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OFFICIAL OFF SEASON THREAD ( 2017 )

saddles

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Surprise Five finds Rangers’ roster battles heating up

1. Ryan Rua — The outfielder continues to impress (as he does every spring). He had two hits Sunday, including a monster home run to center field. Rua said it felt like his hardest-hit ball since a go-ahead, three-run homer to dead center against the White Sox in the eighth inning May 10. Remember that?

Rua leads the club among Cactus League qualifiers with a .318 batting average and is tied with Carlos Gomez for the team lead with nine RBIs. He’ll be on the 25-man roster. Only question is whether he’ll be the Opening Day left fielder.

2. Eddie Gamboa — The knuckleball pitcher turned in one of the best outings (I’d say yes, but got some pushback in the press box) by a Rangers starter this spring. He held the Mariners to two unearned runs on five hits and a walk in five innings. He also struck out five. He’s looking like a real rotation option in early April if Andrew Cashner needs an extra week.

“Pretty efficient,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister called the outing.
 

saddles

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Gamboa is an interesting candidate for the rotation.
 

saddles

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I wonder why the Rangers are so skittish about allowing Hamels to face big leaguers in ST? He will be facing an "A" level team tomorrow. The other starters aren't hidden away on the back fields like that. Last year I think I heard some writers giving the excuse that they don't want opponents seeing too much of him, but that would be just as important with other starters as well. In this age everyone has plenty of film on him. The Phillies certainly didn't handle him that way.
 

Nightcrawler

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I think we simply weren't as good as our record and it showed in the postseason.

Nobody believes me. Everyone gave my opinion a negative rating, but I still maintain to this day that the Rangers just drew a Terrible matchup for them in the playoffs. The last few years, the Rangers have done much better against the Indians and royals, but they always seemed to draw the blue Jays. I'm not saying the Rangers would've won a series against those other teams, but it would've gone better for them.
 

Nightcrawler

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The Ticket has it's staff in Surprise for the week and Norm was really espousing on how valuable Claudio is to this team. And he reminded me/us how close the Rangers came to putting him on waivers last season.

Here's a guy I had absolutely no confidence in two years ago, and yet today, he's a key cog in our BP. Good for him. Hopefully us too.

I agree 100%. Claudio won me over at a game in Seattle at safeco field last year. The Rangers got hammered. Seemingly every Rangers pitcher did horrible except for Claudio. Hamels could barely get out of the first few innings. I've stated before, but I'm more confident in Claudio then barnette. Barnett has good numbers, but sometimes I wonder why given his seemingly mediocre stuff.
 

romeo212000

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I wonder why the Rangers are so skittish about allowing Hamels to face big leaguers in ST? He will be facing an "A" level team tomorrow. The other starters aren't hidden away on the back fields like that. Last year I think I heard some writers giving the excuse that they don't want opponents seeing too much of him, but that would be just as important with other starters as well. In this age everyone has plenty of film on him. The Phillies certainly didn't handle him that way.

Meh. Hold off on the hand wringing till the season starts.
 

romeo212000

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Nobody believes me. Everyone gave my opinion a negative rating, but I still maintain to this day that the Rangers just drew a Terrible matchup for them in the playoffs. The last few years, the Rangers have done much better against the Indians and royals, but they always seemed to draw the blue Jays. I'm not saying the Rangers would've won a series against those other teams, but it would've gone better for them.

You couldn't enjoy the playoffs. Instead you had to post incessant hand wringing and make excuses before the series even started. That's why you got negative ratings.
 

Nightcrawler

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You couldn't enjoy the playoffs. Instead you had to post incessant hand wringing and make excuses before the series even started. That's why you got negative ratings.

I understand...... I was just frustrated that the team didn't take steps to avoid playing the Jays. HFA isn't as meaningful in baseball as it is in football and basketball.
 

Bmurph

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I think we simply weren't as good as our record and it showed in the postseason.

You can only be as good as your SP in the playoffs really, and our SP pitching sucked. It didnt have anything to do with record or run differential or all that other stuff people want to use at times.

Our TORP completely shit the bed when it counted the most and that isn't what should be expected of them. Granted the offense wasnt playing well but hard to overcome some of those starts by the pitching

For the record my expectations are tempered to say the least for this coming season
 

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Nick Martinez on the hill tonight... not sure what they think they're going to see out of him, but go Rangers.
 

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Nick Martinez on the hill tonight... not sure what they think they're going to see out of him, but go Rangers.

Maybe they want to see him give up a bunch of runs per his usual? He is still a Fordham University 2nd baseman that is trying to pitch at the ML level
 

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I would love for Rua to finally develop into the hitter a lot of you have been expecting him to.
 

romeo212000

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I understand...... I was just frustrated that the team didn't take steps to avoid playing the Jays. HFA isn't as meaningful in baseball as it is in football and basketball.

That's a pussy mentality. That's why you caught shit.
 

romeo212000

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Maybe they want to see him give up a bunch of runs per his usual? He is still a Fordham University 2nd baseman that is trying to pitch at the ML level

Decent long man option. That's about it.
 

romeo212000

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Lol at admiring your oppo warning track shot.
 

saddles

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Meh. Hold off on the hand wringing till the season starts.
It isn't necessarily hand wringing as much as it just baffles me. It is definitely a strategy, but I haven't heard too much from our local writers trying to explain it or even pursuing an answer. Our local baseball writers leave us in the dark often it seems. The one time it was addressed last year we were given an explanation that just doesn't make any sense.
 

romeo212000

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It isn't necessarily hand wringing as much as it just baffles me. It is definitely a strategy, but I haven't heard too much from our local writers trying to explain it or even pursuing an answer. Our local baseball writers leave us in the dark often it seems. The one time it was addressed last year we were given an explanation that just doesn't make any sense.

You're surprised the DFW sports media isn't on top of Rangers baseball? Have you been under a rock the last... oh 30 years?

Seriously though, I'm wondering if there's not something he's working on that he doesn't want to show yet.
 
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