Rangers official 2016 season thread.

[saddles]

This is an interesting study on aging curves for hitters.

Are Aging Curves Changing? | FanGraphs Baseball

I separated the data into pre- and post-PED ban eras, the latter of which happened between the 2005 and 2006 seasons. It didn’t surprise me to see a slow decline in the home run curve during the PED era. My biggest surprise was the post-PED data where home runs no longer peaked, they only declined. I examined just about every overall offensive stat (OPS and wOBA, to name a couple) and found the same thing: Hitters no longer peaked, they only declined.

For 20 seasons, hitter production began to decline significantly around age 30. Over the past seven seasons, the decline has occurred immediately.

 

[saddles]

Another study about the effects of aging in baseball.

Baseball Prospectus | How Do Baseball Players Age?

The Results

I used the data to look at several different aspects of player performance from the general to the specific. Overall, I found that both hitters and pitchers peaked around age 29. However, some skills peaked earlier and others peaked later.


Peak Age by Skill
Hitters
Metric Peak Age
Linear Weights 29.4
OBP 30.0
SLG 28.6
AVG 28.4
Walk Rate 32.3
2B+3B Rate 28.3
Home Run Rate 29.9

Pitchers

Metric Peak Age
ERA 29.2
Strikeout Rate 23.6
Walk Rate 32.5
Home Run Rate 27.4


The table reveals that player skills peak at different times, often quite far apart from each other. Hitters peak in batting and slugging average at 28 while continuing to improve in their home-run hitting and walking abilities until 30 and 32, respectively. Home runs rising beyond the peak for doubles and triples indicates that foot-speed on the basepaths fades before hitting power. In addition, batters may be using veteran knowledge to better manage the strike-zone-or possibly becoming more friendly with umpires-to walk more and hit with power as they age. Pitcher strikeout ability peaks around 24, while walk prevention peaks nine years later. Again, veteran know-how appears to be playing a role in improving performance to compensate for diminishing physical skills. This is consistent with something that exercise physiologists have documented among golfers who hit more fairways as driving distance begins to fade. It's also been observed that athletic feats that involve quick bursts of speed and strength peak earlier than skills that rely on more endurance and knowledge.

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

 

[DT LUNA]

Not a bad line up. Should make a lot of opposing pitchers a little nervous.

 

[ESPN Refugee]

Greetings everyone. I pretty much was on hiatus from the seasons end but back and ready for what is going to be a really fun and interesting summer from our boys.

 

[darrylgann]

Not a bad line up. Should make a lot of opposing pitchers a little nervous.

Sure sounds good to me! And later with Hamilton off the bench...Wow

 

[jaar01]

Let's go Rangers!

 

[romeo212000]

Shit...

 

[ESPN Refugee]

Is there an official Rangers/Mariners series thread up yet? If so I do not see one.

 

[darrylgann]

Is there an official Rangers/Mariners series thread up yet? If so I do not see one.

Wondering that myself

 

[ESPN Refugee]

Wondering that myself

Just created one.

 

[HammerDown]

 

[romeo212000]

What? This is news. MRI for what?

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

What? This is news. MRI for what?

Groin. Gallo seems to think it's nothing serious.

 

[HammerDown]

 

[Bmurph]

Groin. Gallo seems to think it's nothing serious.

Appers to be minor

Rangers' Joey Gallo: Placed on 7-day DL with groin injury
by RotoWire Staff | Special to CBSSports.com
Gallo was placed on the 7-day DL at Triple-A Round Rock with a strained left groin, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Gallo has been torching Triple-A pitching throughout the season, posting a .400 on-base percentage to go with 11 extra-base hits (seven homers) in 85 plate appearances and striking out only 24.7 percent of the time. While his performance would normally warrant a call-up on just about any team, the Rangers' considerable outfield depth has prevented Gallo from getting the opportunity, and now this latest injury will only further delay his timetable to reach the big leagues.

 

[DT LUNA]

Appers to be minor

Rangers' Joey Gallo: Placed on 7-day DL with groin injury
by RotoWire Staff | Special to CBSSports.com
Gallo was placed on the 7-day DL at Triple-A Round Rock with a strained left groin, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Gallo has been torching Triple-A pitching throughout the season, posting a .400 on-base percentage to go with 11 extra-base hits (seven homers) in 85 plate appearances and striking out only 24.7 percent of the time. While his performance would normally warrant a call-up on just about any team, the Rangers' considerable outfield depth has prevented Gallo from getting the opportunity, and now this latest injury will only further delay his timetable to reach the big leagues.

'll take this as good news in the fact it could have been much worse Add to that a .400 OBP and a K reduction and call it a good day.

 

[Bmurph]

'll take this as good news in the fact it could have been much worse Add to that a .400 OBP and a K reduction and call it a good day.

Don't call it a day yet, here's another for you:

Yu Darvish's stuff looks great in first rehab start since Tommy John surgery
By Matt Snyder | Baseball Writer

May 2, 2016 1:11 pm ET


Yu Darvish suited up on Sunday. (MiLB.com screengrab)










At 14-11, the defending AL West champion Rangers are off to a good start for the season. In several weeks, they'll be adding some help to their rotation in the form of strikeout-artist Yu Darvish, too.

Darvish missed all of 2015 due to needing Tommy John surgery. On Sunday, he made his first minor-league rehab start since the procedure and looked like his old self.

In two innings for Double-A Frisco, Darvish didn't allow a run or a hit. He struck out two while walking one. He threw 32 pitches, 18 of which were strikes.

This sounds all well and good, but how was his stuff?

Um, pretty ... pretty ... pretty good.

Those on scene reported that Darvish's fastball averaged 94.3 percent and topped out at 97 (MiLB.com). Throughout 2014, Darvish's heater never averaged more than 93.85 mph in a month -- though it needs to be noted that velocity should be up in a shorter outing than a longer one, this is still a good sign that his arm is feeling strong.

How about the curve? Go to the 2:25 mark of the video here:

That'll play.

Darvish's return won't happen for a bit, because he'll need to work his way up the pitch count progressively. Surely he'll need to be able to show he can go at least 90 pitches without tiring and teams usually don't ramp up the workload more than 15-20 pitches per outing.

Still, a return is on the horizon and so far it should be exciting for the Rangers. Thus far in his big-league career, Darvish is 39-25 with a 3.27 ERA (128 ERA+), 1.20 WHIP and 680 strikeouts in 545 1/3 innings. In his last full season (2013), Darvish led the majors with 277 strikeouts and also held the best hit rate (6.2 H/9 allowed) in the AL, finishing second in AL Cy Young voting.

 

[RevSader]

Why is buzz obsessed with calling Odor "little guy"