Series Thread: Going to the first place Astros? Or the world is coming to an end series

[WastinSomeTime]

Didn't he break camp with the Rangers?

I could be wrong but I really liked him which is why I was following what happened to him and I recall him being one of the last cuts sent on to AAA.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

I too was hoping we would miss Detwiler

LOL! I knew that was coming.

 

[Bmurph]

Last outing was an improvement, though I was hoping Ohlendorf would get a shot at a couple turns in the rotation. Det could be the long guy/Bp Lh

 

[True Rangers Fan]

I could be wrong but I really liked him which is why I was following what happened to him and I recall him being one of the last cuts sent on to AAA.

No you're right. He started in minors and then was called up. And then was promptly sent back down.

 

[Bmurph]

I could be wrong but I really liked him which is why I was following what happened to him and I recall him being one of the last cuts sent on to AAA.

I don't think he made the roster out of camp. I was unsure of exactly why, since he was one of the better arms we had it seemed

 

[darrylgann]

@Evan_P_Grant: Jon Daniels: #Rangers may make "smaller changes" this week, won't wait much longer to consider mixing it up further: Jon Daniels: Texas Rangers will not wait much longer to mix it up | | Dallas Morning News

 

[Bmurph]

@Evan_P_Grant: Jon Daniels: #Rangers may make "smaller changes" this week, won't wait much longer to consider mixing it up further: Jon Daniels: Texas Rangers will not wait much longer to mix it up | | Dallas Morning News

I don't think wholesale changes can improve this ball club this year? Change the hitting coach and you still have the same caliber hitters 6-9. Send Roogie down(could help him some) and replace him with a minor league journeyman. Bench Andrus and you lose his bat thats coming around and replace the defense with a player that doesnt have his range. Elvis makes tough plays and boots the easy ones, thats mental I think and its why you don't give him the contract he got. All in all the players on this team as currently constructed aren't performing like ML ballplayers. Maybe changes help, but I don't see it getting much better this year

 

[WilltheThrill]

@Evan_P_Grant: Jon Daniels: #Rangers may make "smaller changes" this week, won't wait much longer to consider mixing it up further: Jon Daniels: Texas Rangers will not wait much longer to mix it up | | Dallas Morning News

Interesting read. Although of the 3 suggested potential changes to the team, only firing Magadan might help. Demoting Odor is clearly the right move, but replacing him with Rosales as Grant suggests does nothing to help. Also, benching Elvis won't do a thing. Elvis has the maturity level of a 3rd grader. He needs to be permanently benched, but with no replacements for him and that $100 Million he's owed, that's not happening.

You've got lazy/overrated/terrible players, an inexperienced manager, a joke of a hitting coach, owners who aren't willing to spend much more at the moment, and a front office that assembled this dumpster fire of a ball club. I'd say there is enough blame to go around and then some. To "fix" the Rangers you've got to start somewhere... but where?

 

[WastinSomeTime]

• I do not have a problem with changing hitting coaches but I hope we have someone who has an actual plan. I still would love MY as he had a good approach especially with 2 strikes. I think he has a mind for the game and is good with the players.
• But as far as some of the things I have read in what we have lost it really does start with game 6. If we win that game everything is different. I feel it affected many mentally afterwards.
• Plus with what happened with Hamilton towards the end of his last year there was no way that most of us would have wanted JD to pay Hamilton 20 mill a year or more. For some reason the Angels did not see it coming and I am not sure why but it cost them.
• I loved Napoli but he turned down a 3 year/39 mill offer the year before he left. And right now he stinks in Boston and honestly he has spiraled downward since 2011.
• Cruz I hated losing and I know some will disagree but I am just responding to previous posts on the A's series. But we could have done more right off the bat to let him know he was wanted.
• Having Kinsler right now does nothing for us. Now that Fielder is healthy he has done very well even though some want to kick him in the gut because of lack of HR production.
• And of course we were counting on Profar. He was no lower than top 5 in all of the minor leagues on everyone's list. So why wouldn't we count on him.

Not trying to get anyone ticked off but just my take on it.

 

[romeo212000]

• I do not have a problem with changing hitting coaches but I hope we have someone who has an actual plan. I still would love MY as he had a good approach especially with 2 strikes. I think he has a mind for the game and is good with the players.
• But as far as some of the things I have read in what we have lost it really does start with game 6. If we win that game everything is different. I feel it affected many mentally afterwards.
• Plus with what happened with Hamilton towards the end of his last year there was no way that most of us would have wanted JD to pay Hamilton 20 mill a year or more. For some reason the Angels did not see it coming and I am not sure why but it cost them.
• I loved Napoli but he turned down a 3 year/39 mill offer the year before he left. And right now he stinks in Boston and honestly he has spiraled downward since 2011.
• Cruz I hated losing and I know some will disagree but I am just responding to previous posts on the A's series. But we could have done more right off the bat to let him know he was wanted.
• Having Kinsler right now does nothing for us. Now that Fielder is healthy he has done very well even though some want to kick him in the gut because of lack of HR production.
• And of course we were counting on Profar. He was no lower than top 5 in all of the minor leagues on everyone's list. So why wouldn't we count on him.

Not trying to get anyone ticked off but just my take on it.

+1,000. People only look at one side of things when they belly ache and moan.

 

[Windingmywatch]

Didn't he break camp with the Rangers?

Yes Edwards was on the opening day roster. Faced 2 HOU batters on April 6 walked both on total of nine pitches.

 

[scotsman1948]

I don't think wholesale changes can improve this ball club this year? Change the hitting coach and you still have the same caliber hitters 6-9. Send Roogie down(could help him some) and replace him with a minor league journeyman. Bench Andrus and you lose his bat thats coming around and replace the defense with a player that doesnt have his range. Elvis makes tough plays and boots the easy ones, thats mental I think and its why you don't give him the contract he got. All in all the players on this team as currently constructed aren't performing like ML ballplayers. Maybe changes help, but I don't see it getting much better this year

this team is so pathetic

 

[Windingmywatch]

• I do not have a problem with changing hitting coaches but I hope we have someone who has an actual plan. I still would love MY as he had a good approach especially with 2 strikes. I think he has a mind for the game and is good with the players.
• But as far as some of the things I have read in what we have lost it really does start with game 6. If we win that game everything is different. I feel it affected many mentally afterwards.
• Plus with what happened with Hamilton towards the end of his last year there was no way that most of us would have wanted JD to pay Hamilton 20 mill a year or more. For some reason the Angels did not see it coming and I am not sure why but it cost them.
• I loved Napoli but he turned down a 3 year/39 mill offer the year before he left. And right now he stinks in Boston and honestly he has spiraled downward since 2011.
• Cruz I hated losing and I know some will disagree but I am just responding to previous posts on the A's series. But we could have done more right off the bat to let him know he was wanted.
• Having Kinsler right now does nothing for us. Now that Fielder is healthy he has done very well even though some want to kick him in the gut because of lack of HR production.
• And of course we were counting on Profar. He was no lower than top 5 in all of the minor leagues on everyone's list. So why wouldn't we count on him.

Not trying to get anyone ticked off but just my take on it.

Agree with you Wasting ...

• Fire Magadan, give Jones a job overseeing something with the minors. Install Young and some random minor league guy ... Guilder Rodriquez who knows maybe as short term batting coaches.
• DFA DeShields to make room for Fields, option Odor to AAA where he has never played. Have no idea at this point what to do with Rosales. Fields can sprout Elvis and let Rosales play 2b on Elvis' off games. Rosales is a UIF. Long as he makes the defensive plays which he has ... that's all you can expect from a UIF. That's why they aren't starters.
• Sorting out 1b and the OF with Mitch and Josh back in a couple of weeks will be interesting. Have no idea how that works out.

 

[HammerDown]

Someone needs to slow the 'Stros down quickly!

 

[Windingmywatch]

Yes Edwards was on the opening day roster. Faced 2 HOU batters on April 6 walked both on total of nine pitches.

 

[Windingmywatch]

I was wrong about Edwards. He was NOT on the opening day roster being optioned day before the seaon started.

He was recalled from Round Rock on 11 April ... faced 2 HOU batters that night walking both ... and was optioned back to Round Rock on 12 April.

 

[WilltheThrill]

• I do not have a problem with changing hitting coaches but I hope we have someone who has an actual plan. I still would love MY as he had a good approach especially with 2 strikes. I think he has a mind for the game and is good with the players.
• But as far as some of the things I have read in what we have lost it really does start with game 6. If we win that game everything is different. I feel it affected many mentally afterwards.
• Plus with what happened with Hamilton towards the end of his last year there was no way that most of us would have wanted JD to pay Hamilton 20 mill a year or more. For some reason the Angels did not see it coming and I am not sure why but it cost them.
• I loved Napoli but he turned down a 3 year/39 mill offer the year before he left. And right now he stinks in Boston and honestly he has spiraled downward since 2011.
• Cruz I hated losing and I know some will disagree but I am just responding to previous posts on the A's series. But we could have done more right off the bat to let him know he was wanted.
• Having Kinsler right now does nothing for us. Now that Fielder is healthy he has done very well even though some want to kick him in the gut because of lack of HR production.
• And of course we were counting on Profar. He was no lower than top 5 in all of the minor leagues on everyone's list. So why wouldn't we count on him.

Not trying to get anyone ticked off but just my take on it.

I agree with the points about Game 6, Hamilton, and Profar.

But you are wrong about Napoli. His last season in Texas he hit .228. After going to Boston, he didn't spiral downward. Over the last 2 seasons in Boston his Avg. is at .254 with 20 HR a year. He has been better in Boston than he was for Texas in 2012, and I'd take his .250 with 20 HR right now over Moreland in a heartbeat.

And I'm not sure how you could say having Kinsler would do nothing for us right now. The Odor/Rosales duo at 2B is useless. Kinsler is light years better than those two. Either it's Napoli/Kinsler or Rosales/Fielder. No contest.

Again, this is all hindsight. Nobody could have predicted it would all play out this way. Had Game 6 gone our way, like you said, things would probably be different.

 

[WilltheThrill]

+1,000. People only look at one side of things when they belly ache and moan.

Romeo, you constantly say "Fuck this team" during the in-game discussions. How is that not any more bitching and moaning than when I and others point out the individual areas where/how we regressed?

 

[romeo212000]

Romeo, you constantly say "Fuck this team" during the in-game discussions. How is that not any more bitching and moaning than when I and others point out the individual areas where/how we regressed?

That's apples to oranges. We're talking about being frustrated with what is going on in a given game. I'm frustrated because the team is playing poorly. That has nothing to do with how my comment was pointing out how when people bitch and moan about, "we should've kept Cruz/Napoli/Kinsler/etc" because their counterparts are performing poorly, they're often ignoring the big picture. One has nothing to do with the other.

 

[WilltheThrill]

That's apples to oranges. We're talking about being frustrated with what is going on in a given game. I'm frustrated because the team is playing poorly. That has nothing to do with how my comment was pointing out how when people bitch and moan about, "we should've kept Cruz/Napoli/Kinsler/etc" because their counterparts are performing poorly, they're often ignoring the big picture. One has nothing to do with the other.

Fair enough. But when you're frustrated with how the team is performing in any individual game, you have to stop and realize it's happening because we have really weak players who are much more likely to disappoint you with their performance or lack thereof.

So then the issue is "ok, our players are crap. How did our lineup ever get this bad?" And that's when hindsight posts like mine and others come in to play. At least from my perspective, it's not complaining or moaning, just more of an analysis of why we are where we are today and what product we could have had on the field instead. Guys like Kinsler and Napoli certainly aren't perfect players themselves. But had we stuck with even just a select few of the guys we once had, I think you would be seeing far fewer individual games which make you say "fuck this team".

Hindsight is 20/20 though. I guess it's just easier to discuss what we probably should have done than what we should do now because there are so many areas which need improving now it's hard to know where to begin.