The Rangers have 11 outfielders in major league Spring Training camp. Below, I will rate each outfielder and give their chances of making the 25-man active roster at the end of Spring Training.
Jason Botts:
Jason is competing for the 5th OF/DH role. He has dominated the minors, but hasn’t done too great yet in the majors, batting .247 with 1 HR and 9 RBI’s in 77 AB. He won’t need to play great, but to play well to get the job out of camp. Sammy Sosa is his biggest competition.
Percentage: 33.5%
Marlon Byrd:
Marlon hasn’t reached anywhere near his potential and he’ll need to, to make the team. He’s very speedy and fields well, but his hitting isn’t that great. His career stats are a .263 AVG with 20 HR in 1302 AB. He started for the Phillies in 03-04 but ever since he has split the center field position. He had a great minor league career batting over .300 4 out of 8 years and never batted below .260 but hasn’t gotten it done in the majors. If he can play like he did in the minors, I think he will make the team as the 5th outfielder.
Percentage: 32.8%
Frank Catalanotto:
Frank is the DH/back-up outfielder for the Rangers, unless he gets injured, or Sammy Sosa does great. If Sammy makes the team than he will be just the DH or a starting outfielder, depending on how Sammy fields.
Percentage: 100%
Nelson Cruz:
Nelson is the starting right fielder unless he gets injured or has a terrible camp.
Percentage: 98.9%
Victor Diaz:
Victor is not one of the major runners for the outfield job although he has a better chance than most people give him. He had been having a great career until he fell apart last year, batting .224 with Triple-A Norfolk and .182 with the Mets. Also, he didn’t have anywhere close to his normal power getting fewer home runs in more at-bats than the previous 3 years. He will have to get his hitting back up to where it used to be to make the team.
Percentage: 15.2%
Freddy Guzman:
Freddy is a really speedy guy who was great in the minor leagues but hasn’t done that well in the majors. He’s only gotten 83 at-bats but his batting average is .217. He needs to have an outstanding camp to win the 5th outfielder job.
Percentage: 12.3%
Jerry Hairston:
Jerry is a very good fielder. He’s competing for an outfield job and the utility job. He’s been declining over the past few years and he’ll need to stop declining to win the job.
Percentage: 23.4%
Matt Kata:
Last year Kata was with the Triple-A Louisville Bats. He hit .263 with 9 HR and 34 RBI in 331 AB. He’s spent parts of three seasons in the majors in 2003-2005. He played for the D’Backs and Phillies, batting .308 with 9 HR and 42 RBI in 487 AB. He is the least likely of anyone on the outfield Spring Training roster to make the team.
Percentage: 7.6%
Kenny Lofton:
Kenny is the Rangers’ starting center fielder.
Percentage: 100%
Sammy Sosa:
Sammy has had a great career, but has been suspected of using steroids. He has also corked his bats. He very quickly declined after his great year in 2003, although his power numbers were still good in ’04. In 2005, he had a .221 batting average, only hitting 14 HR and 45 RBI’s with the Orioles. He didn’t play in 2006. He will need to play at least in between what he did in ’04 and ’05 to make the team.
Percentage: 34.9%
Brad Wilkerson:
Brad is our 4th outfielder or may platoon with Cruz.
Percentage: 100%
Projected outfielders at the beginning of the year:
Kenny Lofton-center fielder
Nelson Cruz-right fielder
Frank Catalanotto-left fielder/DH
Sammy Sosa-DH
Brad Wilkerson-4th outfielder
Next in line:
Jason Botts
Marlon Byrd
Jerry Hairston
Come back next week for the infielders and catchers.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Analysis of Spring Training Pitchers
The Rangers opened Spring Training this week with 32 pitchers in the major league camp. Below, I will rate each pitcher and give their chances of making the 25-man active roster at the end of Spring Training.
Rick Bauer, RHP:
Rick had a very good season last year, but ended it badly. He will probably make the team unless he either gets injured or plays awful.
Percentage: 86.7%
Joaquin Benoit, RHP:
Benoit’s a clinch at the long reliever position.
Percentage: 100%
Bruce Chen, LHP:
He is very home run prone and had a very bad year last year. He had a 6.93 ERA for the Orioles last year, a 3.83 ERA in ’05 and a 4.60 ERA in his 9-year career, playing for the Braves, Phillies, Mets, Expos, Reds, Astros, Red Sox, and finally the Orioles. The Rangers might be the 9th team on that list. But he does have a decent chance because he’s had a decent career and he would be the only lefty in the rotation. He will also be competing with two other left-handers (John Koronka and John Rheinecker) who is more likely to win the job. Even if Chen isn’t the 5th starter, he could become a long relief pitcher. If he doesn’t make the Rangers out of camp, he’ll probably be brought up during the season.
Percentage: 39.7%
Francisco Cruceta, RHP:
The Rangers acquired Cruceta off waivers from the Mariners after last season. He was a starter with AAA Tacoma last season, where he went 13-9 with a 4.38 ERA in 28 games. Cruceta is probably not going to make the team with our strong bullpen. He has a pretty low chance although he probably will be called up in September, since he’s on the 40-man roster.
Percentage: 2.1%
Thomas Diamond, RHP:
Thomas probably won’t make it to the bigs until September this year, much less out of camp. He’ll spend the year at AAA.
Percentage: 2.1%
Willie Eyre, RHP:
Willie’s only year in the majors was last year with the Twins, where he had a 5.31 ERA in 42 games, all in relief. He’ll probably get called up in September if he has a great year but not out of Spring Training.
Percentage: 1.4%
Scott Feldman, RHP:
Scott has proven himself in the bigs and has almost clinched a middle relief spot.
Percentage: 98.9%
Frank Francisco, RHP:
Frank can be a good pitcher if he stays healthy. I think if he is healthy, that he gets a real shot at a middle relief role or the seventh inning role.
Percentage: 89.6%
Eric Gagne, RHP:
Eric’s our closer unless he gets injured.
Percentage: 100%
Armando Galarraga, RHP:
Armando struggled with injuries last year and went 1-6 with a 4.61 ERA in 9 starts with Frisco. He isn’t going to the majors this year and will probably be gone by the time Spring Training is halfway through.
Percentage: 0%
Franklyn German, RHP:
Franklyn has a chance of making the team, although not a very good one. He has a 4.60 ERA in 137 IP spread throughout five years. Last year, he had a 3.00 ERA in 12.0 innings pitched. He is not home run prone nor is he great against home runs. He has 99 strikeouts in his career. He doesn’t have bad stats but he’s coming off of shoulder surgery, which could really limit his effectiveness.
Percentage: 19.4%
Daniel Haigwood, LHP:
Daniel won’t make it to the bigs this year. He had a 3.63 ERA with Frisco last year in 62 innings. He allowed 4 HR and had a record of 1-2.
Percentage: 0%
Eric Hurley, RHP:
Eric Hurley isn’t ready for the majors nor is he going to be in the majors. The Rangers probably brought him to big league camp to show him how highly they think of him.
Percentage: 0%
John Koronka, LHP:
John Koronka, John Rheinecker and Bruce Chen are the left-handers competing for the 5th starter and will be the only lefty in the rotation if they win the 5th job. Koronka is the most likely of the three since he pitched so well at the beginning of the season last year.
Percentage: 45.6%
Wes Littleton, RHP:
With Wes’ performance last year he is going to make the team if he doesn’t do awful.
Percentage: 95.8%
Kameron Loe, RHP:
Kameron is going to compete for the 5th starter role but probably won’t make it. He also could be a reliever but probably not out of spring training. He struggled last year in both the majors and the minors and probably will need to pitch well in AAA before getting called up.
Percentage: 25.4%
Ron Mahay, LHP:
Mahay was 1-3 with a 3.95 ERA in 62 appearances last season, his fourth in Texas. He has a guaranteed contract so probably will make the team.
Percentage: 92.9%
Brandon McCarthy, RHP:
Brandon is the #3 starter no matter what, in my opinion.
Percentage: 100%
Kevin Millwood, RHP:
Kevin is the ace of this team and the ace makes the team.
Percentage: 100%
AJ Murray, LHP:
AJ has had a decent minor league career but has struggled with injuries (he didn’t pitch in 2004 or 2006). He won’t make the team for at least two more years.
Percentage: 0%
Alexi Ogando, RHP:
Alexi can’t come to camp because he can’t get a visa.
Percentage: 0%
Akinori Otsuka, RHP:
Aki’s the set-up man unless he gets injured.
Percentage: 100%
Vicente Padilla, RHP:
Padilla’s the #2 starter.
Percentage: 100%
John Rheinecker, LHP:
John is going to compete for the 5th starting pitcher job in Spring Training, but with his shaky finish last year, I don’t think he’ll win the job.
Percentage: 10.6%
Scott Rice, LHP:
Scott is a middle reliever who will compete for a job at Spring Training. He had a 3.86 ERA in 65.1 innings last year. That was his first year in Triple-A. If he wins the job, he’s going to be one of the least used relievers.
Percentage: 11.4%
Josh Rupe, RHP:
Josh was held back from injuries last year, and he probably would have been the 5th starter. When he got back he posted a 3.41 ERA in 29 innings pitched for the Rangers.
Percentage: 31.9%
Robinson Tejeda, RHP:
Robinson is our #4 starter unless he really struggles in camp.
Percentage: 99.9%
Jose Vargas, RHP:
Jose spent the last two years in the Triple-A Mexican League. Last year, he went 6-4 with a 1.36 ERA in 73 innings. He had 70 strikeouts and only allowed one homer. He also had 27 saves, leading the league. He seems like a very good player who could win a relieving spot.
Percentage: 45.9%
Edinson Volquez, RHP:
Edinson is probably one of the least likely of the competitors for the 5th starting job because he has options and has really struggled in the majors so far in his career.
Percentage: 9.7%
CJ Wilson, LHP:
CJ has clinched a bullpen job.
Percentage: 100%
Mike Wood, RHP:
Wood has career stats of a 13-20 record with a 5.52 ERA in 293.1 innings pitched. He has given up 45 HR’s, becoming more and more home run prone each year. He probably won’t make the team.
Percentage: 6.1%
Jamey Wright, RHP:
Jamey has 11 years of MLB experience. His career stats are a 67-98 record with a 5.14 ERA in 1461.2 IP. Last year he had a 6-10 record posting a 5.19 ERA in 156 IP. Jamey hasn’t had a good career so far and probably will not win the job.
Percentage: 8.6%
Predicted pitchers at the beginning of the year:
1. Kevin Millwood-starter
2. Vicente Padilla-starter
3. Brandon McCarthy-starter
4. Robinson Tejeda-starter
5. John Koronka-left-handed starter
6. Joaquin Benoit-long reliever
7. Scott Feldman-middle reliever
8. CJ Wilson-middle reliever
9. Ron Mahay-middle reliever
10. Wes Littleton-middle reliever
11. Akinori Otsuka-setup
12. Eric Gagne-closer
Next in line:
1. Rick Bauer
2. Bruce Chen
3. Josh Rupe
4. Jose Vargas
5. Frank Francisco
Come back next week for outfielders and the one DH. I’ll continue my analysis of the divisions after this series.
Rick Bauer, RHP:
Rick had a very good season last year, but ended it badly. He will probably make the team unless he either gets injured or plays awful.
Percentage: 86.7%
Joaquin Benoit, RHP:
Benoit’s a clinch at the long reliever position.
Percentage: 100%
Bruce Chen, LHP:
He is very home run prone and had a very bad year last year. He had a 6.93 ERA for the Orioles last year, a 3.83 ERA in ’05 and a 4.60 ERA in his 9-year career, playing for the Braves, Phillies, Mets, Expos, Reds, Astros, Red Sox, and finally the Orioles. The Rangers might be the 9th team on that list. But he does have a decent chance because he’s had a decent career and he would be the only lefty in the rotation. He will also be competing with two other left-handers (John Koronka and John Rheinecker) who is more likely to win the job. Even if Chen isn’t the 5th starter, he could become a long relief pitcher. If he doesn’t make the Rangers out of camp, he’ll probably be brought up during the season.
Percentage: 39.7%
Francisco Cruceta, RHP:
The Rangers acquired Cruceta off waivers from the Mariners after last season. He was a starter with AAA Tacoma last season, where he went 13-9 with a 4.38 ERA in 28 games. Cruceta is probably not going to make the team with our strong bullpen. He has a pretty low chance although he probably will be called up in September, since he’s on the 40-man roster.
Percentage: 2.1%
Thomas Diamond, RHP:
Thomas probably won’t make it to the bigs until September this year, much less out of camp. He’ll spend the year at AAA.
Percentage: 2.1%
Willie Eyre, RHP:
Willie’s only year in the majors was last year with the Twins, where he had a 5.31 ERA in 42 games, all in relief. He’ll probably get called up in September if he has a great year but not out of Spring Training.
Percentage: 1.4%
Scott Feldman, RHP:
Scott has proven himself in the bigs and has almost clinched a middle relief spot.
Percentage: 98.9%
Frank Francisco, RHP:
Frank can be a good pitcher if he stays healthy. I think if he is healthy, that he gets a real shot at a middle relief role or the seventh inning role.
Percentage: 89.6%
Eric Gagne, RHP:
Eric’s our closer unless he gets injured.
Percentage: 100%
Armando Galarraga, RHP:
Armando struggled with injuries last year and went 1-6 with a 4.61 ERA in 9 starts with Frisco. He isn’t going to the majors this year and will probably be gone by the time Spring Training is halfway through.
Percentage: 0%
Franklyn German, RHP:
Franklyn has a chance of making the team, although not a very good one. He has a 4.60 ERA in 137 IP spread throughout five years. Last year, he had a 3.00 ERA in 12.0 innings pitched. He is not home run prone nor is he great against home runs. He has 99 strikeouts in his career. He doesn’t have bad stats but he’s coming off of shoulder surgery, which could really limit his effectiveness.
Percentage: 19.4%
Daniel Haigwood, LHP:
Daniel won’t make it to the bigs this year. He had a 3.63 ERA with Frisco last year in 62 innings. He allowed 4 HR and had a record of 1-2.
Percentage: 0%
Eric Hurley, RHP:
Eric Hurley isn’t ready for the majors nor is he going to be in the majors. The Rangers probably brought him to big league camp to show him how highly they think of him.
Percentage: 0%
John Koronka, LHP:
John Koronka, John Rheinecker and Bruce Chen are the left-handers competing for the 5th starter and will be the only lefty in the rotation if they win the 5th job. Koronka is the most likely of the three since he pitched so well at the beginning of the season last year.
Percentage: 45.6%
Wes Littleton, RHP:
With Wes’ performance last year he is going to make the team if he doesn’t do awful.
Percentage: 95.8%
Kameron Loe, RHP:
Kameron is going to compete for the 5th starter role but probably won’t make it. He also could be a reliever but probably not out of spring training. He struggled last year in both the majors and the minors and probably will need to pitch well in AAA before getting called up.
Percentage: 25.4%
Ron Mahay, LHP:
Mahay was 1-3 with a 3.95 ERA in 62 appearances last season, his fourth in Texas. He has a guaranteed contract so probably will make the team.
Percentage: 92.9%
Brandon McCarthy, RHP:
Brandon is the #3 starter no matter what, in my opinion.
Percentage: 100%
Kevin Millwood, RHP:
Kevin is the ace of this team and the ace makes the team.
Percentage: 100%
AJ Murray, LHP:
AJ has had a decent minor league career but has struggled with injuries (he didn’t pitch in 2004 or 2006). He won’t make the team for at least two more years.
Percentage: 0%
Alexi Ogando, RHP:
Alexi can’t come to camp because he can’t get a visa.
Percentage: 0%
Akinori Otsuka, RHP:
Aki’s the set-up man unless he gets injured.
Percentage: 100%
Vicente Padilla, RHP:
Padilla’s the #2 starter.
Percentage: 100%
John Rheinecker, LHP:
John is going to compete for the 5th starting pitcher job in Spring Training, but with his shaky finish last year, I don’t think he’ll win the job.
Percentage: 10.6%
Scott Rice, LHP:
Scott is a middle reliever who will compete for a job at Spring Training. He had a 3.86 ERA in 65.1 innings last year. That was his first year in Triple-A. If he wins the job, he’s going to be one of the least used relievers.
Percentage: 11.4%
Josh Rupe, RHP:
Josh was held back from injuries last year, and he probably would have been the 5th starter. When he got back he posted a 3.41 ERA in 29 innings pitched for the Rangers.
Percentage: 31.9%
Robinson Tejeda, RHP:
Robinson is our #4 starter unless he really struggles in camp.
Percentage: 99.9%
Jose Vargas, RHP:
Jose spent the last two years in the Triple-A Mexican League. Last year, he went 6-4 with a 1.36 ERA in 73 innings. He had 70 strikeouts and only allowed one homer. He also had 27 saves, leading the league. He seems like a very good player who could win a relieving spot.
Percentage: 45.9%
Edinson Volquez, RHP:
Edinson is probably one of the least likely of the competitors for the 5th starting job because he has options and has really struggled in the majors so far in his career.
Percentage: 9.7%
CJ Wilson, LHP:
CJ has clinched a bullpen job.
Percentage: 100%
Mike Wood, RHP:
Wood has career stats of a 13-20 record with a 5.52 ERA in 293.1 innings pitched. He has given up 45 HR’s, becoming more and more home run prone each year. He probably won’t make the team.
Percentage: 6.1%
Jamey Wright, RHP:
Jamey has 11 years of MLB experience. His career stats are a 67-98 record with a 5.14 ERA in 1461.2 IP. Last year he had a 6-10 record posting a 5.19 ERA in 156 IP. Jamey hasn’t had a good career so far and probably will not win the job.
Percentage: 8.6%
Predicted pitchers at the beginning of the year:
1. Kevin Millwood-starter
2. Vicente Padilla-starter
3. Brandon McCarthy-starter
4. Robinson Tejeda-starter
5. John Koronka-left-handed starter
6. Joaquin Benoit-long reliever
7. Scott Feldman-middle reliever
8. CJ Wilson-middle reliever
9. Ron Mahay-middle reliever
10. Wes Littleton-middle reliever
11. Akinori Otsuka-setup
12. Eric Gagne-closer
Next in line:
1. Rick Bauer
2. Bruce Chen
3. Josh Rupe
4. Jose Vargas
5. Frank Francisco
Come back next week for outfielders and the one DH. I’ll continue my analysis of the divisions after this series.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
AL Central Off-Season Analysis
This week, I will analyze the off-seasons of the teams in the AL Central.
White Sox:
Players gained:
Toby Hall
Luis Terrero
John Danks
Nick Masset
Junior Spivey
Darin Erstad
John Lujan
Rusty Tucker
Bucky Jacobsen
Gavin Floyd
Gio Gonzalez
Mike MacDougal
Andrew Sisco
Jacob Rasner
David Aardsma
Carlos Vasquez
Ross Gload
Players lost:
Dustin Hermanson
Jeff Nelson
David Riske
Cliff Polite
Freddy Garcia
Brandon McCarthy
Neal Cotts
David Paisano
Eduardo Sierra
Chris Stewart
Evaluation:
They have gained plenty of decent young people but lost some very good players.
Grade: B-
Cleveland Indians:
Players gained:
Joe Borowski
David Dellucci
Aaron Fultz
Roberto Hernandez
Mike Rose
Keith Foulke
Trot Nixon
Jason Michaels
Keith Ginter
Luis Rivas
Jeff Harris
Mike Rose
Josh Barfield
Players lost:
Kevin Kouzmanoff
Andrew Brown
Aaron Boone
Danny Graves
Ramon Vazquez
Evaluation:
The Indians have not lost much at all but have gained plenty.
Grade: A+
Detroit Tigers:
Players gained:
Jose Mesa
Gary Sheffield
Yorman Bazardo
Joey Eischen
Timo Perez
Edward Campusano
Players lost:
Dustin Mohr
Troy Percival
Matt Stairs
Jamie Walker
Dmitri Young
Alexis Gomez
Humberto Sanchez
Kevin Whelan
Anthony Claggett
Evaluation:
The Tigers didn’t give up any starters but they got one of the best players in the league in Gary Sheffield.
Grade: A-
Minnesota Twins:
Players gained:
Carmen Cali
Randy Choate
Jeff Cirillo
Ken Harvey
Mike Venafro
Sidney Ponson
Alejandro Machado
Players lost:
Willie Eyre
Brad Radke
Mike Smith
Evaluation:
They haven’t gained anything big and they lost a big part of their rotation, especially with the fact that Francisco Liriano is out for the year with an injury.
Grade: D+
Kansas City Royals:
Players gained:
Dewon Brazelton
Octavio Dotel
Wayne Franklin
Gil Meche
Jason LaRue
Russ Haltiwanger
Alex S. Gonzalez
Max Pierre
David Riske
Brandon Duckworth
Zach Day
Joakim Soria
Rich Lewis
Brian Bannister
Ken Ray
Players lost:
Steve Andrade
Paul Bako
Ken Harvey
Doug Mientkiewicz
Mark Redman
Jeff Keppinger
Andrew Sisco
Ambiorix Burgos
Runelvys Hernandez
Donnie Murphy
Evaluation:
The Royals haven’t lost much but haven’t gained much either. They have gained more than they lost, though.
Grade: B+
Off-Season Rankings
1. Cleveland Indians
2. Detroit Tigers
3. Kansas City Royals
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Minnesota Twins
Projected Standings
1. Detroit Tigers
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Minnesota Twins
5. Kansas City Royals
Come back next week for an analysis of the off-seasons of the teams in the AL East.
White Sox:
Players gained:
Toby Hall
Luis Terrero
John Danks
Nick Masset
Junior Spivey
Darin Erstad
John Lujan
Rusty Tucker
Bucky Jacobsen
Gavin Floyd
Gio Gonzalez
Mike MacDougal
Andrew Sisco
Jacob Rasner
David Aardsma
Carlos Vasquez
Ross Gload
Players lost:
Dustin Hermanson
Jeff Nelson
David Riske
Cliff Polite
Freddy Garcia
Brandon McCarthy
Neal Cotts
David Paisano
Eduardo Sierra
Chris Stewart
Evaluation:
They have gained plenty of decent young people but lost some very good players.
Grade: B-
Cleveland Indians:
Players gained:
Joe Borowski
David Dellucci
Aaron Fultz
Roberto Hernandez
Mike Rose
Keith Foulke
Trot Nixon
Jason Michaels
Keith Ginter
Luis Rivas
Jeff Harris
Mike Rose
Josh Barfield
Players lost:
Kevin Kouzmanoff
Andrew Brown
Aaron Boone
Danny Graves
Ramon Vazquez
Evaluation:
The Indians have not lost much at all but have gained plenty.
Grade: A+
Detroit Tigers:
Players gained:
Jose Mesa
Gary Sheffield
Yorman Bazardo
Joey Eischen
Timo Perez
Edward Campusano
Players lost:
Dustin Mohr
Troy Percival
Matt Stairs
Jamie Walker
Dmitri Young
Alexis Gomez
Humberto Sanchez
Kevin Whelan
Anthony Claggett
Evaluation:
The Tigers didn’t give up any starters but they got one of the best players in the league in Gary Sheffield.
Grade: A-
Minnesota Twins:
Players gained:
Carmen Cali
Randy Choate
Jeff Cirillo
Ken Harvey
Mike Venafro
Sidney Ponson
Alejandro Machado
Players lost:
Willie Eyre
Brad Radke
Mike Smith
Evaluation:
They haven’t gained anything big and they lost a big part of their rotation, especially with the fact that Francisco Liriano is out for the year with an injury.
Grade: D+
Kansas City Royals:
Players gained:
Dewon Brazelton
Octavio Dotel
Wayne Franklin
Gil Meche
Jason LaRue
Russ Haltiwanger
Alex S. Gonzalez
Max Pierre
David Riske
Brandon Duckworth
Zach Day
Joakim Soria
Rich Lewis
Brian Bannister
Ken Ray
Players lost:
Steve Andrade
Paul Bako
Ken Harvey
Doug Mientkiewicz
Mark Redman
Jeff Keppinger
Andrew Sisco
Ambiorix Burgos
Runelvys Hernandez
Donnie Murphy
Evaluation:
The Royals haven’t lost much but haven’t gained much either. They have gained more than they lost, though.
Grade: B+
Off-Season Rankings
1. Cleveland Indians
2. Detroit Tigers
3. Kansas City Royals
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Minnesota Twins
Projected Standings
1. Detroit Tigers
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Minnesota Twins
5. Kansas City Royals
Come back next week for an analysis of the off-seasons of the teams in the AL East.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
CJ Wilson Interview
This week I did an interview with Rangers relief pitcher CJ Wilson.
1. Who are the three toughest hitters you’ve faced and why?
Little guys like Chone Figgins and Ichiro used to give me a headache, but my favorite 'tough hitters' to face now are Vlad Guerrero and Derek Jeter. They're very aggressive and can hit the ball to any part of the field.
2. Who are your three favorite teammates since you joined the Rangers organization and why?
Kameron Loe, Mark DeRosa, and Chris Young. Since DeRo and C.Y. are gone - I'd say Aki and Josh Rupe.
3. What did you think your role would be for the team you were drafted by heading into the 2001 draft (starting pitcher, relief pitcher, or hitter)?
I was drafted as a starting pitcher, although some teams wanted me to be a hitter in later rounds of the draft. The Rangers picked me before other teams, so they gave me some good money and said, ‘We want to see you in the starting rotation for us in a few years’.
4. What was your first thought when you found out you were going to need Tommy John surgery in 2003?
I was relieved actually. It was an excruciating pain every day just to play catch. I threw for almost a month with no ligament and it was terrible. Once I found out that's what it was, I knew I'd come back stronger just like John Smoltz, Mariano Rivera, and some other guys have.
5. What was the recovery process for your Tommy John surgery like?
The worst part is just not being able to play baseball for so long. ObviouslyI really enjoy competing and being on the field, and you have to get somenew hobbies to deal with all the extra energy you're not used to having. I spent a lot of time working out, and getting my body stronger and moreflexible so that it would handle throwing harder when I came back.
6. During your first major league season in 2005, why do you think you were so much more successful as a reliever (2.73 ERA in 18 games) than as a starter (12.05 ERA in 6 games)?
That summer I wasn't ready to be a starter. My pitch count and stamina were so low I really had no chance to succeed. It was a great experience though, and I learned a lot of things not to do. I really enjoy relief pitching – it's a lot more adrenaline,more my natural style.
7. What is the best thing about being a major league ballplayer and why?
The best things are being able to play every day, and facing guys like Jeter who I know will end up in the hall of fame one day. It's the ultimate challenge.
8. What is the biggest adjustment you had to make when you started facing major-league hitting?
The best hitters on the team in AA and AAA are about as good as some of the hitters in the majors, so you just have to remember that nobody hits .400, not even Albert Pujols. I do the same things I've always done – I just have to do it more often.
9. What was it like to be called up to the Rangers in June 2005 in Florida?
I was really surprised because I knew I wasn't ready physically. I had only been pitching for about 8 weeks or so after missing 20 months. But I was very excited because it was my dream since I was about 8 years old.
10. What’s it like to room with Kameron Loe? Do you ever have to feed his snake?
He's a great guy, and we've grown to be like brothers. We laugh at the same movies and hang out all the time. We have a lot of fun together and it's good for both of us. He's the funny one and I'm the responsible one I guess. I've fed the snake a few times, the hardest part is just going to buy the rat. You feel bad feeding a live animal to another live animal. It's usually over really quick.
11. How did it feel to make it all the way to double-AA during your first full pro season?
My main goal when I got drafted was to get to the big leagues as fast as possible, and I told myself I'd buy a Porsche 911 if I got to AA n my first full season as an incentive. I wasn't really surprised, because I worked so hard and it meant more to me than anything to learn as fast as possible. The low minors are very hard to understand until you live through it, but you don't want to spend a lot of time thereif possible. So instead of 'enjoying' myself with the guys, I just sat at home and thought of ways to get better.
12. What is your best pitch and how was it developed?
My best pitch is my fastball. I guess the key ingredient is having a lot of confidencewhen I throw it. I've worked for over 15 years to try and build arm strength, smooth out my mechanics, and gain velocity. When I was 16 I threw about 75 mph and now I can throw 95. I went to Alaska in 2000 as a closer and a centerfielder. I worked out really hard and read a lot of pitching books. Before the summer I topped out at 87 mph and after I could hit 91. I gained about 10 lbs of muscle in my shoulders and back and that's probably the biggest reason. After Tommy John surgery my elbow was stronger than ever and my velocity went up again, but this time it was probably because of better use of my mechanics.
13. What do you think your long-term role with the team will be and why?
Eventually I will either be a starting pitcher or the closer. Some of the coaches think I should do one or the other, but I think being the closer is a great job.
14. What was the key to your success in the second half of 2006?
I had some nagging tendonitis when I got sent down to Oklahoma City in June, and when it healed I was concerned more with my location for my pitches. When I got sent back up, I stopped walking people and my ERA went down a lot. Walks really hurt relievers because the coach usually pulls you out of the game when you walk guys, so they're on base and the next guy doesn't always strike out the first hitter. Usually if you walk a hitter as a relief pitcher, they score.
15. What’s been the best game so far of your professional career andwhy?
I had some really good games in the minors, but I would say in the majors, my first save against the Twins, or my first win against the White Sox in 2005 were really awesome. For the save, Kameron and I combined to shut out the Twins on only 6 hits I think. The win against the White Sox was great because it was about 5 days later, and I was really sick that day. I pitched 5 innings and only gave up one run. It was my first win since June or July of 2003 - that's a really long time.
16. What sports did you play growing up and which were you best at?
I played soccer, basketball, golf, and I also swam and surfed. I was a better golfer than the rest, but I wish I would have played more soccer. I still play soccer with my friends back in California when I go home. I really hope Tom Hicks decides to buy the Liverpool team so I can go to England and watch them play next off-season.
17. What was your favorite team growing up?
My favorite sports team was the L.A. Lakers, but I really liked baseball and was able to watch a lot of it with both the Dodgers and Angels always on TV.
18. What are you working on in the off-season?
Baseball wise, I've been working on a new windup, and also getting my change-up and curveball back to where they were before 2005. Having more weapons as a pitcher just means I can be even better. This off-season I am working on being a more complete part of the organization by doing as many media events and charity projects as I can. The better player you are, the more you can help people, and also the more demand there is for your time. Being able to juggle all the phases of thatis very difficult for most players.
19. The Rangers website lists one of your hobbies as traveling. Where do you like to travel?
I like to go to the beach, so San Diego, Newport Beach, and Mexico rank really high. After 2005 I went to Japan and China. Tokyo is a great city. This off-season I am going to Europe, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, and maybe England if Mr. Hicks buys Liverpool.
20. How much time do you spend on the computer in an average day? Whatare your favorite sites?
During the off-season I probably spend three or four hours a day online. I maintain my myspace fan site (www.myspace.com/blueglove36) as well as post on message boards like the Newberg report and lonestarball. I try to see what's going on in the world with news sites, and stay in touch with my friends with email. I also read a lot about cars, movies, and video games, and my friends forward me funny links. So...autotrader.com, rennlist.com, bestbuy.com, moviefone.com, imdb.com, ebaumsworld.com, and youtube.com. And of course I search Google a few times a day.
I would like to thank CJ for giving me so much of his time to do this interview. I’ve gotten to talk to CJ a lot at different Rangers events and he is always very friendly and willing to spend time with fans.
Come back next week for an analysis of the AL Central off-season.
1. Who are the three toughest hitters you’ve faced and why?
Little guys like Chone Figgins and Ichiro used to give me a headache, but my favorite 'tough hitters' to face now are Vlad Guerrero and Derek Jeter. They're very aggressive and can hit the ball to any part of the field.
2. Who are your three favorite teammates since you joined the Rangers organization and why?
Kameron Loe, Mark DeRosa, and Chris Young. Since DeRo and C.Y. are gone - I'd say Aki and Josh Rupe.
3. What did you think your role would be for the team you were drafted by heading into the 2001 draft (starting pitcher, relief pitcher, or hitter)?
I was drafted as a starting pitcher, although some teams wanted me to be a hitter in later rounds of the draft. The Rangers picked me before other teams, so they gave me some good money and said, ‘We want to see you in the starting rotation for us in a few years’.
4. What was your first thought when you found out you were going to need Tommy John surgery in 2003?
I was relieved actually. It was an excruciating pain every day just to play catch. I threw for almost a month with no ligament and it was terrible. Once I found out that's what it was, I knew I'd come back stronger just like John Smoltz, Mariano Rivera, and some other guys have.
5. What was the recovery process for your Tommy John surgery like?
The worst part is just not being able to play baseball for so long. ObviouslyI really enjoy competing and being on the field, and you have to get somenew hobbies to deal with all the extra energy you're not used to having. I spent a lot of time working out, and getting my body stronger and moreflexible so that it would handle throwing harder when I came back.
6. During your first major league season in 2005, why do you think you were so much more successful as a reliever (2.73 ERA in 18 games) than as a starter (12.05 ERA in 6 games)?
That summer I wasn't ready to be a starter. My pitch count and stamina were so low I really had no chance to succeed. It was a great experience though, and I learned a lot of things not to do. I really enjoy relief pitching – it's a lot more adrenaline,more my natural style.
7. What is the best thing about being a major league ballplayer and why?
The best things are being able to play every day, and facing guys like Jeter who I know will end up in the hall of fame one day. It's the ultimate challenge.
8. What is the biggest adjustment you had to make when you started facing major-league hitting?
The best hitters on the team in AA and AAA are about as good as some of the hitters in the majors, so you just have to remember that nobody hits .400, not even Albert Pujols. I do the same things I've always done – I just have to do it more often.
9. What was it like to be called up to the Rangers in June 2005 in Florida?
I was really surprised because I knew I wasn't ready physically. I had only been pitching for about 8 weeks or so after missing 20 months. But I was very excited because it was my dream since I was about 8 years old.
10. What’s it like to room with Kameron Loe? Do you ever have to feed his snake?
He's a great guy, and we've grown to be like brothers. We laugh at the same movies and hang out all the time. We have a lot of fun together and it's good for both of us. He's the funny one and I'm the responsible one I guess. I've fed the snake a few times, the hardest part is just going to buy the rat. You feel bad feeding a live animal to another live animal. It's usually over really quick.
11. How did it feel to make it all the way to double-AA during your first full pro season?
My main goal when I got drafted was to get to the big leagues as fast as possible, and I told myself I'd buy a Porsche 911 if I got to AA n my first full season as an incentive. I wasn't really surprised, because I worked so hard and it meant more to me than anything to learn as fast as possible. The low minors are very hard to understand until you live through it, but you don't want to spend a lot of time thereif possible. So instead of 'enjoying' myself with the guys, I just sat at home and thought of ways to get better.
12. What is your best pitch and how was it developed?
My best pitch is my fastball. I guess the key ingredient is having a lot of confidencewhen I throw it. I've worked for over 15 years to try and build arm strength, smooth out my mechanics, and gain velocity. When I was 16 I threw about 75 mph and now I can throw 95. I went to Alaska in 2000 as a closer and a centerfielder. I worked out really hard and read a lot of pitching books. Before the summer I topped out at 87 mph and after I could hit 91. I gained about 10 lbs of muscle in my shoulders and back and that's probably the biggest reason. After Tommy John surgery my elbow was stronger than ever and my velocity went up again, but this time it was probably because of better use of my mechanics.
13. What do you think your long-term role with the team will be and why?
Eventually I will either be a starting pitcher or the closer. Some of the coaches think I should do one or the other, but I think being the closer is a great job.
14. What was the key to your success in the second half of 2006?
I had some nagging tendonitis when I got sent down to Oklahoma City in June, and when it healed I was concerned more with my location for my pitches. When I got sent back up, I stopped walking people and my ERA went down a lot. Walks really hurt relievers because the coach usually pulls you out of the game when you walk guys, so they're on base and the next guy doesn't always strike out the first hitter. Usually if you walk a hitter as a relief pitcher, they score.
15. What’s been the best game so far of your professional career andwhy?
I had some really good games in the minors, but I would say in the majors, my first save against the Twins, or my first win against the White Sox in 2005 were really awesome. For the save, Kameron and I combined to shut out the Twins on only 6 hits I think. The win against the White Sox was great because it was about 5 days later, and I was really sick that day. I pitched 5 innings and only gave up one run. It was my first win since June or July of 2003 - that's a really long time.
16. What sports did you play growing up and which were you best at?
I played soccer, basketball, golf, and I also swam and surfed. I was a better golfer than the rest, but I wish I would have played more soccer. I still play soccer with my friends back in California when I go home. I really hope Tom Hicks decides to buy the Liverpool team so I can go to England and watch them play next off-season.
17. What was your favorite team growing up?
My favorite sports team was the L.A. Lakers, but I really liked baseball and was able to watch a lot of it with both the Dodgers and Angels always on TV.
18. What are you working on in the off-season?
Baseball wise, I've been working on a new windup, and also getting my change-up and curveball back to where they were before 2005. Having more weapons as a pitcher just means I can be even better. This off-season I am working on being a more complete part of the organization by doing as many media events and charity projects as I can. The better player you are, the more you can help people, and also the more demand there is for your time. Being able to juggle all the phases of thatis very difficult for most players.
19. The Rangers website lists one of your hobbies as traveling. Where do you like to travel?
I like to go to the beach, so San Diego, Newport Beach, and Mexico rank really high. After 2005 I went to Japan and China. Tokyo is a great city. This off-season I am going to Europe, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, and maybe England if Mr. Hicks buys Liverpool.
20. How much time do you spend on the computer in an average day? Whatare your favorite sites?
During the off-season I probably spend three or four hours a day online. I maintain my myspace fan site (www.myspace.com/blueglove36) as well as post on message boards like the Newberg report and lonestarball. I try to see what's going on in the world with news sites, and stay in touch with my friends with email. I also read a lot about cars, movies, and video games, and my friends forward me funny links. So...autotrader.com, rennlist.com, bestbuy.com, moviefone.com, imdb.com, ebaumsworld.com, and youtube.com. And of course I search Google a few times a day.
I would like to thank CJ for giving me so much of his time to do this interview. I’ve gotten to talk to CJ a lot at different Rangers events and he is always very friendly and willing to spend time with fans.
Come back next week for an analysis of the AL Central off-season.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Rangers Fan Fest Summary
The Rangers had their Fan Fest yesterday (January 27th). My dad and I spent the day there and I will describe what happened in this week’s blog.
9:00 am: We got in line a little before 9am, which was when they were supposed to open the gates. We ended up being in line with Shirley (The Cookie Lady), who was very nice, as always, and gave cookies to me and my dad. It was very chaotic getting in. They had a piece of paper you had to sign before you could get in but they didn’t tell you anything about it. They had no organization to it and just had people standing around with clipboards at different spots towards the front of the line. You had to figure out on your own that you had to sign the clipboard. Then you had to go into a mob of people to get to the clipboard and shove your way to the front because there was no line for getting to those people. Then you had to go into another mob to get a wristband (that you didn’t end up needing for anything) from other people standing around, near the people with clipboards. Then you had to wait in a line to get in. It took over half an hour to get into the ballpark. Because of that, we missed two Q&A sessions, including the Mark Teixeira one.
10:00 am: I went to the Newberg table and got Chris Davis’ autograph. Like usual, the Newberg table had my favorite autograph guests. Jamey and Eleanor were there and I got to talk to them a lot during the day, which was great. Then I went and checked out the booths. T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com was at one. He’s very nice and has a great blog at http://trsullivan.mlblogs.com/. Then I talked to Roger Emrich. He’s a great guy and does sports on KRLD.
11:00 am: I went back to the Newberg Table and got Nate Gold’s autograph. After that, we had lunch. I caught the very end of the John Lombardo / Scott Servais Q&A session. They said that the biggest difference between Buck Showalter and Ron Washington is that Buck paid a lot of attention to the minors while Ron focuses on the guys on the 25-man roster.
12:00 pm: I was at the broadcasters’ Q&A session. Eric Nadel said that the best move this off-season was the Brandon McCarthy trade. He said that the most disappointing one was to see Gary Matthews, Jr. go even though he agreed that it was too much money. After that I stayed for the Comedy Improv. A very nice photographer for the Rangers, Brad, leads the Improv. They did 5 different things and were very funny. I was brought up to be in Storytime, where there is a pointer who will point at a member of the Improv and he will make up part of a story. Then the pointer will point at someone else and that person will continue the story. They let me be part of it and it was really fun.
1:00 pm: I went back to the Newberg table and got Eric Hurley’s autograph. I then went back to the booths and met Mike Ogulnick, who does Rangers sports for KRLD. He was really friendly and I enjoyed meeting him.
2:00 pm: I watched part of another Improv then stayed for the Jeff Cogen Q&A session. I asked when they were going to update the bricks outside the ballpark that have all of the player information (stats and awards) from each year of the Rangers. The last year they updated it was 1997. Jeff agreed that they needed to update it and said that he would take care of it. I also learned that the Rangers and away team are going to switch batting practice times when the Rangers are at home, so the visitors will bat first and the Rangers second. They’re doing this so that more fans can watch the Rangers take batting practice.
3:00 pm: I went back to the Newberg table and got Thomas Diamond’s autograph. Then I got CJ Wilson’s autograph and he said that I could interview him sometime soon for a blog entry. And the last thing I did before we left was get Rich Hand’s and Larry Hardy’s autographs.
It was a great day as always at the Fan Fest. I particularly enjoyed the Q&A sessions, the Improvs, and talking to people like Jamey, Eleanor, Roger, and T.R. during the day.
Come back next week for an interview with CJ Wilson (if it’s done).
9:00 am: We got in line a little before 9am, which was when they were supposed to open the gates. We ended up being in line with Shirley (The Cookie Lady), who was very nice, as always, and gave cookies to me and my dad. It was very chaotic getting in. They had a piece of paper you had to sign before you could get in but they didn’t tell you anything about it. They had no organization to it and just had people standing around with clipboards at different spots towards the front of the line. You had to figure out on your own that you had to sign the clipboard. Then you had to go into a mob of people to get to the clipboard and shove your way to the front because there was no line for getting to those people. Then you had to go into another mob to get a wristband (that you didn’t end up needing for anything) from other people standing around, near the people with clipboards. Then you had to wait in a line to get in. It took over half an hour to get into the ballpark. Because of that, we missed two Q&A sessions, including the Mark Teixeira one.
10:00 am: I went to the Newberg table and got Chris Davis’ autograph. Like usual, the Newberg table had my favorite autograph guests. Jamey and Eleanor were there and I got to talk to them a lot during the day, which was great. Then I went and checked out the booths. T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com was at one. He’s very nice and has a great blog at http://trsullivan.mlblogs.com/. Then I talked to Roger Emrich. He’s a great guy and does sports on KRLD.
11:00 am: I went back to the Newberg Table and got Nate Gold’s autograph. After that, we had lunch. I caught the very end of the John Lombardo / Scott Servais Q&A session. They said that the biggest difference between Buck Showalter and Ron Washington is that Buck paid a lot of attention to the minors while Ron focuses on the guys on the 25-man roster.
12:00 pm: I was at the broadcasters’ Q&A session. Eric Nadel said that the best move this off-season was the Brandon McCarthy trade. He said that the most disappointing one was to see Gary Matthews, Jr. go even though he agreed that it was too much money. After that I stayed for the Comedy Improv. A very nice photographer for the Rangers, Brad, leads the Improv. They did 5 different things and were very funny. I was brought up to be in Storytime, where there is a pointer who will point at a member of the Improv and he will make up part of a story. Then the pointer will point at someone else and that person will continue the story. They let me be part of it and it was really fun.
1:00 pm: I went back to the Newberg table and got Eric Hurley’s autograph. I then went back to the booths and met Mike Ogulnick, who does Rangers sports for KRLD. He was really friendly and I enjoyed meeting him.
2:00 pm: I watched part of another Improv then stayed for the Jeff Cogen Q&A session. I asked when they were going to update the bricks outside the ballpark that have all of the player information (stats and awards) from each year of the Rangers. The last year they updated it was 1997. Jeff agreed that they needed to update it and said that he would take care of it. I also learned that the Rangers and away team are going to switch batting practice times when the Rangers are at home, so the visitors will bat first and the Rangers second. They’re doing this so that more fans can watch the Rangers take batting practice.
3:00 pm: I went back to the Newberg table and got Thomas Diamond’s autograph. Then I got CJ Wilson’s autograph and he said that I could interview him sometime soon for a blog entry. And the last thing I did before we left was get Rich Hand’s and Larry Hardy’s autographs.
It was a great day as always at the Fan Fest. I particularly enjoyed the Q&A sessions, the Improvs, and talking to people like Jamey, Eleanor, Roger, and T.R. during the day.
Come back next week for an interview with CJ Wilson (if it’s done).
Sunday, January 21, 2007
AL West Off-Season Analysis
This week I will analyze every team in the AL West’s off-season, rank their off-seasons and give my projected 2007 standings for the AL West at this point.
Angels:
Players gained:
Chris Resop
Phil Seibel
Shea Hillenbrand
Gary Matthews Jr.
Justin Speier
Players lost:
Adam Kennedy
Curtis Pride
J.C. Romero
Tim Salmon
Recap:
The Angels haven’t done much this off-season. After losing Adam Kennedy, their 2nd base position won’t be very good, but they have a better outfield. They will be about the same this year as last year.
Athletics:
Players gained:
Donnie Murphy
Alan Embree
J.J. Furmaniak
Mike Piazza
Scott Dunn
Players lost:
D’Angelo Jimenez
Steve Karsay
Randy Keisler
Jay Payton
Matt Roney
Scott Sauerbeck
Frank Thomas
Barry Zito
Recap:
The A’s have had an awful off-season. They haven’t gained much but have lost a lot. When you lose your #1 pitcher and your best hitter, you’re not going to be anywhere near as good. The Indians lost their #1 pitcher (Kevin Millwood) and fell apart. But with losing both your #1 pitcher and your best hitter, along with one of your best fielders, you’re not going to be anywhere close to what you were before.
Mariners:
Players gained:
Sean Burroughs
Chris Reistma
J.J. Putz
Jose Vidro
Miguel Batista
Horacio Ramirez
Sean White
Jose Guillen
Players lost:
Gil Meche
Carl Everett
Matt Lawton
Recap:
The Mariners have gotten a lot of great players and have barely lost anyone.
Rangers:
Players gained:
Frank Catalanotto
Eric Gagne
Kenny Lofton
Vicente Padilla
Chris Stewart
Guillermo Quiroz
Brandon McCarthy
Marlon Byrd
Players lost:
John Danks
Nick Masset
Rod Barajas
Mark DeRosa
Carlos Lee
Gary Matthews Jr.
Kip Wells
Recap:
The Rangers have lost a lot but gained a lot. They have probably gained a little more than they lost but it’s about even.
Off-season rankings:
1. Mariners
2. Rangers
3. Angels
4. A’s
Projected standings:
1. Angels
2. Rangers
3. A’s
4. Mariners
Sosa Signing
I think this was a good signing. It’s not much money. It’s not a big risk. If he doesn’t play well in Spring Training that’s okay. If he does, he makes the team and helps. There’s not much reasoning against signing him, in my opinion, when it’s for such little money.
Come back next week for a recap of the Fan Fest
Angels:
Players gained:
Chris Resop
Phil Seibel
Shea Hillenbrand
Gary Matthews Jr.
Justin Speier
Players lost:
Adam Kennedy
Curtis Pride
J.C. Romero
Tim Salmon
Recap:
The Angels haven’t done much this off-season. After losing Adam Kennedy, their 2nd base position won’t be very good, but they have a better outfield. They will be about the same this year as last year.
Athletics:
Players gained:
Donnie Murphy
Alan Embree
J.J. Furmaniak
Mike Piazza
Scott Dunn
Players lost:
D’Angelo Jimenez
Steve Karsay
Randy Keisler
Jay Payton
Matt Roney
Scott Sauerbeck
Frank Thomas
Barry Zito
Recap:
The A’s have had an awful off-season. They haven’t gained much but have lost a lot. When you lose your #1 pitcher and your best hitter, you’re not going to be anywhere near as good. The Indians lost their #1 pitcher (Kevin Millwood) and fell apart. But with losing both your #1 pitcher and your best hitter, along with one of your best fielders, you’re not going to be anywhere close to what you were before.
Mariners:
Players gained:
Sean Burroughs
Chris Reistma
J.J. Putz
Jose Vidro
Miguel Batista
Horacio Ramirez
Sean White
Jose Guillen
Players lost:
Gil Meche
Carl Everett
Matt Lawton
Recap:
The Mariners have gotten a lot of great players and have barely lost anyone.
Rangers:
Players gained:
Frank Catalanotto
Eric Gagne
Kenny Lofton
Vicente Padilla
Chris Stewart
Guillermo Quiroz
Brandon McCarthy
Marlon Byrd
Players lost:
John Danks
Nick Masset
Rod Barajas
Mark DeRosa
Carlos Lee
Gary Matthews Jr.
Kip Wells
Recap:
The Rangers have lost a lot but gained a lot. They have probably gained a little more than they lost but it’s about even.
Off-season rankings:
1. Mariners
2. Rangers
3. Angels
4. A’s
Projected standings:
1. Angels
2. Rangers
3. A’s
4. Mariners
Sosa Signing
I think this was a good signing. It’s not much money. It’s not a big risk. If he doesn’t play well in Spring Training that’s okay. If he does, he makes the team and helps. There’s not much reasoning against signing him, in my opinion, when it’s for such little money.
Come back next week for a recap of the Fan Fest
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Stewart Acquired
This week the Rangers traded minor league right-handed pitcher Johnny Lujan to the Chicago White Sox for catcher Chris Stewart. In order to make room for Stewart on their roster, the Rangers designated Drew Meyer for assignment.
Johnny Lujan:
Johnny performed great in college and in the minors until last year when he had a 1-4 with a 5.74 ERA in 38 appearances with the Blaze. Before last year he was a good prospect and dominated the league with a very low BAA. Last year his BAA was .281. In this three-year minor league career, he is 7-9 with a 3.68 ERA in 83 appearances, including 6 starts.
He was a 12th round draft pick out of New Mexico College even though he had an ERA just above 1.60. He struggled before and after his minor injury last year. Last year he also became much more home run prone. He had been a ground ball pitcher but was a fly ball pitcher last year. So if he stayed here and pitched in the majors he probably wouldn’t do very well unless he recovered his previous form.
Chris Stewart:
Chris went through the Chicago system surprisingly fast. His batting is okay (.252 average in 5 minor league seasons) but his fielding is outstanding. Last year, he threw out 52 percent of base runners and threw out Grady Sizemore 2 out of 2 times. He went hitless in the majors last year (8 at-bats after a September call up) but hit well in the minors (.265 in 272 AAA at-bats).
Chris will compete for the back up job in Spring Training but being the only one with options he is the least likely to get the job. He is a very good catching prospect even if he doesn’t make the team this year. But being behind Gerald Laird he will probably be a back-up catcher for the time he’s in Texas.
Trade Evaluation:
Lujan has a very good potential but chances are he won’t reach his potential, while Stewart has a lower potential and has already reached it. Stewart will be a back-up catcher in the majors or a starting catcher in the minors for the time he’s in Texas. Lujan probably wouldn’t pitch well here (since this is a home run stadium and he has become a fly ball pitcher) while Stewart will probably bat well here (because it’s a hitters’ ballpark). I think this is a good trade for both teams because Chicago already has both Pierzynski and Toby Hall locked up for two years.
Drew Meyer is not that great of a prospect. He hasn’t gotten much better in the minors over what he was in college. His potential seems to be as a utility player in the majors, at most. He has really struggled hitting above the AA level but is a great fielder. Hopefully Meyer will make it through waivers and the Rangers will keep him.
Grade: A
Come back next week for an analyzation of every team in the AL West’s off-season so far.
Johnny Lujan:
Johnny performed great in college and in the minors until last year when he had a 1-4 with a 5.74 ERA in 38 appearances with the Blaze. Before last year he was a good prospect and dominated the league with a very low BAA. Last year his BAA was .281. In this three-year minor league career, he is 7-9 with a 3.68 ERA in 83 appearances, including 6 starts.
He was a 12th round draft pick out of New Mexico College even though he had an ERA just above 1.60. He struggled before and after his minor injury last year. Last year he also became much more home run prone. He had been a ground ball pitcher but was a fly ball pitcher last year. So if he stayed here and pitched in the majors he probably wouldn’t do very well unless he recovered his previous form.
Chris Stewart:
Chris went through the Chicago system surprisingly fast. His batting is okay (.252 average in 5 minor league seasons) but his fielding is outstanding. Last year, he threw out 52 percent of base runners and threw out Grady Sizemore 2 out of 2 times. He went hitless in the majors last year (8 at-bats after a September call up) but hit well in the minors (.265 in 272 AAA at-bats).
Chris will compete for the back up job in Spring Training but being the only one with options he is the least likely to get the job. He is a very good catching prospect even if he doesn’t make the team this year. But being behind Gerald Laird he will probably be a back-up catcher for the time he’s in Texas.
Trade Evaluation:
Lujan has a very good potential but chances are he won’t reach his potential, while Stewart has a lower potential and has already reached it. Stewart will be a back-up catcher in the majors or a starting catcher in the minors for the time he’s in Texas. Lujan probably wouldn’t pitch well here (since this is a home run stadium and he has become a fly ball pitcher) while Stewart will probably bat well here (because it’s a hitters’ ballpark). I think this is a good trade for both teams because Chicago already has both Pierzynski and Toby Hall locked up for two years.
Drew Meyer is not that great of a prospect. He hasn’t gotten much better in the minors over what he was in college. His potential seems to be as a utility player in the majors, at most. He has really struggled hitting above the AA level but is a great fielder. Hopefully Meyer will make it through waivers and the Rangers will keep him.
Grade: A
Come back next week for an analyzation of every team in the AL West’s off-season so far.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Tom Grieve Interview
This week I interviewed Texas Rangers broadcaster Tom Grieve. The results of the interview are below.
1. Which job has been your favorite – being a player, GM, or broadcaster?
Tom said that it was definitely being a player. It wasn’t really a job to him. He’s loved everything else but nothing is close to being a player. It was his dream since he was a kid and he made lifelong friends as a player. He’s also enjoyed everything else and considers himself lucky that he’s never had anything that he would really consider to be a job.
2. What is your best memory of being a player?
Tom’s best memory as a player is his first major league game versus the Yankees at Yankee Stadium after he got called up with the Senators. He grew up as a Yankees fan, reading their box scores every morning. He saw his first major league game at Yankee Stadium. Tom grounded out to shortstop in his first major league at-bat.
3. What is your best memory of being a GM?
The Winter Meetings in 1989. Tom made trades for Rafael Palmeiro to play first base and Julio Franco to play second base and signed Nolan Ryan.
4. What is your best memory of being a broadcaster?
Tom said that it’s hard to pick out one thing that stands out as an analyst. The play-by-play guy makes the calls and tends to have more memorable moments. Nothing really stands out but if he had to pick one game, it would be David Dellucci’s big hit against the A’s in late 2004. Also, working with Mark Holtz in 1996 in Tom’s first full season as a broadcaster. He learned a lot from Mark and enjoyed being involved with and interviewing the team when they clinched their first playoff appearance.
5. What was the key to your big year in 1976, when you led the team in so many categories (home runs, slugging percentage, and total bases)?
This was Tom’s second year of getting to play every day. He started playing every day in late 1975. 1976 was the only full season where he played daily and he felt like that gave him the chance to get comfortable and find his rhythm as a player. Also, he was older and more mature by this point.
6. What is your opinion of the Rangers off-season so far and what do they still need to do to win the division?
Tom feels that Jon Daniels has done well and worked hard. The starting pitching rotation hasn’t been better in years. They have four starters already in Millwood, Padilla, McCarthy, and Tejeda. They also have a strong bullpen. The team has had lots of emphasis on scouting, minor league development, and Latin America, which will pay dividends. The main thing they need to do is sort out the outfield in the spring.
7. What changed in order for you to become such a big power hitter in ’74-’76?
He never looked at himself as a power hitter but says that it was harder to hit home runs back then. Hitters now are much bigger and stronger, plus coaching and hitting instructors have made hitters more technically sound. Tom says that the main reason he hit for more power those years was the opportunity to play more often.
8. What have been your favorite and least favorite ballparks you played in or broadcasted from and why?
As a player, his favorite was Fenway Park. Tom is from Massachusetts, so he had a lot of family there. Plus he loved the history and tradition at the park. He also loved playing in Yankee Stadium because he grew up a Yankees fan.
As a broadcaster, he likes Seattle and Anaheim because you don’t have to worry about the weather and the booths are comfortable.
9. What is the biggest difference between Jon Daniels and John Hart?
One obvious difference is that Hart was an older, veteran GM, while Daniels is much younger and less experienced. Also, Hart was a minor league player and Daniels never played professional ball. Daniels has been much more available to fans and the media. He returns calls and answers e-mail. Hart hurt himself by not being available to the fans and media. He also was very sensitive to criticism. His approach to the media and fans hurt him, and Daniels has learned from Hart’s mistakes.
10. What was your favorite team growing up and why?
The Yankees because all of his friends were Red Sox fans and Tom wanted to be different. His favorite players were Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, and Billy Martin. He could hear all of the games on the radio. His mom also became a Yankees fan. She’s still a Yankees fan but Tom isn’t anymore.
11. What are the three most fun things about your job?
He gets to enjoy all of the good things about baseball without any of the bad stuff. He gets to travel, know the players, and be around baseball, but doesn’t have to be involved in the hard GM duties, like hiring and firing people and giving performance reviews. Also, the offseason is a vacation now. As a GM, he had no time off all year. He felt pressure all year because of the responsibility he had to the team and fans.
12. What are the three toughest things about your job?
Tom doesn’t think there’s anything hard about his job. If he had to pick things, it would be the travel, sleeping in hotels, and doing interviews (because he says he’s not a professional). Broadcasting is easy and natural for him.
13. What is a typical day like in your job?
On the road, he wakes up early, eats breakfast, works out, and hits golf balls or goes golfing. In the afternoon, he goes somewhere by himself for lunch and then relaxes and prepares for the game. He hangs out in the hotel and takes the team bus to the park. At the park, he spends time on the field and in the box preparing. He has a bite to eat and then does the game. He goes back with the TV crew to the hotel, watches TV and goes to bed.
At home, it’s not much different, except after the game, he’ll watch the end of West Coast games on DirectTV before going to bed.
Tom said that he’s kind of boring because he likes having routines.
14. What was it like to play for Ted Williams?
Ted was a very difficult manager to play for. He didn’t like being a manager and was just waiting for his time as manager to be over. He thought he could make people into .300 hitters and was frustrated that he couldn’t. He didn’t spend much time at the park and wasn’t very patient with players. He was a brilliant guy and interesting to talk to. Tom liked him but thought he was a difficult guy to play for.
Come back next week for recaps of every team’s offseason in the AL West so far.
1. Which job has been your favorite – being a player, GM, or broadcaster?
Tom said that it was definitely being a player. It wasn’t really a job to him. He’s loved everything else but nothing is close to being a player. It was his dream since he was a kid and he made lifelong friends as a player. He’s also enjoyed everything else and considers himself lucky that he’s never had anything that he would really consider to be a job.
2. What is your best memory of being a player?
Tom’s best memory as a player is his first major league game versus the Yankees at Yankee Stadium after he got called up with the Senators. He grew up as a Yankees fan, reading their box scores every morning. He saw his first major league game at Yankee Stadium. Tom grounded out to shortstop in his first major league at-bat.
3. What is your best memory of being a GM?
The Winter Meetings in 1989. Tom made trades for Rafael Palmeiro to play first base and Julio Franco to play second base and signed Nolan Ryan.
4. What is your best memory of being a broadcaster?
Tom said that it’s hard to pick out one thing that stands out as an analyst. The play-by-play guy makes the calls and tends to have more memorable moments. Nothing really stands out but if he had to pick one game, it would be David Dellucci’s big hit against the A’s in late 2004. Also, working with Mark Holtz in 1996 in Tom’s first full season as a broadcaster. He learned a lot from Mark and enjoyed being involved with and interviewing the team when they clinched their first playoff appearance.
5. What was the key to your big year in 1976, when you led the team in so many categories (home runs, slugging percentage, and total bases)?
This was Tom’s second year of getting to play every day. He started playing every day in late 1975. 1976 was the only full season where he played daily and he felt like that gave him the chance to get comfortable and find his rhythm as a player. Also, he was older and more mature by this point.
6. What is your opinion of the Rangers off-season so far and what do they still need to do to win the division?
Tom feels that Jon Daniels has done well and worked hard. The starting pitching rotation hasn’t been better in years. They have four starters already in Millwood, Padilla, McCarthy, and Tejeda. They also have a strong bullpen. The team has had lots of emphasis on scouting, minor league development, and Latin America, which will pay dividends. The main thing they need to do is sort out the outfield in the spring.
7. What changed in order for you to become such a big power hitter in ’74-’76?
He never looked at himself as a power hitter but says that it was harder to hit home runs back then. Hitters now are much bigger and stronger, plus coaching and hitting instructors have made hitters more technically sound. Tom says that the main reason he hit for more power those years was the opportunity to play more often.
8. What have been your favorite and least favorite ballparks you played in or broadcasted from and why?
As a player, his favorite was Fenway Park. Tom is from Massachusetts, so he had a lot of family there. Plus he loved the history and tradition at the park. He also loved playing in Yankee Stadium because he grew up a Yankees fan.
As a broadcaster, he likes Seattle and Anaheim because you don’t have to worry about the weather and the booths are comfortable.
9. What is the biggest difference between Jon Daniels and John Hart?
One obvious difference is that Hart was an older, veteran GM, while Daniels is much younger and less experienced. Also, Hart was a minor league player and Daniels never played professional ball. Daniels has been much more available to fans and the media. He returns calls and answers e-mail. Hart hurt himself by not being available to the fans and media. He also was very sensitive to criticism. His approach to the media and fans hurt him, and Daniels has learned from Hart’s mistakes.
10. What was your favorite team growing up and why?
The Yankees because all of his friends were Red Sox fans and Tom wanted to be different. His favorite players were Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, and Billy Martin. He could hear all of the games on the radio. His mom also became a Yankees fan. She’s still a Yankees fan but Tom isn’t anymore.
11. What are the three most fun things about your job?
He gets to enjoy all of the good things about baseball without any of the bad stuff. He gets to travel, know the players, and be around baseball, but doesn’t have to be involved in the hard GM duties, like hiring and firing people and giving performance reviews. Also, the offseason is a vacation now. As a GM, he had no time off all year. He felt pressure all year because of the responsibility he had to the team and fans.
12. What are the three toughest things about your job?
Tom doesn’t think there’s anything hard about his job. If he had to pick things, it would be the travel, sleeping in hotels, and doing interviews (because he says he’s not a professional). Broadcasting is easy and natural for him.
13. What is a typical day like in your job?
On the road, he wakes up early, eats breakfast, works out, and hits golf balls or goes golfing. In the afternoon, he goes somewhere by himself for lunch and then relaxes and prepares for the game. He hangs out in the hotel and takes the team bus to the park. At the park, he spends time on the field and in the box preparing. He has a bite to eat and then does the game. He goes back with the TV crew to the hotel, watches TV and goes to bed.
At home, it’s not much different, except after the game, he’ll watch the end of West Coast games on DirectTV before going to bed.
Tom said that he’s kind of boring because he likes having routines.
14. What was it like to play for Ted Williams?
Ted was a very difficult manager to play for. He didn’t like being a manager and was just waiting for his time as manager to be over. He thought he could make people into .300 hitters and was frustrated that he couldn’t. He didn’t spend much time at the park and wasn’t very patient with players. He was a brilliant guy and interesting to talk to. Tom liked him but thought he was a difficult guy to play for.
Come back next week for recaps of every team’s offseason in the AL West so far.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
McCarthy Acquired and Danks Traded
Texas acquired right-hander Brandon McCarthy from the Chicago White Sox in a five-player deal last Saturday in which the Rangers traded John Danks, Nick Masset and Jacob Rasner to Chicago for Brandon McCarthy and outfielder David Paisano.
The Rangers traded:
Danks: Last year John split the season in AA and AAA where he went 9-9 with a 4.34 ERA. His career minor league record is 21-30 and his career era is 4.20. He averaged 0.4 walks per inning last year and is 21 years old. It is possible he will make the White Sox starting rotation sometime this year.
Masset: Nick has done OK in his minor league career (career ERA of 4.53 over 6 seasons), with a strong 2006 after a rough 2005. He made his major league debut last year, with a 4.15 ERA in 8 appearances, and might make the White Sox bullpen out of spring training next year.
Rasner: Jacob has only played for two years and is 7-21 with a 6.14 era. He’s probably just one of those throw-in guys.
The Rangers received:
McCarthy: McCarthy had the tenth most innings pitched by a relief pitcher in the AL last year. He is 7-9 with a 4.39 ERA in his career (parts of two seasons). The White Sox planned to have him start in 2007 and he will be part of the Rangers’ starting rotation.
Paisano: David Paisano is only 19 and has never played in the US. He has only played in the Venezuelan Summer league. Last year he did great when batting with two outs and also did great at the end of the season after struggling at the beginning. For more of his stats go to:
http://www.minorleaguesplits.com/pl/445/445270.html
Trade evaluation:
You won’t be able to tell if this trade is good or bad for sure for a few more years. It definitely makes the Rangers stronger for 2007. Right now, the stats of Danks aren’t too promising that he’ll be great, but he seems like a guy with great stuff that can make adjustments at different levels. He might be a good major league pitcher and possibly even great. The Rangers weren’t going to get anything out of Danks this year but they will with McCarthy. McCarthy is very home-run prone and is going to a hitters’ ballpark but is also a huge prospect. We can’t tell if Paisano is going to be good or not since he’s never played in the US. Masset probably will be a decent-to-solid bullpen guy and Rasner was just thrown in there. This is a good trade for the 2007 Rangers but whether it’s a good long-term trade depends on whether Danks and McCarthy reach their potential in the major leagues.
Grade: B
Come back next week for an interview with Rangers broadcaster and former player and GM Tom Grieve.
The Rangers traded:
Danks: Last year John split the season in AA and AAA where he went 9-9 with a 4.34 ERA. His career minor league record is 21-30 and his career era is 4.20. He averaged 0.4 walks per inning last year and is 21 years old. It is possible he will make the White Sox starting rotation sometime this year.
Masset: Nick has done OK in his minor league career (career ERA of 4.53 over 6 seasons), with a strong 2006 after a rough 2005. He made his major league debut last year, with a 4.15 ERA in 8 appearances, and might make the White Sox bullpen out of spring training next year.
Rasner: Jacob has only played for two years and is 7-21 with a 6.14 era. He’s probably just one of those throw-in guys.
The Rangers received:
McCarthy: McCarthy had the tenth most innings pitched by a relief pitcher in the AL last year. He is 7-9 with a 4.39 ERA in his career (parts of two seasons). The White Sox planned to have him start in 2007 and he will be part of the Rangers’ starting rotation.
Paisano: David Paisano is only 19 and has never played in the US. He has only played in the Venezuelan Summer league. Last year he did great when batting with two outs and also did great at the end of the season after struggling at the beginning. For more of his stats go to:
http://www.minorleaguesplits.com/pl/445/445270.html
Trade evaluation:
You won’t be able to tell if this trade is good or bad for sure for a few more years. It definitely makes the Rangers stronger for 2007. Right now, the stats of Danks aren’t too promising that he’ll be great, but he seems like a guy with great stuff that can make adjustments at different levels. He might be a good major league pitcher and possibly even great. The Rangers weren’t going to get anything out of Danks this year but they will with McCarthy. McCarthy is very home-run prone and is going to a hitters’ ballpark but is also a huge prospect. We can’t tell if Paisano is going to be good or not since he’s never played in the US. Masset probably will be a decent-to-solid bullpen guy and Rasner was just thrown in there. This is a good trade for the 2007 Rangers but whether it’s a good long-term trade depends on whether Danks and McCarthy reach their potential in the major leagues.
Grade: B
Come back next week for an interview with Rangers broadcaster and former player and GM Tom Grieve.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Newberg Bound Edition Release Party
This week, I will describe what happened at the Newberg Bound Edition release party on December 13th.
It was held at the Tin Star in downtown Dallas, and the 2007 Newberg Report Bound Edition was sold for the first time at the event. Eleanor Czajka was in charge of selling the books and was very friendly like always.
This year’s Bound Edition is great. The cover is the best one yet in my opinion and was done by Marty Yawnick. The inside was designed by Devin Pike and has the usual good stuff, including:
- The Newberg awards, where Jamey ranks the top players in the Rangers minor league system for 2006. Jamey does really nice write-ups on the background of each player.
- The Newberg reports from the past year.
- The stats for every player at every level of the Rangers organization.
- Write-ups on rules for major league rosters, like the Rule 5 Draft.
- Forewords by CJ Wilson, Nick Masset’s mom, and Michael Schlact’s dad.
The food at the event was great. I had the kids’ chicken nuggets and they were great. The fries were awesome. My dad had the bacon cheeseburger taco and really liked it. Tin Star is run by Barry Newberg, Jamey’s brother, and he runs the place well.
The players that were there were John Danks, Kameron Loe, Taylor Teagarden, CJ Wilson, and Ian Kinsler. The first thing they did was sign autographs. They signed for about two hours.
After that, they did a Q&A session. Some of the questions and answers are below.
Q: To Ian: Who is the toughest pitcher you’ve faced in the big leagues?
A: Johan Santana, Mike Mussina, and Jose Contreras.
Q: To all: What are the best and worst minor league parks you’ve played in?
A: Best – Round Rock and Frisco
Worst – Savannah, Little Rock, and Clinton
Q: To John: How do you feel about the change in the Rule 5 Draft rules.
A: He said he didn’t like it because it will push back his being added to the 40-man roster.
Q: To Kameron, Ian and CJ: What is the most surprising thing about life as a ballplayer?
A: CJ said how much you’re focused when you’re out there. Ian said how much you’re catered to. Kameron said how aware you are that you’re in the major leagues.
Q: To all: What was the chemistry like last year on the Rangers?
A: There wasn’t much chemistry on the team last year and the main part of the chemistry that was there was Mark DeRosa.
After the Q&A session, players stood around talking with the fans.
It was a really great event. In addition to the players, a bunch of people from the Rangers and local media were there, including Jeff Cogen, Jeff Evans, Evan Grant, Kat O’Brien, and Danny Fine. You can see pictures at Eleanor's website at http://www.dickiethon.com/eczajka/be_2007_party.htm.
Come back next week for a probable interview with Rangers broadcaster, former GM, and former player Tom Grieve.
It was held at the Tin Star in downtown Dallas, and the 2007 Newberg Report Bound Edition was sold for the first time at the event. Eleanor Czajka was in charge of selling the books and was very friendly like always.
This year’s Bound Edition is great. The cover is the best one yet in my opinion and was done by Marty Yawnick. The inside was designed by Devin Pike and has the usual good stuff, including:
- The Newberg awards, where Jamey ranks the top players in the Rangers minor league system for 2006. Jamey does really nice write-ups on the background of each player.
- The Newberg reports from the past year.
- The stats for every player at every level of the Rangers organization.
- Write-ups on rules for major league rosters, like the Rule 5 Draft.
- Forewords by CJ Wilson, Nick Masset’s mom, and Michael Schlact’s dad.
The food at the event was great. I had the kids’ chicken nuggets and they were great. The fries were awesome. My dad had the bacon cheeseburger taco and really liked it. Tin Star is run by Barry Newberg, Jamey’s brother, and he runs the place well.
The players that were there were John Danks, Kameron Loe, Taylor Teagarden, CJ Wilson, and Ian Kinsler. The first thing they did was sign autographs. They signed for about two hours.
After that, they did a Q&A session. Some of the questions and answers are below.
Q: To Ian: Who is the toughest pitcher you’ve faced in the big leagues?
A: Johan Santana, Mike Mussina, and Jose Contreras.
Q: To all: What are the best and worst minor league parks you’ve played in?
A: Best – Round Rock and Frisco
Worst – Savannah, Little Rock, and Clinton
Q: To John: How do you feel about the change in the Rule 5 Draft rules.
A: He said he didn’t like it because it will push back his being added to the 40-man roster.
Q: To Kameron, Ian and CJ: What is the most surprising thing about life as a ballplayer?
A: CJ said how much you’re focused when you’re out there. Ian said how much you’re catered to. Kameron said how aware you are that you’re in the major leagues.
Q: To all: What was the chemistry like last year on the Rangers?
A: There wasn’t much chemistry on the team last year and the main part of the chemistry that was there was Mark DeRosa.
After the Q&A session, players stood around talking with the fans.
It was a really great event. In addition to the players, a bunch of people from the Rangers and local media were there, including Jeff Cogen, Jeff Evans, Evan Grant, Kat O’Brien, and Danny Fine. You can see pictures at Eleanor's website at http://www.dickiethon.com/eczajka/be_2007_party.htm.
Come back next week for a probable interview with Rangers broadcaster, former GM, and former player Tom Grieve.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Hot Stove Report
This week, I will be doing a hot stove report. I will analyze the Kenny Lofton, Marlon Byrd and Eric Gagne signings. I will also analyze the players the Rangers are trying to get and give the percentage chance of the Rangers signing them.
Players the Rangers are going after:
Barry Zito:
Zito is a fly ball pitcher but has performed great in Ameriquest field the past two years. He is a great overall pitcher and could really help our rotation.
Percentage of us signing him: 56.4%
Mark Mulder:
Mulder is a really good pitcher that could help us with our rotation. But he’s going to miss the first couple months of the season. He might or might not rebound quickly off of his surgery.
Percentage: 32.6%
Gagne, Lofton and Byrd Sign
Eric Gagne:
Gagne set the record for most consecutive saves without blowing a save. He has been great but missed most of the last two years due to injuries. He could rebound well and do great and he could do awful. But he will probably be determined to do well since it’s a one-year deal. It’s a good risk because it’s a one-year deal for not too much money.
Grade: A-
Kenny Lofton
Lofton was the best center fielder left in free agency when we got him. He is a great one-year guy to get. This might be his last year, too (probably not). He will fill our hole at center field and lead-off hitter. He also has a really good attitude and has been a consistent winner. The last two years have been among the best of his career. He hit .335 in 2005 and .301 in 2006. He has a career .299 batting average.
Grade: A+
Marlon Byrd
Byrd has a lot of potential but hasn’t performed very well in the majors yet. If Rudy can get him to reach is full potential he could be a very good pick-up. His best year was 2003 when he hit .303 as a starter. Since that year, he has played poorly. His career batting average is .263. If he makes the active roster, it will be as a fifth outfielder.
Grade: B+
Come back next week for a report on the Newberg Bound Edition Release Party with CJ Wilson, Kameron Loe, Ian Kinsler, John Danks, and Taylor Teagarden.
Players the Rangers are going after:
Barry Zito:
Zito is a fly ball pitcher but has performed great in Ameriquest field the past two years. He is a great overall pitcher and could really help our rotation.
Percentage of us signing him: 56.4%
Mark Mulder:
Mulder is a really good pitcher that could help us with our rotation. But he’s going to miss the first couple months of the season. He might or might not rebound quickly off of his surgery.
Percentage: 32.6%
Gagne, Lofton and Byrd Sign
Eric Gagne:
Gagne set the record for most consecutive saves without blowing a save. He has been great but missed most of the last two years due to injuries. He could rebound well and do great and he could do awful. But he will probably be determined to do well since it’s a one-year deal. It’s a good risk because it’s a one-year deal for not too much money.
Grade: A-
Kenny Lofton
Lofton was the best center fielder left in free agency when we got him. He is a great one-year guy to get. This might be his last year, too (probably not). He will fill our hole at center field and lead-off hitter. He also has a really good attitude and has been a consistent winner. The last two years have been among the best of his career. He hit .335 in 2005 and .301 in 2006. He has a career .299 batting average.
Grade: A+
Marlon Byrd
Byrd has a lot of potential but hasn’t performed very well in the majors yet. If Rudy can get him to reach is full potential he could be a very good pick-up. His best year was 2003 when he hit .303 as a starter. Since that year, he has played poorly. His career batting average is .263. If he makes the active roster, it will be as a fifth outfielder.
Grade: B+
Come back next week for a report on the Newberg Bound Edition Release Party with CJ Wilson, Kameron Loe, Ian Kinsler, John Danks, and Taylor Teagarden.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Jon Daniels Trade Analysis and Comparison with John Hart Trades
This is an analysis of the trades Jon Daniels has made as Rangers GM. Each trade will be scored a win, loss, or draw. The score is based on how each player contributed to the Rangers at the major league level. These are graded as of today. Some of them are too recent to really evaluate. At the end, I’ll compare Jon’s record so far to John Hart’s.
2005:
1. November 16: Acquired RHP Jon Leicester from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for a player to be named later (Clint Brannon).
Draw – Neither player has done anything for these teams at the major league level.
Record: 0-0-1
2. December 8: Acquired LHP Fabio Castro, for INF Esteban German.
Win – Castro is a really good player. German is good but not as good. Anyway, behind Kinsler, German wasn’t going to get playing time anytime soon.
Record: 1-0-1
3. December 12: Acquired RHP Vicente Padilla from the Philadelphia Phillies for a player to be named later (Ricardo Rodriguez).
Win – Padilla has proved to be a really good pitcher. Rodriguez ended up being dropped by the Phillies. Plus, if we didn’t have Padilla last year, we probably wouldn’t have him this year.
Record: 2-0-1
4. December 13: Acquired OF Brad Wilkerson, OF Terrmel Sledge and RHP Armando Galarraga from the Washington Nationals in exchange for INF Alfonso Soriano.
Loss – Soriano ended up having a terrific year. Wilkerson had an awful year. Galarraga got injured and Sledge immediately got traded.
Record: 2-1-1
2006:
5. January 4: Acquired RHP Adam Eaton, RHP Akinori Otsuka and C Billy Killian in exchange for RHP Chris Young, 1B Adrian Gonzalez and OF Terrmel Sledge.
Loss – Eaton got injured and pitched awful when he got back and Killian’s in the minors. Young had a career year and Gonzalez did great. Gonzalez wouldn’t play 1st but would’ve been a good DH. Otsuka has been great but not as good as Young and Gonzalez.
Record: 2-2-1
6. March 31: Acquired LHP John Rheinecker and INF Freddie Bynum from the Oakland A's in exchange for RHP Juan Dominguez
Win – Dominguez had an awful year and has a bad attitude and Rheinecker ended up pitching well.
Record: 3-2-1
7. March 31: Sent INF Freddy Bynum to the Chicago Cubs for LHP John Koronka and a player to be named later or cash considerations. I can’t tell if we ever sent another player to the Cubs.
Win – Koronka did great the 1st half of the year and Bynum didn’t do anything.
Record: 4-2-1
8. April 1: Traded David Dellucci to Philadelphia for RHP Robinson Tejeda and OF Jake Blalock
Win – Tejeda looks to be a pretty promising pitcher while Dellucci had a down year.
Record: 5-2-1
9. May 11: Acquired OF Freddy Guzman and nonroster RHP Cesar Rojas from the San Diego Padres for nonroster RHP John Hudgins and nonroster OF Vince Sinisi.
Draw – Neither team has gotten much major league contribution.
Record: 5-2-2
10. May 13: Acquired INF Enrique Cruz and a player to be named later (ended up being cash) from the Milwaukee Brewers for LHP Brian Shouse.
Loss – Cruz stayed in the minors all year. Shouse had a 3.97 ERA in 59 games for the Brewers.
Record: 5-3-2
11. May 31: Acquired INF/OF Jerry Hairston, Jr. from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for INF Phil Nevin and cash considerations.
Win – Nevin continued playing awfully while we got some good (and sometimes bad) defense out of Hairston.
Record: 6-3-2
12. June 1: Acquired nonroster 1B Jason Hart from the Twins for a PTBN. I can’t tell if we ever sent anyone to the Twins.
Draw – Neither team got any major league contribution.
Record: 6-3-3
13. June 29: Acquired LHP Daniel Haigwood and cash considerations from the Philadelphia Phillies for LHP Fabio Castro.
Loss – Castro had great potential while Haigwood doesn’t have nearly as much potential.
Record: 6-4-3
14. July 28: Acquired OF Carlos Lee and OF Nelson Cruz from Milwaukee in exchange for RHP Francisco Cordero, OFs Kevin Mench and Laynce Nix and nonroster LHP Julian Cordero.
Win – We filled Cordero’s spot with Otsuka and Mench wasn’t doing well. Nix hasn’t been good in the major leagues so far and Julian Cordero is a minor prospect. Cruz has outstanding potential. We didn’t get much out of Lee though and now he’s gone.
Record: 7-4-3
15. July 30: Acquired RHP Luis Mendoza from Boston for LHP Bryan Corey.
Draw – Corey had pitched great for us at the beginning but had already been designated for assignment when traded, so it was good to get something for him. Mendoza’s a regular minor leaguer. Corey had 16 appearances for Boston with a 4.57 ERA.
Record: 7-4-4
16. July 30: Acquired C Miguel Ojeda from Colorado for cash considerations.
Win – Ojeda played decently for us while all we had to do is send cash to Colorado. Ojeda might be the backup catcher in 2007.
Record: 8-4-4
17. July 31: Acquired OF Matt Stairs from the Royals for nonroster RHP Joselo Diaz.
Draw – Neither player did much for the teams.
Record: 8-4-5
18. July 31: Acquired RHP Kip Wells from Pittsburgh in exchange for nonroster RHP Jesse Chavez.
Win – Chavez hasn’t made the majors yet and isn’t much of a prospect, while we got a few good starts out of Wells before his injury.
Record: 9-4-5
19. August 30: Acquired OF Victor Diaz from the New York Mets for Minor League C Mike Nickeas.
Draw – Neither player has played in the majors since the trade. Neither has much potential to make a major league impact with their teams.
Record: 9-4-6
20. September 1: Traded Triple-A 1B Randall Simon to the Philadelphia Phillies for cash considerations.
Draw – Neither team got much at all.
Record: 9-4-7
Comparison between Hart and Daniels:
John Hart:
Record: 7-11-18
Percentage of trades that were wins: 19%
Number of trades: 36 in 4 years (average of 9 trades per year)
Jon Daniels:
Record: 9-4-7
Percentage of trades that were wins: 45%
Number of trades: 20 in 1 year
These stats lead me to think that Daniels is a better and more aggressive GM, while Hart is a laid back GM who does not make very good trades most of the time. Almost half of Hart’s trades didn’t make any difference.
Come back next week for a hot stove report special. Also coming up soon will be a write-up of the Q&A session at the Newberg Bound Edition release party.
2005:
1. November 16: Acquired RHP Jon Leicester from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for a player to be named later (Clint Brannon).
Draw – Neither player has done anything for these teams at the major league level.
Record: 0-0-1
2. December 8: Acquired LHP Fabio Castro, for INF Esteban German.
Win – Castro is a really good player. German is good but not as good. Anyway, behind Kinsler, German wasn’t going to get playing time anytime soon.
Record: 1-0-1
3. December 12: Acquired RHP Vicente Padilla from the Philadelphia Phillies for a player to be named later (Ricardo Rodriguez).
Win – Padilla has proved to be a really good pitcher. Rodriguez ended up being dropped by the Phillies. Plus, if we didn’t have Padilla last year, we probably wouldn’t have him this year.
Record: 2-0-1
4. December 13: Acquired OF Brad Wilkerson, OF Terrmel Sledge and RHP Armando Galarraga from the Washington Nationals in exchange for INF Alfonso Soriano.
Loss – Soriano ended up having a terrific year. Wilkerson had an awful year. Galarraga got injured and Sledge immediately got traded.
Record: 2-1-1
2006:
5. January 4: Acquired RHP Adam Eaton, RHP Akinori Otsuka and C Billy Killian in exchange for RHP Chris Young, 1B Adrian Gonzalez and OF Terrmel Sledge.
Loss – Eaton got injured and pitched awful when he got back and Killian’s in the minors. Young had a career year and Gonzalez did great. Gonzalez wouldn’t play 1st but would’ve been a good DH. Otsuka has been great but not as good as Young and Gonzalez.
Record: 2-2-1
6. March 31: Acquired LHP John Rheinecker and INF Freddie Bynum from the Oakland A's in exchange for RHP Juan Dominguez
Win – Dominguez had an awful year and has a bad attitude and Rheinecker ended up pitching well.
Record: 3-2-1
7. March 31: Sent INF Freddy Bynum to the Chicago Cubs for LHP John Koronka and a player to be named later or cash considerations. I can’t tell if we ever sent another player to the Cubs.
Win – Koronka did great the 1st half of the year and Bynum didn’t do anything.
Record: 4-2-1
8. April 1: Traded David Dellucci to Philadelphia for RHP Robinson Tejeda and OF Jake Blalock
Win – Tejeda looks to be a pretty promising pitcher while Dellucci had a down year.
Record: 5-2-1
9. May 11: Acquired OF Freddy Guzman and nonroster RHP Cesar Rojas from the San Diego Padres for nonroster RHP John Hudgins and nonroster OF Vince Sinisi.
Draw – Neither team has gotten much major league contribution.
Record: 5-2-2
10. May 13: Acquired INF Enrique Cruz and a player to be named later (ended up being cash) from the Milwaukee Brewers for LHP Brian Shouse.
Loss – Cruz stayed in the minors all year. Shouse had a 3.97 ERA in 59 games for the Brewers.
Record: 5-3-2
11. May 31: Acquired INF/OF Jerry Hairston, Jr. from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for INF Phil Nevin and cash considerations.
Win – Nevin continued playing awfully while we got some good (and sometimes bad) defense out of Hairston.
Record: 6-3-2
12. June 1: Acquired nonroster 1B Jason Hart from the Twins for a PTBN. I can’t tell if we ever sent anyone to the Twins.
Draw – Neither team got any major league contribution.
Record: 6-3-3
13. June 29: Acquired LHP Daniel Haigwood and cash considerations from the Philadelphia Phillies for LHP Fabio Castro.
Loss – Castro had great potential while Haigwood doesn’t have nearly as much potential.
Record: 6-4-3
14. July 28: Acquired OF Carlos Lee and OF Nelson Cruz from Milwaukee in exchange for RHP Francisco Cordero, OFs Kevin Mench and Laynce Nix and nonroster LHP Julian Cordero.
Win – We filled Cordero’s spot with Otsuka and Mench wasn’t doing well. Nix hasn’t been good in the major leagues so far and Julian Cordero is a minor prospect. Cruz has outstanding potential. We didn’t get much out of Lee though and now he’s gone.
Record: 7-4-3
15. July 30: Acquired RHP Luis Mendoza from Boston for LHP Bryan Corey.
Draw – Corey had pitched great for us at the beginning but had already been designated for assignment when traded, so it was good to get something for him. Mendoza’s a regular minor leaguer. Corey had 16 appearances for Boston with a 4.57 ERA.
Record: 7-4-4
16. July 30: Acquired C Miguel Ojeda from Colorado for cash considerations.
Win – Ojeda played decently for us while all we had to do is send cash to Colorado. Ojeda might be the backup catcher in 2007.
Record: 8-4-4
17. July 31: Acquired OF Matt Stairs from the Royals for nonroster RHP Joselo Diaz.
Draw – Neither player did much for the teams.
Record: 8-4-5
18. July 31: Acquired RHP Kip Wells from Pittsburgh in exchange for nonroster RHP Jesse Chavez.
Win – Chavez hasn’t made the majors yet and isn’t much of a prospect, while we got a few good starts out of Wells before his injury.
Record: 9-4-5
19. August 30: Acquired OF Victor Diaz from the New York Mets for Minor League C Mike Nickeas.
Draw – Neither player has played in the majors since the trade. Neither has much potential to make a major league impact with their teams.
Record: 9-4-6
20. September 1: Traded Triple-A 1B Randall Simon to the Philadelphia Phillies for cash considerations.
Draw – Neither team got much at all.
Record: 9-4-7
Comparison between Hart and Daniels:
John Hart:
Record: 7-11-18
Percentage of trades that were wins: 19%
Number of trades: 36 in 4 years (average of 9 trades per year)
Jon Daniels:
Record: 9-4-7
Percentage of trades that were wins: 45%
Number of trades: 20 in 1 year
These stats lead me to think that Daniels is a better and more aggressive GM, while Hart is a laid back GM who does not make very good trades most of the time. Almost half of Hart’s trades didn’t make any difference.
Come back next week for a hot stove report special. Also coming up soon will be a write-up of the Q&A session at the Newberg Bound Edition release party.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
John Hart Trade Analysis Part 4 of 4
This is part 4 of a 4 part analysis of the trades John Hart made while he was Rangers GM. Each trade will be scored a win, loss, or draw. The score is based on how each player contributed to the Rangers at the major league level.
2004 (continued):
31. July 31: Player TBNL traded to New York (NL) for Scott Erickson and cash considerations.
Draw - Neither team got a benefit from this trade.
Record: 7-10-14
2005:
32. March 30: OF Ramon Nivar traded to Baltimore for LHP Matt Riley and C Keith McDonald.
Draw – Both teams have gotten 7 games from the players they acquired.
Record: 7-10-15
33. March 30: Future considerations traded to Chicago (NL) for infielder Cody Ransom.
Draw – Neither team has gotten anything out of the deal.
Record: 7-10-16
34. May 22: RHP Vlad Nunez traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for a player to be named later.
Draw – There was no impact on either team.
Record: 7-10-17
35. July 21: RHP Matt Lorenzo traded to Atlanta for RHP Kevin Grybowski.
Draw – Grybowski did awful in his one Ranger year. Lorenzo finished off the year with the single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans. After that year the Braves cut Lorenzo.
Record: 7-10-18
36. July 30: RHP Chan Ho Park and cash traded to San Diego for 1B/DH Phil Nevin.
Loss – Nevin did next to nothing for us and Park still has some good outings. Even though neither player performed too well, Park did better than Nevin. The Padres actually got a decent year out of Park in ’06. Park posted a 7-7 record with a 4.81 ERA. Nevin went 38-for-176 with 9 HR’s and a .216 batting average in ’06 before being traded to the Cubs.
Record: 7-11-18
Come back next week for an analysis of the trades made so far by Jon Daniels and comparison of John Hart and Jon Daniels trades.
2004 (continued):
31. July 31: Player TBNL traded to New York (NL) for Scott Erickson and cash considerations.
Draw - Neither team got a benefit from this trade.
Record: 7-10-14
2005:
32. March 30: OF Ramon Nivar traded to Baltimore for LHP Matt Riley and C Keith McDonald.
Draw – Both teams have gotten 7 games from the players they acquired.
Record: 7-10-15
33. March 30: Future considerations traded to Chicago (NL) for infielder Cody Ransom.
Draw – Neither team has gotten anything out of the deal.
Record: 7-10-16
34. May 22: RHP Vlad Nunez traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for a player to be named later.
Draw – There was no impact on either team.
Record: 7-10-17
35. July 21: RHP Matt Lorenzo traded to Atlanta for RHP Kevin Grybowski.
Draw – Grybowski did awful in his one Ranger year. Lorenzo finished off the year with the single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans. After that year the Braves cut Lorenzo.
Record: 7-10-18
36. July 30: RHP Chan Ho Park and cash traded to San Diego for 1B/DH Phil Nevin.
Loss – Nevin did next to nothing for us and Park still has some good outings. Even though neither player performed too well, Park did better than Nevin. The Padres actually got a decent year out of Park in ’06. Park posted a 7-7 record with a 4.81 ERA. Nevin went 38-for-176 with 9 HR’s and a .216 batting average in ’06 before being traded to the Cubs.
Record: 7-11-18
Come back next week for an analysis of the trades made so far by Jon Daniels and comparison of John Hart and Jon Daniels trades.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
John Hart Trade Analysis Part 3 of 4 and Catalanotto signed
This is part 3 of a 4 part analysis of the trades John Hart made while he was Rangers GM. Each trade will be scored a win, loss, or draw. The score is based on how each player contributed to the Rangers at the major league level.
2004:
26. Feb. 5: Infielder Mike Lamb traded to Yankees for righthander Jose Garcia.
Loss – Lamb became a very good player with the Astros while Garcia struggled with the Rangers. Lamb was actually part of the major league team. Garcia was a minor leaguer.
Record: 6-9-11
27. Feb. 16: Shortstop Alex Rodriguez traded to Yankees for second baseman Alfonso Soriano and (on Mar. 23) shortstop Joaquin Arias.
Loss - A-Rod was the best player in baseball. Soriano’s a good player who has defensive struggles and doesn’t always hustle. Arias may be good but hasn’t done anything at the big league level. We’re also sending the Yankees about $9 million per year for A-Rod.
Record: 6-10-11
28. Apr. 2: Player to be named later traded to Cubs for infielder Santiago Perez.
Draw – We never sent anybody to the Cubs but Perez never made it to the majors.
Record: 6-10-12
29. Apr. 3: Catcher Einar Diaz, righthander Justin Echols, and cash traded to Montreal for righthander Chris Young and catcher-infielder Josh McKinley.
Win – Diaz and Echols have never done much and cash doesn’t mean much. Young pitched great while he was here and McKinley never made it to the majors.
Record: 7-10-12
30. Jun. 10: Catcher-infielder Josh McKinley traded to Montreal for catcher Ben Margalski and infielder Seth Taylor.
Draw: None of the players involved ever made it to the majors.
Record: 7-10-13
Frank Catalanotto signed:
On 11/21/06 the Rangers signed Frank Catalanotto. He signed a three-year contract for $13 million with an option for a fourth year. He is a Type-A free agent so the Rangers will definitely give up a 1st round draft pick, either for Frank or for another higher-ranked free agent. Here are his 2006 stats compared to Mark DeRosa’s. I will give the better stat a win and the worse stat a loss.
Catalanotto
G 128-Loss
AB 437-Loss
H 131-Loss
HR 7-Loss
2B 36-Loss
3B 2-Tie
SB 1-Loss
AVG .300-Win
OBP .375-Win
SLG .439-Loss
OPS .816-Win
Record 3-7-1
DeRosa
G 136-Win
AB 520-Win
H 154-Win
HR 13-Win
2B 40-Win
3B 2-Tie
SB 4-Win
AVG .296-Loss
OBP .357-Loss
SLG .456-Win
OPS .812-Loss
Record 7-3-1
Even though Mark had a better year than Frank, I think this was a good move for the Rangers. Mark had one really good year but Frank has been good for a few years, including with the Rangers from 2000-2002. Also, Mark didn’t want to be a utility guy anymore.
Come back next week for part 4 of 4 of the John Hart series and any free agent signings and/or trades.
2004:
26. Feb. 5: Infielder Mike Lamb traded to Yankees for righthander Jose Garcia.
Loss – Lamb became a very good player with the Astros while Garcia struggled with the Rangers. Lamb was actually part of the major league team. Garcia was a minor leaguer.
Record: 6-9-11
27. Feb. 16: Shortstop Alex Rodriguez traded to Yankees for second baseman Alfonso Soriano and (on Mar. 23) shortstop Joaquin Arias.
Loss - A-Rod was the best player in baseball. Soriano’s a good player who has defensive struggles and doesn’t always hustle. Arias may be good but hasn’t done anything at the big league level. We’re also sending the Yankees about $9 million per year for A-Rod.
Record: 6-10-11
28. Apr. 2: Player to be named later traded to Cubs for infielder Santiago Perez.
Draw – We never sent anybody to the Cubs but Perez never made it to the majors.
Record: 6-10-12
29. Apr. 3: Catcher Einar Diaz, righthander Justin Echols, and cash traded to Montreal for righthander Chris Young and catcher-infielder Josh McKinley.
Win – Diaz and Echols have never done much and cash doesn’t mean much. Young pitched great while he was here and McKinley never made it to the majors.
Record: 7-10-12
30. Jun. 10: Catcher-infielder Josh McKinley traded to Montreal for catcher Ben Margalski and infielder Seth Taylor.
Draw: None of the players involved ever made it to the majors.
Record: 7-10-13
Frank Catalanotto signed:
On 11/21/06 the Rangers signed Frank Catalanotto. He signed a three-year contract for $13 million with an option for a fourth year. He is a Type-A free agent so the Rangers will definitely give up a 1st round draft pick, either for Frank or for another higher-ranked free agent. Here are his 2006 stats compared to Mark DeRosa’s. I will give the better stat a win and the worse stat a loss.
Catalanotto
G 128-Loss
AB 437-Loss
H 131-Loss
HR 7-Loss
2B 36-Loss
3B 2-Tie
SB 1-Loss
AVG .300-Win
OBP .375-Win
SLG .439-Loss
OPS .816-Win
Record 3-7-1
DeRosa
G 136-Win
AB 520-Win
H 154-Win
HR 13-Win
2B 40-Win
3B 2-Tie
SB 4-Win
AVG .296-Loss
OBP .357-Loss
SLG .456-Win
OPS .812-Loss
Record 7-3-1
Even though Mark had a better year than Frank, I think this was a good move for the Rangers. Mark had one really good year but Frank has been good for a few years, including with the Rangers from 2000-2002. Also, Mark didn’t want to be a utility guy anymore.
Come back next week for part 4 of 4 of the John Hart series and any free agent signings and/or trades.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
John Hart Trade Analysis Part 2 of 4
This is part 2 of a 4 part analysis of the trades John Hart made while he was Rangers GM. Each trade will be scored a win, loss, or draw. The score is based on how each player contributed to the Rangers at the major league level. The first part of this series can be found in my September 23, 2006 blog.
2003:
15. Mar. 16: Lefthander Derrick Van Dusen traded to Cleveland for infielder Marshall McDougall.
Draw – Both have done next to nothing at the major league level.
Record: 3-4-8
16. Mar. 24: Cash sent to Milwaukee for infielder Manny Alexander.
Win - Alexander filled in at the major league level as a utility guy. Since we got him for free, I’ll call it a win.
Record: 4-4-8
17. Mar. 30: Catcher Fernando Lunar traded to Kansas City for outfielder Odannys Ayala.
Draw – Neither have done anything in the majors.
Record: 4-4-9
18. May 9: Player to be named later traded to Cubs for righthander Alan Benes. Benes returned to Chicago on June 4 for infielder Steve O'Sullivan.
Draw – The deal has done nothing for either side.
Record: 4-4-10
19. May 27: Righthander Esteban Yan traded to St. Louis for outfielder Rick Asadoorian.
Loss – It may not have been much but at least the Cardinals got a good performance from Yan every once in a while. Asadoorian never made it to the majors.
Record: 4-5-10
20. Jun. 6: Outfielder Ruben Sierra traded to Yankees for outfielder Marcus Thames.
Loss – Sierra did well for the Yanks while Thames barely contributed to the Rangers.
Record: 4-6-10
21. Jul. 1: Outfielder Carl Everett traded to White Sox for three players to be named later, identified on Jul. 24 as righthanders Frankie Francisco and Josh Rupe and outfielder Anthony Webster.
Win – It was in the middle of Everett’s All-Star season, but Francisco did well his first year and Rupe is doing well now. Webster is still a prospect. Everett has not done too much after being traded. Francisco and Rupe should be key pieces to the bullpen going into 2007.
Record: 5-6-10
22. Jul. 10: Cash sent to San Diego for infielder-outfielder Jermaine Clark.
Draw – Cash is barely worth anything and Clark barely did anything with the Rangers.
Record: 5-6-11
23. Jul. 11: Righthander Ugueth Urbina traded to Florida for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, lefthander Ryan Snare, and outfielder Will Smith.
Loss – Urbina went on to win the World Series with Florida and was a big contributor. Gonzalez never had much impact at the major league level with Teixeira in front of him. Snare never made it to the majors with the Rangers, and Smith was a big prospect but we eventually released him. The trade looked good at the time but when you really look at it now, it wasn’t very good. It wasn’t a really bad trade because Urbina was in the last year of his contract, but I’ll still give it a loss.
Record: 5-7-11
24. Jul. 18: Outfielder Ryan Ludwick traded to Cleveland for righthander Ricardo Rodriguez and outfielder Shane Spencer.
Win – Ludwick has done next to nothing for the Indians as did Spencer for the Rangers. But Rodriguez had a quality season in 2004.
Record: 6-7-11
25. Jul. 30: Outfielder Doug Glanville traded to Cubs for outfielder Jason Fransz.
Loss – Glanville actually gave the Cubs something, while Fransz gave the Rangers nothing.
Record: 6-8-11
Come back next week for part 3 of this series unless there are any major trades or free agent signings to break down.
2003:
15. Mar. 16: Lefthander Derrick Van Dusen traded to Cleveland for infielder Marshall McDougall.
Draw – Both have done next to nothing at the major league level.
Record: 3-4-8
16. Mar. 24: Cash sent to Milwaukee for infielder Manny Alexander.
Win - Alexander filled in at the major league level as a utility guy. Since we got him for free, I’ll call it a win.
Record: 4-4-8
17. Mar. 30: Catcher Fernando Lunar traded to Kansas City for outfielder Odannys Ayala.
Draw – Neither have done anything in the majors.
Record: 4-4-9
18. May 9: Player to be named later traded to Cubs for righthander Alan Benes. Benes returned to Chicago on June 4 for infielder Steve O'Sullivan.
Draw – The deal has done nothing for either side.
Record: 4-4-10
19. May 27: Righthander Esteban Yan traded to St. Louis for outfielder Rick Asadoorian.
Loss – It may not have been much but at least the Cardinals got a good performance from Yan every once in a while. Asadoorian never made it to the majors.
Record: 4-5-10
20. Jun. 6: Outfielder Ruben Sierra traded to Yankees for outfielder Marcus Thames.
Loss – Sierra did well for the Yanks while Thames barely contributed to the Rangers.
Record: 4-6-10
21. Jul. 1: Outfielder Carl Everett traded to White Sox for three players to be named later, identified on Jul. 24 as righthanders Frankie Francisco and Josh Rupe and outfielder Anthony Webster.
Win – It was in the middle of Everett’s All-Star season, but Francisco did well his first year and Rupe is doing well now. Webster is still a prospect. Everett has not done too much after being traded. Francisco and Rupe should be key pieces to the bullpen going into 2007.
Record: 5-6-10
22. Jul. 10: Cash sent to San Diego for infielder-outfielder Jermaine Clark.
Draw – Cash is barely worth anything and Clark barely did anything with the Rangers.
Record: 5-6-11
23. Jul. 11: Righthander Ugueth Urbina traded to Florida for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, lefthander Ryan Snare, and outfielder Will Smith.
Loss – Urbina went on to win the World Series with Florida and was a big contributor. Gonzalez never had much impact at the major league level with Teixeira in front of him. Snare never made it to the majors with the Rangers, and Smith was a big prospect but we eventually released him. The trade looked good at the time but when you really look at it now, it wasn’t very good. It wasn’t a really bad trade because Urbina was in the last year of his contract, but I’ll still give it a loss.
Record: 5-7-11
24. Jul. 18: Outfielder Ryan Ludwick traded to Cleveland for righthander Ricardo Rodriguez and outfielder Shane Spencer.
Win – Ludwick has done next to nothing for the Indians as did Spencer for the Rangers. But Rodriguez had a quality season in 2004.
Record: 6-7-11
25. Jul. 30: Outfielder Doug Glanville traded to Cubs for outfielder Jason Fransz.
Loss – Glanville actually gave the Cubs something, while Fransz gave the Rangers nothing.
Record: 6-8-11
Come back next week for part 3 of this series unless there are any major trades or free agent signings to break down.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Free Agent Analysis Part 4 of 4 and Ron Washington Hired
This is part four of a series where I will examine the free agents and name the top players the Rangers should go after. This week, I will examine the free agent relief pitchers and catchers.
Grade A:
Javy Lopez
Dan Kolb
Grade B:
Robert Fick
Mike Lieberthal
Mike Piazza
Gregg Zaun
Joey Eischen
Alan Embree
Aaron Fultz
Eddie Gaurdado
Darren Oliver
Mike Remlinger
J.C. Romero
Scott Schoenweis
Antonio Alfonseca
Joe Borowski
Chad Bradford
Doug Brocail
Mike DeJean
Octavio Dotel
Keith Foulke
Ryan Franklin
LaTroy Hawkins
Dustin Hermanson
Scott Sauerbeck
Roberto Hernandez
Kevin Jarvas
Matt Mantei
Troy Percival
Cliff Polite
David Riske
Felix Hernandez
Rudy Seanez
Justin Speier
Russ Springer
Tanyon Sturtze
David Weathers
Grade C:
Sandy Alomar, Jr.
Paul Bako
Rod Barajas
Gary Bennett
Henry Blanco
Todd Greene
Doug Mirabelli
Bengie Molina
Todd Pratt
Kelly Stinnett
John Halama
Ray King
Steve Kline
Kent Mercker
Terry Mulholland
Arthur Rhodes
Mike Stanton
Ron Villone
Jamie Walker
Jim Brower
Geremi Gonzalez
Steve Karsay
Jose Mesa
Jeff Nelson
Julio Santana
Rick White
Scott Williamson
Grade D:
Einer Diaz
Mike DiFelice
Vic Darensbourg
Chris Hammond
Mike Holtz
Tom Martin
Matt Herges
Brian Meadows
Guillermo Mota
Grade F:
Tim Laker
Chris Widger
Giovanni Carrara
Jason Grimsley
Esteban Yan
Top relief pitchers or catchers that the Rangers should go after:
1. Dan Kolb: He is a very good set-up man.
2. Robert Fick: He can fill the empty back-up catcher spot and back-up the infield.
3. Darren Oliver: He is a good long relief pitcher and can fill in at starter every once in a while.
4. Scott Schoenweis: He is a very good relief pitcher.
5. Gregg Zaun: He can fill our back-up catcher role.
6. Octavio Dotel: He has been a great relief pitcher.
7. Tanyon Sturtze: He is a good long relief pitcher and can fill in at starter every once in a while.
8. Antonio Alfonseca: He was good before his injury last year.
9. Alan Embree: He is a good set-up man.
10. Russ Springer: He has done very well with the Astros.
Also, this week, the Rangers named Ron Washington their new manager. I don’t know enough about him to really give a good opinion but I am a little worried that he wants Barry Bonds. He seems to be very popular with his former players so will hopefully be someone that our players will like and play hard for.
Come back next week for part 2 of the John Hart series, where I’m analyzing all of the trades John Hart made.
Grade A:
Javy Lopez
Dan Kolb
Grade B:
Robert Fick
Mike Lieberthal
Mike Piazza
Gregg Zaun
Joey Eischen
Alan Embree
Aaron Fultz
Eddie Gaurdado
Darren Oliver
Mike Remlinger
J.C. Romero
Scott Schoenweis
Antonio Alfonseca
Joe Borowski
Chad Bradford
Doug Brocail
Mike DeJean
Octavio Dotel
Keith Foulke
Ryan Franklin
LaTroy Hawkins
Dustin Hermanson
Scott Sauerbeck
Roberto Hernandez
Kevin Jarvas
Matt Mantei
Troy Percival
Cliff Polite
David Riske
Felix Hernandez
Rudy Seanez
Justin Speier
Russ Springer
Tanyon Sturtze
David Weathers
Grade C:
Sandy Alomar, Jr.
Paul Bako
Rod Barajas
Gary Bennett
Henry Blanco
Todd Greene
Doug Mirabelli
Bengie Molina
Todd Pratt
Kelly Stinnett
John Halama
Ray King
Steve Kline
Kent Mercker
Terry Mulholland
Arthur Rhodes
Mike Stanton
Ron Villone
Jamie Walker
Jim Brower
Geremi Gonzalez
Steve Karsay
Jose Mesa
Jeff Nelson
Julio Santana
Rick White
Scott Williamson
Grade D:
Einer Diaz
Mike DiFelice
Vic Darensbourg
Chris Hammond
Mike Holtz
Tom Martin
Matt Herges
Brian Meadows
Guillermo Mota
Grade F:
Tim Laker
Chris Widger
Giovanni Carrara
Jason Grimsley
Esteban Yan
Top relief pitchers or catchers that the Rangers should go after:
1. Dan Kolb: He is a very good set-up man.
2. Robert Fick: He can fill the empty back-up catcher spot and back-up the infield.
3. Darren Oliver: He is a good long relief pitcher and can fill in at starter every once in a while.
4. Scott Schoenweis: He is a very good relief pitcher.
5. Gregg Zaun: He can fill our back-up catcher role.
6. Octavio Dotel: He has been a great relief pitcher.
7. Tanyon Sturtze: He is a good long relief pitcher and can fill in at starter every once in a while.
8. Antonio Alfonseca: He was good before his injury last year.
9. Alan Embree: He is a good set-up man.
10. Russ Springer: He has done very well with the Astros.
Also, this week, the Rangers named Ron Washington their new manager. I don’t know enough about him to really give a good opinion but I am a little worried that he wants Barry Bonds. He seems to be very popular with his former players so will hopefully be someone that our players will like and play hard for.
Come back next week for part 2 of the John Hart series, where I’m analyzing all of the trades John Hart made.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Free Agent Analysis Part 3 of 4
This is part three of a series where I will examine the free agents and name the top players the Rangers should go after. This week, I will examine the free agent outfielders.
Grade A:
Carlos Lee
Alfonso Soriano
Gary Sheffield
Trot Nixon
Grade B:
Jim Edmonds
Gary Matthews, Jr.
Frank Catalanotto
David Dellucci
Ryan Klesko
Jay Payton
Dave Roberts
Grade C:
Darin Erstad
Kenny Lofton
Juan Pierre
Barry Bonds
Jose Cruz, Jr.
Cliff Floyd
Luis Gonzalez
Todd Hollandsworth
Terrence Long
Eli Marrero
Shannon Stewart
Rondell White
Preston Wilson
Eric Young
Jeromy Burnitz
Jose Guillen
Gabe Kapler
Matt Lawton
Matt Stairs
Michael Tucker
Bernie Williams
Grade D:
Steve Finley
Ricky Ledee
Jose Valentin
Moises Alou
Richard Hidalgo
John Mabry
Grade F:
Quinton McCracken
Jacob Cruz
Top outfielders that the Rangers should go after:
1. Alfonso Soriano: He can fill our DH roll, play outfield and back up Kinsler at the same time.
2. Trot Nixon: He can play good defense and be a decent batter.
3. Gary Matthews, Jr.: Gary played great last year, he fields great and bats good.
4. Jim Edmonds: He has been a good center fielder for the Cardinals and we could use a veteran with some leadership skills.
5. Frank Catalanotto: He can play every outfield position.
6. David Dellucci: He can play every outfield position.
7. Jay Payton: He is a great fielder and a decent hitter.
8. Dave Roberts: He could give us some more outfield speed.
9. Kenny Lofton: He is a decent one-year guy.
10. Ryan Klesko: He still has some playing abilities in him.
Come back next week for the last part of this series (catchers and relief pitchers. I forgot to do catchers earlier with the rest of the infield).
Grade A:
Carlos Lee
Alfonso Soriano
Gary Sheffield
Trot Nixon
Grade B:
Jim Edmonds
Gary Matthews, Jr.
Frank Catalanotto
David Dellucci
Ryan Klesko
Jay Payton
Dave Roberts
Grade C:
Darin Erstad
Kenny Lofton
Juan Pierre
Barry Bonds
Jose Cruz, Jr.
Cliff Floyd
Luis Gonzalez
Todd Hollandsworth
Terrence Long
Eli Marrero
Shannon Stewart
Rondell White
Preston Wilson
Eric Young
Jeromy Burnitz
Jose Guillen
Gabe Kapler
Matt Lawton
Matt Stairs
Michael Tucker
Bernie Williams
Grade D:
Steve Finley
Ricky Ledee
Jose Valentin
Moises Alou
Richard Hidalgo
John Mabry
Grade F:
Quinton McCracken
Jacob Cruz
Top outfielders that the Rangers should go after:
1. Alfonso Soriano: He can fill our DH roll, play outfield and back up Kinsler at the same time.
2. Trot Nixon: He can play good defense and be a decent batter.
3. Gary Matthews, Jr.: Gary played great last year, he fields great and bats good.
4. Jim Edmonds: He has been a good center fielder for the Cardinals and we could use a veteran with some leadership skills.
5. Frank Catalanotto: He can play every outfield position.
6. David Dellucci: He can play every outfield position.
7. Jay Payton: He is a great fielder and a decent hitter.
8. Dave Roberts: He could give us some more outfield speed.
9. Kenny Lofton: He is a decent one-year guy.
10. Ryan Klesko: He still has some playing abilities in him.
Come back next week for the last part of this series (catchers and relief pitchers. I forgot to do catchers earlier with the rest of the infield).
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Free Agent Analysis Part 2 or 4
This is part two of a series where I will examine the free agents and name the top players the Rangers should go after. This week, I will examine the free agent infielders.
Grade A:
Sean Casey
Aubrey Huff
Julio Lugo
Grade B:
Ronnie Belliard
Mark DeRosa
Ray Durham
Mark Loretta
Rich Aurilia
Nomar Garciaparra
Grade C:
Shea Hillenbrand
Travis Lee
Joe McEwing
Doug Mientkiewicz
Kevin Millar
Todd Walker
Craig Wilson
Craig Biggio
Miguel Cairo
Chris Gomez
Jerry Hairston, Jr.
Tony Womack
David Bell
Mark Bellhorn
Aaron Boone
Pedro Feliz
Alex Gonzalez
Tony Graffanino
Wes Helms
Joe Randa
Scott Spezio
Alex Cora
Desi Relaford
Grade D:
Jeff Conine
Erubiel Durazo
Brian Jordan
Phil Nevin
Eduardo Perez
J.T. Snow
Daryle Ward
Dmitri Young
Manny Alexander
Damian Easley
Damian Jackson
Adam Kennedy
Chris Woodward
Edgardo Alfonzo
Tony Batista
Geoff Blum
Russell Branyan
Vinny Castilla
Jeff Cirillo
Lou Merloni
Royce Clayton
Craig Counsell
Ramon E. Martinez
Jose Hernandez
Tomas Perez
Jose Vizcaino
Grade F:
Jeff Bagwell
Fernando Tatis
Top infielders that the Rangers should go after:
1. Sean Casey: He can fill our DH roll and back-up Teixeira at the same time.
2. Aubrey Huff: He can fill one of our empty outfield spots (he plays outfield and infield).
3. Rich Aurilia: There is a good chance that Blalock will get traded and he would fill 3B or he could take the job the last half of the season.
4. Mark DeRosa: He has been a great utility guy for us.
5. Todd Walker: He can play every position except pitcher and catcher.
6. Kevin Millar: He can play a little outfield.
7. David Bell: There is a good chance that Blalock will get traded and he might fill 3B or he could take the job the last half of the season.
8. Alex Gonzalez: He could give us some more infield defense and back up Young and Kinsler.
9. Scott Spezio: He is a good clutch hitter.
10. Desi Relaford: he would be a good prospect.
Come back next week for part three for this series.
Grade A:
Sean Casey
Aubrey Huff
Julio Lugo
Grade B:
Ronnie Belliard
Mark DeRosa
Ray Durham
Mark Loretta
Rich Aurilia
Nomar Garciaparra
Grade C:
Shea Hillenbrand
Travis Lee
Joe McEwing
Doug Mientkiewicz
Kevin Millar
Todd Walker
Craig Wilson
Craig Biggio
Miguel Cairo
Chris Gomez
Jerry Hairston, Jr.
Tony Womack
David Bell
Mark Bellhorn
Aaron Boone
Pedro Feliz
Alex Gonzalez
Tony Graffanino
Wes Helms
Joe Randa
Scott Spezio
Alex Cora
Desi Relaford
Grade D:
Jeff Conine
Erubiel Durazo
Brian Jordan
Phil Nevin
Eduardo Perez
J.T. Snow
Daryle Ward
Dmitri Young
Manny Alexander
Damian Easley
Damian Jackson
Adam Kennedy
Chris Woodward
Edgardo Alfonzo
Tony Batista
Geoff Blum
Russell Branyan
Vinny Castilla
Jeff Cirillo
Lou Merloni
Royce Clayton
Craig Counsell
Ramon E. Martinez
Jose Hernandez
Tomas Perez
Jose Vizcaino
Grade F:
Jeff Bagwell
Fernando Tatis
Top infielders that the Rangers should go after:
1. Sean Casey: He can fill our DH roll and back-up Teixeira at the same time.
2. Aubrey Huff: He can fill one of our empty outfield spots (he plays outfield and infield).
3. Rich Aurilia: There is a good chance that Blalock will get traded and he would fill 3B or he could take the job the last half of the season.
4. Mark DeRosa: He has been a great utility guy for us.
5. Todd Walker: He can play every position except pitcher and catcher.
6. Kevin Millar: He can play a little outfield.
7. David Bell: There is a good chance that Blalock will get traded and he might fill 3B or he could take the job the last half of the season.
8. Alex Gonzalez: He could give us some more infield defense and back up Young and Kinsler.
9. Scott Spezio: He is a good clutch hitter.
10. Desi Relaford: he would be a good prospect.
Come back next week for part three for this series.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Scott Feldman Interview
This week I did an interview with Scott Feldman, the Rangers relief pitcher. I met Scott last year when he was with the RoughRiders. He was always very friendly and would take time to talk with me in the bullpen before the games. Even since being called up to the Rangers, he’s still always willing to talk to me and has always remembered me.
The interview is below:
1. Who are your three favorite teammates since you joined the Rangers organization and why?
It’s tough to pick out 3 but I'll just say I haven't come across any bad ones yet. The guys out in the bullpen are who I spend most of my time with during the season and we have a pretty good time hanging out.
2. Can you please rate the ballparks in the Rangers organization that you’ve played in from 1 to 10 (10 being the best) and explain your ratings?
Frisco was a 10. I think people that have seen it or played there can tell why. OKC was also nice but I'd rate it lower than Frisco. My first stop in the minor leagues was Bakersfield. The set up wasn't the best but it was a good time and I'll always remember my first home ball park in the minors.
3. Who are the three toughest hitters you’ve faced and why?
Vlad Guererro because there isn't a right way for anyone to pitch that guy, he hits everything. I remember him hitting a slider a foot and a half off the plate and getting a single against me. Derek Jeter, not because he hit a homer off me, but mainly after seeing him play in person I realized what a great player he was. If spring training counts I'd say Mike Young. If you’re a Ranger fan you know why.
4. What is the biggest adjustment you had to make when you started facing major-league hitting?
I tried to do exactly what got me there in the first place. Throw strikes and be aggressive. Obviously the hitters are better but if you make good pitches and get ahead in the count you have a good shot at getting some outs.
5. What is the toughest thing about major league life and why?
For me the toughest thing so far has been the back and forth thing from Texas to Oklahoma. I’m hoping to have a consistent year next year and try to stay in
Texas for the entire time. I like traveling but I've worn the path out pretty good from Arlington to OKC.
6. How did it feel to be the Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year for two straight years and to set the college of San Mateo’s school records for wins and ERA?
All that stuff in college was a lot of fun. I had great coaches, great teammates and made a lot of great friends. It was a lot of fun to be on those teams and play 10 minutes from where I grew up. And we had some pretty good teams in ‘02 and ‘03.
7. Why did you decide to not sign with Houston when they drafted you in 2002?
When Houston drafted me in ‘02 it was a draft and follow. That said, I thought I would end up signing with them prior to the ‘03 draft but it didn't work out. I’m not complaining, I love being with the Rangers.
8. Why did you decide to sign with the Rangers in 2003 instead of going to the University of Tennessee like you planned?
I signed with the Rangers because I wanted to play pro ball and get my career started. When I didn't get drafted until the 30th round, I thought I'd end up going to Tennessee, but the Rangers wanted to sign me and l really wanted to get started.
9. What was the recovery process for your Tommy John surgery like?
None of the rehab process was too much fun, but the thing that bothered me the most was not being able to play. Since I was 4 or 5 years old I was always playing baseball so it was weird to not be able to play.
10. What was it like to be called up to the Rangers in late 2005?
Getting called up in ‘05 was awesome for me. I look back on it now and I can remember how I didn't sleep at all the night I found out. The lack of sleep probably helped me relax because I wasn't that nervous during my first outing.
11. What is your best pitch and how was it developed?
My best pitch is probably my fastball. The one that I need to develop is my change-up.
12. What’s been the best game so far of your professional career and why?
My best game in the minors was the perfect game in AA with A.J. Murray and Steve Karsay. In the big leagues my favorite game was 1/3 of an inning against the Giants. All my family and friends were there and unfortunately they got to witness one of the worst calls of all time. But it was still cool to play in the stadium I grew up going to against the team I grew up idolizing.
13. What was your favorite team growing up?
The Giants and 49ers
14. What sports did you play growing up and which were you best at?
I played hoops, football, soccer and golf. Now I mainly just golf and I’m really not that good but I have a lot of fun playing. I have had a couple 7 hour rounds with Kam Loe because he likes to take 5 practice swings per shot.
15. What are your hobbies?
My hobbies during the beginning of the off season are relaxing, hanging out with family and friends and trying to take a vacation.
I would like to thank Scott for being so nice and letting me interview him. Come back next week for part 2 of the free agent special begun last week.
The interview is below:
1. Who are your three favorite teammates since you joined the Rangers organization and why?
It’s tough to pick out 3 but I'll just say I haven't come across any bad ones yet. The guys out in the bullpen are who I spend most of my time with during the season and we have a pretty good time hanging out.
2. Can you please rate the ballparks in the Rangers organization that you’ve played in from 1 to 10 (10 being the best) and explain your ratings?
Frisco was a 10. I think people that have seen it or played there can tell why. OKC was also nice but I'd rate it lower than Frisco. My first stop in the minor leagues was Bakersfield. The set up wasn't the best but it was a good time and I'll always remember my first home ball park in the minors.
3. Who are the three toughest hitters you’ve faced and why?
Vlad Guererro because there isn't a right way for anyone to pitch that guy, he hits everything. I remember him hitting a slider a foot and a half off the plate and getting a single against me. Derek Jeter, not because he hit a homer off me, but mainly after seeing him play in person I realized what a great player he was. If spring training counts I'd say Mike Young. If you’re a Ranger fan you know why.
4. What is the biggest adjustment you had to make when you started facing major-league hitting?
I tried to do exactly what got me there in the first place. Throw strikes and be aggressive. Obviously the hitters are better but if you make good pitches and get ahead in the count you have a good shot at getting some outs.
5. What is the toughest thing about major league life and why?
For me the toughest thing so far has been the back and forth thing from Texas to Oklahoma. I’m hoping to have a consistent year next year and try to stay in
Texas for the entire time. I like traveling but I've worn the path out pretty good from Arlington to OKC.
6. How did it feel to be the Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year for two straight years and to set the college of San Mateo’s school records for wins and ERA?
All that stuff in college was a lot of fun. I had great coaches, great teammates and made a lot of great friends. It was a lot of fun to be on those teams and play 10 minutes from where I grew up. And we had some pretty good teams in ‘02 and ‘03.
7. Why did you decide to not sign with Houston when they drafted you in 2002?
When Houston drafted me in ‘02 it was a draft and follow. That said, I thought I would end up signing with them prior to the ‘03 draft but it didn't work out. I’m not complaining, I love being with the Rangers.
8. Why did you decide to sign with the Rangers in 2003 instead of going to the University of Tennessee like you planned?
I signed with the Rangers because I wanted to play pro ball and get my career started. When I didn't get drafted until the 30th round, I thought I'd end up going to Tennessee, but the Rangers wanted to sign me and l really wanted to get started.
9. What was the recovery process for your Tommy John surgery like?
None of the rehab process was too much fun, but the thing that bothered me the most was not being able to play. Since I was 4 or 5 years old I was always playing baseball so it was weird to not be able to play.
10. What was it like to be called up to the Rangers in late 2005?
Getting called up in ‘05 was awesome for me. I look back on it now and I can remember how I didn't sleep at all the night I found out. The lack of sleep probably helped me relax because I wasn't that nervous during my first outing.
11. What is your best pitch and how was it developed?
My best pitch is probably my fastball. The one that I need to develop is my change-up.
12. What’s been the best game so far of your professional career and why?
My best game in the minors was the perfect game in AA with A.J. Murray and Steve Karsay. In the big leagues my favorite game was 1/3 of an inning against the Giants. All my family and friends were there and unfortunately they got to witness one of the worst calls of all time. But it was still cool to play in the stadium I grew up going to against the team I grew up idolizing.
13. What was your favorite team growing up?
The Giants and 49ers
14. What sports did you play growing up and which were you best at?
I played hoops, football, soccer and golf. Now I mainly just golf and I’m really not that good but I have a lot of fun playing. I have had a couple 7 hour rounds with Kam Loe because he likes to take 5 practice swings per shot.
15. What are your hobbies?
My hobbies during the beginning of the off season are relaxing, hanging out with family and friends and trying to take a vacation.
I would like to thank Scott for being so nice and letting me interview him. Come back next week for part 2 of the free agent special begun last week.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Free Agent Analysis Part 1
This is part one of a series where I will examine the free agents and name the top players the Rangers should go after. This week, I will examine the few agent starting pitchers.
Grade A starting pitchers:
Barry Zito
Roger Clemens
Mike Mussina
Jason Schmidt
Grade B starting pitchers:
Mark Buerhle
Ted Lilly
Jamie Moyer
Mark Mulder
Andy Pettitte
Greg Maddux
Vicente Padilla
Kerry Wood
Gil Meche
Jeff Suppan
Grade C starting pitchers:
Jaret Wright
Randy Wolf
Tony Armas Jr.
Adam Eaton
Orlando Hernandez (El Duque)
Byung-Hyun Kim
Steve Trachsel
Tim Wakefield
John Wasdin
Woody Williams
Jamey WrightJason Marquis
Grade D starting pitchers:
Bruce Chen
Shawn Estes
Mark Redman
David Wells
Pedro Astacio
Miguel Batista
Rick Helling
Jason Johnson
Joe Mays
Brian Moehler
Tomo Ohka
Ramon Ortiz
Chan Ho Park
Sidney Ponson
Aaron Sele
John Thompson
Jeff Weaver
Kip Wells
Paul Wilson
Grade F starting pitchers:
Scott Erickson
Jose Lima
Top 10 starting pitchers that the Rangers should go after:
Jason Schmidt: Jason is a former Spring Training teammate of Kevin Millwood and that might help bring him here.
Andy Pettitte: Andy can still pitch well.
Vicente Padilla: Players always have a good chance of staying with the same team.
Jamie Moyer: He’s a veteran, but he can still pitch well.
Jeff Suppan: He pitches well in clutch situations.
Ted Lilly: He is a lefty that can pitch well.
Gil Meche: He’s an underachieving pitcher that could reach his potential soon.
Jaret Wright: He’ll go to the highest bidder.
Tony Armas Jr.: Not very many teams will want him because he had a bad ERA last year. But I think it was just an off year for him.
Steve Trachsel: His ERA is usually in the mid-4.00’s.
Come back next week for either an interview with Rangers reliever Scott Feldman or part 2 of this series.
Grade A starting pitchers:
Barry Zito
Roger Clemens
Mike Mussina
Jason Schmidt
Grade B starting pitchers:
Mark Buerhle
Ted Lilly
Jamie Moyer
Mark Mulder
Andy Pettitte
Greg Maddux
Vicente Padilla
Kerry Wood
Gil Meche
Jeff Suppan
Grade C starting pitchers:
Jaret Wright
Randy Wolf
Tony Armas Jr.
Adam Eaton
Orlando Hernandez (El Duque)
Byung-Hyun Kim
Steve Trachsel
Tim Wakefield
John Wasdin
Woody Williams
Jamey WrightJason Marquis
Grade D starting pitchers:
Bruce Chen
Shawn Estes
Mark Redman
David Wells
Pedro Astacio
Miguel Batista
Rick Helling
Jason Johnson
Joe Mays
Brian Moehler
Tomo Ohka
Ramon Ortiz
Chan Ho Park
Sidney Ponson
Aaron Sele
John Thompson
Jeff Weaver
Kip Wells
Paul Wilson
Grade F starting pitchers:
Scott Erickson
Jose Lima
Top 10 starting pitchers that the Rangers should go after:
Jason Schmidt: Jason is a former Spring Training teammate of Kevin Millwood and that might help bring him here.
Andy Pettitte: Andy can still pitch well.
Vicente Padilla: Players always have a good chance of staying with the same team.
Jamie Moyer: He’s a veteran, but he can still pitch well.
Jeff Suppan: He pitches well in clutch situations.
Ted Lilly: He is a lefty that can pitch well.
Gil Meche: He’s an underachieving pitcher that could reach his potential soon.
Jaret Wright: He’ll go to the highest bidder.
Tony Armas Jr.: Not very many teams will want him because he had a bad ERA last year. But I think it was just an off year for him.
Steve Trachsel: His ERA is usually in the mid-4.00’s.
Come back next week for either an interview with Rangers reliever Scott Feldman or part 2 of this series.
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