Series Thread: Rangers Play In San Diego September 14-16

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We play one of the 6 MLB teams with a worse record than ours.

 

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One month's(Aug12-Sept.12) worth of stats with 102 AB for Rougned Odor. - .216/.274/.373/.647


The same time frame for Joey Gallo shows these numbers. - .253/.344/.544/.889


The same time frame for Nomar Mazara shows these numbers. - .256/.323/.500/.823


The same time frame for Jurickson Profar shows these numbers. - .270/.359/.461/.820

Profar has actually been in a slump since his 4 hit game on Sept. 2nd. It will be interesting to see if he has hit a wall or if the slump is only temporary. This is the most at bats he has had since 2012.

 

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And the Star-Telegram’s No. 1 Rangers prospect is ...

No. 1: RHP Hans Crouse

Born: Sept. 15, 1998

Height: 6-foot-4. Weight: 180 pounds.

How acquired: 2017 draft (second round, 66th overall)

Even at faraway Texas Rangers outposts like Surprise, Ariz., and Spokane, Wash., and Hickory, N.C., it’s well-known that the Texas Rangers are trying to rebuild themselves into a contender.

It’s also no secret that the Texas Rangers haven’t had much luck with producing homegrown major-league starting pitchers. There have been some since general manager Jon Daniels took over the franchise in after the 2005 season, notably left-handers Derek Holland and C.J. Wilson, but not many and certainly not a sure-fire, no-doubt-about-it No. 1 starter.

The Rangers, though, believe they might have one in right-hander Hans Crouse.

The stuff?

“It’s electric,” assistant general manager Jayce Tingler said.

The make-up?

“He seems like a really thoughtful, intelligent young man,” general manager Jon Daniels said.

Crouse seems to have a high opinion of himself, but not in bad way. He speaks matter-of-factly about the way he pitches and how he is viewed by the Rangers and the industry.

There’s no arrogance. He isn’t high-maintenance. He gets it.

“I know where I stand in the org and how I’m viewed, but at the same time that stuff doesn’t mean anything to me,” Crouse said shortly before his season ended at Low A Hickory. “What means a lot to me is if I’m continually progressing and getting better through the minor leagues, what kind of relationships I’m building with coaches and teammates, and I’m trying to get to the big leagues as quick as possible and the right way, if that makes any sense.”

It makes plenty of sense, and he says the right way is however the Rangers tell him to proceed. If that means he starts 2019 at Hickory again after making only five starts there, that’s fine by him.

While he wants to be in Arlington ASAP, he’s not checking his phone for messages from Tingler or Daniels after every start.

“I can’t control any of that,” Crouse said. “I’ve got to pitch where the Rangers tell me to pitch, which is completely fine with me, and I’m just going to keep doing my thing out there and try to do my best and perform.”

Crouse was only with the Short-Season A team in Spokane for eight starts, going 5-1 with a 2.37 ERA, 11 walks and 47 strikeouts in 38 innings. He was 0-2 with a 2.70 ERA for Hickory, walking eight and striking out 15 in 16 2/3 innings against more refined hitters.

“I wouldn’t say that it’s a huge talent gap between here and short season, but hitters are more selective and they’re just looking for their pitch all the time,” Crouse said. “In short season you’d get more swings and misses on pitcher’s pitches. It’s helped me putting the ball where I need to put it more often and just locating my pitches and getting my off-speed over for Strike 1.”

 

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More from the article on Crouse:

Crouse throws a four-seam fastball that tops out in the upper-90s and actually has some sink. He throws two sliders, a wipe-out pitch and a slower bender he uses to get ahead in counts.

He was told to throw his changeup more at Hickory after not really needing it last season with the rookie-level AZL Rangers or this season at Spokane.

“The issue we had was he wasn’t using it because, quite frankly, he knew he could get everybody out fastball, breaking. It’s like, ‘I’m throwing 98, why would I throw something 89 mph and let them hit it?’ “

But talent alone doesn’t make a prospect great. Crouse has found a routine between starts and before them, one that includes yoga to put his mind at ease and relax his body, and his make-up has been far better than widely advertised while he was in high school in California.

“He’s been great,” Tingler said. “We let him be himself. Every team he goes to, he’s a great teammate and all his teammates love him, and the coaching staffs rave about him. I can’t say enough about his character and makeup.”

None of the seven pitchers in the Star-Telegram’s Top 10 prospects list is a problem child. Though none of them has pitched above Double A, there are more arms than just Crouse.

Spots 4 though 10 are occupied by pitchers, and one from the 2018 draft class, first-rounder Cole Winn, is ranked. Second-rounder Owen White just missed the list, as did shortstops Chris Seise and Anderson Tejada.

But a pitcher was No. 1, and he says that good things are on the horizon.

“We definitely have some talented guys coming up through the org,” Crouse said. “A lot of guys throwing quality strikes. I’m pretty excited about what the future could hold for the Texas Rangers.”

 

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Which upper level pitcher are you guys the most excited to see get a shot next year?

Springs, Sampson, Mendez, Jurado, Sadzeck, Pelham, Hernandez, or Hearn?

I like Hernandez the most, but I think he needs a lot more minor league innings. I feel the same way about Hearn and Pelham.

I really don't have a good feeling about Jurado.

It would be really great if Mendez could become a solid #4 or even a #5 starter.

 

[Kelleyman]

 

[Kelleyman]

Which upper level pitcher are you guys the most excited to see get a shot next year?

Springs, Sampson, Mendez, Jurado, Sadzeck, Pelham, Hernandez, or Hearn?

I like Hernandez the most, but I think he needs a lot more minor league innings. I feel the same way about Hearn and Pelham.

I really don't have a good feeling about Jurado.

It would be really great if Mendez could become a solid #4 or even a #5 starter.

Pretty well sums up my opinion except guys like Hearn and Hernandez we can maybe bring up later in season. Mendez too. Going to still need AAA depth

 

[Kelleyman]

Also curious about Volquez

 

[saddles]

Also curious about Volquez

Yes, Volquez and Chi Chi are the unknowns.

 

[saddles]

Pretty well sums up my opinion except guys like Hearn and Hernandez we can maybe bring up later in season. Mendez too. Going to still need AAA depth

We need a sticky thread where we can keep up with long term predictions and projections like when these guys will arrive from the minors for good. I put a couple of things like that in the season prediction thread lately, but I am not sure how hard that will be to find when we want to go back and look.

 

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[True Rangers Fan]

Kinda wish that version had showed up in the World Series.

 

[Kelleyman]

Looks like Profar had a good game last night. Beltre is improving and seems to maintain with a DH part time 3B role. I bet he wants to continue to play a year. How to make this work is going to be interesting

 

[saddles]

Looks like Profar had a good game last night. Beltre is improving and seems to maintain with a DH part time 3B role. I bet he wants to continue to play a year. How to make this work is going to be interesting

It goes against what they are trying to do to rebuild the team.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

I'm leaning towards Beltre hanging them up.

 

[DT LUNA]

I'm leaning towards Beltre hanging them up.

Agree. He may not hurt the team but not much help either and he knows it.

 

[saddles]

Those pre-draft make-up concerns with Crouse? ‘He’s been awesome’

Off to instructs
The top five players in the rankings reported Wednesday to the instructional league in Surprise, Ariz., and only one of the top 10 won’t be in the annual postseason camp for minor-leaguers.


Only No. 8 Joe Palumbo, who finished the season at Double A Frisco on the comeback trail from Tommy John surgery, won’t head west. No. 9 Tyler Phillips, No. 7 Taylor Hearn and No. 6 Jonathan Hernandez will report Tuesday and stay through the end of the week.


They will not throw, however, and they are not on the instructs roster. Neither is No. 10 Cole Ragans, who is six months out from Tommy John surgery and only late in August started a throwing program.


No. 5 Cole Winn figures to be the busiest of the top 10. The right-hander, selected in the first round of the draft in June (15th overall), did not pitch for the rookie-level AZL Rangers this summer but will make five one- or two-inning appearances over the next month.


Julio Pablo Martinez, ranked No. 3, will stay in Surprise after instructs to participate in the Arizona Fall League. That should represent a significant jump in the level of competition for him after spending is first season in the U.S. at Short-Season A Spokane.