OFFICIAL OFF SEASON THREAD ( 2017 )

[saddles]

Best wishes Colby.

 

[donaldson79]

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Left-hander Adam Loewen has agreed to a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers that includes an invitation to major league spring training.

The deal was announced Monday, a day before Rangers pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Arizona.

Loewen spent last season in the Arizona organization, going 5-3 with a 3.91 ERA in 40 appearances for Triple-A Reno. He was 1-0 in eight appearances for the Diamondbacks.

In 63 major league games (29 starts) with Baltimore (2006-08), Philadelphia (2015), and Arizona (2016), Loewen is 10-8 with a 5.85 ERA. He also spent time as an outfielder from 2009-14, including 14 games in the majors with Toronto in 2011.

Loewen is set to pitch for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Game 3, 2010 World Series. Colby was a Giant-slayer.

 

[saddles]

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Damn... Only Holland is still around.

 

[Bmurph]

Game 3, 2010 World Series. Colby was a Giant-slayer.

I see what you did there......I will never forget being there for my 1st ever WS game and the 1st ever Rangers WS win! Colby was fantastic, Josh and Mitch did work too. That 9 pitch AB Moreland had vs. the lefty Sanchez was awesome!

 

[donaldson79]

I would have liked to have seen how Ogando's career would have charted had he just been a relief pitcher.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

I see what you did there......I will never forget being there for my 1st ever WS game and the 1st ever Rangers WS win! Colby was fantastic, Josh and Mitch did work too. That 9 pitch AB Moreland had vs. the lefty Sanchez was awesome!

It was an amazing game. I've only felt electricity at a Rangers game like that one other time, and that was Dutch's game in 2011.

 

[saddles]

I would have liked to have seen how Ogando's career would have charted had he just been a relief pitcher.

I would have loved to have seen how both he and Feliz could have developed as starters had the organization gone about it the right way. We blew it with both of those guys in my opinion. They should have both been given time at AAA to develop as starters.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

I would have loved to have seen how both he and Feliz could have developed as starters had the organization gone about it the right way. We blew it with both of those guys in my opinion. They should have both been given time at AAA to develop as starters.

I'm in the "they should have stayed relievers" camp.

Look at the game now, especially when it comes to the postseason. Bullpens are the name of the game. Ogando was a dynamite 7th inning guy.

 

[donaldson79]

I'm in the "they should have stayed relievers" camp.

Look at the game now, especially when it comes to the postseason. Bullpens are the name of the game. Ogando was a dynamite 7th inning guy.

Every time I saw Ogando pitch I always felt his motion was too violent to be a starter.

And your point on the BP of today and there importance is an excellent one.

 

[saddles]

I'm in the "they should have stayed relievers" camp.

Look at the game now, especially when it comes to the postseason. Bullpens are the name of the game. Ogando was a dynamite 7th inning guy.

Haha. The name of our game last postseason was a lack of good starting pitching.

The reason why I would have liked them to stay a starter in Neftali's case or become a starter in Alexi's case is how hard it is to acquire good starting pitching versus how hard it is to acquire good relievers. Look at what we gave up for Hamels versus what we gave up for some of our better relievers.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Haha. The name of our game last postseason was a lack of good starting pitching.

The reason why I would have liked them to stay a starter in Neftali's case or become a starter in Alexi's case is how hard it is to acquire good starting pitching versus how hard it is to acquire good relievers. Look at what we gave up for Hamels versus what we gave up for some of our better relievers.

There's a case to be made for having them in the rotation, sure. I just think they brought more to the table as relievers.

 

[saddles]

The Rangers acquire Eddie Gamboa a LHP from TB.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Wait... is Napoli on the 40 man yet?

 

[donaldson79]

Wait... is Napoli on the 40 man yet?

If memory serves. He was going on the 40 today.

 

[donaldson79]

The Rangers acquire Eddie Gamboa a LHP from TB.

This guy has been pretty much nonexistent on the ML level. But he's reinventing himself as knuckle-baller. Can you say R.A. Dickey?

 

[saddles]

Gamboa was just designated for assignment by the Rays earlier this morning, though it didn’t take Tampa Bay long to find a team that was interested in the 32-year-old knuckleballer. A longtime Orioles farmhand, Gamboa finally cracked a big league roster with the Rays in 2016 after spending parts of nine seasons in the minors. He logged a pristine 1.35 ERA in 13 1/3 innings with the Rays, striking out 11 but also issuing a more troublesome eight walks in that time.

Gamboa has worked primarily as a starter in the minors and didn’t adopt his knuckleball until the 2013 season. He had a breakout campaign with the pitch last year in 2016, working to a stellar 2.68 ERA with 8.5 K/9 against 3.7 BB/9 across 94 innings. He split his time in 2016 more evenly between the rotation and bullpen than in previous seasons (15 relief appearances, 12 starts), though it’s not entirely clear how the Rangers intend to utilize him this year. The Rangers noted in their press release that Gamboa was originally signed by former Orioles scout James Keller, who is now a special assistant to Rangers GM Jon Daniels, so Gamboa comes as somewhat of a known commodity to at least one Texas exec.

 

[saddles]

Wait... is Napoli on the 40 man yet?

Not yet. He hasn't had his physical yet the last I heard.

 

[True Rangers Fan]