) [was 42]

46. Jim Kern: 37 saves, 17-18, 2.59 ERA, 236.1 IP, 196 K, Rolaids Fireman of Year (79), All-Star (79), Save-Leader (79) [was 43]

47. Jeff Zimmerman: 32 saves, 17-12, 3.27 ERA, 228.2 IP, 213 K, All-Star (99) [was 44]

48. Tom Henke: 58 saves, 11-12, 3.55 ERA, 169 K, 172.1 IP [was 45]

49. Steve Buechele: .240 AVG, 94 HR, 338 RBI [was 47]

50. Nelson Cruz: .273 AVG, 77 HR, 236 RBI, 43 SB, All-Star (09) [was off list]

Bumped Off List:
Frank Catalanotto: .290 AVG, 37 HR, 184 RBI [was 48]
Roger Pavlik: .547 W%, 47-39, 4.58 ERA, 743 IP, 526 K [was 49]
Kevin Mench: .274 AVG, 80 HR, 265 RBI [was 50]

Reasons for Players Who Moved Up:

Michael Young (From 4 to 3): This season Michael broke the franchise’s hits record, triples record, and at-bats record. It was close, with Raffy’s power numbers being better than Michael’s, but I thought that being the hits leader moved Michael ahead of Palmeiro.

Josh Hamilton (From N/A to 21): 2010 added all of this to his resume: MVP, 3rd All-Star Game, 2nd Silver Slugger, ALCS MVP, and Batting Champion. Not only the hardware helped move him up on the list, but his batting average was raised to .315, the second highest in franchise history, and, obviously, his power numbers got better.

Ian Kinsler (From 46 to 37): Even though Ian didn’t have his best year, he had a solid batting average, and his power numbers did get a little better. Plus he made his second All-Star game, which always helps.

CJ Wilson (From N/A to 41): CJ was already close to being on the list before this season, but he is definitely in the top 50 after it, as he lowered his ERA and added 15 wins to that total. He has a sub-4.00 ERA in his career, and on top of a solid win total, he is 7th in franchise history in saves.

Nelson Cruz (From N/A to 50): Nellie had probably his best season in 2010, despite the fact that he was an All-Star in 2009. His numbers for his Rangers career aren’t overly impressive, but they are solid. .273 is a passable batting average, and his power numbers (77 HR, 236 RBI) are good enough, along with his 43 stolen bases, to move him just barely into my top 50 Rangers list.

Come back next week for what will hopefully be an interview.

Tanner Scheppers Interview

2010-12-26T12:35:00.001-06:00

This week I interviewed Tanner Scheppers, and I will post that along with some analysis on the Arthur Rhodes signing.

Tanner Scheppers Interview:

Tanner is one of the top pitching prospects in the Rangers’ system (Jamey Newberg ranks him as the number 2 prospect in the Rangers’ system). 2010 was his first full year with the Rangers, and he split the year between double-A Frisco and triple-A Oklahoma City. Expect to see Tanner in Arlington sometime in 2011. I would like to thank Tanner for doing this interview for me. He is a great guy, and I really appreciate him spending some of his time answering my questions.

Me: What are the three biggest differences between the independent league (St. Paul Saints) and the minor leagues?

Tanner: One, you get paid more in the minor leagues, two, the competition’s a little bit better, and, three, the atmosphere.

Me: Why did you decide not to sign with the Orioles in 2005 or with the Pirates in 2009 when they drafted you in the second round?

Tanner: Out of high school, I just don’t think I was ready. I really wanted to at least start my education through college. With the Pirates, it just really didn’t work out. They didn’t offer me anything and didn’t have any intentions to sign me, so it just forced me to go to independent ball.

Me: Right, so you went to the St. Paul Saints then. And when the Orioles didn’t draft you, you went to Fresno State, right?

Tanner: Yeah

Me: Can you please give three major differences you’ve experienced between starting and relieving and why? And which one do you enjoy more?

Tanner: I think for my future, I would really like to be a starter. One difference between starting and relieving is that, as a starter, you have a five day routine, you know when you’re going to throw, you prepare your body and get in a good workout routine. Relieving, you’re possibly pitching in any given situation on any day. Another thing is the mindset on attacking hitters. As a starter, you know you may have to go longer in a game, as opposed to relief, where you might just use your fastball and blow guys away. And then another thing would be… Hmm, you know, really I can only think of those two.

Me: Yeah, I like starting more, too.

Tanner: Do you?

Me: Because, when you’re relieving, you normally don’t get more than an inning and I don’t like that.

Tanner: Yeah, absolutely.

Me: What do you think are some of the reasons for the difference between your first half this year, where you had an ERA right around 1.00, and your second half, where your ERA was much higher?

Tanner: You know, I think it was just that it was my first full year and I had never really experienced how long the season actually was. I think I just ran out of gas mentally and physically. But now, being able to look towards the future, I feel like I can prepare myself a lot better, knowing what I have ahead of me throughout the year.

Me: Yeah, the schedule in the bigs is a lot longer than college.

Tanner: Yeah, exactly. I mean, I just never really experienced anything like that.

Me: That’s kind of how I was in my first year of select ball. We played like 40 more games than we did in rec ball. Did you notice any difference between Double-A and Triple-A hitters, and if so, what was it?

Tanner: I think the main difference is that you have more experienced players up there and they’re a lot more patient and they really capitalize on mistakes you make on the mound. They wait for what they want and they attack when they get it.

Me: When the prospect ratings come out with you near the top, do you pay any attention to them, or do you try just to ignore them?

Tanner: I just try to ignore them as best as possible and focus on what I need to do mentally and physically to get ready for the year.

Me: What were the three best parts of participating in the Futures Game this past season?

Tanner: You know, it was really cool because I was at the ballpark that I grew up going to, being from that area. And it was cool to be able to have a lot of my family and friends there, and being able to pitch in a big league stadium.

Me: Because you’re from California and it was in Anaheim, right?

Tanner: Right. I grew up like 30 minutes south of there.

Me: That’s pretty neat. In 2007, you were named to the first-team all WAC. What happens after you get named on that team? Is there a presentation or something to that extent, or do they just name the team and that’s it?

Tanner: They have an end-of-year banquet where they present players and awards for the year.

Me: Do they give you a trophy or anything?

Tanner: They give you a plaque.

Me: When you were recruited to Fresno State, they recruited you as a shortstop. Were you glad or disappointed when they switched you over to middle relief?

Tanner: You know, at first, I was a little disappointed, but it really grew on me and I just fell in love with the art of pitching.

Me: Right, because in your senior year in high school, I think you hit .460 or something and were team MVP, but you were also a good reliever. So I could see being disappointed but I can also see where Fresno State was coming from.

Tanner: Yeah, they had my best interests in their minds. So really, it ended up working out.

Me: It did. What are some of the differences between pitching in the Arizona Fall League and pitching in Spring Training?

Tanner: Just the atmosphere. You actually have people coming to the games and you have all the guys competing for a job (in spring training).

Me: What is the atmosphere in the Arizona Fall League like?

Tanner: It’s pretty relaxed. It’s for development and getting experience. It makes it really fun, when, really win or lose, you’re getting as much out of it because you’re getting better at the game of baseball.

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

Tanner: I think it would probably be my very first start of the year, against the Albuquerque Isotopes I think. I threw four innings of shutout baseball, and I think it was my best performance of the year.

Me: That’s a pretty solid first start.

Tanner: Yeah, it was nice.

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

Tanner: Oh wow. To be honest, I think I would really rather not answer this question. I hope you understand.

Me: Yeah, that’s fair. Can you please rate each of the ballparks in the Rangers organization that you’ve played in from 1 to 10 (10 being the best) and explain your ratings?

Tanner: Frisco’s a 10. The atmosphere, the family atmosphere, the stadium, and the facility are unbelievable for double-A. And Oklahoma City was really nice. It was a little older park. I’d probably give it a 9. They had good crowds and the field was always done really beautifully. Both places were really fun to play.

Me: Yeah, my grandparents and I saw you get a save up in Oklahoma City this year. We stayed out in the hotel above left field, where we could see into the ballpark from our room. It was very neat.

Tanner: Yeah, that’s a cool little place.

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

Tanner: Probably just the travel and everyday grind. Playing every day and traveling different places, whether it’s on a bus or a plane. Probably just the everyday grind of that.

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

Tanner: I can’t even think of one really that sticks in my mind.

Me: You mentioned earlier that you’re from near Anaheim, so were the Angels your favorite team growing up?

Tanner: I actually grew up as a Dodgers fan. They were just a little further up the freeway.

Me: What sports did you play growing up?

Tanner: I played basketball, soccer, lacrosse, and baseball.

Me: Which one do you feel you were best at?

Tanner: Baseball.

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

Tanner: My fastball is my best pitch. It just kind of developed as I got bigger and stronger and got older. The velocity just came.

Me: When you were in high school, in your senior year, you were named to the Orange County All-Star team and you were also your team’s MVP. Which one meant more to you?

Tanner: Probably the Orange County All-Star.

Me: So, was there an actual All-Star game that you got to pitch in?

Tanner: Yeah, there was a game there.

Me: Thanks a lot for doing this. I really appreciate it.

Tanner: Hey, you’re welcome man.

Thanks again to Tanner for giving me so much of his time and for the great answers to my questions.

Arthur Rhodes:

I really like this move. Yes, he’s old, but have you seen his stats? He was an All-Star last year, with an ERA for the season of 2.29. The last three seasons, his ERAs have been tremendous, at 2.04, 2.53, and 2.29. I think that this is a terrific move, and the bullpen needs this, because with Feliz and Ogando possibly moving to the rotation (I think Feliz will be a starter and Ogando will stay in the ‘pen), the depth out there could be pretty thin. Plus, if you delete his stats from the 2000 playoffs, he has a 1.25 ERA in 14.1 innings of work during the playoffs. That’s pretty solid.

Come back next week for most likely another interview.

Newberg Book Release Party

2010-12-18T21:16:00.003-06:00

This past Thursday, Jamey Newberg held his annual Book Release party at Sherlock’s out in Arlington. This year, he had Derek Holland, Matt Thompson, Joe Wieland, and Tanner Scheppers signing autographs and participating in a Q&A session. It was a lot of fun as usual. This week I will give a recap of the night and give some analysis on Cliff Lee going to Philadelphia.

Newberg Night:

My dad and I got to Sherlock’s at 4:30 for the 6:00 event, and there were already plenty of people there. We got a table and ate with Ted Price (http://dallassportsnetwork.tv/), and Jamey Newberg came over and ate and chatted with us for a while. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger, which was good, along with some decent fries. Two years ago at the event, the news broke that AJ Burnett was going to sign with the Yankees, but there was no big news this time, just the fact that I shouldn’t have benched Vincent Jackson on my fantasy team. Devin Pike (http://www.redcarpetcrash.com) and Eleanor Czajka (http://emcmlb.blogspot.com/) also came over and sat at the table with us for a little while as people were getting their autographs. It was fun talking with and hanging out with them. Scott Lucas (http://rangers.scottlucas.com/) was there too but I didn’t get the chance to talk with him much. I also spent some time at the Newberg Book Table with my friend Ryan Wolfson, who introduced me to potato skins, by giving me one, which made me end up getting my own order of potato skins.

After I finished eating the potato skins, I got autographs from the four players (Derek Holland, Joe Wieland, Matt Thompson, and Tanner Scheppers), and they were all extremely nice. I was towards the end of the line, so not too long after I got my autographs, the Q&A session started. Here are the highlights from the session:

Me: This question is for Tanner. What are the three biggest differences between the independent league, where you pitched for the St. Paul Saints, and the minor leagues? (This is one of the two questions I asked during the Q&A)

Tanner: One, you get paid more in the minor leagues, two, the competition’s a little bit better, and, three, the atmosphere.

Q: How do you keep your composure when there are so many trade rumors out there and you’re the centerpiece of so many of them?

Tanner: You can’t really worry about trade rumors. You’re a Ranger as long as you are. If it happens, it is what it is.

Derek: The main thing is not to worry about it. It’s a rumor, remember that. It’s not true until it happens. The best thing is not to worry about it. Just keep doing what you’re doing. Like Tanner said, you’re a Ranger until you’re told otherwise.

Q: Derek, you shut down the Yankees twice in the playoffs. Tell us how you did it.

Derek: The main thing is to keep throwing strikes. They’ve got to hit your pitch and, sure enough, they weren’t hitting it.

Jamey: Matt, if you had turned the Rangers down and gone to TCU, who would the ace of the Frogs’ staff have been last year, you or Matt Purke?

Matt: Go Frogs. They had a great year over there obviously and they’ll have another great year this year.

Q: This question is for Tanner. I read in an interview that you’re still going to be a starting pitcher. Is that correct? How does that make you feel? Do you have a preference?

Tanner: I definitely like the opportunity to start. Going into spring training, that’s what they’re telling me I’m going to do. All I can do is go out there and prepare as a starter and see what happens.

Eleanor: Joe, will you miss pitching in Bakersfield and what are your memories of pitching with the team?

Joe: Will I miss pitching in Bakersfield? No, definitely not. That league is a hitters’ league and unfriendly to pitchers. But I did kind of like how we started games at 7:45, because the sun was in the hitters’ eyes. It was fun, but I don’t think I’ll miss it.

Jamey: I’ve got one for Joe. Your first camp with the Rangers was also Nolan Ryan’s first camp since he came back to the organization. There were stories that he took a real liking to you the first time he saw you and I assume that involved a couple of conversations you had with him. Just talk about what that was like, being just out of high school and Nolan Ryan’s talking to you about pitching.

Joe: Everything he said, I took to heart. He’s got the best advice to offer. It’s incredible having a guy of his stature taking an interest in you. It helped me out quite a bit.

Q: I know Derek’s going to take ‘awesomeness’ to Surprise. What’s the one thing that the rest of you are going to take to Surprise?

Joe: I’m going to bring my toe shoes. If anybody doesn’t have toe shoes, I recommend it.

Matt: I’m just going to laugh at Wieland’s toe shoes.

Tanner: I’m going to bring Rangers attitude to Surprise. And a mountain bike.

Q: Do you guys pitch because you can’t hit or do you pitch because you’re a better pitcher than hitter?

Tanner: I’m a better pitcher than hitter.

Matt: I couldn’t hit to save my life.

Joe: Definitely a better pitcher.

Derek: Forget these guys. I’m both. Actually, I’m pretty much lying. I’m 0-for-6 so far. But you know what? Actually, I might get to face Cliff Lee. It’d be awesome to take him yard.

Q: If Cliff Lee hit you with a pitch, would you charge the mound?

Derek: I think it’d be even funnier if I just laughed. No, I won’t charge. He’s a nice guy.

Q: Tanner, you played in St Paul, which is an amusing little ballpark. What was it like playing for Bill Murray and, while you were there, did they still have the target with the guy hanging from it in right field?

Tanner: My two highlights in St. Paul are midget wrestling and dog day.

Q: Derek, a couple of years ago, you were at a Newberg event but were still in the farm system. A couple of years later, you’ve pitched in the World Series. What’s going through your head?

Derek: I was in awe. There’s no feeling to describe it. It’s breathtaking. But then again, the way I was taught by Bengie, who’s one of the greatest leaders of all time, is that the game doesn’t change. It’s always the same. It’s just like a regular season game. You just have more media. The game stayed the same. I was very composed. It’s just a little different atmosphere. That’s it.

Devin: You always hear that pitchers have their favorite catchers. At the major league level, you might have that luxury but, in the minors, you might have up to six catchers during the course of the season. So do you have the ability to express a preference for who you’d rather work with?

Joe: I don’t really think we have that luxury. I haven’t asked. I feel it would be disrespectful to the other catchers.

Matt: If you have a good relationship with your manager and pitching coach, you can tell them who you’re more comfortable or have a better connection with. If you recommend it, they can try to work to it as much as they can.

Tanner: Yeah, there are definitely catchers I connect with more than others. But it’s the manager’s decision and you go with what he says.

Q: Derek, first pitch in the majors or first pitch in the World Series? Which one’s better?

Derek: This will be easy. First pitch in the majors, because I threw a ball in the World Series. I threw 11 of them I think, which was very frustrating. Anyway, the debut definitely has more meaning because it’s the first step in the big leagues, so to me it was more important.

Q: Who was your favorite team or player growing up?

Tanner: Favorite team growing up was the Dodgers. Favorite player growing up was Nomar Garciaparra.

Jamey: The Texas Rangers were my favorite team. Probably Buddy Bell was my favorite player.

Matt: Texas Rangers for me as well. Rusty Greer was probably my favorite player.

Joe: I honestly didn’t have a specific favorite team. You guys might hate me for this but Alex Rodriguez was my favorite player.

Derek: Growing up, I was a big Braves fan. Chipper Jones was my favorite player and I wanted to be just like Andy Pettite.

Q: What’s your opinion on the DH?

Derek: I love the DH. It takes a lot of pressure off the pitcher. A lot of pitchers let a bad at-bat affect them when they go back out to the mound. To me, the DH helps out.

Joe: Since I have yet to hit professionally, I’ll have to say designated hitter. Having that extra bat in the lineup really helps out.

Matt: I really don’t have an opinion because I’ve never faced an opposing pitcher when he’s hitting, but I like the DH when I’m in the dugout and our team’s hitting.

Jamey: I’m actually a National League guy. I love interleague play when we’re traveling. I like that brand of baseball better when the bullpen strategy is what it is.

Tanner: It’s nice offensively to have a DH.

Q: I’ve heard it said that Ranger fans are unresponsive to the plays on the field. Derek, is that true? And do you really hear what we’re saying or not saying?

Derek: Personally, yeah, we can hear you guys, and that’s good. We have the greatest fans, just so you guys know. But one thing that I am going to ask, and I know that a lot of guys get irritated with this so don’t take it the wrong way, but the wave needs to go. When I was in the bullpen in the playoffs against the Rays, we had a close game and we were ahead and fans were too busy doing the wave instead of getting behind us. Do it when we’re up by a lot, that’s all I ask. The wave is great, just do it at the right time, that’s all. Please don’t take any offense to it. We like the wave – just do it at the right time.

Q: How much is the defense up the middle determined by what pitch is thrown versus the scouting report on the batter?

Derek: It’s not mainly about the pitch but more about the scouting report.

Q: Jamey, how do you not get in trouble with your wife?

Jamey: I’m really very blessed. Obviously my wife’s very tolerant of all this stuff that I do. But the last few years because of our son Max being more insane about the game than I was at his age, I think she’s given up. She actually kind of jumped aboard, and she had a great time rooting for a baseball team this year, which has never been the case before.

Me: Matt, what adjustments did you make following the 2008 season to lower your WHIP by more than 2 base runners per inning?

Matt: Really, I had a tough time coming out of high school. In high school, it was really about throwing it over the plate somewhere. I signed late, came into the Arizona Rookie League, and found out quick. My first professional pitch was about 93 or 94 mph and it was about 150 back at my face. I tried to make the adjustment over that offseason. I think I made some really good improvements.

Q: Tanner, do you prefer relieving or starting?

Tanner: Right now, definitely starting because that’s what they want me to do.

Q: Matt, do you realize you’re the only guy from Burleson to make it this far?

Matt: I did not know that. I’m competing with Kelly Clarkson.

Q: Now that there are expectations for this team, how does it change your offseason and your approach to the game?

Derek: If you would have come into that clubhouse after we lost, you would have seen that next year is going to be unbelievable. We are very hungry for this. We got a taste of it and now we want the whole thing. We’re not worried about pressure or any of that kind of stuff. We know what we have to do and we’re going to make sure we do it.

Joe: Being in the minor leagues, it was a lot of fun to be able to look up at the big league team and see them win their division and go to the World Series. I got to go to two games in San Francisco and it was just an unbelievable experience. It gave me that much more fire to improve and make adjustments and advance. Watching those guys, it looked like a blast and it’s something I want to experience. Hopefully in the next few years I’ll be able to get that chance.

Matt: Yeah, it was really exciting to watch these guys take care of business this year, just like they’ll do next year. At the lower levels, when the big league club has a season like they had and will continue to have, it makes us want to push ourselves harder so that one day we can come join them and be successful with them.

Jamey: Maybe less Rally Minka. Or more. My approach isn’t going to change.

Q: Derek, who is the most feared big league hitter in a clutch situation that you would not want to face?

Derek: If we’re going to use anybody, I can go ahead and say Josh Hamilton. But if one of us is pitching, then I’m going to say, and I know you guys aren’t going to like this at all, but Derek Jeter. You have to tip your hat to him. He’s one tough guy to get out.

Jamey’s book is awesome as always and is the most complete coverage of the Rangers’ 2010 season that you’re going to find. I highly recommend it. The forewords this year are by Chuck Greenberg and Brad Sham. Jamey included his prospect rankings (top 72, plus breakdowns of the players in each position that are on those lists), his 20 players who could break out in 2011, all of his reports for the season, and the 2010 draft. It is well worth the $25. You can order it off his website (http://www.newbergreport.com).

Cliff Lee:

Disappointed? Yes. A little frustrated? Yes. But, do I think the Rangers handled everything right? Yes to that, also. Although it is disappointing that Lee is with the Phillies, I feel that the Rangers did exactly what they should have done throughout the entire process. They gave Lee a very good offer, and upped it and upped it to match the Yankees, but then knew exactly when they would be giving him too much, and stopped right before that. Personally, I think it’s cool that Cliff decided to take less money to go to Philadelphia just because he liked it there. I just find it disappointing that the Rangers weren’t the team that he liked playing for the most and weren’t the team that he’d take a pay cut to go to.

As far what we should do now that Cliff Lee is off the market, I’m not really sure. But here’s what I don’t want to do:

1. Trade for Zack Greinke – He has a social anxiety disorder, and who knows how he will handle a new situation and pitching for a contending team. Plus, I think he’s overrated, as he had an ERA above 4.00 last season for the Royals.

2. Trade for Matt Garza and Consider Him an Ace – Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Matt Garza. I think he’s a fine pitcher, and I wouldn’t mind having him. But I don’t think that he’s an ace. I think he’d be a very good #2 pitcher, but, I’m sorry, as far as aces on playoff teams go, a 3.91 ERA
(Garza’s 2010 ERA) just doesn’t cut it. So, trading for him I have no problem with, but not as an ace.

3. Sign Carl Pavano and Count on Him as Ace in the Playoffs – Once again, I see nothing wrong with Pavano. Actually, I like the guy. I mean, he screwed up the Yankees, so what’s not to like? Anyway, I think Pavano would be a great guy to sign. As your #1 in the regular season, he’d be great. He eats up innings (221 last year), and he consistently gives you quality starts. But, come playoff time, when he is matched up against CC Sabathia or Jon Lester or Tim Lincecum or Cliff Lee, he won’t win you those games. So Pavano as regular season #1: Fine. But Pavano as postseason #1: Bad.

4. Do Nothing – Our pitching staff just isn’t good enough without one more pitcher. Here’s the Rangers rotation:
CJ Wilson: Great #2, not sure about #1
Colby Lewis: Great #3, Not-So-Good #2
Derek Holland: Potentially Fantastic #4, Risky #3
Tommy Hunter: Fine #5, Mediocre #4

Come back next week for an interview with Rangers pitcher Tanner Scheppers.

Outfield/DH Free Agent Special

2010-12-12T15:17:00.000-06:00

This week I will give some analysis and predictions for the top free agent outfielders/DHs. Once Cliff Lee makes his decision, I’ll post some analysis on that, so come back during the week for an update.

Magglio Ordonez (.303 AVG, 12 HR, 59 RBI)
Prediction: Detroit Tigers – The Tigers are pushing hard for Magglio and seem to be willing to pay him some serious dough. Ordonez had a very good year last year, and if you eliminate his injury that kept him out for half the season, his power numbers would pace out to be 24 home runs and 118 RBIs. Those are pretty good numbers, and I don’t see the Tigers letting him go.

Vladimir Guerrero (.300 AVG, 29 HR, 115 RBI)
Prediction: Texas Rangers – The Rangers want him back and Vlad wants to come back. Guerrero wants a multi-year contract, but it doesn’t seem like anyone is willing to give that to him. And as with all one-year contracts, he’ll go where he wants to go, and that’s in Texas.

Jim Thome (.283 AVG, 25 HR, 59 RBI)
Prediction: Minnesota Twins – Thome was a big part of the Twins’ success last year, and obviously still has it. He it 25 home runs in 108 games last year, which is a very impressive ratio (about 1 home run every four games). He also hit for a solid batting average, and I just don’t see the Twins letting him go, or any other teams jumping in and blowing him away.

Hideki Matsui (.274 AVG, 21 HR, 84 RBI)
Prediction: Tampa Bay Rays – Here’s a rundown of who all the Rays have lost this offseason and who they will and might lose:
Lost – Joaquin Benoit
Lost – Carlos Pena
Lost – Carl Crawford
Will Lose – Rafael Soriano
Will Lose – Grant Balfour
Will Lose – Randy Choate
Looking to Trade – Matt Garza
Looking to Trade – Jason Bartlett
After all of those losses, they have to add someone, right?

Come back next week for a recap of Newberg Night and come back during the week after Cliff makes his decision.

Free Agent Special: Infielders

2010-12-05T14:42:00.002-06:00

This week I’ll give my predictions on where the top free agent infielders this year will wind up and give some quick analysis on the Rangers’ acquisitions from this week.

This past week the Rangers signed Yorvit Torrealba to be their starting catcher. I think that this is a very good move for the Rangers, especially when you consider that John Buck and Victor Martinez are already gone. Yorvit hit .271 last year with 7 home runs and 37 RBIs. In 2009, he hit .291, making the past two years some of the best hitting years in his career. He is good at working with pitchers, brings a veteran presence, but has lots of trouble throwing out baserunners. On the bright side defensively, though, he almost never makes an error, so he won’t give teams any free bases on passed balls or errors.

The Rangers also signed Yoshinori Tateyama this week. Over his 11 Japanese seasons, all with the Nippon Ham Fighters, he has a 3.43 ERA. Last season, he had a 1.80 ERA and a .213 BAA. He has had good statistics while in Japan and was scouted by the same people that scouted Colby Lewis while in Japan. He is 35, and I like this deal, because at the very worst, he does nothing for us and we get rid of him, but at the very best, he becomes a reliable reliever out of our bullpen.

Free Agent Infielders:

Paul Konerko (.312 AVG, 39 HR, 119 RBI)
Prediction: Texas Rangers – The Rangers are in need of a first baseman/DH and Konerko fills that role. It is a good fit, and the Rangers are trying hard to get him. He had a great year last year and wants this next deal to be his last, so the Rangers would have to make a long-term commitment to get him. The biggest challenge for the Rangers for Konerko would be the White Sox, even though they already signed Adam Dunn.

Carlos Pena (.196 AVG, 28 HR, 84 RBI)
Prediction: Chicago Cubs – The Cubbies lost their starting first baseman when they traded Derrek Lee last season, and they really seem to appreciate strong defense at that position, which Pena has. They also seem to like power, and Pena has that, too. Personally, I don’t think a guy that hit below .200 deserves anywhere near as much attention as he’s getting, but apparently some teams don’t care about average, they just care about home runs.

Adrian Beltre (.321 AVG, 28 HR, 102 RBI)
Prediction: Oakland Athletics – They apparently gave him a 5-year offer a few weeks back, and feel that they need him to be a contender. I don’t see Beltre turning down 5 years and a lot of money, although I don’t think that would turn out well for the A’s, given that in non-contract years he tends to struggle, and there would be four of those.

Russell Martin (.248 AVG, 5 HR, 26 RBI)
Prediction: New York Yankees - Russell, despite being a two-time all-star, is really not all that great of a starting catching option right now. He hit below .250 last year, exactly .250 in 2009, and has power numbers that have declined each of the past three years. If I’m a GM, I’m staying away from this guy, but the Yankees really want him to be their back-up catcher, and when the Yankees really want somebody, they normally get him.

Miguel Olivo (.269 AVG, 14 HR, 58 RBI)
Prediction: San Diego Padres – Olivo has been a very solid catcher over his career, getting 10+ homers each of the past five seasons, and has been very consistent. The Padres lost Yorvit Torrealba to free agency, and their other catcher, Nick Hundley has never played over 85 games in a season, and has never hit .250 or higher, so the Padres, especially after trading away Adrian Gonzalez, could really use some help at the plate (and behind it). Olivo can do just that.

Come back next week for my free agent special on outfielders.

Free Agent Special: Pitchers

2010-11-28T14:51:00.000-06:00

This week I will give my predictions on where the top free agent pitchers will end up.

Starting Pitchers:

Cliff Lee (12-9, 3.18 ERA, 185 K)
Prediction: Texas Rangers – The Rangers need Cliff, as their rotation looks great with him, but mediocre without him. Cliff helped carry the Rangers to the World Series last year, and Texas is a much better destination as far as family goes compared to New York. If that factors into his decision, I think he will stay with the Rangers.

Carl Pavano (17-11, 3.75 ERA, 117 K)
Prediction: Minnesota Twins – Carl was a huge part of their team last year, and they are interested in re-signing him. And even more important, they’re not located in New York and they aren’t called the Yankees.

Erik Bedard (DNP)
Prediction: Houston Astros – The Astros’ owner is looking to find players to sign so that he can sell his team for the $800 million that he’s asking for. He’s reportedly trying to sign Pavano, De La Rosa, and others of that talent level, but I see him settling for a guy like Bedard.

Jorge De La Rosa (8-7, 4.22 ERA, 113 K)
Prediction: Milwaukee Brewers – The Brewers are supposedly very interested in De La Rosa, and it would make sense, since Dave Bush, Chris Capuano, and Doug Davis are all free agents, and were all on the Brewers last year.

Justin Duchscherer (2-1, 2.89 ERA, 18 K)
Prediction: Oakland Athletics – Justin is extremely injury-prone, as he has only pitched in 28 innings in the past two years, but when he does pitch, he is effective, and I don’t see the A’s letting him go.

Brandon Webb (DNP)
Prediction: St. Louis Cardinals – The Cards need pitching, and they need it bad. To this point, they have almost exactly the same team that didn’t get it done for them last year, so even with the re-signing of Jake Westbrook, they are definitely interested in Webb.

Relief Pitchers:

Grant Balfour (2.28 ERA, 56 K)
Prediction: Tampa Bay Rays – With the Rays probably losing Rafael Soriano, and having already lost Joaquin Benoit, they have to keep somebody.

Jesse Crain (3.04 ERA, 62 K)
Prediction: Minnesota Twins – It looks as if Matt Guerrier won’t stay with the Twins, which will make them need Crain even more than before.

Frank Francisco (3.76 ERA, 60 K)
Prediction: Texas Rangers – The Rangers seem to want him back, and I don’t think that Frankie will get a better offer anywhere else.

Matt Guerrier (3.17 ERA, 42 K)
Prediction: Boston Red Sox – Boston has shown some serious interest in Guerrier, and they could really use him, so they’ll probably give him some good money.

Arthur Rhodes (2.29 ERA, 50 K)
Prediction: Cincinnati Reds – Rhodes was such a big part of the Reds playoff run last year, I can’t see them letting him go to another team.

Rafael Soriano (45 SV, 1.73 ERA, 57 K)
Prediction: Anaheim Angels – Soriano was, in my opinion, the best closer in all of baseball last season, and the Angels need a closer. Not to mention that they are willing to spend a little bit of money.

Come back next week for my free agent special on infielders.

Season Predictions vs. Results

2010-11-21T17:44:00.002-06:00

This week I will compare my predictions from before the season started (from my March 13th post) to the actual results of the season, which was fun for me to do, especially since I got so many right.

AL East:

Prediction:
1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox (Wild Card)
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Toronto Blue Jays

Result:
1. Tampa Bay Rays
2. New York Yankees (Wild Card)
3. Boston Red Sox
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

Percentage Correct:
0/5, 0%

Explanation:
There’s no way that I could’ve predicted all the injuries that the Red Sox had, so that prediction wasn’t too bad, but I don’t know what I was thinking putting the Orioles ahead of the Blue Jays.

AL Central:

Prediction:
1. Minnesota Twins
2. Chicago White Sox
3. Detroit Tigers
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Cleveland Indians

Result:
1. Minnesota Twins
2. Chicago White Sox
3. Detroit Tigers
4. Cleveland Indians
5. Kansas City Royals

Percentage Correct:
3/5, 60%, correctly picked 1st through 3rd place

Explanation:
The Indians were only 2 games better than the Royals, and, really, they’re both so bad that it really doesn’t matter.

AL West:

Prediction:
1. Texas Rangers
2. Seattle Mariners
3. Anaheim Angels
4. Oakland Athletics

Result:
1. Texas Rangers
2. Oakland Athletics
3. Anaheim Angels
4. Seattle Mariners

Percentage Correct:
2/4, 50%, correctly predicted Texas to win the division

Explanation:
The Mariners were a hot pick at the beginning of the season, with the offseason additions of Felix Hernandez, Cliff Lee, and Chone Figgins, and I bought into it. I guess I forgot that you need to score at least a run a game to be able to win.

NL East:

Prediction:
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Florida Marlins
4. New York Mets
5. Washington Nationals

Result:
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. Atlanta Braves (Wild Card)
3. Florida Marlins
4. New York Mets
5. Washington Nationals

Percentage Correct:
5/5, 100%

Explanation:
Nailed it. If only I had picked the Braves to win the wild card, it would’ve been perfect.

NL Central:

Prediction:
1. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Cincinnati Reds
3. Chicago Cubs
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
6. Houston Astros

Result:
1. Cincinnati Reds
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Milwaukee Brewers
4. Houston Astros
5. Chicago Cubs
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

Percentage Correct:
0/6, 0%

Explanation:
Wow. I just got 100% correct in the East, and now I follow it up with this. Ouch. I figured that with the Cardinals rotation, they would win the division, and that of course the Cubs wouldn’t be that bad, right? Well, obviously they were that bad. But the real question here is: Why didn’t I put the Pirates in last place? Note to self: Don’t predict the Pirates to finish out of last place until after they actually do.

NL East:

Prediction:
1. San Francisco Giants
2. Colorado Rockies (Wild Card)
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
5. San Diego Padres

Result:
1. San Francisco Giants
2. San Diego Padres
3. Colorado Rockies
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
5. Arizona Diamondbacks

Percentage Correct:
1/5, 20%, correctly predicted the Giants to win the division

Explanation:
I don’t blame myself too much for this one, because the Padres were supposed to be the worst team in baseball, so I wasn’t the only one predicting them in last place. Obviously, that didn’t happen, but how should I have known a team with so little talent would do so well? They’re like the opposite of the Cowboys.

AL MVP:
Prediction:
Winner: Joe Mauer, MIN
Runner-up: Evan Longoria, TB
Result:
Winner: Josh Hamilton, TEX
Runner-up: Miguel Cabrera, DET
Percentage Correct:
0/2, 0%
Explanation:
Josh hit .268 and only played in 89 games last year. Normally, that doesn’t turn into an MVP the next year, but I’m glad it did. I just didn’t predict it.

Al Cy Young:
Prediction:
Winner: Cliff Lee, SEA
Runner-up: Zack Grienke, KC
Result:
Winner: Felix Hernandez, SEA
Runner-up: David Price, TB
Percentage Correct:
0/2, 0%
Explanation:
Right team, wrong player. I picked Cliff Lee of Seattle to win the award, but it ended up being Felix Hernandez who won the award. But then my runner-up, now that was bad. Grienke had an ERA over 4.00 this year, and I predicted him to be the runner-up in the Cy Young voting. Not even close.

AL Rookie of the Year:
Prediction:
Winner: Austin Jackson, DET
Runner-up: Carlos Santana, CLE
Result:
Winner: Neftali Feliz, TEX
Runner-up: Austin Jackson, DET
Percentage Correct:
1/2, 50%
Explanation:
Austin Jackson was a good choice, as I predicted him to finish first, and he ended up finishing second, and then after him, my runner-up was Carlos Santana. If he hadn’t gotten hurt, who knows where he’d have finished, because he was playing well when he went down. Then, also, when I made my predictions, Neftali Feliz was not the Rangers’ closer, so I didn’t expect him to break the rookie saves record, or get anywhere near it.

AL Manager of the Year:
Prediction:
Winner: Ron Washington, TEX
Runner-up: Ron Gardenheire, MIN
Result:
Winner: Ron Gardenheire, MIN
Runner-up: Ron Washington, TEX
Percentage Correct:
2/2, 100%
Explanation:
Wow, that’s pretty good. I got both of the names right, just in the wrong order, and, personally, I think that Ron should’ve won, and that my preseason prediction should have been exactly right on this one.

NL MVP:
Prediction:
Winner: Albert Pujols, STL
Runner-up: Joey Votto, CIN
Result:
Winner: Joey Votto, CIN
Runner-up: Albert Pujols, STL
Percentage Correct:
2/2, 100%
Explanation:
I was very close on this one, too. I went out on a limb and chose Joey Votto as my runner-up, and I was wrong, but not in the way I would’ve thought, as he will most likely actually win the award. The only thing I missed on this one was the order, as Votto was first and Pujols was second.

NL Cy Young:
Prediction:
Winner: Adam Wainwright, STL
Runner-up: Tommy Hanson, ATL
Result:
Winner: Roy Halladay, PHI
Runner-up: Adam Wainwright, STL
Percentage Correct:
1/2, 50%
Explanation:
I was very close on Wainwright here, but I very much whiffed on Halladay, and I completely underrated him, although Tommy Hanson did have a solid year.

NL Rookie of the Year:
Prediction:
Winner: Jason Heyward, ATL
Runner-up: Madison Bumgarner, SF
Result:
Winner: Buster Posey, SF
Runner-up: Jason Heyward, ATL
Percentage Correct:
1/2, 50%
Explanation:
Once, again, I was one off on a prediction. I predicted Heyward to win, and he finished in second, but still, that’s pretty good.

NL Manager of the Year:
Prediction:
Winner: Jim Tracy, COL
Runner-up: Bruce Bochy, SF
Result:
Winner: Bud Black, SD
Runner-up: Dusty Baker, CIN
Percentage Correct:
0/2, 0%
Explanation:
Come on, I predicted the Padres to finish in last place, so there’s no way I would’ve predicted their manager to win manager of the year.

Playoffs:
ALDS Prediction:
Texas Rangers vs. Boston Red Sox: Rangers in 5
New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins: Yankees in 4

ALDS Result:
Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays: Rangers in 5
New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins: Yankees in 3

Percentage Correct:
Teams: 3/4, 75%
Series Results: 2/2, 100%

Explanation:
That might be the closest prediction to being right out of anyone. That’s pretty good.

NLDS Prediction:
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Colorado Rockies: Cardinals in 4
San Francisco Giants vs. Philadelphia Phillies: Giants in 5

NLDS Result:
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Cincinnati Reds: Phillies in 3
San Francisco Giants vs. Atlanta Braves: Giants in 4

Percentage Correct:
Teams: 2/4, 50%
Series Results: 1/2, 50%

Explanation:
The one series that I missed on was a series in which I had two teams that didn’t even make the playoffs facing each other. It’s hard to get that one right when that happens.

ALCS Prediction:
New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers: Yankees in 7

ALCS Result:
New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers: Rangers in 6

Percentage Correct:
Teams: 2/2, 100%
Series Result: 0/1, 0%

Explanation:
Wow, I can’t believe that I got both of these teams right. Not bad.

NLCS Prediction:
St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Francisco Giants: Giants in 5

NLCS Result:
Philadelphia Phillies vs. San Francisco Giants: Giants in 6

Percentage Correct:
Teams: 1/2, 50%
Series Result: 1/1, 100%

Explanation:
I did pretty good here, too.

World Series Prediction:
New York Yankees vs. San Francisco Giants: Giants in 6

World Series Result:
Texas Rangers vs. San Francisco Giants: Giants in 5

Percentage Correct:
Teams: 1/2, 50%
Series Result: 1/1, 100%

Explanation:
Wow. I picked the eventual champion back in March. My preseason predictions were a success, if I do say so myself.

Come back next week for a free agent special.

Season Awards

2010-11-14T17:55:00.000-06:00

This week I will give my awards for the 2010 season.

Rangers Awards:

MVP: Josh Hamilton, TEX (.359 AVG, 32 HR, 100 RBI) – Come on, he’s the AL MVP, so he has to be the Rangers MVP.
Runner-up: Vladimir Guerrero (.300 AVG, 29 HR, 115 RBI)

Cy Young: CJ Wilson, TEX (15-8, 3.35 ERA, 170 K) – CJ had the most wins on the team, the lowest ERA out of players on the team for the entire season, and the most innings pitched out of pitchers on the team the whole season.
Runner-up: Colby Lewis, TEX (12-13, 3.72 ERA, 196 K)

Rookie of the Year: Neftali Feliz, TEX (40 SV, 2.73 ERA, 71 K) – Once again, I have him winning the ROY, so he has to win it for his own team.
Runner-up: Mitch Moreland, TEX (.255 AVG, 9 HR, 25 RBI)

AL Awards:

MVP: Josh Hamilton, TEX (.359 AVG, 32 HR, 100 RBI) – He led the majors in batting average by 23 points, had 30+ home runs, has 100+ RBIs, and led his team to the playoffs. That has all the makings of an MVP.
Runner-up: Miguel Cabrera, DET (.328 AVG, 38 HR, 126 RBI)

Cy Young: Clay Buchholz, BOS (17-7, 2.33 ERA, 120 K) – I know he won’t win the award since he doesn’t have many innings, but I think he should. He is second in the AL in ERA, leads the #3 guy in that category by a lot, and has 4 more wins than the #1 guy in that category. I think that he’s being way overlooked here.
Runner-up: Felix Hernandez, SEA (13-12, 2.27 ERA, 232 K)

Rookie of the Year: Neftali Feliz, TEX (40 SV, 2.73 ERA, 71 K) – He was third in the AL in saves this year, so the fact that he is not only one of the top rookies, but one of the top closers in baseball makes this choice pretty obvious for me.
Runner-up: Austin Jackson, DET (.293 AVG, 4 HR, 43 RBI)

Manager of the Year: Ron Washington, TEX (90-72, 1st place) – Although I might not agree with some of his in-game decisions, he did a good job taking this team to the playoffs, and deserves this award.
Runner-up: Ron Gardenheire, MIN (94-68, 1st place)

NL Awards:

MVP: Joey Votto, CIN (.324 AVG, 37 HR, 113 RBI) – He’s in the top three in each of the three major categories, and his team made it to the playoffs. It’s hard to go against him.
Runner-up: Carlos Gonzalez, COL (.336 AVG, 34 HR, 117 RBI)

Cy Young: Roy Halladay, PHI (21-10, 2.44 ERA, 219 K) – Here’s a Cy Young checklist:
20+ wins – 21 check
3.00- ERA – 2.44 check
200+ IP – 250.2 check
200+ K – 219 check
I think that those numbers are Cy Young worthy.
Runner-up: Adam Wainwright, STL (20-11, 2.42 ERA, 213 K)

Rookie of the Year: Neil Walker, PIT (.296 AVG, 12 HR, 66 RBI) – Everybody is saying that it should be Jason Heyward, but, no, I don’t think it should. Walker has a much better average, and only 6 less homers and 6 less RBIs, so I think that he should get the award, even though I know that he won’t.
Runner-up: Jaime Garcia, STL (13-8, 2.70 ERA, 132 K)

Manager of the Year: Bud Black, SD (90-72, 2nd place) – The Padres are not a very talented team, and yet they were one win away from the playoffs. I give the credit for that to the manager.
Runner-up: Dusty Baker, CIN (91-71, 1st place)

Come back next week for my season’s predictions compared to this season’s results.

World Series Wrap-up and Off-season Checklist

2010-11-07T15:00:00.001-06:00

This week I will give a small recap on the World Series and then a trip report on the Aggie victory over OU this week. I will also give my checklist for the Rangers this offseason.

World Series Recap:

The World Series was disappointing to lose, but the season was so great it doesn’t feel as bad as I thought it would. The Rangers just got flat-out outplayed. The Giants pitched better, hit better, and fielded better than the Rangers, and, really, it’s almost impossible to win a World Series when you score 1 run or less in three games. The starting pitching for the Rangers was okay, obviously Cliff Lee got lit up in Game 1 and Tommy Hunter struggled in Game 4, but in the other three games it was great, so that was one good area. It was a great year, and I really enjoyed it, and am looking forward to three more playoff wins on top of this year’s number next year.

Rangers Offseason Checklist:

Below are the players that I would most like to have, in order, at our positions of need for this offseason, along with their 2010 season stats.

Ace:
1. Cliff Lee – 12-9, 3.18 ERA, 185 K
2. Zach Grienke (in trade) - 10-14, 4.17 ERA, 181 K
3. Rich Harden – just kidding

#4 Starter (might not sign someone here, but it would be nice):
1. Jon Garland – 14-12, 3.47 ERA, 136 K
2. Hiroki Kuroda – 11-13, 3.39 ERA, 159 K
3. Erik Bedard – DNP (injury)
4. Justin Duchscherer – 2-1, 2.89 ERA, 18 K
5. Jorge De La Rosa – 8-7, 4.22 ERA, 113 K
6. Brandon Webb – DNP (injury)
7. Jake Westbrook – 10-11, 4.22 ERA, 128 K

Bullpen:
1. Joaquin Benoit – 1.34 ERA, 1 SV
2. Scott Downs – 2.64 ERA, 0 SV
3. Grant Balfour – 2.28 ERA, 0 SV
4. Matt Guerrier – 3.17 ERA, 1 SV
5. JJ Putz – 2.83 ERA, 3 SV
6. Arthur Rhodes – 2.29 ERA, 0 SV
7. Frank Francisco – 3.76 ERA, 2 SV
8. Jason Frasor – 3.68 ERA, 4 SV
9. Jesse Crain – 3.04 ERA, 1 SV
10. JC Romero – 3.68 ERA, 3 SV
11. Ron Mahay – 3.44 ERA, 0 SV
12. Kyle Farnsworth – 3.34 ERA, 0 SV

Catcher (as if Bengie retires):
1. John Buck - .281 AVG, 20 HR, 66 RBI
2. Miguel Olivo - .269 AVG, 14 HR, 58 RBI
3. Yorvit Torrealba - .271 AVG, 7 HR, 37 RBI
4. Ramon Hernandez - .297 AVG, 7 HR, 48 RBI
5. Rod Barajas - .240 AVG, 17 HR, 47 RBI

DH:
1. Adam LaRoche - .261 AVG, 25 HR, 100 RBI
2. Aubrey Huff - .290 AVG, 26 HR, 86 RBI
3. Vladimir Guerrero - .300 AVG, 29 HR, 115 RBI
4. Jim Thome - .283 AVG, 25 HR, 59 RBI
5. Ty Wigginton - .248 AVG, 22 HR, 76 RBI
6. Russell Branyan - .237 AVG, 25 HR, 57 RBI
7. Carlos Pena - .196 AVG, 28 HR, 84 RBI
8. Lyle Overbay - .243 AVG, 20 HR, 67 RBI

Trip Report:

WHOOP! This weekend my dad, my uncle, and I drove down to College Station to see the Aggies play the Sooners at Kyle Field. It was a blast. We got there late Friday night and checked in to our hotel, a Hampton Inn, and almost immediately went to sleep. On Saturday morning, we got up and hung around the hotel for a while, watching Louisville, my second team, beat Syracuse 28-20. Fear the Bird. We then went to eat lunch at Double Dave’s Pizzaworks, which was great. They used to have some locations in Dallas, but they all closed down, making visiting one a treat. They have very good pizza, but their pepperoni rolls are the highlight, and are the best ones I’ve ever had. We then drove over to the movie theatre and saw Mega Mind, which was good. After that, it was time to walk over to the game.

The game started off great, with a bad snap going over the Oklahoma QB’s head for a safety on the very first play of the game. Then, on the Aggies’ drive following the kickoff, they marched down the field and scored a touchdown to go up 9-0. After a late first half field goal, and a kickoff return for a touchdown to start off the second half to give the Aggies a 19-0 lead, the Sooners scored 17 unanswered points and cut the lead to 19-17. But in the 4th quarter, the Aggies once again dominated. They had a great drive that ended with an incredible Cyrus Gray 23 yard TD run, with about 4 broken tackles in the play. At this point the Aggies were up 26-17, but then on A&M’s next possession, they scored another touchdown on a 64-yard TD pass to Ryan Swope, and that finished the deal, as Texas A&M crushed the #8 ranked Oklahoma Sooners by a final score of 33-19. That was a very, very fun game, and it was my first Aggies football game ever. I think I picked a good game to go to.

Come back next week for my 2010 Season Awards.

Updated World Series Prediction

2010-10-30T11:08:00.000-05:00

This week I will give my prediction on the rest of the World Series, but it will be a fairly short post due to the busyness of my weekend. This weekend I am going to two World Series games and a Cowboys game, and I can’t wait.

World Series Prediction:

Game 3 – Texas Rangers over San Francisco Giants (SF 2-1)
Reason: Colby has an ERA under 2.00 this postseason and has been great, and I think that Sanchez will have lost all his confidence after his last performance and get lit up.

Game 4 – San Francisco Giants over Texas Rangers (SF 3-1)
Reason: I just don’t have any confidence in Tommy Hunter, and despite Bumgarner’s .306 BAA these playoffs, Tommy has a .333 BAA and has a 6.14 ERA. That doesn’t give you a whole lot of confidence.

Game 5 – Texas Rangers over San Francisco Giants (SF 3-2)
Reason: Come on, Cliff Lee and two straight bad starts together is impossible, right? Anyway, Lincecum has allowed at least 3 runs in 3 straight starts.

Game 6 – Texas Rangers over San Francisco Giants (TIE 3-3)
Reason: CJ has been dealing all postseason with the exception of one game, and I don’t see any way that Matt Cain goes an entire game without allowing an earned run again. That streak has got to end at some point.

Game 7 – Texas Rangers over San Francisco Giants (TEX 4-3)
Reason: I went back and forth on this one, because the crowd will be so crazy, but I just don’t know if Sanchez will get his act back together or if he will continue to struggle. But for us, I’m worried about Colby in this one, because he has not pitched on the road once this postseason. All of that makes for a very up-in-the-air game in a possible Game 7 situation.

PREDICTION: TEXAS RANGERS 4, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS 3

Come back next week for a World Series recap on the soon-to-be 2010 Champion Rangers, and a trip report of an Aggie victory over the Sooners.

World Series Prediction and Analysis

2010-10-24T15:59:00.002-05:00

This week I will make my World Series predictions and my position-by-position analysis, which finally includes the Rangers. I can’t wait for it to start. This is awesome.

Position-by-Position Analysis (the Number 2 and 3 starters might be switched, as it hasn’t been announced, but I’m listing it as I think it should be):

Number 1 Starters:
Cliff Lee (TEX) <-- Tim Lincecum (SF)
Analysis: Cliff Lee is probably the best postseason pitcher of this decade. The guy is amazing. In his career, he is 7-0 with a 1.26 ERA in the playoffs, and this year, he is 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA. Not to mention his regular season success. Wow. Meanwhile, Tim Lincecum for the Giants is pretty good himself, winning each of the last two Cy Young Awards in the National League. And, overall in this year’s playoffs, he’s been great, with a 1.93 ERA, but in two NLCS starts, he allowed 6 runs (5 earned) in just 14 innings, which isn’t bad, but isn’t great either. I don’t see any way that you can go against Cliff Lee here.

Number 2 Starters:
CJ Wilson (TEX) --> Matt Cain (SF)
Analysis: This one is extremely close, and in the series, I see them each winning one game. But I think that a slight edge goes to Matt Cain, just because he hasn’t allowed an earned run yet in these playoffs in 13.2 innings of work. But CJ has been great these playoffs too, despite having a bad start in his last outing. Other than that start, CJ has been simply masterful, allowing only 3 runs in 13.1 innings, and, in my opinion, one of those runs is on Jorge Cantu for not taking the ball to the bag, and then another one of those runs was given up by the bullpen.

Number 3 Starters:
Colby Lewis (TEX) <-- Jonathon Sanchez (SF)
Analysis: Sure, it’s nice to have a guy going out there in Game 3 with a 1.45 playoff ERA in 18.2 innings. And, sure, it’s nice to have a guy with a 2-0 record in the postseason, and it’s also nice to have a guy that just dominated the Yankees in the biggest start of his career. And all of that is what Colby Lewis has done so far, but that’s still not the major reason that I’m giving him the edge. It’s because I think that Jonathon Sanchez will just get lit up, after completely losing his composure and his confidence in a 2-inning, 2-run performance in Game 6 of the NLCS.

Number 4 Starters:
Tommy Hunter (TEX) --> Madison Bumgarner (SF) or
Derek Holland (TEX) <-- Madison Bumgarner (SF)
Analysis: Madison Bumgarner is not a bad pitcher, with a 3.55 ERA in 12.2 innings so far this postseason, but he should not shut you down, as he has a .306 batting average against in the playoffs and is still yet to face the best hitting team that the Giants will play. So if we can just have a solid performance by our starter in that game, I think that the Rangers will win. The thing is, I don’t see Tommy Hunter doing that (playoff stats: 0-1, 2 GS, 6.14 ERA, 7.1 IP), as he has just been horrendous. But I do see Derek Holland (playoff stats: 1-0, 2.61 ERA, 10.1 IP) having a solid, if not better, performance in a possible start, especially against the Giants’ offense.

Catcher:
Bengie Molina (TEX) <-- Buster Posey (SF)
Analysis: Even though Buster Posey was much better in the regular season, the playoff stats and experience are making me go away from Posey. Buster hit only .217 in the NLCS, and has only 3 RBIs this entire postseason, which isn’t what you expect from one of your biggest offensive producers. Meanwhile, Bengie, apart from being great with the pitching staff, is hitting .333 in these playoffs and has hit one big home run in each series so far.

First Base:
Mitch Moreland (TEX) <-- Aubrey Huff (SF)
Analysis: Once again, even though Huff was much better in the regular season, his playoff stats compared with Moreland are making me go against him. Huff has hit only .256 this postseason, including a .250 NLCS, had a .280 OBP last series, and is yet to get an extra-base hit these playoffs, which leads him to an awful .256 SLG. Meanwhile, Mitch Moreland, after hitting .200 in the ALDS, hit a tremendous .389 in the ALCS, and compared with Huff, has the same power numbers, a much better average, a better on-base percentage, a better slugging percentage by far, and has plenty less strikeouts.

Second Base:
Ian Kinsler (TEX) <-- Freddy Sanchez (SF)
Analysis: Ian has been great in these playoffs with a .342 batting average, 3 home runs, and 9 RBIs. Possibly even more impressive, though, would be his .409 on-base-percentage, which is outstanding. On the other side, Freddy Sanchez has been okay, with a .268 batting average, but has been awful at every other stat, with no home runs, one RBI, and a .302 OBP. I think that Ian definitely has the edge between those two.

Third Base:
Michael Young (TEX) <-- Mike Fontenot/Pablo Sandoval (SF)
Analysis: The main reason for this is not Michael’s .333 batting average in the ALCS, even though that is very good, but the Giants’ incompetence at the position. Mike Fontenot is hitting .214 in the playoffs so far, with no RBIs, and Pablo Sandoval is also hitting .214 in the playoffs with 2 RBIs. That’s just awful.

Shortstop:
Elvis Andrus (TEX) <-- Juan Uribe/Edgar Renteria (SF)
Analysis: Elvis didn’t need to have hit safely in every playoff game so far for the Rangers to have the edge in this match-up, and he didn’t need his .333 playoff average either. Once again, the Giants are just incompetent at the position. Yes, Juan Uribe hit a home run to send the Giants to the World Series, and a walk-off sacrifice fly, but he is hitting .143 in the playoffs, and has an OBP under .200, and that’s just embarrassing. And Edgar Renteria isn’t much better, with a .167 playoff batting average, and has no extra-base hits. That’s incompetence at its highest.

Left Field:
David Murphy/Vladimir Guerrero (TEX) <-- Pat Burrell (SF)
Analysis: Yes, I know that when Vlad plays the outfield, he will be in right and Cruz will be in left, but for the sake of position consistency, I put Vlad in left field since he will split time with Murphy when playing in SF. Once again, the Giants player in left field just hasn’t hit in these playoffs, as Burrell is hitting .207, and has struck out 11 times. I know Vlad has struggled, hitting .267 with 11 strikeouts, and I know David Murphy has struggled, hitting .200, but neither of them have struggled that badly.

Center Field:
Josh Hamilton (TEX) <-- Aaron Rowand/Andres Torres (SF)
Analysis: Come on, when your center fielder is the ALCS MVP, and should be the AL MVP, you’re going to win hands-down. Josh hit .350 last series with 4 home runs and 7 RBIs, and had an OBP of .536 after you calculate the 13 walks he had in the series (5 of those were intentional walks). I mean, those numbers are just ridiculous. So when the Giants’ center fielders are hitting just about the best on their team at .286 (Aaron Rowand) and .250 (Andres Torres), it’s not really gonna matter. Good luck beating out Josh at that position, Giants.

Right Field:
Nelson Cruz (TEX) <-- Cody Ross (SF)
Analysis: As far as this post goes, the Giants got very unlucky to have their only good hitter at the moment playing right field, because that’s where Nelson Cruz plays. Cody Ross hit .350 with 3 home runs and 5 RBIs in the NLCS against the Phillies. But even that has been outdone by Nellie, who has hit .375 this postseason with 5 home runs and 8 RBIs. That doesn’t even take into account just how good Cruz’s defense is. Cody, you play the wrong position for this post.

Closer:
Neftali Feliz (TEX) --> Brian Wilson (SF)
Analysis: Yes, you’re seeing right, this is an arrow pointing to the right after nine straight pointing to the left. But it is a pretty obvious choice, with Brian Wilson having 5 saves this postseason with no earned runs, and Neftali Feliz still not having a save. He did get hit hard in a game against the Rays in the ALDS, but other than that game, he hasn’t allowed a baserunner, so maybe he’ll end up being better than Wilson, but I’m definitely not predicting it.

World Series Prediction:

Game 1: Texas Rangers win (TEX 1-0)
Reason: Cliff Lee. What else do I need to say?

Game 2: San Francisco Giants win (TIE 1-1)
Reason: I don’t see them leaving their home park down 0-2.

Game 3: Texas Rangers win (TEX 2-1)
Reason: As I said earlier, I think Sanchez will get lit up due to a loss in confidence.

Game 4 w/ Holland: Texas Rangers win (TEX 3-1)
Reason: Holland has had a very good postseason, especially in the ALCS, and with Bumgarner’s .306 BAA, I see the Rangers scoring a few runs off him.

Game 4 w/ Hunter: San Francisco Giants win (TIE 2-2)
Reason: I don’t trust Hunter at all. He has averaged 3.2 innings per start in these playoffs. Ewwww.

Game 5: Texas Rangers win (Either TEX 4-1 or TEX 3-2)
Reason: Once again, Cliff Lee.

Game 6: Texas Rangers win (Either not necessary or TEX 4-2)
Reason: I don’t see CJ losing both of his starts in this series to Matt Cain.

Prediction:
If Derek Holland starts Game 4: Texas Rangers over San Francisco Giants 4-1
If Tommy Hunter starts Game 4: Texas Rangers over San Francisco Giants 4-2

Come back next week for more World Series analysis.

YES!!!

2010-10-23T17:42:00.000-05:00

This is great. It’s the first time that the Rangers have been in the playoffs since 1999, and they are going to the World Series. I was at the game Friday, and it was so exciting that it’s hard to describe it. That place was rocking. That must have been the most exciting game I’ve been to in my life, and I’ve seen a lot of games. The only other series-clinching win that I’ve seen would be when the Dallas Stars beat the Anaheim Ducks a couple of years ago. That was awesome, but that doesn’t come anywhere close to the experience. I just still can’t believe that the Rangers are in the World Series, and I can’t wait ‘til the Series starts. I’ll be there for games 3, 4, and (if needed) 5.

Come back at the end of the NLCS for my World Series prediction. Go Rangers!

ALCS Prediction

2010-10-15T12:05:00.001-05:00

This week I will give my predictions for the American League Championship Series between the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees and for the NLCS.

ALCS:

Game 1: New York Yankees (CC Sabathia) @ Texas Rangers (CJ Wilson)

Winner – Texas Rangers
Analysis: CC Sabathia is perceived to be a good playoff pitcher, but, really, I don’t think that he is. In his career, he has had 11 postseason starts, and has an ERA of 4.41. He allowed 3 runs in 6 innings in his only start so far this postseason. In his playoff career, he has been lit up four different times and has dominated only three different times. When you’re getting lit up more than you’re dominating, and you’re an ace, I’d consider that bad pitching. Meanwhile, in CJ Wilson’s only playoff start, he went 6.1 innings, allowing no runs, and just four base-runners. One other note that should affect the whole series - the Yankees threw out a horrible 15% of base-stealers this season, while the Rangers have already stolen 6 bases this postseason. That’s a good sign.

Game 2: New York Yankees (Phil Hughes) @ Texas Rangers (Colby Lewis)

Winner – New York Yankees
Analysis: Despite having an 8.53 ERA last postseason, Phil Hughes has still had many good playoff outings, with a 1.59 postseason ERA in 2007, and seven shutout innings in his first career playoff start earlier this year. I could definitely see Phil Hughes struggling in this game, but I don’t think that it will happen that way. On the other side, Colby Lewis didn’t allow any runs in his first ever playoff appearance and allowed just two hits, but still didn’t do his job, because due to his five walks, he couldn’t even record an out in the sixth inning before getting pulled. I think the Rangers have a good chance in this one, but I see the Yankees recording the win.

Game 3: Texas Rangers (Cliff Lee) @ New York Yankees (Andy Pettite)

Winner – Texas Rangers
Analysis: The Rangers have Cliff Lee going in this game. That should be enough analysis for this prediction, but I’ll give some stats anyway. Cliff Lee is 6-0 with a 1.44 ERA, with 54 strikeouts and 6 walks in 56.1 career playoff innings. That’s pretty good. Yes, I realize that Andy Pettite has 19 career playoff wins, but that is more due to quantity than quality. Andy has a 3.87 postseason ERA in his career. Not bad, but when you have started in 41 playoff games, you’d be doing pretty bad if you didn’t have 19 wins, so I don’t put too much stock into that.

Game 4: Texas Rangers (Tommy Hunter) @ New York Yankees (AJ Burnett)

Winner – Texas Rangers
Analysis: Tommy struggled in his first playoff outing, going only 4 innings, and allowing 3 runs, 2 of them earned, and I don’t see him being all that great in this game either (maybe 6 or 7 innings with 3 or 4 runs allowed). But with AJ Burnett going for the Yankees, that should be enough to pick up the victory. Burnett went 10-15 with a 5.26 ERA for the Yanks this year, and looked even worse than that. Not to mention that his postseason ERA last year was just about the same at 5.27. That’s awful, and I don’t see those numbers changing in this one.

Game 5: Texas Rangers (CJ Wilson) @ New York Yankees (CC Sabathia)

Winner – Texas Rangers
Analysis: Once again, CC’s career playoff stats are not very good, with a 4.41 career playoff ERA, and he finished off the season with a 4.11 ERA in the year’s final 30 games. That’s worrisome for Yankees fans, and great for Rangers fans. And that’s not to mention CJ Wilson’s road ERA this season. On the road this year, CJ had a 2.91 ERA. That’s incredible, and not only has he proven that he’s a good road pitcher during the regular season, but he’s done that in the postseason, too, as his first start in the playoffs was on the road in Tampa, so I don’t see why that would change now.

Prediction: Texas Rangers 4, New York Yankees 1

NLCS:

Prediction: Philadelphia Phillies 4, San Francisco Giants 3

Come back next week for World Series predictions, which will hopefully include the Rangers.

Playoff Experience and Game 5 Prediction

2010-10-10T20:32:00.001-05:00

This weekend, I got to go to both of the Rangers home playoff games, the first ones in my life in the first playoff series of my life that I will be able to remember (with me being 3 the last time they made the playoffs). This week I will describe that experience and give my Game 5 prediction. It will be a short blog because I’m just mentally and emotionally drained from the two losses, and my brain still feels fried from the sun beating down on it all game today.

On Saturday night, the ballpark was amazing. I’d been to Cowboys and Stars playoff games, but I think that baseball definitely has the best playoff atmosphere. There was just a special feeling in that place, and it was awesome. Saturday also was a game that through 7 innings was amazing, and really got the fans into it. Even though I feel like Colby didn’t do his job, going only five innings, it was still kind of neat when the whole ballpark chanted his name, or ‘O’Day’, or’ MVP’ throughout the game. I had never experienced anything like that where so many fans were so into the game. After the Ian Kinsler home run to give them a 2-1 lead with only 6 outs left to clinch the series, that place reached his height, and the excitement couldn’t have gotten any higher. Of course, after that, the game didn’t go so well, but it was still a lot of fun to be at and to experience.

On Sunday afternoon, the ballpark was still excited, but it was nowhere near Saturday night’s levels, and except for a few pitches, it just felt like a bad Opening Day game. I think that was probably due to the heat, the horrible game, and the previous night’s game. It was a very frustrating game, especially when you kept looking up at the scoreboard and seeing the runners left on base total get higher and higher almost every inning and not see the Rangers’ runs get higher at all. I left that game very disappointed and frustrated.

Game 5 Prediction:
Texas Rangers 3, Tampa Bay Rays 2

I don’t see David Price having two straight bad starts at home, but I also do see Cliff Lee having two straight great starts on the road. Also, so far in this series, the Rays have scored one run on eight hits in the two games started by lefties and have a lot of left-handed starters on offense. I can’t wait for the game and am looking forward to hopefully the first playoff series win in franchise history.

Come back next week for more postseason analysis, which will hopefully include the Rangers.

Position-by-Position Analysis and Playoff Predictions

2010-10-03T20:26:00.000-05:00

First, I messed up last week when giving my game-by-game Rangers/Rays series predictions. I thought that Tommy Hunter would be named the game 3 starter but it’s going to by Colby Lewis, with Hunter starting game 4. I’m now predicting the Rangers to win in 4 games instead of 3.

This week I will give my position-by-position analysis for the Rangers and Rays starting line-ups, along with who I think has the edge, and I will also give my playoff predictions for this October.

C: John Jaso, TB (.263 AVG, 5 HR, 44 RBI) vs. Bengie Molina, TEX (.248 AVG, 5 HR, 35 RBI)
Advantage: Bengie Molina
Analysis: Jaso’s stats are better for the year, but in the last 30 days, Jaso is hitting just .206, and on top of that, Jaso is only a rookie. Meanwhile, Molina has hit .319 in the last 30 days, so, while I don’t think he’s all that good, I think that he is better, and he also has much more experience.

1B: Carlos Pena, TB (.196 AVG, 28 HR, 84 RBI) vs. Mitch Moreland, TEX (.255 AVG, 9 HR, 25 RBI)
Advantage: Mitch Moreland
Analysis: Pena has better power, and also has more experience, but I just cannot force myself to go with a guy batting under the Mendoza line, especially when that same guy is hitting .135 in the last 30 days, and, no, .135 is not a typo. It’s his recent batting average.

2B: Sean Rodriguez, TB (.251 AVG, 9 HR, 40 RBI) vs. Ian Kinsler, TEX (.286 AVG, 9 HR, 45 RBI)
Advantage: Ian Kinsler
Analysis: Ian has a better batting average, the same amount of home runs, more RBI’s, more experience, and most importantly, he isn’t hitting .159 in the last 30 days like Sean Rodriguez is.

3B: Evan Longoria, TB (.294 AVG, 22 HR, 104 RBI) vs. Michael Young, TEX (.285 AVG, 21 HR, 91 RBI)
Advantage: Evan Longoria
Analysis: This one is very close, as Michael is just barely behind him in all three major categories, but Longoria is the Rays’ best player and hitter, so I went with him. However, I have to wonder if Longoria will be healthy for the playoffs, as he is nicked up and hasn’t played in a few days.

SS: Jason Bartlett, TB (.254 AVG, 4 HR, 47 RBI) vs. Elvis Andrus, TEX (.265 AVG, 0 HR, 35 RBI)
Advantage: Elvis Andrus
Analysis: Bartlett is hitting only .254, and while Elvis’ average isn’t too much better, at .265, he has superior speed and hits .347 with a .440 OBP with runners in scoring position. That is clutch.

LF: Carl Crawford, TB (.307 AVG, 19 HR, 90 RBI) vs. David Murphy, TEX (.291 AVG, 12 HR, 65 RBI)
Advantage: Carl Crawford
Analysis: It’s impossible to go against Crawford here, with a .300-plus batting average, and solid power numbers and with Murphy a little banged up. Murphy has had a good season, but he doesn’t have the bat, speed, or glove of Crawford, so he is definitely the second best left fielder in this series.

CF: BJ Upton, TB (.237 AVG, 18 HR, 62 RBI) vs. Josh Hamilton, TEX (.359 AVG, 32 HR, 100 RBI)
Advantage: Josh Hamilton
Analysis: Come on, Josh is the most likely player to win the AL MVP, and has a batting average .122 points above BJ Upton’s batting average. Couldn’t be much easier to pick.

RF: Ben Zobrist, TB (.238 AVG, 10 HR, 75 RBI) vs. Nelson Cruz, TEX (.318 AVG, 22 HR, 78 RBI)
Advantage: Nelson Cruz
Analysis: This one is almost as easy as the center field position was to pick. Nellie has had a great season, and if he wasn’t injured for much of the season, he probably would have had video-game stats. On the Rays’ side, Ben Zobrist is hitting just .238 for the season, and is hitting .192 in his last 30 games.

DH: Willie Aybar, TB (.230 AVG, 6 HR, 43 RBI) vs. Vladimir Guerrero, TEX (.300 AVG, 29 HR, 115 RBI)
Advantage: Vladimir Guerrero
Analysis: Wow, this one is also a completely lopsided one. Vlad is an All-Star, with a .300 batting average, with 29 home runs and 115 RBIs, compared to Aybar who is hitting .230, with a .192 recent batting average.

Advantage Totals: Texas Rangers 7, Tampa Bay Rays 2

Playoff Predictions:

ALDS:
Texas Rangers 3, Tampa Bay Rays 1 – Rangers have a better offense, better starting pitching, and a better bullpen. What more can you ask for?

Minnesota Twins 3, New York Yankees 1 – The Yankees just don’t have a very good rotation besides CC Sabathia, and the Twins are just an all-around solid team.

NLDS:
Philadelphia Phillies 3, Cincinnati Reds 0 – Not the Phillies again. I’m tired of them doing well, but with three, yes three, aces on their team, I don’t see them losing any games that they pitch in.

San Francisco Giants 3, Atlanta Braves 1 – The Giants have a playoff rotation of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathon Sanchez, and Madison Bumgarner. Try beating that.

ALCS:
Texas Rangers 4, Minnesota Twins 2 – Here’s the pitching match-ups, and who I think is the best in each of those games:
Game 1 – Cliff Lee over Francisco Liriano
Game 2 – Carl Pavano over CJ Wilson
Game 3 – Brian Duensing over Colby Lewis
Game 4 – Tommy Hunter over Scott Baker
Game 5 – Cliff Lee over Francisco Liriano
Game 6 – CJ Wilson over Carl Pavano

NLDS:
Philadelphia Phillies 4, San Francisco Giants 1 – Once again, I just think that the Phillies’ pitching is too much, even for the Giants’ pitching staff.

World Series:
Philadelphia Phillies 4, Texas Rangers 2 – The Rangers might have the best pitching in the AL playoffs, but they’d only have the 3rd best in the NL playoffs, and the Phillies’ pitching is just too incredibly good, so I don’t see the Rangers winning this series.

Come back next week for more playoff coverage.

Rangers-Rays Series Analysis and Playoff Roster Prediction

2010-09-26T16:18:00.002-05:00

The Rangers clinched the AL West division title on Saturday, and I am pumped. I have waited as long as I can remember for the Rangers to make the playoffs, and now it’s finally happening. I’m so excited, and I can’t wait for October. We have tickets for all of the Rangers playoff games and I’m hoping for a deep run. I’ve been to hundreds of games but have never been to a major league baseball playoff game.

This week I’ll analyze the probable match-up of the Rays that the Rangers have for the playoffs in the first round and also give my Rangers playoff roster.

Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays:

Game 1: Texas Rangers 0 (Cliff Lee) at Tampa Bay Rays 0 (David Price)
I’ll give Lee the edge in this one, even though Price has had a better year, and the Rays are at home. Price has given up 3 runs in each of his last two starts, and has already thrown way more innings than ever before in his career. They both have postseason experience, and have both been great in the playoffs, but Price did it while coming out of the bullpen. Last year, Cliff Lee had a 1.56 postseason ERA, including a 1.10 divisional round ERA, and went 4-0. In 2008, David Price had a 1.59 ERA during the playoffs, but only pitched 5.2 innings, so has a small sample. In his one game against the Rangers this year, David Price allowed 2 runs over 6 innings of work. This one should be a very close, low-scoring game, but I’m going to say that the Rangers lead the series 1-0 after the game.

Game 2: Texas Rangers 1 (CJ Wilson) at Tampa Bay Rays 0 (Matt Garza)
So far this year, CJ has been much better than Garza, with a 14-7 record, and a 3.15 ERA, while Garza is 15-9, with an ERA just under 4.00, at 3.92. However, in Garza’s last start against the Rangers, he threw 7 shut-out innings, and in CJ’s only game against the Rays, he allowed 3 earned runs over only 5 innings. But I still give CJ the edge, with Matt Garza having a horrendous September, with a 6.41 ERA in the month. He wasn’t exactly sharp in the ’08 playoffs, either, as Garza had an ERA of 6.00 or more in 2 of his 4 playoff starts, including his divisional series start. So with Garza’s recent play, and his past postseason play, I’ll give the Rangers the win here, too.

Game 3: Tampa Bay Rays 0 (James Shields) at Texas Rangers 2 (Tommy Hunter)
I think that Tommy Hunter is a much better pitcher than Shields in this one, but I worry about his youth. I’ll still give him the win, though, as his ERA is 1.13 points better than Shields’ ERA, which is an awful 4.96, including a 6.86 ERA in his last four starts. Shields also leads the American League in home runs allowed. Tommy Hunter pitched very well in his only start against the Rays in which he wasn’t sick, allowing just one run in a complete game outing while pitching at home against them. So while I really didn’t think coming into this analysis that the Rangers would sweep the Rays, based on the three pitching match-ups, I predict that they will. I think that the Rangers have the edge in all three games pitching-wise.

Result: Texas Rangers 3, Tampa Bay Rays 0

My Playoff Roster:
C – Bengie Molina: He is one of the top two catchers on the team as far as playing time, so I don’t see him being left off.
C – Matt Treanor: Has done his job this year, and is solid defensively. I see him possibly splitting the time with Bengie.
1B – Jorge Cantu: Can play first and third, and still has the potential to be a good hitter.
1B – Chris Davis: He can be on the roster as an injury replacement and is hitting very well. Could split 1B time with Cantu in playoffs.
2B – Ian Kinsler: Our obvious starting second baseman.
SS – Elvis Andrus: No question about it.
3B – Michael Young: Who else?
UTIL – Andres Blanco: Showed he deserved it while Kinsler was injured, and I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t be on the roster here.
OF – Josh Hamilton: Hopefully he’ll be ready to go.
OF – Vladimir Guerrero: Big contributor, no question.
OF – Nelson Cruz: Assuming he doesn’t have any more hamstring problems.
OF – David Murphy: Has done a great job filling in for injuries, with .288 average and 11 HR’s.
OF – Julio Borbon: Solid this year, and we need the speed.
OF – Jeff Francoeur: Has been very good as Ranger,batting .299 against lefties. Definitely worth the spot.
SP – Cliff Lee: He’s our ace.
SP – CJ Wilson: 3.15 ERA. Enough said.
SP – Tommy Hunter: He’s our number three guy, ERA in the 3.00’s.
SP – Colby Lewis: 3.79 ERA. Don’t want just a three-man playoff rotation, too risky.
Closer – Neftali Feliz: Could have 40 saves by the end of the year, and should win ROY.
RP – Darren O’Day: 1.98 ERA.
RP – Alexi Ogando: 1.36 ERA.
RP – Darren Oliver: 2.52 ERA.
RP – Matt Harrison: Has done a nice job in long relief.
RP – Dustin Nippert: 0.77 ERA since coming back from injury.
RP – Michael Kirkman: 0.71 ERA since getting called up. Possible lefty specialist, but also has .050 batting average against with righties at the plate.

Come back next week for more playoff analysis - the Rangers/Yankees matchups if the standings change and a position-by-position analysis of the Rangers’ playoff opponent.

Pennant Chase Special

2010-09-19T19:28:00.001-05:00

This week the Rangers announced that the AAA team will be moved from Oklahoma City to Round Rock and that the High-A team will be moved from Bakersfield to Myrtle Beach. I am a little disappointed that the AAA team will move away from OKC, because that was a great stadium and a really fun place to see a game, and I always enjoyed seeing games there. But I am ecstatic that the High-A team moved to Myrtle Beach, and will now be called the Pelicans, because my family and I go to Myrtle Beach every summer, and already go see at least one Pelicans game every year. It is also a great place to see a game and will be an even better one now that it will be a Rangers affiliate. An interesting piece of trivia is that two of the Rangers’ affiliates will now have a mascot named Deuce – the RoughRiders have a mascot named Deuce who is a giant prairie dog and the Pelicans have a mascot named Deuce who is a real dog who takes baseballs out to the umpire between innings.

This week I will analyze all of the divisional chases for this season, and predict the winner of each one. The AL West, AL Central, and NL Central races are already pretty much over, so I will not analyze those.

New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays:

Right now, the Yankees are up by half a game, but have 13 of their last 14 games against teams with winning records, while the Rays have just 4 of their last 15 games against teams with winning records, so I really don’t think that the Yankees will win the division. Another reason I think the Rays will win the division is the fact that Andy Pettite hasn’t pitched since July and Phil Hughes’s monthly ERAs starting in June have been 5.17, 5.52, 4.22, and 6.59, a sign of fatigue. Their other pitchers have been struggling too, as AJ Burnett has a 5.08 ERA for the year, and Javier Vazquez has a 5.09 ERA for the year, including a 5.96 August ERA and 8.38 September ERA. Meanwhile, the Rays’ pitchers are David Price (1.55 ERA this month), Matt Garza (3.88 ERA this year, but 7.98 ERA this month, which I don’t put too much stock in because of his 1.27 August ERA), James Shields (struggling all year), Jeff Niemann (awful lately), and Wade Davis (3.50 ERA this month), which isn’t much better, but is a slight improvement over the Yankees’ staff. I think that the schedule will help the Rays win the division, and I predict them to be the 2010 AL East Division Champions.

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves:

Right now, the Phillies are up by three games, and I see them winning the division, with both them and the Braves having the same amount of games against winning teams and having good pitching staffs. They have Roy Halladay (no stats needed), Cole Hamels (3.01 ERA, including 0.44 ERA this month), Roy Oswalt (2.90 ERA, including 1.53 August ERA and 1.59 September ERA), Joe Blanton (2.81 and 3.78 ERAs in the past two months), and Kyle Kendrick (4.78 season ERA). That is an amazing pitching staff. The Braves have good pitching, too, with Tim Hudson (2.61 season ERA), Derek Lowe (0.64 ERA this month), Tommy Hanson (3.62 ERA this year, with 2.77 September ERA), Jair Jurrjens (mediocre year), and Mike Minor (3-1). I wouldn’t be surprised if they both make the playoffs, with the Braves also in the wild card race, but right now I don’t think the Braves have much of a shot at the division championship, with the Phillies’ pitching.

San Diego Padres vs. San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies

Right now, the Padres are up half a game on San Francisco, and one game on Colorado. But I don’t think that will keep up, and I actually think the Padres will finish 3rd. The main reason for that is the fact that the Padres pitching, which has kept them in first place, isn’t doing so well now. Here’s their rotation, and the stat that makes me worried about each one of them:
1. Mat Latos – 7.36 ERA this month
2. Clayton Richard – 6.00 ERA this month
3. Jon Garland – 5.40 ERA this month
4. Kevin Correia – 5.40 ERA this season
5. Wade LeBlanc – 6.47 ERA in August, 9.00 ERA this month

Meanwhile, the Giants’ rotation is amazing, with this rotation:
1. Tim Lincecum – 3.60 ERA, 2.36 ERA this month
2. Matt Cain – 3.08 ERA, 2.86 ERA this month
3. Madison Bumgarner – 3.27 ERA, 1.35 ERA this month
4. Jonathon Sanchez – 3.21 ERA, 0.47 ERA this month
5. Barry Zito – 4.02 ERA, 3.45 ERA this month

The Rockies’ rotation is passable, and their offense makes up for that:
Ubaldo Jimenez – 19-6, 2.84 ERA
Jason Hammel – 10-8, 4.45 ERA
Jorge De La Rosa – 4.25 ERA
Aaron Cook – 2.28 ERA this month
Esmil Rogers – 5.34 ERA

With the Padres’ offense never having been very good, they’ve had to rely on their pitching, and it seems that that is no longer there for them. At the end of the year, I see it being Giants, then Rockies, then Padres.

Come back next week for another pennant chase special.

Predictions for Final Standings

2010-09-12T14:58:00.000-05:00

This week will be a short blog due to the plethora of homework I have to do, although I would much rather have a longer blog and less homework. For this week’s blog, I will give my predictions on what the standings will be at the end of the season, and give some analysis on the teams that I think will either move in or drop out of the playoffs.

AL West:
1. Texas Rangers (currently 79-63, +7.5)
2. Oakland Athletics (currently 71-70, -7.5)
3. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (currently 69-73, -10)
4. Seattle Mariners (currently 55-87, -24)

I think that this one is pretty obvious all the way around, with fairly large gaps between every team in the division.

AL Central:
1. Minnesota Twins (currently 84-58, +6)
2. Chicago White Sox (currently 78-64, -6)
3. Detroit Tigers (currently 71-72, -13.5)
4. Kansas City Royals (currently 58-83, -25.5)
5. Cleveland Indians (currently 58-84, -26)

This one is also a pretty obvious division as far as end-of-the-year standings, with a healthy gap between every team except for the Royals and Indians battling for last place. As far as that race, I think that the Royals are the better team of the two, so the Indians will finish in last.

AL East:
1. Tampa Bay Rays (currently 86-55, -0.5)
2. New York Yankees (currently 87-55, +0.5)
3. Boston Red Sox (currently 78-64, -9)
4. Toronto Blue Jays (currently 72-70, -15)
5. Baltimore Orioles (currently 55-87, -32)

Right now the Yankees are in first place, but I think that the Rays will be in first place by the end of the year, simply due to their schedules. To finish out the year, the Yankees have 16 games against winning teams, and only 3 against losing teams, and that team is the Orioles, who have a winning record under Buck Showalter. The Rays, on the other hand, have only 8 games against winning teams, and 13 games against losing teams. That is a huge difference to finish out the year.

NL West:
1. Colorado Rockies (currently 78-64, -2.5)
2. San Francisco Giants (currently 80-63, -1)
3. San Diego Padres (currently 80-61, +1)
4. Los Angeles Dodgers (currently 71-72, -10)
5. Arizona Diamondbacks (currently 57-85, -23.5)

Once again, I am basing much of this on schedules. The Padres are in first place now, but have a terrible schedule, with 14 games against winning teams, and 7 against losing ones, and they also have just 8 home games of their last 21 games. The Giants have the easiest schedule with 12-out-of-19 home games and 12-out-of-19 games against losing teams, but I give the Rockies the edge due to the extent of their hotness. They have won 9 of their last 10, and have a completely even schedule with 10-of-20 home games and 10-of-20 games against winning teams, so their schedule won’t get in their way.

NL Central:
1. Cincinnati Reds (currently 81-61, +7)
2. St. Louis Cardinals (currently 73-67, -7)
3. Houston Astros (currently 67-75, -14)
4. Milwaukee Brewers (currently 65-76, -15.5)
5. Chicago Cubs (currently 62-80, -19)
6. Pittsburgh Pirates (currently 47-94, -33.5)

I don’t think that this division will change at all. The Reds are way up in the division, and I think the Cardinals have a better chance of being caught by the Astros than they do of catching the Reds. As for the battle for 3rd place, I don’t see the Brewers having enough pitching to even make up the 1.5 games between them and Houston.

NL East:
1. Atlanta Braves (currently 82-61, +0)
2. Philadelphia Phillies (currently 82-61, +0)
3. Florida Marlins (currently 72-69, -9)
4. New York Mets (70-72, -11.5)
5. Washington Nationals (60-82, -21.5)

The Braves and Phillies are exactly even to this point of the year, and as far as home games and amount of games against winning teams, their schedules are almost exactly even, but I give the Braves the edge due to the schedule anyway. I give them the edge because they have the best home record in all of baseball (51-20), and 7 of the 10 games that they have against winning team are at home, so almost all the road games they have are against losing teams.

Come back next week for a pennant chase special.