2017 Texas Rangers offseason thread

[donaldson79]

It was simply a case of them not wanting to lose a year of control because that would have decreased his trade value even more than they have managed to do already.

This is a good point. But his versatility was lessened by the fact he wasn't going to get an inning at 2nd. ha ha

 

[Kelleyman]

He hit better at AAA than Hoying and Rua and they got called up. I think if you look back you will find that we have brought several position players up over the last 10 years that hit for a worse OPS in AAA than Profar did this year. About 95% of those guys were less versatile than Profar as well.

It was simply a case of them not wanting to lose a year of control because that would have decreased his trade value even more than they have managed to do already.

I agree but perhaps there was some worry re bench presence as well. Rangers have not been as harsh business wise re clock and control as Cubs and Astros

 

[saddles]

I agree but perhaps there was some worry re bench presence as well. Rangers have not been as harsh business wise re clock and control as Cubs and Astros

I think this is a very unusual case because they are dealing with a clock situation here at the end of the clock and not at the beginning. There isn't really much of a history to draw on here to see if this is against their MO or not.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

That is not what I was saying. I guess I should have been more clear. I just think it helps us competitively if we have the best right in our division. I think it motivates the whole organization. From ownership, to the GM, to the coaches and the players.

I appreciate the clarification, but I still am of the opinion that Houston's success doesn't benefit the Rangers in any way.

 

[Kelleyman]

I think this is a very unusual case because they are dealing with a clock situation here at the end of the clock and not at the beginning. There isn't really much of a history to draw on here to see if this is against their MO or not.

There are specific cases of guys like Kris Bryant and Singleton and Springer who were held back though we're worthy talent wise to be called up. The Rangers do not have a history of this and could have had DL stint for Mazara if I remember correctly. So I give them a pass on this. They did not need him but they surely gave him no courtesy.

So yes I draw conclusions of a organizations style by their actions as I assume you do as well

 

[Nightcrawler]

There is a part of me that wants the Astros to win it all. I think chasing the best in baseball to win our division might be worthwhIle in the long run when we finally pass them. There is also a chance that the Astros organization becomes a little fat and sassy after a WS Championship.

That’s insane!

Free agents / up and coming players want to join a winner.

Do you really like the thought of the Astros becoming a free agent “ destination”? Would you like seeing veterans taking a deal with Houston on the cheap to get a ring?

Houston fans freaking hate us for some strange reason. We would derive no benefit from their success. If anything, it would just make things even harder on us.

 

[saddles]

There are specific cases of guys like Kris Bryant and Singleton and Springer who were held back though we're worthy talent wise to be called up. The Rangers do not have a history of this and could have had DL stint for Mazara if I remember correctly. So I give them a pass on this. They did not need him but they surely gave him no courtesy.

So yes I draw conclusions of a organizations style by their actions as I assume you do as well

I think you missed my point. the examples you gave were guys whose clocks were delayed from starting. This is a guy who is on the clock and it has almost wound down. I can't recall the Rangers being in a situation like this before.

I have always maintained that the Rangers don't play the "clock" game with guys and when they are ready they are brought up to start their clock. This is a completely different situation though so we have no history to draw on. It does seem obvious this time to me that the Rangers didn't want to give up a year of control. I have never thought that in any other case regarding the Rangers, but then again there hasn't been any cases like this one in the Rangers organization.

 

[saddles]

That’s insane!

Free agents / up and coming players want to join a winner.

Do you really like the thought of the Astros becoming a free agent “ destination”? Would you like seeing veterans taking a deal with Houston on the cheap to get a ring?

Houston fans freaking hate us for some strange reason. We would derive no benefit from their success. If anything, it would just make things even harder on us.

Not very many baseball players do anything on "the cheap".

WS champions usually only become a "destination" when they have an abundance of money to spend.

I don't care what their fans think at all.

 

[saddles]

Left-hander Adam Choplick worked a perfect ninth inning, with two strikeouts, to get the win for Surprise in the Arizona Fall League. Choplick, from Denton Ryan High School, has not allowed a base-runner in three innings. Choplick gave up one it in 7 1/3 innings in his final seven appearances with Down East of the High-A Carolina League.

I am looking forward to seeing what Choplick does at Frisco in 2018. Maybe in the not too distant future Rangers fans will be licking their chops to see him come into games for the Rangers. Maybe as early as September of 2018.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Left-hander Adam Choplick worked a perfect ninth inning, with two strikeouts, to get the win for Surprise in the Arizona Fall League. Choplick, from Denton Ryan High School, has not allowed a base-runner in three innings. Choplick gave up one it in 7 1/3 innings in his final seven appearances with Down East of the High-A Carolina League.

I am looking forward to seeing what Choplick does at Frisco in 2018. Maybe in the not too distant future Rangers fans will be licking their chops to see him come into games for the Rangers. Maybe as early as September of 2018.

Nice dad joke.

 

[saddles]

Rangers’ off-season has started. Where’s the beef? Well ...

Free agency doesn’t open until after the World Series, and the unwritten rule in baseball is to not take the spotlight away from the postseason.


The work that is being done is behind-the-scenes stuff. Planning, in other words.


The Rangers will begin that in earnest Monday, when they hold their annual pro-scouting meetings. Every player in the organization is evaluated and discussed, and the players outside the organization go under the microscope.

Most are free agents, but the Rangers also try to determine which players on other clubs might be available via trades.


Players are identified as targets. Others are eliminated from consideration.


Some — Shohei Ohtani, for one — already have a spot on the Rangers’ wish list. Yu Darvish? Sure, if the price is right.


Once the meetings wrap up next Friday, the Rangers will have their off-season Plan A in place. Plans B and beyond are warming in the bullpen depending on if the Rangers hit or miss on players they covet.


But the heavy lifting of acquiring free agents is still two rounds of playoffs (plus five days) away. The behind-the-scenes stuff is what has been keeping the Rangers busy since their season ended Oct. 2.

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

The fall guys: Rangers reliever Adam Choplick is making chopped liver of opponents

When the Rangers moved Ricardo Rodriguez up a level for the first time this year, it was clear they had identified a relief prospect.

What wasn't as clear: They actually found two.

When Rodriguez went from Class A Down East to Frisco on an express lane to the majors, mild-mannered Adam Choplick kind of just stumbled into the Wood Ducks' next save situation. The Rangers found themselves an entirely new pitcher. Until then, Choplick, who grew up in Denton and pitched, albeit briefly, at Denton Ryan, had been an enigma wrapped in a very large riddle.

"He was a guy at the start of the year who was just competing for a job," said Rangers assistant general manager and director of player development Jayce Tingler. "It went very quickly from how do we use him to how do we get the ball to Choplick at the end of the game."


This is why Choplick is part of the Rangers' contingent in the Arizona Fall League. Having identified him as a rising relief prospect only at mid-season, the Rangers want to see him against more advanced hitters. So far, so good. In three outings in the AFL, Choplick hasn't allowed a baserunner. He earned the win Monday with a perfect ninth inning that included a fastball in the 93-95 mph range, a slider to finish off one strikeout and a sharp curveball to finish off another.

 

[saddles]

This comes on the heels of a most impressive finish at Down East. Over his last 20 appearances, he allowed a pair of earned runs in 24.1 innings and converted 10 of 11 saves. He had a WHIP of 0.90 in that stretch. And it all started immediately after the Rodriguez promotion when Down East manager Howard Johnson went looking for somebody to finish off a game the next night.

He entered a one-run game with a runner on third and one out. He exited with the save.

"When they chose me, it was definitely a confidence boost," Choplick said. "I had never really closed before and it was my first 'true' save opportunity. The adrenaline was something else. Regardless of how it looks or how it happens, you have to get it done. And being able to succeed in that situation was an unbelievable feeling."

Choplick is 6-9 left-hander, which alone makes him an oddity. There have been only 14 pitchers in major league history at least as tall as him and only three taller left-handers. The list starts with Randy Johnson. It's good to be mentioned on any list with Johnson, so long as the topic is not "major league hairstyles."


The other thing that makes him stand out: He had two Tommy John surgeries before the age of 21. He tore the elbow ligament for the first time in the first game of his junior season at Denton Ryan, came back to pitch in four games his senior season, showed enough to commit to Oklahoma, then tore it again during summer ball. He essentially went three years without pitching. After the second surgery, Arlington surgeon Dr. Keith Meister, also the Rangers' medical director, told him he'd have a 50-50 shot at pitching again.

Though the Rangers still saw enough during his three seasons at Oklahoma to make him a 14th-round draft pick in 2015, the surgeries and the layoff had an impact on his stuff and also on his confidence.

"The injury messed me up mentally," said Choplick, whose parents both played basketball at North Texas. "Getting over the fear of what if it happens again or if it would happen again took a long time. And I'm kind of a perfectionist anyway, so when I didn't pitch well, I worried about whether I would get another chance instead of thinking about what I would do when I got another chance. It's taken a while, but I've slowly and surely started to believe I can do it."

He's making believers of the Rangers now, too.

 

[saddles]

 

[Nightcrawler]

Wow

That stat is telling. It looks like Darvish is a different pitcher with a decent lead. It’s a shame that we hardly ever got runs for him.

 

[DT LUNA]

Thought the same thing

 

[saddles]

Could Texas Rangers land the big Fish this off-season?

“We’re going to talk about everybody,” general manager Jon Daniels said.

This week, Giancarlo Stanton, is part of the conversation.

Yes, Stanton, the power-hitting right fielder for the Derek Jeter-led Miami Marlins, who are about to shed payroll. Stanton has, get this, 10 years and $295 million left on his contract.

That’s a lot of shedding.

There isn’t a team out there that couldn’t find a spot for Stanton, who hit 59 homers this season in a career-high 159 games. The Rangers, who have two right fielders, are no exception and are among the handful of clubs that could pull it off.

But isn’t their payroll going to be down?

“We’ll have enough money to maneuver,” Daniels said.

At the top of the market?

“We’ll have the ability to,” Daniels said.

Of course, they would make the Marlins eat a massive chunk of the Stanton contract. Daniels seldom makes a deal without making another team help financially.

The Rangers could dump Shin-Soo Choo’s salary by including him in the trade. That would help balance things out for three years. Or they could include Nomar Mazara, which would ensure that the Marlins would take on a bigger chunk of the Stanton contract.

What’s the hold-up?

“That’s one of the things we’re talking about here, whether that makes sense or if, just given the number of needs we have, if it makes sense to diversify,” Daniels said.

 

[jta4437]

Could Texas Rangers land the big Fish this off-season?

“We’re going to talk about everybody,” general manager Jon Daniels said.

This week, Giancarlo Stanton, is part of the conversation.

Yes, Stanton, the power-hitting right fielder for the Derek Jeter-led Miami Marlins, who are about to shed payroll. Stanton has, get this, 10 years and $295 million left on his contract.

That’s a lot of shedding.

There isn’t a team out there that couldn’t find a spot for Stanton, who hit 59 homers this season in a career-high 159 games. The Rangers, who have two right fielders, are no exception and are among the handful of clubs that could pull it off.

But isn’t their payroll going to be down?

“We’ll have enough money to maneuver,” Daniels said.

At the top of the market?

“We’ll have the ability to,” Daniels said.

Of course, they would make the Marlins eat a massive chunk of the Stanton contract. Daniels seldom makes a deal without making another team help financially.

The Rangers could dump Shin-Soo Choo’s salary by including him in the trade. That would help balance things out for three years. Or they could include Nomar Mazara, which would ensure that the Marlins would take on a bigger chunk of the Stanton contract.

What’s the hold-up?

“That’s one of the things we’re talking about here, whether that makes sense or if, just given the number of needs we have, if it makes sense to diversify,” Daniels said.

With Stanton the thing to consider, is how much money he brings in, something Choo just doesn't do

Fans would flock to the park to see Stanton & Gallo taking turns murdering balls 450+ feet

I just hate his injury history

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Fans would flock to the park to see Stanton & Gallo taking turns murdering balls 450+ feet

Miami was 28th in attendance in 2017, for what it's worth.