Series Thread: ALDS: The Texas Rangers host the Toronto Blue Jays!

[Bmurph]

Sorry bro. But unless the Rangers address their pathetic defense up the middle (Andrus, Odor, and Desmond all below average defensive players), magically grow a couple starting pitchers somewhere in the Arizona desert, and properly retire Colby Lewis, release Derek Holland, leave Jake Diekman in Canada, and fire their galactically stupid manager, then we will all be mourning another total collapse next year by our Rangers.

Other than Beltre, this is a team full of mental midgets. And you can't fix that in one offseason.

And Banister, I'm talking to you, you can't fix stupid either.

Dude there is overreacting and then there is just talking out of your ass, cause your mouth and head knows better. They got beat in a playoff series because the other team's players out performed them all the way around. Just not a hot SP staff down the stretch, and it was a trickle down from there

 

[Bmurph]

Division titles. Hmmm... Honest question: Should we have a ring ceremony on opening day next year to hand out AL West Championship rings? Think the players would be into that?

You play to win a World Series. Nothing less.

The Mariners, Astros, Angels might argue that point somewhat, you don't have a fucking chance at a WS if you don't make the post season. Id be happy as shit about giving my team a chance at a WS by winning a division title

 

[Bmurph]

FUCK I HOPE NEXT YEAR ENDS UP BETTER!

 

[packerzrule]

da fuq Rangers!!

 

[ESPN Refugee]

In sleeping it off last night I woke up content and I'll tell you why. We had Hamels and Darvish go games 1 and 2 who we all know both are aces and they were both beat up mightily and that too at home. Man I just I have to give the Jays all the credit in the world...they came to play and make no mistake they're a great team that I don't think many people around the MLB especially here in Texas gave them credit for.

I sure was disappointed to see both Hamels and Darvish pitch the way they did but hey it's sports and it's our Rangers and shit happen. Our offense wasn't good and the guys we relied heavy on like Beltran and Beltre didn't hit and without that we just weren't going to have a chance.

The ONLY thing that I MAYBE would have done different is start Hamels and Darvish in games 1 and 3 but then again I don't think that even makes a difference this series.

All in all our boys won 95 games and it was a hell of a season. I and most on the board remember what the Rangers organization was before 2010 so while it sucks to go through misery sometimes it's at least nice to be relevant and have meaningful baseball played through September & October.

 

[ESPN Refugee]

Another thing I forgot to add is gentlemen...we freaking still have THE GREAT Jon Daniels leading this ship. We're really fortunate to have one of the best if not the best GM's and front office in baseball and because of him my hopes and optimism still remains high for next year and several years in the future. We still have Elvis, Roogie, Profar, Mazara and Gallo to build around with other guys in the farm that will take a few more years to develop and ripen.

Just think of the strides Maz, Roogie and Profar they hit this year. Can't help but be excited and optimistic.

 

[saddles]

All of these postseason losses in a row reminds me of the late 90s Rangers teams. Except back then our starting pitching was usually much better in the postseason.

 

[ESPN Refugee]

All of these postseason losses in a row reminds me of the late 90s Rangers teams. Except back then our starting pitching was usually much better in the postseason.

That's the one thing that gets lost when people talk about those late 90's Rangers playoff teams was that in the postseason the issue wasn't the starting pitching. They all say all offense no pitching but in reality starting pitching was just fine in those series.

 

[saddles]

Another thing I forgot to add is gentlemen...we freaking still have THE GREAT Jon Daniels leading this ship. We're really fortunate to have one of the best if not the best GM's and front office in baseball and because of him my hopes and optimism still remains high for next year and several years in the future. We still have Elvis, Roogie, Profar, Mazara and Gallo to build around with other guys in the farm that will take a few more years to develop and ripen.

Just think of the strides Maz, Roogie and Profar they hit this year. Can't help but be excited and optimistic.

I wish I had your optimism, and a year ago I did, but this one has changed the way I feel. I am optimistic that this team will win a lot of regular season games next year, but I am not optimistic at all about how that will translate into postseason success. To me the postseason success is the primary goal and regular season success is only important in that it gets you to the postseason. I got tired of only having regular season success in the late 90s. I am not getting any younger and I am ready for a WS title. We are falling far short of that and I cannot get excited by the way this team plays in the postseason. I also don't think it was just because we played the Blue Jays. I am also ready to move on to the Hot Stove season and get this whole year behind us.

 

[DT LUNA]

We need to be able to beat the best teams and not have a team that needs to avoid any other team. You aren't going to be able to go places if you have to hide from teams.

It's been explained many times. Either he does not get it or he is a troll which I believe to be the case. Romeo had a special thread given to him to post this kind of stuff. Enough said I guess.

 

[saddles]

That's the one thing that gets lost when people talk about those late 90's Rangers playoff teams was that in the postseason the issue wasn't the starting pitching. They all say all offense no pitching but in reality starting pitching was just fine in those series.

Yeah, I always think of that when fans with short or no memories act as if this franchise had never seen good p;itching before Cliff Lee got here. I went back a few minutes ago and looked at the box scores from those late 90s postseason games and our starters had some good games. Not tremendous, but they definitely kept us in the games.

 

[saddles]

Why the Rangers' great record in one-run contests is a double-edged sword | SportsDay

From 2006-2015, the clubs with the annual top record for one-run games were a combined 314-172 in that situation. The club’s overall winning percentage was .565.

In the following season, those clubs were 207-218 in one-run games. The teams’ overall winning percentage was .519.

 

[DT LUNA]

My closing comments are simply this. When the regular season ended, we were not ready for October baseball. It was going to be difficult to continue with the rotation lacking #3 #4. The offense had fallen off badly and and the J's played solid ball but it did not matter who we played, we were not prime when we needed to be. So what do we do? Come back stronger! How? JD will let us know. Keep the faith. I enjoyed this season and you guys had a lot to do with it. The pleasure has been mine.

 

[ESPN Refugee]

 

[saddles]

A few weeks ago we were discussing on here the possibility of trading Odor and putting Profar at 2B. That was before Roogie went on to finish with so many HR. I still wonder if we might need to consider trading him. There is certainly no need for a fire sale or to think we have to make a trade. I am open to trading anyone depending on the right return though, even if that means taking a step back in 2017.

 

[Bmurph]

Despite sweep vs. Blue Jays, here's why the Rangers have a bright future
Texas fans will have a lot to dream on this winter

• by R.J. Anderson
• @r_j_anderson
• 2h ago • 2 min read

The Rangers were eliminated from postseason play on Sunday, having dropped all three games in their best-of-five Division Series vs. the Blue Jays. It was the first time since 1999 the Rangers had failed to win a game after reaching the divisional round.

All the post-hoc huffing and howling about the Rangers' poor run differential -- they scored eight more runs than they allowed during the regular season, the thinnest margin among playoff qualifiers and a worse mark than those posted by other AL West teams (the Mariners and Astros) -- misses the point. Regression, or whatever you call it, doesn't work like that. You might've expected the Rangers to play worse than their record suggested they would, but that doesn't mean a sweep was likely or probable; comeuppance isn't a fait accompli because the calendar flips to October.

So yes, Rangers fans should feel disappointed their team's march toward the World Series stopped here, in the minimum amount of games. But the fan base should not feel dispirited for the future. There's too much to like about this roster for that.

Two potentially big pieces of Texas' future. USATSI
You have to believe shaky postseason outings were blips for Yu Darvish and Cole Hamels -- the duo with the seeming kinetic potential to carry the Rangers into the ALCS and beyond -- and that each will perform like a front-of-the-rotation starter heading forward. Likewise, much of the lineup is in place -- and better yet, much of it is young and supple.

The Rangers' average batter age checked in around the league norm, but that rank is skewered by a few outliers -- namely 39-year-old Carlos Beltranand 37-year-old Adrian Beltre. Look around Texas' clubhouse and you'll find players with birth dates suggestive of improvement. There's second baseman Rougned Odor, who homered 33 times in his age-22 season; there's three former elite prospects in Nomar Mazara (21), Joey Gallo (22) and Jurickson Profar (23); and there's even shortstop Elvis Andrus -- a mainstay who, unbelievably, just turned 28.

A pair of locked-in studs complement the youth. The aforementioned Beltre, a future Hall of Famer, continues to evade head pats and the decline phase alike. This season marked the fourth time in his past five tries that he finished the year with more than 140 games played and an OPS+ north of 120. The Rangers' big midseason addition, catcher Jonathan Lucroy, will return as well. He's nothing special -- simply one of the best, most well-rounded backstops in baseball. Shin-Soo Choo could be an asset as well, provided he's on the field more often than he was in 2016.

Adrian Beltre defies Father Time. MLBAM
Sure, general manager Jon Daniels will have work to do elsewhere. Ian Desmond and Carlos Gomez are free agents after impressive rebound stints in Texas -- does Daniels have the confidence in either (or both) to pay market value? And while we're playing the rhetorical game, does Daniels think Carlos Beltran at 40 is worth the investment? The Rangers also have to ponder Mitch Moreland's worth, and find at least one more starting pitcher -- remember, they were tied to Tampa Bay's lot during the summer, and it's conceivable those talks could resume in the winter. But, then, every team has some issues to address.

The Rangers certainly have theirs -- they also appear to have a better, more promising foundation in place than most teams they're sharing the couch with.

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

Can't even get mad at the blow jays. Rangers beat themselves.

 

[Duane1952]

Another thing I forgot to add is gentlemen...we freaking still have THE GREAT Jon Daniels leading this ship. We're really fortunate to have one of the best if not the best GM's and front office in baseball and because of him my hopes and optimism still remains high for next year and several years in the future. We still have Elvis, Roogie, Profar, Mazara and Gallo to build around with other guys in the farm that will take a few more years to develop and ripen.

Just think of the strides Maz, Roogie and Profar they hit this year. Can't help but be excited and optimistic.

Elvis or Profar will be gone. And You can't count on Gallo. He has been pathetic with his .040 BA this year. I will be surprised if gets anywhere close to where we need him to be.

 

[Duane1952]

Despite sweep vs. Blue Jays, here's why the Rangers have a bright future
Texas fans will have a lot to dream on this winter

• by R.J. Anderson
• @r_j_anderson
• 2h ago • 2 min read

The Rangers were eliminated from postseason play on Sunday, having dropped all three games in their best-of-five Division Series vs. the Blue Jays. It was the first time since 1999 the Rangers had failed to win a game after reaching the divisional round.

All the post-hoc huffing and howling about the Rangers' poor run differential -- they scored eight more runs than they allowed during the regular season, the thinnest margin among playoff qualifiers and a worse mark than those posted by other AL West teams (the Mariners and Astros) -- misses the point. Regression, or whatever you call it, doesn't work like that. You might've expected the Rangers to play worse than their record suggested they would, but that doesn't mean a sweep was likely or probable; comeuppance isn't a fait accompli because the calendar flips to October.

So yes, Rangers fans should feel disappointed their team's march toward the World Series stopped here, in the minimum amount of games. But the fan base should not feel dispirited for the future. There's too much to like about this roster for that.

Two potentially big pieces of Texas' future. USATSI
You have to believe shaky postseason outings were blips for Yu Darvish and Cole Hamels -- the duo with the seeming kinetic potential to carry the Rangers into the ALCS and beyond -- and that each will perform like a front-of-the-rotation starter heading forward. Likewise, much of the lineup is in place -- and better yet, much of it is young and supple.

The Rangers' average batter age checked in around the league norm, but that rank is skewered by a few outliers -- namely 39-year-old Carlos Beltranand 37-year-old Adrian Beltre. Look around Texas' clubhouse and you'll find players with birth dates suggestive of improvement. There's second baseman Rougned Odor, who homered 33 times in his age-22 season; there's three former elite prospects in Nomar Mazara (21), Joey Gallo (22) and Jurickson Profar (23); and there's even shortstop Elvis Andrus -- a mainstay who, unbelievably, just turned 28.

A pair of locked-in studs complement the youth. The aforementioned Beltre, a future Hall of Famer, continues to evade head pats and the decline phase alike. This season marked the fourth time in his past five tries that he finished the year with more than 140 games played and an OPS+ north of 120. The Rangers' big midseason addition, catcher Jonathan Lucroy, will return as well. He's nothing special -- simply one of the best, most well-rounded backstops in baseball. Shin-Soo Choo could be an asset as well, provided he's on the field more often than he was in 2016.

Adrian Beltre defies Father Time. MLBAM
Sure, general manager Jon Daniels will have work to do elsewhere. Ian Desmond and Carlos Gomez are free agents after impressive rebound stints in Texas -- does Daniels have the confidence in either (or both) to pay market value? And while we're playing the rhetorical game, does Daniels think Carlos Beltran at 40 is worth the investment? The Rangers also have to ponder Mitch Moreland's worth, and find at least one more starting pitcher -- remember, they were tied to Tampa Bay's lot during the summer, and it's conceivable those talks could resume in the winter. But, then, every team has some issues to address.

The Rangers certainly have theirs -- they also appear to have a better, more promising foundation in place than most teams they're sharing the couch with.

I don't see Desmond coming back. Gomez has already told his agent he wants to stay.

 

[Duane1952]

A few weeks ago we were discussing on here the possibility of trading Odor and putting Profar at 2B. That was before Roogie went on to finish with so many HR. I still wonder if we might need to consider trading him. There is certainly no need for a fire sale or to think we have to make a trade. I am open to trading anyone depending on the right return though, even if that means taking a step back in 2017.

I heard they might try Odor in the outfield next spring.