Jonah Heim seeks to recreate some magic against the M's: TEX in Seattle for 3, Aug 10-12

[True Rangers Fan]

From Evan's article, it seems the Rangers may have turned a corner in developing pitchers.

This, more than anything, will be the cornerstone of the rebuild.

 

[scotsman1948]

This, more than anything, will be the cornerstone of the rebuild.

hope so

 

[Kelleyman]

This, more than anything, will be the cornerstone of the rebuild.

Yes but we need to develop a superstar hitter I think. Still don’t trust us to buy just yet.
We have some great guys developing but will be interesting to see then succeed at AA and AAA

 

[Kelleyman]

Look at Terry slow build and does well in minors but not just there yet. Sometimes I like a fast climber

 

[Kelleyman]

Trying to remember last time Evan G hit the minor league road for reporting. Quite impressive to me

 

[Kelleyman]

This was a special movie. Nice interview too

 

[DTC]

I’m super excited about all the talent we have down on the farm!
I went through a lot of the past years for AA, the amount of badass players we currently have now far surpasses any other year. Pitchers and hitters

 

[saddles]

Look at Terry slow build and does well in minors but not just there yet. Sometimes I like a fast climber

Their names are Justin Foscue and Blaine Crim. They are very fast climbers.

 

[saddles]

Trying to remember last time Evan G hit the minor league road for reporting. Quite impressive to me

He talked like he has done it fairly regularly. Once a year or so if I recall what I read the other day.

 

[saddles]

Excerpts from Evan's article last week about Justin Foscue:

Hey, it’s a new day out there. Between the rise of the private-lesson hitting gurus and the integration of more technology into the game, you see some unusual habits in the minor leagues.

Even with that proviso, it still looks a little strange to see Justin Foscue step out of the visitors’ dugout with his bat in one hand a green medicine ball cradled in the other arm. He’s not going to start throwing that around, is he? Of course not. It’s got handles. He’s going to swing it instead. Some guys have weighted donuts on their bats. Foscue routinely swings a medicine ball with handles three times.

Who’s going to argue, though, with the results? On Sunday, after falling down 0-2, he hit a fastball at chin level for a two-run homer against high Class A Greensboro of the Pittsburgh organization. It was his second homer in as many days and his third in the series. The first was an Adrian Beltré special, dropping to one knee to hit a breaking ball out. He’s hit 12 homers in 77 at-bats since the medicine ball routine started as part of plan to activate his core muscles before at-bats. He’s slashing .364/.461/.987/1.448 since.

Here’s the thing: This whole medicine ball routine, funny as it may look, is his idea.

“He has unbelievable problem-solving skills,” Rangers minor league hitting coordinator Cody Atkinson said of the 2020 first-round pick. “He’s elite at figuring out how to handle tasks you put in front of him. He’s the kind of guy, as a coach, you just need to tell him what he needs to accomplish, and he figures it out.”

In this case, it was a problematic oblique/rib cage issue that cost him nearly two months of his first professional season. After being hit by a pitch in the rib cage the first week of the season, he suffered a delayed reaction that left medical personnel a bit stumped. There was no break or fracture. But the real pain started a week later. To hear Foscue explain it, a nerve in the rib cage area was compressed. He required an injection to free it. But even afterward, he felt sore after striking a ball well. Until he picked up the medicine ball. It helped him decelerate — brake, if you will — on the swing. It worked. Problem solved.

“He said it felt better after using that and he said, ‘that’s it, I’m taking it with me to Hickory,’” Atkinson said. “He didn’t care how it looked. It worked for him.”

When he returned to Hickory on July 11, he stepped on deck as the No. 2 hitter in the game, swung the medicine ball a couple of times and then homered to left on the first pitch he saw. He homered in each of his first seven games back.

Last week, he faced Greensboro for the second time this season. He’d opened the season going 2 for 19 against the Grasshoppers. That series included the fateful hit by pitch. In his return, he went 8 for 22 (.364) with the three homers and a half-dozen walks. He was on base 15 times in 29 plate appearances. Oh, and the guy who had a tendency to hit too many ground balls when he was drafted, he now has the lowest ground ball rate in the system.

“The difference between this guy is night and day,” Greensboro manager Kieran Mattison said.

The difference: Justin Foscue encountered a problem and did what he does best. He solved it.

 

[Kelleyman]

nice interview and quite articulate showing faith in our coaching. Hope he ramps up and gets there. He does have some good pitches

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Yes but we need to develop a superstar hitter I think. Still don’t trust us to buy just yet.
We have some great guys developing but will be interesting to see then succeed at AA and AAA

Seems like I remember a stat awhile back during a Rangers v *'s game, where we were dead last in simply making contact with the ball.

We certainly need a true power guy in the lineup, but give me 5 guys that make contact and don't whiff at shit a foot outside or halfway up their ass.

 

[Kelleyman]

Their names are Justin Foscue and Blaine Crim. They are very fast climbers.

Yes tentative excitement pending results at upper level but yes fast climbers

 

[saddles]

Yes tentative excitement pending results at upper level but yes fast climbers

They definitely hit the ground running at Frisco. We will see if it contunues.

We might want to throw Josh Smith in this category too.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Getting a 5 inning quality start out of Folty would be ideal

 

[saddles]

Here is the strength of schedule the rest of the way. The percentage shown is the combined winning percentage of the opponents to be played.

Orioles. .528
Diamondbacks. .524
Rangers. .512
Pirates. .494

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Really need El Bombi to work on those K's.

 

[Kelleyman]

Really need El Bombi to work on those K's.

Wonder what his splits are against RH/LH pitching

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Yonny now has 25 ABs and has not struck out.

 

[darrylgann]

Seattle is going to single-handedly make us draft 4th next year.

Seattle is just not a good team. Surprised they are above .500.