Eagerly anticipating the offseason as sewer dwellers invade Arlington 09/28-10/01

[Nightcrawler]

Bring on the offseason!

But first, we have to play Oakland for 4 meaningless games.

Treat these games like they're spring training. Experiment. Try new things. Possibly let Elvis or Choo pitch an inning. Let a pitcher DH. Who cares.

I don't mind losing to improve our draft position.

 

[DT LUNA]

Bring on the offseason!

But first, we have to play Oakland for 4 meaningless games.

Treat these games like they're spring training. Experiment. Try new things. Possibly let Elvis or Choo pitch an inning. Let a pitcher DH. Who cares.

I don't mind losing to improve our draft position.

If you don't mind losing, you will always be a loser.
These last games have meaning. It's called pride. Lose that and you have nothing.

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

Five feet, nine inches. DeShields stands for questions about protests.

Let me start by saying that this article is framed around the topic of professional athletes kneeling during the Anthem. I am not posting it for that reason, and I've been rather glad that the topic hasn't made its way to our Rangers discussion. Not because I'm against the topic or a particular side, but because it's a heavy one, and I prefer to keep politics out of Rangers talk. And if the topic does bother you, please skip the article, because it is the foundation of it.

But what the article does do, and does well, is show a side to DDJ that I'm not sure many of us know - specifically, his maturity. His play on the field has certainly made me a fan of his, but it also sounds like he's got a good head on his shoulders as well.

So please excuse my hypocritical inclusion of politics into our Rangers talk, but I felt like I should share a little insight into DDJ.

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

If you don't mind losing, you will always be a loser.
These last games have meaning. It's called pride. Lose that and you have nothing.

I agree with that most of the time, but I would have really rather lost a few more 3 years ago so Bregman could be a Ranger instead of Dillon Tate being an ex-Ranger with nothing to show for it. The Tim Bogar effect killed our draft. Wash even hurt us in leaving. lol

 

[saddles]

Beltre to closely watch Rangers’ off-season plans

These are the things that happen when a team runs out of chances. In Beltre’s case, he doesn’t have many more chances and will remind general manager Jon Daniels of that before heading home.


He wants to come back, back to a winner, for the final year of his contract and perhaps the final year of his career. But if the Rangers start to rebuild, he might be torn between returning to a place he loves or asking the club to explore a trade to a contender.


He understands that he might have a decision to make.


“When the decision comes, I’ll sit around with my family and think about what I want to do,” Beltre said. “But it’s just like, I don’t want to leave a team that I’m pretty comfortable with and believe in my teammates, to go to a team that is not guaranteed.


“So, it’s something I have to sit around and think about with my family again, and search for something that I really want, but without guarantees. It’s a decision I can’t make now, because it’s too early, and I will see how that decision goes.”


As Beltre sees it, the core offensive group coming back for 2018 is solid, beginning with him and shortstop Elvis Andrus. Shin-Soo Choo and Nomar Mazara return, as do Rougned Odor and Joey Gallo.


Beltre is buoyed by that and the improvements that will come with another year of seasoning for Gallo and a bounce-back year for Odor.
Mike Napoli, who also isn’t expected to play the rest of this season, and Gomez are free agents, as is right-hander Andrew Cashner.

The Rangers will have three rotation spots to fill.

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

Texas Rangers 2018 Draft Positioning

The most realistic scenario is that the Rangers select somewhere between #11 and #18 in the 2018 draft. They are smack in the middle of a clutch of eight teams with anywhere from 79 to 83 losses, and how those eight teams finish out the season will determine where Texas ends up picking.

Its worth noting that, under the new CBA, the Rangers (because they don’t receive revenue sharing money and don’t pay the luxury tax) would forfeit their second-highest pick if they were to sign a free agent who gets a qualifying offer. In previous years, they would lose their first round pick if they signed a qualifying free agent if that pick wasn’t in the top 10. Thus, there’s no need to panic about the possibility that they screwed things up and can’t sign a QO free agent if they end up at, say, #11. Texas will lose a second round pick if they sign one of those, and will get a compensatory pick after the second round if they lose a free agent who gets a QO (though the only real candidates for a QO from Texas are Andrew Cashner and Carlos Gomez).

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

One of these days I am afraid we are going to look back on this organization keeping Odor and jettisoning Profar and wonder what on earth were they thinking.

 

[Kelleyman]

I agree with that most of the time, but I would have really rather lost a few more 3 years ago so Bregman could be a Ranger instead of Dillon Tate being an ex-Ranger with nothing to show for it. The Tim Bogar effect killed our draft. Wash even hurt us in leaving. lol

Yeah I was really hoping one of those Shortstops would drop to 4 and I wanted Bregman. I do not think we should try to lose but the young guys should get the starts. Curious about Robinson in CF. To me it is hugely important to have a great defensive player in CF to be able to cover corner deficiencies

 

[saddles]

Diamondbacks Agree To Sign No. 27 International Prospect Wilderd Patiño | BaseballAmerica.com

For the Rangers, Patiño going to Arizona leaves more money in their 2017-18 international bonus pool and is another signal that they will be one of the favorites to sign Shohei Ohtani if he does make the jump to Major League Baseball after the 2017 season.

 

[saddles]

Yeah I was really hoping one of those Shortstops would drop to 4 and I wanted Bregman. I do not think we should try to lose but the young guys should get the starts. Curious about Robinson in CF. To me it is hugely important to have a great defensive player in CF to be able to cover corner deficiencies

I definitely don't want the team to try and lose, but as a fan I thought back then that it would have been better for us to lose in September.

 

[Kelleyman]

Offseason to address IMO is the amount of strikeouts. I know it is league prevalent and other metrics lessen its hurt as declared by others but working counts and knowing how to hit with 2 strikes I think needs improvement AND a different approach

 

[Kelleyman]

I definitely don't want the team to try and lose, but as a fan I thought back then that it would have been better for us to lose in September.

There's is a definite difference in tanking and playing your young guys needing experience in games that have no playoff implications. Just hated losing Bregman and I think of it often

 

[saddles]

Rangers and Padres Pitching Prospects Open Instructs | FanGraphs Baseball

Instructional League began in Arizona on Wednesday with the Texas and San Diego groups playing in Peoria, AZ. Lefty Brett Martin started for Texas and sat 92-94 with his downhill fastball, touching 95. He frequently utilized a changeup that flashed average, but was mostly below in the 83-85 mph range with an upper-80s cutter. I saw no curveballs from Martin, which I had previously evaluated as his best secondary pitch. I’m not certain if the pitch has been scrapped temporarily for developmental purposes — or perhaps medical ones, as Rangers pitchers in Extended were on fastball-only programs for a while — or if he simply didn’t happen to throw any. Regardless, Martin’s changeup needs reps, as he’s missed significant time with injury during each of the last three years. Between 2015 and -17 he’s had hip, elbow, and back issues. He has mid-rotation upside if he can stay healthy and more consistently locate a fully developed changeup.


Speaking of changeups, Cole Ragans is going to have a really good one. The Rangers 19-year-old lefty sat 88-91 with his fastball yesterday and flashed an above-average, fading changeup in the upper 70s. I have it and Ragans’ command projected to plus. His fastball is a 40 on pure velocity but plays better than that due to plane and deception. He also showed a fringey, low-70s curveball. I can see the basis for the Cole Hamels comparisons, as there are some mechanical similarities and the repertoire is structured similarly. That said, Ragans isn’t as graceful and athletic as Hamels is/was, nor does he have the velocity. Yet.


Another Rangers lefty, Colombian Reiver Sanmartin, sat 87-90 and flashed an average changeup and slider. He has a reliever — Reiver the Reliever® — look about him due to his low-three-quarters arm slot and cross-bodied delivery, but he’s athletic, well built, throws strikes, and might have enough repertoire depth to pitch through a lineup multiple times. He looks like a fifth- or sixth-starter type.


Texas’s starting outfield featured three legitimate center-field prospects in Eric Jenkins, Leody Taveras, and Bubba Thompson. Thompson dealt with knee tendinitis this summer and played sparingly, but his bat speed is intact. He looks to me like he’s running gingerly but he’s raw with the bat and needs reps. Jenkins looks like he’s starting to learn how to limit the scope of his offensive approach in a way that more effectively utilizes his speed. Even as a low-impact slasher/bunter who hits at the bottom of a lineup, Jenkins might play such good defense in center field that he plays everyday anyway. Taveras was disappointing. It’s possible he’s gassed after a long, first full season, but he looked sluggish and apathetic yesterday, taking several low-effort swings and allowing a catchable ball to fall in front of him in the outfield. Even amidst a bad look, which I’ll ultimately flush, Taveras’s special bat-to-ball ability and feel for center field were evident.

 

[Kelleyman]

BTW. I do to not think there is any guarantee that Profar is traded and from what I understand not bringing him up gave the team an extra year of control

 

[Kelleyman]

Diamondbacks Agree To Sign No. 27 International Prospect Wilderd Patiño | BaseballAmerica.com

For the Rangers, Patiño going to Arizona leaves more money in their 2017-18 international bonus pool and is another signal that they will be one of the favorites to sign Shohei Ohtani if he does make the jump to Major League Baseball after the 2017 season.

We have a logjam at DH. Someone is gonna get moved I think

 

[saddles]

BTW. I do to not think there is any guarantee that Profar is traded and from what I understand not bringing him up gave the team an extra year of control

Whether they trade him this offseason or not I don't believe he will be given much of an opportunity to play before they do get rid of him. The only thing that might change that is a long term injury to Odor.