Series Thread: Rangers Host the Angels For Four Games September 5-8

[saddles]

After an impressive series against the Yankees, the Rangers turned their attention to the lowly Angels. Maybe we can take 3 of 4 from the Angels.

The Rangers will send out Bradford, TBD, Leiter and Heaney for this series. It is possible the TBD is Jacob deGrom. It is also possible that there will be another bullpen game. Or, maybe they will surprise us.

By the way, the Rangers are 8.5 games behind Houston in the division. We are also 8.5 games out in the wildcard race

 

[saddles]

Okay, here is another fun exercise. Jamey Newberg wrote this earlier, comparing a former Rangers pitcher to prospect, Alejandro Rosario, in 2024. I took the pitchers name out and replaced it with "he." Any guesses on who the other pitcher was?

In his first full season in the minors, he pitched at both Class-A levels and finished the year in Double-A, just as Rosario is doing in his. He posted a 2.27 ERA across the three levels, limiting hitters to a .209/.266/.297 (.563 OPS) slash line and just three home runs allowed. Rosario sits at 2.24, with an opposing line of .207/.243/.273 (.515 OPS). Two hitters have taken him deep.

 

[saddles]

Duran is 4 for his last 7 with 2 doubles. Surely he starts again tonight. Right?

 

[saddles]

In that same article I referenced above, where Newberg compares Rosario's season to a past Rangers prospect, he also made a comparison to Rocker's season. He compared this season Rocker is having to Rocker's freshman season at Vanderbilt.

Newberg said, "Freshman Kumar Rocker, two years before he could be drafted, was generating the type of buzz that Paul Skenes was two weeks before his own draft."

He said Rocker had arrived at Vanderbilt as "the highest-ranked player in Baseball America’s college recruiting rankings history” and, looking far ahead, was “the early favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft."

Rocker went 4-0, 0.96 with 44 strikeouts and five walks in 28 innings in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. That included a 19-strikeout no-hitter against Duke.

I really think we are in for a treat in 2025 with a rotation of the following:

Rocker
DeGrom
Bradford
Leiter
Mahle

If we spend enough on the bullpen in the offseason, our pitching next year could really be something.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

In that same article I referenced above, where Newberg compares Rosario's season to a past Rangers prospect, he also made a comparison to Rocker's season. He compared this season Rocker is having to Rocker's freshman season at Vanderbilt.

Newberg said, "Freshman Kumar Rocker, two years before he could be drafted, was generating the type of buzz that Paul Skenes was two weeks before his own draft."

He said Rocker had arrived at Vanderbilt as "the highest-ranked player in Baseball America’s college recruiting rankings history” and, looking far ahead, was “the early favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft."

Rocker went 4-0, 0.96 with 44 strikeouts and five walks in 28 innings in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. That included a 19-strikeout no-hitter against Duke.

I really think we are in for a treat in 2025 with a rotation of the following:

Rocker
DeGrom
Bradford
Leiter
Mahle

If we spend enough on the bullpen in the offseason, our pitching next year could really be something.

Are you thinking Eovaldi won't be with the Rangers in 2025?

 

[saddles]

Are you thinking Eovaldi won't be with the Rangers in 2025?

I don't think so. I think he signs a multi-year deal elsewhere.

 

[saddles]

Jim Bowden just released his latest Top 50 MLB Prospects list. He has Rocker at #20 and Walcott at #39.

 

[saddles]

I think punishing pitchers who hurt batters is long overdue. This is from an article on The Athletic:

A day after he was hit in the back of the head by a 95 mph fastball, Atlanta Braves veteran Whit Merrifield predicted the MLB Competition Committee he serves on will have a rule in place by next season with penalties for pitchers who hit batters with similar high-and-inside fastballs.

He is among many players who want a rule punishing pitchers for plunking hitters with fastballs that break hands and wrists or hit players in the head or neck. He said the committee was quite receptive.

“Yeah, we’ll have something in place by the time the season starts next year,” Merrifield said. “I’d be shocked if we didn’t.”

 

[saddles]

If the Rangers do not sign a single starting pitcher in the offseason they would have the rotation of deGrom, Bradford, Rocker, Leiter, and Mahle with Gray and Dunning as swingnen in the bullpen.

They would also have pitchers like Acker, Teodo, Garcia and Santos at AAA, and Rosario, Bratt and Drake in AA. Those last three may be ready for AAA by some time in June or July.

 

[Duane1952]

If the Rangers do not sign a single starting pitcher in the offseason they would have the rotation of deGrom, Bradford, Rocker, Leiter, and Mahle with Gray and Dunning as swingnen in the bullpen.

They would also have pitchers like Acker, Teodo, Garcia and Santos at AAA, and Rosario, Bratt and Drake in AA. Those last three may be ready for AAA by some time in June or July.

I think with the season that Yates has had, they will need to find a closer. Probably going to be to expensive and probably wants a 3 year deal.

 

[saddles]

I think with the season that Yates has had, they will need to find a closer. Probably going to be to expensive and probably wants a 3 year deal.

Yeah, I would like to sign 4 relief pitchers who can be depended on to handle the last 3 innings. If Sborz can stay healthy that would moat likely have us covered in innings 6-9. That may take a good deal of money, but that would make the team a lot better.

 

[saddles]

In 7 weeks Chris Young's contract is up.

 

[saddles]

From Dowm East Wood Ducks:

Julian Brock was named Carolina League Player of the Month for August! Brock lead the league in average (.394), hits (28), total bases (45), slugging percentage (.634) & OPS (1.055) & was third in on-base percentage (.421)!!

 

[saddles]

From Texas Rangers PR:

Congratulations to Rangers prospects C Julian Brock and INF Daniel Flames on being named Carolina League (Low-A) and Dominican Summer League (Rk.) Player of the Month for August, respectively.

Brock, 23, slashed .392/.418/.622/1.040 (29-74) with 3 HR, 3B, 6 2B, and 13 RBI across 19 G for Down East last month. The right-handed batter and thrower ranked among CL leaders for August in hits (1st), TB (1st, 46), BA (2nd), SLG (2nd), and OPS (3rd).

He was named CL Player of the Week for Aug. 11-18 after going 15-for-24 (.625) with 2 HR, 3B, 5 2B, and 7 RBI in 6 G, a stretch which included a pair of 4-hit showings on 8/11 vs. MB-G1 (4-4, HR, 4 RBI) and 8/17 at LYN (4-4, HR, 3B, 2 2B, 2 RBI).

The Houston native has spent the entirety of his 1st professional season at Down East, batting .259 (88-340) with 6 HR, 4 3B, 17 2B, and 40 RBI in 92 G. He was originally selected by Texas in the 8th round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

The 17-year-old Flames batted 500/.617/.659/1.276 (22-44) in August, leading the Dominican Summer League last month in league in batting average, hits, and OPS, while ranking 2nd in on-base percentage.

The switch-hitting infielder posted seven multi-hit games in 15 contests, including consecutive games with 4+ hits from Aug. 8-9, going 9-for-10, 3B, 2 2B, 5 RBI in that span. For that performance, he earned DSL Player of the Week honors for Aug. 5-11.

Flames was signed by Texas as a non-drafted free agent out of Barcelona, Venezuela on January 15, 2024.

 

[saddles]

Garcia and Bratt pitch tonight.

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

Duran is 4 for his last 7 with 2 doubles. Surely he starts again tonight. Right?

Nope. It doesn't matter if he hits or not. I guess he hasn't paid enough "dues" yet. Botchy is something else.

 

[Duane1952]

Nope. It doesn't matter if he hits or not. I guess he hasn't paid enough "dues" yet. Botchy is something else.

It wouldn’t hurt my feelings if Bochy didn’t come back next season. Garcia and Taveras shouldn’t start the rest of the season. Play Duran and Fabian.

 

[DT LUNA]

It wouldn’t hurt my feelings if Bochy didn’t come back next season. Garcia and Taveras shouldn’t start the rest of the season. Play Duran and Fabian.

I think Jung and Garcia should switch places in the line up.

 

[Duane1952]

I think Jung and Garcia should switch places in the line up.

And Kelly should be batting in front of Heim.