Series Thread: Rangers Travel to Boston For Three Games May 6-8

[Duane1952]

Why would you bring in a pitcher with over a 5 era.

 

[DTLUNA]

Crim having a rough start.

 

[Senator_fan]

Don’t let Bregman beat you. Let the rookie do it if he can. Another very questionable decision.

 

[Duane1952]

This one is on Bouchy. You don’t pitch to Bregman, who is having a good game with the bat. You don’t bring Boushley in a close game.

 

[fanman8825]

Crim having a rough start.

Yes it might take a few more games

 

[fanman8825]

Don’t let Bregman beat you. Let the rookie do it if he can. Another very questionable decision.

The boss continues with more questionable decisions. Sometimes I wonder how he won 4 world series

 

[DTLUNA]

Bochy takes the blame for not putting Bregman on.

 

[Bmurph]

Bochy is an idiot

 

[Senator_fan]

Yes it might take a few more games

Looking forward to his first big league hit.

 

[DTLUNA]

Looking forward to his first big league hit.

Hoping Bochy doesn't become impatient with him.

 

[saddles]

Jamey Newberg went into detail about Semien's trend and his at bats tonight. It seems Jamey is finally admitting what seemed to be the case during the 2024 season. Here is what Newberg had to say:

Semien came up with a runner on first in the second inning. He popped out to shallow right.

The rest of his night was illuminating.

In the third, Semien was up with two outs and the bases loaded. On a 1-0 count, he hit a center-cut fastball 104.4 mph, but beat it into the ground to second base. Inning over.

In the fifth, Semien was hitting with nobody out, men on second and third, and the Boston infield drawn in. Tanner Houck’s first pitch could not have been any more centered up, an 83.9-mph sweeper that pierced the zone. Semien hit it on the ground, right at the shortstop. The runners had to hold.

In the seventh, nobody was on when Semien stood in against the lefty Bernardino. First pitch: a cutter right over the middle. And a well-struck lineout to center.

Semien hit two of the balls well, but here’s what’s troubling: it seems pretty clear that teams are not afraid to go right after him, middle-middle. The quality of his contact — strictly from an exit velo standpoint — has been OK in spots, but so often the launch angle has nullified it. Baseballs shot straight up, baseballs shot straight down. Ninety-plus won’t save balls like that.

I will never second-guess the seven-year deal to bring Semien here in tandem with the 10 years given to Corey Seager. It was perfect. Both deals — as most free-agent mega-deals are — were too long from an objective standpoint, but that’s the cost of getting guys like that to stop shopping themselves around. We got a parade, and both of those guys are massively responsible for that.

But we’re just in the middle year of Semien’s contract, and I hate that I’m wondering if, in the back half of his age-34 season, the consistency of his reads and rhythm at the plate are not coming back to what they were in his prime. He’s still a plus-plus defender and a very good baseball player and I want him on my team. But the at-bat quality is different.

The loss tonight is not a big deal. Boston is a good team, and a team struggling to play above .500 is not going to go into Fenway and shut that offense down and win ’em all.

This is a bigger concern than one loss.

 

[Senator_fan]

Hoping Bochy doesn't become impatient with him.

Hope not.

 

[Kelleyman]

Jamey Newberg went into detail about Semien's trend and his at bats tonight. It seems Jamey is finally admitting what seemed to be the case during the 2024 season. Here is what Newberg had to say:

Semien came up with a runner on first in the second inning. He popped out to shallow right.

The rest of his night was illuminating.

In the third, Semien was up with two outs and the bases loaded. On a 1-0 count, he hit a center-cut fastball 104.4 mph, but beat it into the ground to second base. Inning over.

In the fifth, Semien was hitting with nobody out, men on second and third, and the Boston infield drawn in. Tanner Houck’s first pitch could not have been any more centered up, an 83.9-mph sweeper that pierced the zone. Semien hit it on the ground, right at the shortstop. The runners had to hold.

In the seventh, nobody was on when Semien stood in against the lefty Bernardino. First pitch: a cutter right over the middle. And a well-struck lineout to center.

Semien hit two of the balls well, but here’s what’s troubling: it seems pretty clear that teams are not afraid to go right after him, middle-middle. The quality of his contact — strictly from an exit velo standpoint — has been OK in spots, but so often the launch angle has nullified it. Baseballs shot straight up, baseballs shot straight down. Ninety-plus won’t save balls like that.

I will never second-guess the seven-year deal to bring Semien here in tandem with the 10 years given to Corey Seager. It was perfect. Both deals — as most free-agent mega-deals are — were too long from an objective standpoint, but that’s the cost of getting guys like that to stop shopping themselves around. We got a parade, and both of those guys are massively responsible for that.

But we’re just in the middle year of Semien’s contract, and I hate that I’m wondering if, in the back half of his age-34 season, the consistency of his reads and rhythm at the plate are not coming back to what they were in his prime. He’s still a plus-plus defender and a very good baseball player and I want him on my team. But the at-bat quality is different.

The loss tonight is not a big deal. Boston is a good team, and a team struggling to play above .500 is not going to go into Fenway and shut that offense down and win ’em all.

This is a bigger concern than one loss.

Definitely noticed 6 men left on base. Difference in the game

 

[Kelleyman]

Also if playing to win you start Garcia in the inning bs clean up the mess. Maybe Bregman would not have been an issue although a terrible decision that was talked about too

 

[saddles]

From Evan Grant:

The Texas Rangers spent less than half of their international free agent bonus pool money in January when the period began.

They are using a significant amount of the savings to sign perhaps the top high school talent in Korea, according to a person familiar with the process.

Kim-sung Joon, a two-way player who turned 18 last week, is expected to receive a little more than $1 million in signing bonus money. The agreement is still pending final paperwork.

The Rangers, who had held on to much of their bonus pool early to try to sign Japanese pitcher Röki Sasaki, had approximately $3 million of their $6.261 million bonus pool remaining when Sasaki signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Joon is a right-handed pitcher and shortstop who also hits right-handed and was considered to be one of the top potential picks in the Korean Baseball Organization’s draft.

He attended Gwang-ju High School, which has produced four major leaguers: Hee-Seop Choi, Jung Ho Kang, Byung-Hyun Kim and Jae-Weong Seo.

 

[saddles]

 

[Duane1952]

From Evan Grant:

The Texas Rangers spent less than half of their international free agent bonus pool money in January when the period began.

They are using a significant amount of the savings to sign perhaps the top high school talent in Korea, according to a person familiar with the process.

Kim-sung Joon, a two-way player who turned 18 last week, is expected to receive a little more than $1 million in signing bonus money. The agreement is still pending final paperwork.

The Rangers, who had held on to much of their bonus pool early to try to sign Japanese pitcher Röki Sasaki, had approximately $3 million of their $6.261 million bonus pool remaining when Sasaki signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Joon is a right-handed pitcher and shortstop who also hits right-handed and was considered to be one of the top potential picks in the Korean Baseball Organization’s draft.

He attended Gwang-ju High School, which has produced four major leaguers: Hee-Seop Choi, Jung Ho Kang, Byung-Hyun Kim and Jae-Weong Seo.

They are calling this guy the Korean Othani.