Howard tosses gas onto the fire at the Grill: OAK @ TEX 7/11-13

[scotsman1948]

Where is the update on Jonah? Is this a Covid related illness or some other reason he was away from the team and unavaiabe last night?

there should be something and someone being brought up to fill the roster spot

 

[DT LUNA]

Woody did not need to. Miller was a better choice.

My bad. Missed where Cubertson relieved Miller at DH

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Where is the update on Jonah? Is this a Covid related illness or some other reason he was away from the team and unavaiabe last night?

he posted to his social media today, but nothing about the game last night.

 

[Bmurph]

he posted to his social media today, but nothing about the game last night.

He's in the lineup tonight, so no Covid and I guess we shall hear later, the reason he wasn't in the dugout last night.

 

[scotsman1948]

He's in the lineup tonight, so no Covid and I guess we shall hear later, the reason he wasn't in the dugout last night.

assume it had something to do with the wife or the new baby

 

[Bmurph]

Tonight's lineup:

• 3B
  Josh Smith L
• SS
  M. Semien R
• DH
  Corey Seager L
• 1B
  N. Lowe L
• C
  Jonah Heim S
• RF
  Kole Calhoun L
• CF
  L. Taveras S
• LF
  Brad Miller L
• 2B
  C. Culberson R

 

[saddles]

Re Huff: He was brought up due to Heim being ill. I was critical of him last night when I should not have been. Obviously he had not gotten anything worked out in AAA but due to Heim being ill, it became necessary to call him up.

I think Huff was called up due to Garver going on the DL.

 

[Bmurph]

assume it had something to do with the wife or the new baby

I didnt even know he was pregnant.....

 

[saddles]

Nothing has changed for Woodward. Huff will continue to play part time. He is definitely committed.

I wonder if Huff becomes our next Travis Havner as far as finally getting a chance and proving himself somewhere else.

 

[scotsman1948]

Adolis getting the day off.

Smith 3B
Semien SS
Seager DH
Lowe 1B
Heim C
Calhoun RF
Taveras CF
Miller LF
Culberson 2B


Bench: Adolis, Duggar, Huff & Viloria

 

[scotsman1948]

Nothing has changed for Woodward. Huff will continue to play part time. He is definitely committed.

I wonder if Huff becomes our next Travis Havner as far as finally getting a chance and proving himself somewhere else.

give it a rest

 

[saddles]

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Nothing has changed for Woodward. Huff will continue to play part time. He is definitely committed.

I wonder if Huff becomes our next Travis Havner as far as finally getting a chance and proving himself somewhere else.

who loses the ABs that Huff would otherwise be getting?

 

[saddles]

Now we see why Alexy was moved to the pen in AAA.

 

[saddles]

who loses the ABs that Huff would otherwise be getting?

Ideally, he would start at C, DH, or 1B in 4 of 5 games. Instead when he was up here before, he started somewhere in 6 of 16 games, a recipe for a poor hitting performance while doing so. So far this time, he has started once in 3 games since Garver went under the knife.

 

[scotsman1948]

Ideally, he would start at C, DH, or 1B in 4 of 5 games. Instead when he was up here before, he started somewhere in 6 of 16 games, a recipe for a poor hitting performance while doing so. So far this time, he has started once in 3 games since Garver went under the knife.

i could see 3 at DH and then 1start each at C and 1B

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

Draft prospects with the best tools

It's no coincidence that the three position players with the best all-around tools in the 2022 Draft also could be the first three selections. Georgia high school outfielder Druw Jones is the consensus top talent available and reminiscent of his father, five-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove...

www.mlb.com

Best hitter: Termarr Johnson, 2B, Mays HS (Atlanta)
Scouts consider Johnson the best high school hitter in years, with one saying he has Wade Boggs' plate discipline with Vladimir Guerrero Sr.'s bat-to-ball skills. He combines a pretty left-handed swing, elite hand-eye coordination and mature swing decisions, and he also has enough pop in his compact frame to elicit some Robinson Canó comparisons.

Also in the discussion: Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly; Jacob Berry, 3B/OF, Louisiana State; Jackson Holliday, SS, Stillwater (Okla.) HS


Best power: Elijah Green, OF, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Green's combination of size (6-foot-3, 225 pounds), strength, bat speed and loft and leverage in his right-handed swing give him at least double-plus raw power, and he can hit balls harder and farther than just about anyone in this Draft -- as an 18-year-old. He's also has plus-plus speed to go with plus arm strength and defensive ability, and he has done a better job of making contact this spring while facing quality competition at IMG Academy.

Also in the discussion: Ivan Melendez, 1B, Texas; Kevin Parada, C, Georgia Tech; Jacob Berry, 3B/OF, Louisiana State

Best defender: Druw Jones, OF, Wesleyan HS (Peachtree Corners, Ga.)
It's an obvious comparison, but Jones reminds scouts of his father at the same age, especially with how he patrols center field with well-above-average speed and arm strength. He looks like a lock to win Gold Gloves in the future -- and he's also an advanced hitter with 30-homer potential.

Also in the discussion: Silas Ardoin, C, Texas; Jordan Sprinkle, SS, UC Santa Barbara; Adonys Guzman, C, Brunswick (Conn.) School


Best fastball: Ben Joyce, RHP, Tennessee
Joyce famously hit 105.5 mph with his fastball against Auburn on May 1 and averaged 101.3 mph this spring, making a full recovery from Tommy John surgery in October 2020 that sidelined him for all of last season. Besides its sheer velocity, his heater arrives on a flat approach angle from a low arm slot that makes it almost impossible to catch up to when he works up in the strike zone.

Also in the discussion: Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, Crowder (Mo.) JC; Brock Porter, RHP, St. Mary's Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.); Cole Phillips, RHP, Boerne (Texas) HS


Best curveball: Peyton Pallette, RHP, Arkansas
Pallette often gets compared to Walker Buehler for his wiry 6-foot-1 build and quality repertoire, which is highlighted by a hammer curveball that ranges from 78-83 mph with high spin rates and quality depth. His 2021 season ended prematurely with elbow problems in May and though he tried to rehab the injury, he was diagnosed with a torn ligament this January and required Tommy John surgery that cost him all of 2022.

Also in the discussion: Jackson Cox, RHP, Toutle Lake HS (Toutle, Wash.); Riley Kelly, RHP, Tustin (Calif.) HS; Robby Snelling, LHP, McQueen HS (Reno, Nev.)


Best slider: Connor Prielipp, LHP, Alabama
A potential candidate to go No. 1 overall before he had his elbow reconstructed in May 2021, Prielipp has a devastating slider that parks in the mid-80s and reaches 90 mph with nasty two-plane break. Though he didn't pitch this season at Alabama, he showed his stuff had returned at the Draft Combine by snapping off some 85-87 mph sliders and posting the second-highest maximum breaking ball spin rate at 3,045 rpm.

Also in the discussion: Kumar Rocker, RHP, Tri-City (Frontier League); Landon Sims, RHP, Mississippi State; Cade Horton, RHP, Oklahoma


Best control: Trey Dombroski, LHP, Monmouth
A classic crafty southpaw, Dombroski makes the most of fringy to average stuff by repeating his simple delivery well and locating his four pitches with absolute precision. He won Cape Cod League Pitcher of the Year honors last summer after setting a league mark with a 45/2 K/BB ratio, then ranked sixth in NCAA Division I in that category this spring with a school-record 120 strikeouts and just 14 walks in 95 innings.

Also in the discussion: Jonathan Cannon, RHP, Georgia; Pete Hansen, LHP, Texas; Parker Messick, LHP, Florida State

 

[Bmurph]

Alexy coming up to pitch out of the bullpen
15 day DL is a long time for a blister
Allard probably doesn't return to the majors this season

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Alexy coming up to pitch out of the bullpen
15 day DL is a long time for a blister
Allard probably doesn't return to the majors this season

I think the 15 is the minimum required for the pitcher IL.