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stemyn
Moving in the right direction
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41st Post Fri Mar 28th, 2008 06:31 am | |
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From the Rangers website, what will apparently be the Opening Day lineup:
The lineup that Washington plans on using looks like this:
1. 2B Ian Kinsler
2. SS Michael Young
3. CF Josh Hamilton
4. 3B Hank Blalock
5. DH Milton Bradley
6. LF David Murphy
7. RF Marlon Byrd
8. C Gerald Laird
9. 1B Ben Broussard
____________________
I'm convinced that every boy, in his heart, would rather steal second base than an automobile.
Tom Clark
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stemyn
Moving in the right direction
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42nd Post Fri Mar 28th, 2008 09:47 am | |
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From TR Sullivan (I am bolding the stuff I found interesting):
Welcome to the Elysian Fields Bar & Grill, where 162 is always our favorite number.
* Rangers Spring MVP: Josh Hamilton. He owned Spring Training.
* Top Pitcher: Jason Jennings. His velocity inched up with each start and his slider was surprisingly wicked. He finished with a 2.12 ERA.
* Jennings on his slider: "It's a pitch I can throw early in the count and start the big hitters off with a strike. It's a huge pitch foe me."
* Top Rookie: Eric Hurley. He is the real deal.
* Harold McKinney Good Guy: Pitching coach Mark Connor. Here is all you need to know about the Rangers pitching coach: Ryan Turner, a 46th round pick last year out of Georgia Tech, pitched the ninth inning of Thursday's win over the Royals, giving up two runs. He may never make it to the Majors but after it was over, Connor took him off to the side and chatted with him for a several minutes about his outing. That's a professional at work.
* Jon Daniels on Spring Training: "The best thing for me was he way we as a team in the second half (last year), that's carried over, that camaraderie and all for one mentality has carried over. You see guys pulling for each other and playing the game the right way."
* The Rangers led all Major League teams this spring with a .306 average, a .484 slugging percentage and were second behind the Diamondbacks in runs scored. Interestingly, they had just six stolen bases in 29 games. That's the second fewest. The Athletics stole five in 23 games.
* The Rangers were 14th in the Majors with a 4.66 ERA. That also the third lowest in Arizona, where the conditions vastly favor the hitters more than in Florida.
* Ron Washington on Spring Training: "We got out of here healthy. There's a big difference from Spring Training this year and last year. This year we just got better as each day came down."
* Biggest surprise of Spring: You would have to say reliever Franklyn German but early in camp club officials were whispering that he would be a sleeper.
* Most encouraging sign of Spring: Hank Blalock's big finish.
* Very quiet: Kazuo Fukumori.
* C.J. Wilson's desire to be a closer has been fulfilled but it keeps him from fulfilling a dream of getting to bat as a starting pitcher against a National League team. Said Wilson, "It's my fault. That's what I get. I've always wanted one at-bat. Everybody's got a childhood dream they want to live up to. I always felt I'd get the game-winning hit in the World Series. That was my goal as a kid."
* Just for the heck of it: Luis Alicea
* Ivan Rodriguez and Josh Hamilton went into Thursday's game tied for the American League Spring Training lead with 45 total bases. Rodriguez pulled ahead with two doubles.
* Frank Catalanotto: "There's no way we can get off to the start we did last year. Our April was terrible and we had tons of injuries. That can't happen again. Take that away, look at how we finished last year and all the players we added and it can only get better. It can't get any worse."
* Jerry Narron has managed Hamilton and he has managed in Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. So he was asked if Hamilton can hit the ball on the roof of the Right Field Porch. Said Narron, "He definitely has the power. But you've got to hit it on a line the way the wind blows. Hit it high and the wind is going to knock it down."
* Blalock had a red shirt made for Kevin Millwood that poked fun of his North Carolina country background. Left it at Millwood's locker. Millwood looked at it, put it on and proudly wore it around the clubhouse.
* The Rangers are showing 86 games in High Definition this year: 65 on Fox Sports Southwest, 20 on Channel 27 and one Fox 4. Looks like 72 of 81 home games will be in HD and 14 on the road, including Monday against the Mariners.
* On March 27, 1973, the Twins traded pitcher Jim Perry to the Detroit Tigers. So? Perry approved the trade. It was the first trade ever made where a player could approve it based on the 10-and-5 rule. The Players Association had just negotiated into the Basic Agreement a clause that said players with ten years of experience and five with their current team could veto a deal. The clause is still in effect today.
____________________
I'm convinced that every boy, in his heart, would rather steal second base than an automobile.
Tom Clark
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Ric
Bayou Bum
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43rd Post Fri Mar 28th, 2008 03:32 pm | |
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| gonna be a long weekend.....
____________________
All I ask is a chance to prove
that money can't make me happy.
"There are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary. And there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I learned that, I gave Jesus a chance."
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Bob Of Burleson
...And the smell of gunsmoke
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44th Post Sat Mar 29th, 2008 03:21 am | |
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It appears likely that the final spot on the
Rangers pitching staff, which
Wes Littleton and Robinson Tejeda have been vying
for, has just been filled
by trade.
According to a press release issued moments ago
by the Arizona Diamondbacks,
Texas has traded Class A righthander Jose Marte
to the Diamondbacks for
26-year-old righthander Dustin Nippert, who is
out of options.
The 6'8" Nippert has a 2-3, 6.43 record in three
big league seasons,
including five starts in the 2005 and 2006
seasons and 36 relief appearances
in 2007. In 70 innings, the 2002 15th-rounder
has fanned 58 and walked 36.
He's been a tremendous minor league starter
(33-25, 3.42 with more than a
strikeout per inning) but hasn't yet converted
his promise to consistency onthe big league level.
Nippert will have to be on the Rangers' big
league roster as the club breaks
camp unless they attempt to slide him through
waivers to outright his
contract to the minor leagues.
The 24-year-old Marte posted a 5.23 ERA between
Bakersfield and Clinton last
season.
More in the next Newberg Report.
Jamey
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Ric
Bayou Bum
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45th Post Sat Mar 29th, 2008 03:04 pm | |
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THE NEWBERG REPORT
It sort of comes down to this: Texas believes that, going forward, Dustin Nippert will be the better major league fit than Robinson Tejeda. Wes Littleton's loss in the race for the final bullpen spot does not amount to the loss of Littleton, as he has an option left, but Tejeda, like Nippert, has no options, and since neither of those two power pitchers would likely clear waivers, last night's acquisition of Nippert almost certainly means Tejeda's days as a Ranger are done.
Nippert has a better breaking ball than Tejeda. Historically, better command of an equally dirty fastball. Maybe as important as anything else, more experience in the bullpen, though I doubt anyone would write off his potential to start again in the big leagues one day. Those are the reasons he's a Ranger today and Tejeda won't break camp with Texas.
Two years ago, when Texas acquired Tejeda (with Jake Blalock) from Philadelphia for David Dellucci, Nippert was probably untouchable. After June 2004 Tommy John surgery cut his first AA season short, Nippert stunningly came back to win the Southern League ERA title (and Diamondbacks minor league pitcher of the year honors) in 2005, going 8-3, 2.38 in 18 starts (including three complete games), prompting a three-start look in Arizona in September. He went 13-8, 4.94 in AAA in 2006, making two spot starts for the Diamondbacks during the summer, and last year he was converted to relief, appearing 36 times for Arizona (5.56 ERA).
Interestingly, though his power arsenal has drawn more praise than his change (and might have prompted the transfer to the bullpen), Nippert was more effective last year against left-handed hitters (.238/.337/.325) than righties (.290/.317/.490). His control facing righthanders, though, was phenomenal -- in 100 at-bats, they worked only four walks.
No longer untouchable, Nippert was nonetheless the frontrunner to land the final spot in Arizona's bullpen this spring (particularly since he had no options left), but he had a terrible camp, giving up 16 runs (14.40 ERA) on
24 hits and 14 walks in just 10 innings, fanning eight. The Diamondbacks were prepared to let Nippert go and clearly traded him for whatever they could get.
Marte has been eligible for the Rule 5 Draft the last four winters but was never protected (or drafted), and at age 24 he's never gotten out of Class A. He has some potential as a reliever, but less than Jesse Chavez, the righthander Texas traded for Kip Wells two trade deadlines ago. Not a significant loss.
For what it's worth, I had Marte as the number 43 prospect in the Rangers system a year ago. This winter I didn't include him in my ranking of the club's top 72 prospects at all.
Texas probably would have gotten Nippert to Oklahoma City last night or Frisco this afternoon to pitch once before Opening Day, but his wife gave birth yesterday to the couple's second child.
Mark Connor was gone from Arizona by time Nippert was drafted, incidentally.
There's not a John Patterson backstory here.
While Nippert's hold job security is greater than Patterson's since he brings his optionless status with him, he still needs to get outs. If he's ineffective, the club will certainly turn to another option down the road, whether it's Littleton or Josh Rupe (who stands to return to AAA when Luis Mendoza is activated) or Frankie Francisco or Kameron Loe or A.J. Murray (who is going to work as a starter for now), or someone else who gets in a groove on the farm. And if that happens, the Rangers will have to cut ties with Nippert, too, unless they can get him through waivers.
As for Tejeda, he finds himself in the same position as Nippert was with Arizona, bound for the waiver wire unless Texas finds a team interested enough to part with a minor league piece like Marte to put Tejeda on its own active roster. Jon Daniels has the same situation with Nelson Cruz, who might stand a slightly better chance than Tejeda to clear waivers.
The White Sox will make a decision today or tomorrow on Nick Masset, who struggled in a Thursday start and could lose the final Chicago roster spot to sidearmer Ehren Wassermann. Masset is out of options as well and, having been outrighted before (in 2005, by the Rangers), he'll have the right to decline an outright assignment should Chicago get him through waivers.
Detroit slid outfielder Freddy Guzman through waivers (as Texas had done with Chris Shelton, the player Guzman was traded for), and outrighted him -- not to AAA but to AA Erie.
T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com points out that the Rangers led the major leagues this spring with a .306 batting average and a .484 slugging percentage, and were second behind the Diamondbacks in runs scored. Texas was 14th in ERA
(4.66) but had the third-lowest mark in Arizona, a much more hitter-friendly environment than Florida. Josh Hamilton finished second to Ivan Rodriguez in total bases by an American League hitter.
Two remarks from Nolan Ryan, courtesy of Jim Reeves of the Fort Worth
Star-Telegram:
"I tell you one thing that's going to change next year. We're going to put names on the backs of [our minor league spring training] uniforms. We've got about four pitchers wearing No. 19 and they all look alike."
Bravo.
And this: "[Hamilton] hits some balls you just can't believe. I've told people that I think he'll hit some shots on the roof of the Home Run Porch [at The Ballpark]. And he made a catch the other day; you'd have sworn nobody could have gotten to that ball."
That's the catch I wrote about on March 22, the catch that had Ryan almost giddy in a conversation with a family of four in a parking lot after a spring training game.
More minor league releases yesterday, plus two retirements. The Rangers released outfielder Kevin Mahar, lefthander Broc Coffman, righthanders Kevin Altman, Scott Shoemaker, and Bear Bay, first baseman Mike Hernandez, infielder Chad Ogden, and catchers Brian Valichka and Pat Arlis, while outfielder Steve Marquardt and infielder Kenny Smith retired.
Mahar, Coffman, and Hernandez (the player Texas acquired from Detroit for Armando Galarraga last month) are probably the biggest surprises, but in Mahar's case, he'll probably have a better shot to get back to the big leagues in another system. He's a great success story, reaching the majors three years after signing as a free agent prior to the draft, but a significant overhaul in the Rangers' outfield picture (particularly in players capable of manning center field) dramatically altered his place on the depth chart here.
The Evansville Otters of the independent Frontier League signed righthander Rick Bauer.
Scary news about Arizona lefthander Doug Davis, who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and will have surgery in two weeks.
That news certainly puts the Diamondbacks' loss of Dustin Nippert on the back pages, and while he doesn't come in here with the expectation of making a major impact on the Rangers staff, he'll have an opportunity that Robinson Tejeda, over the last year, was unable to capitalize on himself.
____________________
All I ask is a chance to prove
that money can't make me happy.
"There are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary. And there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I learned that, I gave Jesus a chance."
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Bob Of Burleson
...And the smell of gunsmoke
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46th Post Sun Mar 30th, 2008 03:12 am | |
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The Rangers, as expected, have designated both righthander Robinson Tejeda and outfielder Nelson Cruz for assignment and optioned righthander Wes Littleton to Oklahoma.
Texas now has 10 days to trade Cruz and Tejeda or place them on outrightwaivers in an effort to slide them through and assign them to the RedHawks roster. Both are players who are more likely than not to be claimed, however.
Jamey
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Ric
Bayou Bum
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47th Post Sun Mar 30th, 2008 09:10 pm | |
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The Rangers have finalized their Opening Day roster by placing righthander Brandon McCarthy on the 60-day disabled list along with lefthander John Rheinecker (who was placed on the 60 two days ago when righthander Dustin Nippert was acquired from Arizona), taking both pitchers off the roster until activated.
Along with the designation for assignment of outfielder Nelson Cruz and righthander Robinson Tejeda, the McCarthy and Rheinecker moves clear the way for non-roster righthanders Jamey Wright and Franklyn German and catcher Adam Melhuse to join the roster.
Righthander Luis Mendoza and third baseman Travis Metcalf were officially placed on the 15-day disabled list. Mendoza, whose move was retroactive to March 24, will be eligible to return on April 8, though it will be April 12 before he's needed. Righthander Wes Littleton was optioned to Oklahoma.
McCarthy will be eligible to be reinstated on May 29, which is later than some projections of when he might be healthy enough to return to action, but the benefit (other than to allow Texas to get down to 40 players without needing to place Thomas Diamond or Joaquin Arias on the 60) is that, no matter what's happening with the big league rotation, the Rangers won't be tempted to bring McCarthy back before he's absolutely good to go, since now they can't bring him back until the end of May.
Jamey
____________________
All I ask is a chance to prove
that money can't make me happy.
"There are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary. And there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I learned that, I gave Jesus a chance."
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Ric
Bayou Bum
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48th Post Wed Apr 2nd, 2008 05:07 am | |
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Callback to the May 28, 2007 Newberg Report:
I can’t believe the defense this team plays. I’m not talking about errors (though only the two Florida teams have committed more), and I’ve never been one to look at sabermetric measures so I’m not about to begin now. The mistakes the Rangers make in the field ― throwing to the wrong base, diving when they shouldn’t, taking bad routes, misplaying balls even when the routes are solid ― are stunning.
It's certainly not at that level right now, but 11 innings into the season, six Rangers defenders have not made plays that they should have, and it’s not rocket science to suggest that while you can’t afford to do that against any major league lineup, it’s potentially suicidal when you’ve got Erik Bedard or Felix Hernandez facing yours.
Still feel good about this game, and I think it’s going to be Josh Hamilton or David Murphy who does something to turn this thing around, but man, I sure would like to see us catch the ball better.
____________________
All I ask is a chance to prove
that money can't make me happy.
"There are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary. And there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I learned that, I gave Jesus a chance."
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Ric
Bayou Bum
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49th Post Wed Apr 2nd, 2008 03:26 pm | |
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THE NEWBERG REPORT
Callback to the April 1, 2008 Newberg Report, sent two and a half hours ago, with Seattle ahead in the second inning, 1-0:
[size=“Still feel good about this game.”] Check.
[size=“I think it's going to be Josh Hamilton or David Murphy who does something to turn this thing around.”] Check. Check.
[size=“ut man, I sure would like to see us catch the ball better.”] Check.
Wow. I’m such a basket case of a sports fan. There’s no reasonable explanation for Game Two (that’s April, not October) kicking my tail like this one did, but I don’t see any way that I’m going to be able to sleep for at least another hour. Might as well write.
That was a great game. And an awful game. There’s no chance that this morning’s papers will have enough space to tell the whole story, which of course is a terrible shame since a lot of you probably weren’t able to stay up to watch the last few unbelievable innings.
But before the crazy final third of the game, the Padilla Flotilla was on a mission, following Kevin Millwood’s outstanding start in the opener with an equally strong effort. I’m not sure either righthander looked as good at any time in 2007, which is a big thing. If we can get a good bit of 2006 out of those two, you best not write 2008 off prematurely.
The defense got even sloppier after I sent that earlier email (kudos, by the way, to Padilla for not unraveling when his defense was showing signs of doing just that), and I’m sort of hopeful that the flu has had something to do with the middle infielders being off their game in the field. (Young, in particular, was really sick tonight, I understand.) I was thinking the fastball off Ian Kinsler’s right hand in the seventh might have affected him on the Ichiro grounder that he lost the handle on in the ugly eighth, but the incredible at-bat Kinsler then had off J.J. Putz to start the ninth (an at-bat that will unfairly get lost) convinced me that his hand, no matter how bad it was, wasn’t going to get in the way, or serve as an excuse. Brenden Morrow.
I said on the radio yesterday that for me, Joaquin Benoit (along with Jason Jennings) might be the swing guy on the pitching staff, a guy whose ability to follow up on his 2007 success might be the difference between making this staff a really good one and a real problem. Tonight was not very encouraging.
C.J. Wilson, on the other hand? Ten strikes in 14 pitches. He looked completely in control of the game.
So did Eddie Guardado, whose 10 strikes out of 15 deliveries in the seventh had his old teammates consistently off balance.
Callback to March 27: [size=“[Hank] Blalock is going to have a huge year. Huge.”]
I haven’t felt this good about Blalock since his first full season.
Everyone will remember what Hamilton did with the bat tonight, but his speed made an absolutely huge difference in this game, on defense and on offense.
Incidentally, if it were Boston or the Yankees who managed to pry Hamilton loose from the Reds this winter, he would have been on the cover of [size=Time Magazine] before camp ended.
I’m such a huge David Murphy fan.
King Felix is not only really, really good at pitching baseballs, he’s a heck of a good fielder, too.
You could hear Tom Grieve laughing underneath Josh Lewin’s call of the Hamilton blast off Putz. Eric Nadel’s voice cracked slightly when Ben Broussard dug Michael Young’s throw out to retire Ichiro and end the game. This was a game that rewarded great baseball fans, and I truly hope most of you stuck around past midnight to experience all of it.
____________________
All I ask is a chance to prove
that money can't make me happy.
"There are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary. And there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I learned that, I gave Jesus a chance."
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Ric
Bayou Bum
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50th Post Sat Apr 5th, 2008 04:10 pm | |
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THE NEWBERG REPORT
The New York City forecast called for an 80 percent chance of rain, but even Mario Mendoza hit four home runs in the big leagues, and so you can never bet against the 20 percent. My first and probably only visit to original Yankee Stadium was perfect: completely dry, a balmy 48 degrees, and the Yanks got absolutely pounded.
The trip got off to a frustrating start, as the captain of our flight begged off shortly before departure due to a case of "blocked ears." We were delayed by about two hours, effectively costing us a chance to visit Monument Park and take in BP.
We arrived at about 30 minutes before the first pitch, time enough for me to stand in a 30-deep line to get a Carl's Cheesesteak (provolone, grilled onions, sweet peppers). Best sandwich I've ever had. Ever.
Then the game began (stamping away my disappointment that Ronan Tynan doesn't perform the Anthem every night). It was a stunning affair, featuring a Rays club that, with the exception of a 15-minute stretch in the third inning, dominated in every phase.
Observations:
1. Took the D train to the game. I bet 60 percent of the folks on the subway were asleep, and not just the ones on the back end of their Friday commute.
2. The stadium blew me away -- because of how raw and stripped down everything is. It's cold, colorless, dank. Not very clean. The concession areas look like the State Fair if it stayed open until 3 a.m. There's very little music played as part of the game presentation. The video elements look like something you'd see if you tuned into a 1978 Yankees-Royals game on ESPN Classic, the scoreboard font a weak, sickly yellow that might have been created on a TRS-80. Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco is exponentially more well appointed.
3. Everywhere you turned: fathers and sons, granddads and fathers and sons, groups of four or six buddies from college or work or the bowling league. Very few women. I bet the female count was about five percent, and just about every woman there was wearing a Yankees jersey. I think I saw one who wasn't sporting the pinstriped flannels -- she had on a Yankees hoodie instead. Another was bragging about her fantasy league team.
4. Two balls, two strikes, two outs in the top of the first, and the crowd surged into a roar to spur on starter Ian Kennedy with the type of passion you'd expect to hear if your team had just gunned a runner out at the plate. Impressive.
And the crowd reaction after a big play? A really cool, unified, "Yarrrrr!!!" that you might hear from William Wallace's men as they mount a charge.
5. However, it's not only in Texas that a routine fly in the bottom of an inning elicits a collective scream and leap from the seats by the crowd. Yankee fans misjudge fly balls, too.
6. One beer vendor's sales pitch: "Who's ready fuh Cousin Brewksi?!?" It was perfect.
7. There were 49,000+ announced, but this is what the stands looked like after LaTroy Hawkins set the game on fire in the eighth:
8. Watch Out for Derek Holland. (Pardon the aside.)
(Oh yeah. Scott Feldman. Interesting.)
9. That girl who stars in "Life With Derek" on The Disney Channel is obviously a Rays fan. As the game ended, she appeared to be extremely happy while signing autographs.
That's not a photo from the game itself (she was as bundled up as everyone else), but that's pretty much the look she had on her face. Didn't see too many beaming smiles otherwise after Scott Dohmann breezed through the ninth on 11 pitches, the last of which cut Jorge Posada down on strikes.
10. This unexpected reaction I had is not an exaggeration: Attending a Yankees game almost felt like going to a minor league game in a small town that really cares about its team. The ballpark features are modest, if not dilapidated. But it has a ton of character, a culture, a vibe. Everyone there was there for the baseball game.
And that's the deal, of course. The game is the thing. I respect that a ton.
Tampa Bay 13, New York 4 finished up just around the time that the Rangers and Angels were starting their series opener on the other coast. When I got back to Times Square and headed over to ESPN Zone to find a televised feed of the game, the Rangers were already up, 5-0, on the strength of a Ben Broussard grand slam and some brilliant work out of Kason Gabbard, who finished with seven scoreless innings and a misprint-y ratio of 16 groundouts to one flyout (including double plays in three of the first four innings). Considering the spring those two had, it was a happily surprising effort by both, ending a pretty cool day full of surprises, from blocked pilot ears to a 20 percent chance of dry to a revered stadium that's really not that impressive until you feel the energy generated by the fans to a tastefully embarrassing pasting of the Yankees by a team that hasn't ever sniffed a meaningful game in the last third of a season.
____________________
All I ask is a chance to prove
that money can't make me happy.
"There are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary. And there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I learned that, I gave Jesus a chance."
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Ric
Bayou Bum
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51st Post Mon Apr 7th, 2008 02:20 pm | |
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THE NEWBERG REPORT
Texas is hitting .249 as a team. The club is nearly the worst in the league in fielding percentage and defensive efficiency rating, neither of which fully accounts for costly plays unmade. The schedule makers sent the Rangers on the road for the season’s first week, pitting them against the two teams that have earned every expert’s nod to win the West, the first of whom sent Erik Bedard and Felix Hernandez to the mound.
And yet the club returns to Arlington, prepared to open the home half of the schedule, toting a 3-3 record. All things considered, we ought to feel pretty good about that.
Especially because the reason that Texas sits at .500 -- winning two games big and playing the other four tight -- is that the starting rotation has a 2.31 ERA (only Oakland and Seattle have better AL marks), twice as many strikeouts as walks, and only one non-quality start, which stands alone as best in baseball. On average, the starters are getting midway into the seventh inning, a remarkable feat for the first week of the season (and in the Rangers’ case in recent years, noteworthy any time of the year). Add the fact that four of the Rangers’ seven relievers to see game action have yet to be scored on (one of the other three, Joaquin Benoit, had what has to be the season’s filthiest inning of relief work in yesterday’s eighth), and it’s clear that the pitching is to credit for 3-3.
For what it’s worth, if it weren’t for one bad Jason Jennings pitch to Jose Lopez immediately after Jennings appeared to get squeezed on a two-out, two-strike pitch, Texas would probably have a quality start in every game.
Don’t forget to give some credit for the improved pitching results to the outfield, which will get some mention here every so often all season. Those guys are getting good jumps and taking good paths, and the athleticism out there is as strong as it’s been in years.
The glass-half-full bunch, of which I’m an unabashed member, will suggest that Michael Young, Hank Blalock, Milton Bradley, Frank Catalanotto, Marlon Byrd, and Ben Broussard aren’t going to continue to hit .181 collectively, and that the infield is going to commit fewer miscues (especially once they all get past the flu). The glass-half-emptiers will instead expect David Murphy and Kason Gabbard to come back to the pack. All I know is that I’d rather have the veterans struggling a bit out of the gate and the young players on fire than the opposite. It’s a better bet that the experienced players will pull themselves out of a slump.
Vladimir Guerrero went 3 for 12 in the weekend series, with three singles. Sorry, run that by me again?
A thought for the pessimistic among you -- should this thing go south by July, what we’ve seen so far from Vicente Padilla and Gerald Laird is what could make them more tradeable than either has been in a couple years, if not ever. Broussard will need to pick his game up to get there as well, but three home runs in six games – before he even gets to Rangers Ballpark, where he’s a lifetime .509 slugger – is an interesting start.
Call me crazy:
Murphy, whether he realizes it or not, looks like he’s smiling at the pitcher when he digs in for the pitch. (Course, I would be too if I were hitting .352/.396/.552 as a Ranger.)
Some final observations from my day in New York City:
When the experts label a hotel as “four-star,” do they bother to leave the first floor?
The three hours I spent walking around Manhattan (as far north as 59th/Central Park, as far south as 25th, between Broadway and Lexington) on Saturday were really, really, really cool.
No exaggeration: in those three hours, I saw dozens of people, maybe hundreds, wearing Yankees caps. Saw just one Mets cap. One Red Sox cap. Two Rangers caps. And I wasn’t wearing one.
It’s almost impossible to believe how clean the streets are.
They sure like to smoke there.
Some of the shops are barely bigger than a batter’s box. Others are twice as long as a big league dugout, and no wider.
There are not only as many cabs on the streets as there are Starbucks in the Metroplex – there are as many Starbucks, too.
The shish kebab I had for lunch from one of those sidewalk carts was so good I wanted to curse.
So was the slice with the works at Famous Original Ray’s Pizza on Lexington. Sort of cracked me up, too, that they were not only showing “American Gangster” on the joint’s elevated TV set (at 3:30 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon), but turned the volume up several times. Graphic violence; graphic hypodermic drug use; graphic, um, intimate relations; F-bombs galore.
It’s not the National Anthem, of course, that Ronan Tynan sings. It’s “God Bless America.”
Alex Rodriguez isn’t featured nearly as prominently on all those two- or three-story billboards and LCD displays as David Wright, Derek Jeter, or Eli Manning.
Looking forward to going back.
Righthander Luis Mendoza threw 63 pitches during a simulated game on Wednesday, doing no damage to the blister on his right middle finger and putting him in line to make a rehab start for Oklahoma today. Assuming he has no setbacks with his 75-85 pitches, he’ll start for Texas on Saturday against Toronto.
Righthander Thomas Diamond, coming back from March 2007 Tommy John surgery, pitched two scoreless innings in an extended spring training game on Saturday. He’s next slated to appear on Thursday, with plans to get three innings of work in.
Hope you’re keeping up with Scott Lucas’s minor league reports. There were years not long ago when the daily farm report was basically checking in to see what Ian Kinsler did last night and hoping it was John Danks or Chris Young or Erik Thompson’s night to pitch. These days are so much different. Every morning’s report is a goodie bag full of a Marathon bar, a Shasta lemon-lime, a coupon from Bat Night to redeem at Minyard’s, those little wax bottles full of fruit punch, a couple Duncan Tournament yo-yo’s, a handful of packs of Donruss, a “Two-Minute Mysteries” book, and that elusive Randy Hughes football card from the set the Dallas Police used to hand out. The minor league season is four days old, and already Derek Holland, Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison, Scott Feldman, Doug Mathis, Evan Reed, Jarrod Salatalamacchia, Chris Davis, Taylor Teagarden, Elvis Andrus, Cristian Santana, and even Ian Gac have gotten off to buzzworthy starts.
Yes, righthander Fabio Castillo made his first appearance in relief for Clinton, rather than in rotation. Doubt it’s anything more than an effort by the organization at this point to keep the inning count down for Castillo, who just turned 19 in February and has only 91.1 innings logged in his two pro seasons.
Check out Alex Eisenberg’s breakdown of Davis, including some video of his swing, on this page at Baseball Digest Daily:
http://www.baseballdigestdaily.com/bullpen/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=438&Itemid=39
Solid Reds debut for righthander Edinson Volquez, after a stellar spring. He earned the win on Sunday after allowing one Phillies run on five hits and two walks in 5.1 innings, fanning eight and earning a standing ovation from the home crowd.
Seattle outfielder Brad Wilkerson is 1 for 15 with five strikeouts.
The Rangers, according to Baseball America, released righthanders Mark Alexander and Caleb Moore just as fast as they’d signed them. Texas also signed righthander Victor Prieto (a 24-year-old from Venezuela who apparently hasn’t pitched since 2005) and catcher Justin Pickett (who spent the last two years in the San Diego system), as well as former Rangers first baseman Jason Hart, who I believe sat 2007 out.
Texas also signed journeyman lefthander Chris Michalak, whom Cincinnati had released toward the end of camp. Michalak is working out of the Frisco bullpen.
The Yankees signed catcher Chris Stewart. The Cubs signed righthander Andy Cavazos. The Mets signed outfielder Michael Hernandez. Seattle signed righthander Scott Shoemaker.
Less than two weeks after acquiring him from the Rangers, Toronto released first baseman Freddie Thon.
San Diego released outfielders Ramon Nivar and Nic Crosta. Colorado released outfielder Ruddy Yan. The Mets released infielder Enrique Cruz. Washington released outfielders Juan Senreiso and Joe Napoli and righthander Sam Marsonek. The Dodgers released righthander Alfredo Simon and lefthander Scott Rice.
Detroit placed righthander Francisco Cruceta on the restricted list due to visa issues and signed lefthander Aaron Fultz to a minor league deal.
St. Louis, needing a replacement for injured reliever Russ Springer, recalled righthander Kelvin Jimenez.
Catcher Kelley Gulledge, son of Chuck Morgan, hooked on with the Dodgers this spring and will play for their AA club in Jacksonville.
Astros AAA outfielder Nick Gorneault, who spent a month and a half on the Rangers’ roster over the winter, is hitting .538/.571/.846 through Round Rock’s first four games. Small sample, yes, but he also hit .440/.481/.640 in 25 spring training at-bats for Houston.
Among Gorneault’s Express teammates is 29-year-old righthander Nick Regilio, who pitched for Texas in 2004 and 2005 but has been out of baseball since then.
Independent league signings: righthanders Ace Walker and Bear Bay (Winnipeg Goldeyes, Northern League); lefthander Ryan Cullen (Lancaster Barnstomers, Atlantic League); catcher Craig Hurba (Kansas City T-Bones, Northern League).
You’ve probably noticed that we upgraded the message board overnight. Thanks to Don Titus and Ed Coffin for making that happen.
Day off today for Texas, then we finally get to break out the home whites tomorrow. Leave early if you’re planning to be at Opening Day, not only because of expected traffic issues but also because the great Eric Nadel is being honored with the throwing out of the first pitch.
Based on what just about everyone else who has thrown the first Rangers pitch in a game has done this season, it’s probably not unfair to expect Nadel to bring it, at the knees, with late life, and go at least six.
____________________
All I ask is a chance to prove
that money can't make me happy.
"There are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary. And there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I learned that, I gave Jesus a chance."
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Ric
Bayou Bum
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52nd Post Mon Apr 7th, 2008 02:21 pm | |
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THE NEWBERG REPORT
Texas is hitting .249 as a team. The club is nearly the worst in the league in fielding percentage and defensive efficiency rating, neither of which fully accounts for costly plays unmade. The schedule makers sent the Rangers on the road for the season’s first week, pitting them against the two teams that have earned every expert’s nod to win the West, the first of whom sent Erik Bedard and Felix Hernandez to the mound.
And yet the club returns to Arlington, prepared to open the home half of the schedule, toting a 3-3 record. All things considered, we ought to feel pretty good about that.
Especially because the reason that Texas sits at .500 -- winning two games big and playing the other four tight -- is that the starting rotation has a 2.31 ERA (only Oakland and Seattle have better AL marks), twice as many strikeouts as walks, and only one non-quality start, which stands alone as best in baseball. On average, the starters are getting midway into the seventh inning, a remarkable feat for the first week of the season (and in the Rangers’ case in recent years, noteworthy any time of the year). Add the fact that four of the Rangers’ seven relievers to see game action have yet to be scored on (one of the other three, Joaquin Benoit, had what has to be the season’s filthiest inning of relief work in yesterday’s eighth), and it’s clear that the pitching is to credit for 3-3.
For what it’s worth, if it weren’t for one bad Jason Jennings pitch to Jose Lopez immediately after Jennings appeared to get squeezed on a two-out, two-strike pitch, Texas would probably have a quality start in every game.
Don’t forget to give some credit for the improved pitching results to the outfield, which will get some mention here every so often all season. Those guys are getting good jumps and taking good paths, and the athleticism out there is as strong as it’s been in years.
The glass-half-full bunch, of which I’m an unabashed member, will suggest that Michael Young, Hank Blalock, Milton Bradley, Frank Catalanotto, Marlon Byrd, and Ben Broussard aren’t going to continue to hit .181 collectively, and that the infield is going to commit fewer miscues (especially once they all get past the flu). The glass-half-emptiers will instead expect David Murphy and Kason Gabbard to come back to the pack. All I know is that I’d rather have the veterans struggling a bit out of the gate and the young players on fire than the opposite. It’s a better bet that the experienced players will pull themselves out of a slump.
Vladimir Guerrero went 3 for 12 in the weekend series, with three singles. Sorry, run that by me again?
A thought for the pessimistic among you -- should this thing go south by July, what we’ve seen so far from Vicente Padilla and Gerald Laird is what could make them more tradeable than either has been in a couple years, if not ever. Broussard will need to pick his game up to get there as well, but three home runs in six games – before he even gets to Rangers Ballpark, where he’s a lifetime .509 slugger – is an interesting start.
Call me crazy:
Murphy, whether he realizes it or not, looks like he’s smiling at the pitcher when he digs in for the pitch. (Course, I would be too if I were hitting .352/.396/.552 as a Ranger.)
Some final observations from my day in New York City:
When the experts label a hotel as “four-star,” do they bother to leave the first floor?
The three hours I spent walking around Manhattan (as far north as 59th/Central Park, as far south as 25th, between Broadway and Lexington) on Saturday were really, really, really cool.
No exaggeration: in those three hours, I saw dozens of people, maybe hundreds, wearing Yankees caps. Saw just one Mets cap. One Red Sox cap. Two Rangers caps. And I wasn’t wearing one.
It’s almost impossible to believe how clean the streets are.
They sure like to smoke there.
Some of the shops are barely bigger than a batter’s box. Others are twice as long as a big league dugout, and no wider.
There are not only as many cabs on the streets as there are Starbucks in the Metroplex – there are as many Starbucks, too.
The shish kebab I had for lunch from one of those sidewalk carts was so good I wanted to curse.
So was the slice with the works at Famous Original Ray’s Pizza on Lexington. Sort of cracked me up, too, that they were not only showing “American Gangster” on the joint’s elevated TV set (at 3:30 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon), but turned the volume up several times. Graphic violence; graphic hypodermic drug use; graphic, um, intimate relations; F-bombs galore.
It’s not the National Anthem, of course, that Ronan Tynan sings. It’s “God Bless America.”
Alex Rodriguez isn’t featured nearly as prominently on all those two- or three-story billboards and LCD displays as David Wright, Derek Jeter, or Eli Manning.
Looking forward to going back.
Righthander Luis Mendoza threw 63 pitches during a simulated game on Wednesday, doing no damage to the blister on his right middle finger and putting him in line to make a rehab start for Oklahoma today. Assuming he has no setbacks with his 75-85 pitches, he’ll start for Texas on Saturday against Toronto.
Righthander Thomas Diamond, coming back from March 2007 Tommy John surgery, pitched two scoreless innings in an extended spring training game on Saturday. He’s next slated to appear on Thursday, with plans to get three innings of work in.
Hope you’re keeping up with Scott Lucas’s minor league reports. There were years not long ago when the daily farm report was basically checking in to see what Ian Kinsler did last night and hoping it was John Danks or Chris Young or Erik Thompson’s night to pitch. These days are so much different. Every morning’s report is a goodie bag full of a Marathon bar, a Shasta lemon-lime, a coupon from Bat Night to redeem at Minyard’s, those little wax bottles full of fruit punch, a couple Duncan Tournament yo-yo’s, a handful of packs of Donruss, a “Two-Minute Mysteries” book, and that elusive Randy Hughes football card from the set the Dallas Police used to hand out. The minor league season is four days old, and already Derek Holland, Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison, Scott Feldman, Doug Mathis, Evan Reed, Jarrod Salatalamacchia, Chris Davis, Taylor Teagarden, Elvis Andrus, Cristian Santana, and even Ian Gac have gotten off to buzzworthy starts.
Yes, righthander Fabio Castillo made his first appearance in relief for Clinton, rather than in rotation. Doubt it’s anything more than an effort by the organization at this point to keep the inning count down for Castillo, who just turned 19 in February and has only 91.1 innings logged in his two pro seasons.
Check out Alex Eisenberg’s breakdown of Davis, including some video of his swing, on this page at Baseball Digest Daily:
http://www.baseballdigestdaily.com/bullpen/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=438&Itemid=39
Solid Reds debut for righthander Edinson Volquez, after a stellar spring. He earned the win on Sunday after allowing one Phillies run on five hits and two walks in 5.1 innings, fanning eight and earning a standing ovation from the home crowd.
Seattle outfielder Brad Wilkerson is 1 for 15 with five strikeouts.
The Rangers, according to Baseball America, released righthanders Mark Alexander and Caleb Moore just as fast as they’d signed them. Texas also signed righthander Victor Prieto (a 24-year-old from Venezuela who apparently hasn’t pitched since 2005) and catcher Justin Pickett (who spent the last two years in the San Diego system), as well as former Rangers first baseman Jason Hart, who I believe sat 2007 out.
Texas also signed journeyman lefthander Chris Michalak, whom Cincinnati had released toward the end of camp. Michalak is working out of the Frisco bullpen.
The Yankees signed catcher Chris Stewart. The Cubs signed righthander Andy Cavazos. The Mets signed outfielder Michael Hernandez. Seattle signed righthander Scott Shoemaker.
Less than two weeks after acquiring him from the Rangers, Toronto released first baseman Freddie Thon.
San Diego released outfielders Ramon Nivar and Nic Crosta. Colorado released outfielder Ruddy Yan. The Mets released infielder Enrique Cruz. Washington released outfielders Juan Senreiso and Joe Napoli and righthander Sam Marsonek. The Dodgers released righthander Alfredo Simon and lefthander Scott Rice.
Detroit placed righthander Francisco Cruceta on the restricted list due to visa issues and signed lefthander Aaron Fultz to a minor league deal.
St. Louis, needing a replacement for injured reliever Russ Springer, recalled righthander Kelvin Jimenez.
Catcher Kelley Gulledge, son of Chuck Morgan, hooked on with the Dodgers this spring and will play for their AA club in Jacksonville.
Astros AAA outfielder Nick Gorneault, who spent a month and a half on the Rangers’ roster over the winter, is hitting .538/.571/.846 through Round Rock’s first four games. Small sample, yes, but he also hit .440/.481/.640 in 25 spring training at-bats for Houston.
Among Gorneault’s Express teammates is 29-year-old righthander Nick Regilio, who pitched for Texas in 2004 and 2005 but has been out of baseball since then.
Independent league signings: righthanders Ace Walker and Bear Bay (Winnipeg Goldeyes, Northern League); lefthander Ryan Cullen (Lancaster Barnstomers, Atlantic League); catcher Craig Hurba (Kansas City T-Bones, Northern League).
You’ve probably noticed that we upgraded the message board overnight. Thanks to Don Titus and Ed Coffin for making that happen.
Day off today for Texas, then we finally get to break out the home whites tomorrow. Leave early if you’re planning to be at Opening Day, not only because of expected traffic issues but also because the great Eric Nadel is being honored with the throwing out of the first pitch.
Based on what just about everyone else who has thrown the first Rangers pitch in a game has done this season, it’s probably not unfair to expect Nadel to bring it, at the knees, with late life, and go at least six.
____________________
All I ask is a chance to prove
that money can't make me happy.
"There are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary. And there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I learned that, I gave Jesus a chance."
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LEB
Member
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53rd Post Mon Apr 7th, 2008 04:52 pm | |
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John Danks off to a good start: 1 run allowed in 6 2/3 innings.
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Ric
Bayou Bum
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54th Post Sat Apr 12th, 2008 03:32 pm | |
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THE NEWBERG REPORT
It was a banner day for a bunch of people, from Ron Washington (sporting a winning record as a manager for the first time) to Chuck Morgan (game 2000) to Kevin Millwood (third great start, first win) to Marlon Byrd (whose batting average changed for the first time this year and who made a spectacular throw to third to cut down Adam Jones trying to take an extra base in Game Two) to C.J. Wilson (tripling his save total in the span of 18
pitches) to Ian Kinsler and Michael Young (who came up big in key spots in both games, at the plate and on the bases and in the field).
But what also stood out for me was that Josh Hamilton, who does almost nothing quietly, was quietly instrumental in both ends of the Thursday sweep.
In the Rangers' 3-1 win in Game One, Hamilton plated Young (who had reached on an error) on an opposite field double in the first inning and then greeted left-handed reliever Jamie Walker with a workmanlike, eight-pitch at-bat in the seventh that culminated with a sacrifice fly to right, again scoring Young (who had stolen second and taken third on the catcher's throwing error, and then scored with a masterful slide). Having never faced Walker, one of the most reliable southpaw relievers in the game, Hamilton watched the first five pitches, running the count full, before fouling the next two off and then delivering the sac fly.
Hamilton never got the ball out of the infield in Game Two, going 0 for 5.
But he was responsible for two runs (in a one-run victory) that no box score or trendy new statistical formula will credit. Tied at 1-1 in the third, Kinsler and Young each drew walks off Orioles starter Adam Loewen, bringing Hamilton to the plate. Having never faced the big lefty, Hamilton let two pitches go by, a strike and a ball, before striking what appeared to be a tailor-made double play ground ball to second base. Brian Roberts fielded it cleanly, fed it to shortstop Luis Hernandez cleanly, and Hernandez turned it cleanly, firing to first baseman Aubrey Huff.
But the 6'4", 235 Hamilton shot out of the box and tore down the line, beating the Hernandez throw, and as routine as the grounder looked, the play at first wasn't really even that close.
It hardly seemed consequential at the time, but moments later Hamilton would score (easily) behind Young on a Milton Bradley double to left center, giving Texas a run that it wouldn't have had if he hadn't legged out the fielder's choice. Then, after Hank Blalock lined out to left, Byrd walked and David Murphy singled Bradley home, extending the Rangers' lead to 4-1.
If Hamilton hadn't thwarted the double play in his at-bat, the Blalock line-out ends that inning. Instead, Texas tacks on one more run, making it two scores that Hamilton's play enabled in what would be a one-run victory.
The twinbill means that Texas will need to use a sixth starter on Monday, and since chances are that Josh Rupe will be optioned to Oklahoma on Saturday so that Luis Mendoza can be activated to start that night, it's likely that Jamey Wright will get the Monday assignment -- unless Texas chooses to dip down and recall lefthander A.J. Murray, who was sensational on Wednesday (six innings, one run on two hits and no walks, five strikeouts, an economical 60 pitches) and would be slated to pitch on Monday anyway.
Something to keep in mind as far as Robinson Tejeda is concerned: While Texas was able to get him through waivers this week and outright his contract to AAA, it now gets tougher to hang onto him. If he pitches well out of the Oklahoma bullpen and is brought back to Texas during the 2008 season, he'll basically be on his last run with the Rangers. If Texas were to drop him from the roster thereafter, as the club did in March, he'll either get claimed (or traded) or, if he makes it through waivers again, he'll have the right to decline an outright assignment at that point and take immediate free agency (players can't refuse an initial outright but can turn down any subsequent outrights).
If, on the other hand, Tejeda is not added to the roster between now and October, he'll have the ability to leave via minor league free agency after the season.
The Mets had been rumored since the end of camp to be interested to some degree in Tejeda, but instead they signed righthander Claudio Vargas yesterday to a minor league deal. Perhaps the key factor was that New York can get Vargas a couple starts on the farm before throwing him onto the big league mound, something the club could not do with Tejeda, who, since he's out of options, would somehow need to be stretched out on the big league level before settling back into a rotation role.
The Commissioner's Office suspended promising Atlanta center field prospect Jordan Schafer 50 games for violating baseball's minor league drug program.
You might recall that, according to Baseball America, the Rangers had the choice between Elvis Andrus and Schafer in the Mark Teixeira trade (though Baseball Prospectus suggested the Braves refused to make Schafer available).
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