OFFICIAL OFF SEASON THREAD ( 2017 )

[DT LUNA]

Here's the Rangers' biggest question mark for 2017; Why you should trust Jon Daniels to take risks | SportsDay

Be quick to listen and slow to speak is what I've learned over the years. JD has kept us in the fight for some time now so it is best to listen and wait before inserting foot in mouth.

 

[saddles]

Here's the Rangers' biggest question mark for 2017; Why you should trust Jon Daniels to take risks | SportsDay

One thing I don't trust is Rick Gosselin's baseball advice.

 

[saddles]

As far as my take on JD here is how I have viewed him. I was very impressed with how he rebuilt this franchise starting about 10 years ago or so. Then a few years back I started to say something to the effect that we have seen how well JD is at rebuilding a franchise, now let's see how well he can maintain one after it has lost some of those pieces he rebuilt with. They verdict so far is that he can do a good job at making us contenders on a regular basis, but he cannot seem to make us the best team in baseball. Without a Mark Teixeira to trade I don't know if he can do that again.

Also, as much as I respect what JD has done for us in the past he is still the GM who kept Ron Washington around here way too long and if Wash had not messed up royally and quit he might still be here. JD is also the one who made the mistake of trading for an overweight first baseman whose bat speed had decreased the year before. That same offseason he gave an aging(baseball-wise) Choo too big and too long of a contract while not pursuing other free agents aggressively enough in my opinion. To me that offseason should have began the rebuilding process unless we were going to pick up a lot more talent than Prince and Choo. We should have went in all the way or none of the way. JD went in half way.

He values pitching success in the NL a little too much for me also.

I do wonder how JD and this franchise would be viewed had we simply not have had a Mark Teixeira in the organization to trade away. All of our success in 2010 and 2011 was not due to that trade, but we would not have been at the top level without it. Can we get back to being the best team in baseball without making some more trades like that? I don't think so. At least not while we continue to trade away very good talent from our farm system.

Even still, there are many teams in a lot worse shape than us as far as who their GM is. I just don't have blind trust in him at this point.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

he is still the GM who kept Ron Washington around here way too long

Generally speaking, managers who are successful don't get fired. So I don't really understand your point.

 

[saddles]

Generally speaking, managers who are successful don't get fired. So I don't really understand your point.

When they were successful they were successful in spite of Wash and not because of him. He should have been fired before those WS years though. They underachieved after 2011 with Wash. He was not a good manager at all. His decision to not use Chavez for a defensive replacement is one reason we don't have a Championship.

That was only a small part of my overall feeling about JD though. Once upon a time it was much bigger to me and some others.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

When they were successful they were successful in spite of Wash and not because of him.

Again I will say: Generally speaking, that is not how things go in baseball.

He should have been fired before those WS years though.

From 2007-2011 the Rangers improved their record every year. Team success + happy clubhouse = manager keeps his job. That's just the way it goes.

They underachieved after 2011 with Wash.

Just so I have this correct: Players do good = manager has no influence. Players do bad = managers fault. Is that correct? (Yes I know managers get the ax when teams perform poorly. They also get the credit when teams succeed).

He was not a good manager at all. His decision to not use Chavez for a defensive replacement is one reason we don't have a Championship.

Wash definitely had shortcomings and hindsight is 20/20. But I don't agree with turning all that into a knock against JD, especially considering he's the one who built the damn rosters that went to the World Series in the first place.

 

[darrylgann]

As far as my take on JD here is how I have viewed him. I was very impressed with how he rebuilt this franchise starting about 10 years ago or so. Then a few years back I started to say something to the effect that we have seen how well JD is at rebuilding a franchise, now let's see how well he can maintain one after it has lost some of those pieces he rebuilt with. They verdict so far is that he can do a good job at making us contenders on a regular basis, but he cannot seem to make us the best team in baseball. Without a Mark Teixeira to trade I don't know if he can do that again.

Also, as much as I respect what JD has done for us in the past he is still the GM who kept Ron Washington around here way too long and if Wash had not messed up royally and quit he might still be here. JD is also the one who made the mistake of trading for an overweight first baseman whose bat speed had decreased the year before. That same offseason he gave an aging(baseball-wise) Choo too big and too long of a contract while not pursuing other free agents aggressively enough in my opinion. To me that offseason should have began the rebuilding process unless we were going to pick up a lot more talent than Prince and Choo. We should have went in all the way or none of the way. JD went in half way.

He values pitching success in the NL a little too much for me also.

I do wonder how JD and this franchise would be viewed had we simply not have had a Mark Teixeira in the organization to trade away. All of our success in 2010 and 2011 was not due to that trade, but we would not have been at the top level without it. Can we get back to being the best team in baseball without making some more trades like that? I don't think so. At least not while we continue to trade away very good talent from our farm system.

Even still, there are many teams in a lot worse shape than us as far as who their GM is. I just don't have blind trust in him at this point.

What do you think how warm should JD's seat be, Bennie?

 

[saddles]

Again I will say: Generally speaking, that is not how things go in baseball.



From 2007-2011 the Rangers improved their record every year. Team success + happy clubhouse = manager keeps his job. That's just the way it goes.



Just so I have this correct: Players do good = manager has no influence. Players do bad = managers fault. Is that correct? (Yes I know managers get the ax when teams perform poorly. They also get the credit when teams succeed).



Wash definitely had shortcomings and hindsight is 20/20. But I don't agree with turning all that into a knock against JD, especially considering he's the one who built the damn rosters that went to the World Series in the first place.

We simply disagree about Wash. That is why you don't see my point and why you have jumped on that one point as if it was the only thing I mentioned. Certainly, for those who had nothing wrong with Wash keeping his job that part of my post was not going to make sense to them.

Just because some things generally happen in baseball that doesn't mean it is right.

 

[saddles]

What do you think how warm should JD's seat be, Bennie?

I don't think it should be that warm. It seems he is following along with what the ownership wants. Sometimes I do wonder if we could be better off with different owners. We could do a lot worse with them also though.

 

[saddles]

Hindsight may be 20/20, but Ray Charles could see Wash wasn't a good manager.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Hindsight may be 20/20, but Ray Charles could see Wash wasn't a good manager.

Spoiler alert: he's not the manager anymore.

 

[saddles]

Spoiler alert: he's not the manager anymore.

Spoiler alert # 2. My post was about JD's overall tenure and wasn't limited to what he is doing presently.

I don't actually believe we are banned from talking about past Rangers happenings.

 

[saddles]

 

[True Rangers Fan]

I don't actually believe we are banned from talking about past Rangers happenings.

we're not. but a lot of your opinion of JD seems to be based on "what ifs".

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Study: West teams at a disadvantage due to jet lag

 

[donaldson79]

Profar will not be headed west.

LOS ANGELES -- In the hunt for a second baseman and a leadoff man, the Dodgers found both in Logan Forsythe, whom they acquired Monday from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for highly regarded pitching prospect Jose De Leon.

 

[donaldson79]

Study: West teams at a disadvantage due to jet lag

Thanks for the post.

Good, although not real surprising information.

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

Salty goes to the Blue Jays on a minor league deal.

 

[saddles]

Two Rangers in Keith Law 61-80 rankings

22 year old (as of 7 days ago) lefthanded pitcher Yohander Mendez is #75 on KLaw’s list, while 20 year old (at least for 5 more days) righthanded pitcher Ariel Jurado is #64.


Mendez and Jurado are generally seen as two of the consensus top three prospects in the Rangers’ system, along with outfielder Leody Taveras, and this is around the range I think most of us expect to see them place. Law sees Mendez in AAA this year, with #3 potential if he improves one of his breaking pitches, while Jurado, despite his youth, is seen as relatively advanced for his age.


Other interesting placements in the 61-80 range are former Ranger RHP Luis Ortiz, who went to the Brewers in the Jonathan Lucroy deal (and who is #79 on the list), and former Dodger, now Rays pitcher Jose De Leon, who was dealt yesterday for Logan Forsythe, and who is #73.