Series Thread: Rangers Host the Astros For Three Games August 5 -7

[WastinSomeTime]

Fixing this team will more than likely take more than one offseason. We might as well prepare ourselves for that.

One of the reasons for that is because our farm system has slipped a lot. That could have been remedied to a great degree had we been sellers a few days ago. Our free-agents-to-be could have brought back some good young talent.

One thing that has hurt our farm system is poor drafting of position players. The 2021 draft saw us select 3 hitters in the second, third and fourth rounds. Zavala and Moller have been busts. Cauley is liked by some analysts, but he has a long way to go. We lost our second and third round picks in both 2022 and 2023, and that has hurt our system as well. The deadline deals last year hurt us, also

The farm is just not going to be much help for awhile when it comes to supplying us with offensive production. There are four guys at Round Rock who could possibly help, but so far the Rangers don't seem to trust them very much. Those guys are Dustin Harris, Justin Foscue, Sam Huff and Blaine Crim. If one or two of them are actually the real deal, then maybe things could look a lot brighter.

Where do we go from here? We have to hope 2025 brings us a whole lot more health. Maybe we can trade Lowe and bring back someone who can help us by late next year or 2026. We have to draft better. We have to get prolonged looks at the four guys I mentioned above. We need to give Duran every opportunity we can, to develop into a goid hitter. It would help if we could find a surprise in our system. Maybe that could be Josh Hatcher, Cody Freeman, or Abimelec Ortiz.

It may take getting Langford, Carter, Jung, Smith and Walcott all on the same team and having them all be healthy. That might not take place until 2026. In the meantime, go out and sign good relievers for next season and hope for good health for the team in 2025. Try to start replacing some poor offensive starters over the next couple of years.

Not sure if Carter will stay healthy but having Jung back at the start of the season will help. Seager is a stud and will produce and Smith seems to figured things out at the MLB level and we have Semien and Langford with a year under his belt. Langford needs to play in the OF and not be a DH. That leaves catcher and 1B and possibly an OF position.

Need a better bench.

We do need a BP and possibly a starter.

So I will be unrealistically optimistic that we can bounce back next year.

 

[saddles]

2025 Opening Day

C Huff
1B Duran
2B Semien
3B Jung
SS Seager
LF Smith
RF Langford
CF Carter
DH Foscue

Bench

Heim
 Crim
Harris
Free Agent OF

 

[Kelleyman]

I can see Leody and Lowe but Garcia I can't buy that we should have seen that he should have been traded because he was 32. He will always be a 250 hitter but since being with the Rangers he has hit 31, 27 and 39 HRs and has been an RBI machine with 90,101 and 107. In the playoffs he hit 323 with 8 HRs and 22 RBIs and that after just hitting 200 with 1 HR and 1 RBI in the wildcard series. Plus he has had 16, 10 and 11 OF assists plus a big one in the World Series. If we are honest with ourselves we were pretty fired up about having Garcia back this year after how the season ended with him.

I get the potential pessimism on Lowe and Leody but we had Carter and Langford and Josh S and Zeke as youth

Leody could have easily been thought as OF depth and he is being platooned

I am not big on Lowe but it has a wealth of things that have hurt including more injuries and obvious underperforming

It was thought and communicated that if we can just stay in the hunt via the bats we have a shot after the break if we a bit over 500

The opposite has held true

 

[Kelleyman]

I hope Zeke has a legitimate shot to take RF. He has the arm and good legs for it

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

Degrom will face hitters on Thursday. He is getting closer.

 

[saddles]

Lowe watches three strikes go by with a runner at third.

 

[saddles]

Lowe watches three strikes go by with a runner at third.

From Jamey Newberg:

I have no words for that Lowe at-bat. Unreal.

 

[scotsman#1948]

From Jamey Newberg:

I have no words for that Lowe at-bat. Unreal.

wonder what Crim would have done

 

[Duane1952]

CY was an idiot to think this team was going to turn anything around.

 

[fanman8825]

I can see Leody and Lowe but Garcia I can't buy that we should have seen that he should have been traded because he was 32. He will always be a 250 hitter but since being with the Rangers he has hit 31, 27 and 39 HRs and has been an RBI machine with 90,101 and 107. In the playoffs he hit 323 with 8 HRs and 22 RBIs and that after just hitting 200 with 1 HR and 1 RBI in the wildcard series. Plus he has had 16, 10 and 11 OF assists plus a big one in the World Series. If we are honest with ourselves we were pretty fired up about having Garcia back this year after how the season ended with him.

I probably should have elaborated more on Garcia. I didn't want him traded this past offseason. My main target was Tavares coming off his best season.
As this current season went on and the team started to tailspin I thought this team should have been more in sell mode at the deadline targeting Garcia and Lowe. Those 2 more than likely could have fetched something decent. Who knows I didn't like what we got back for Lorenzen.
Maybe fans still think this team can make the playoffs being 5 back but the Rangers are chasing 2 teams in front of them plus they can't even win a series against good teams.
I have followed and loved this team since moving from Washington in 1972 but I know in my heart this season is lost.
Looking forward to seeing Degrom and Mahle come back strong. Continued growth of Langford. Jung finishing strong and Smith continuing with his fine season. Hoping for a much better 2025

 

[Kelleyman]

You know you’ve given up when you start rooting for Seattle

 

[Kelleyman]

Some questionable bullpen usage today and was hoping they would play Zeke

 

[jaar01]

It's time. CY made a mistake by not selling. I understand he believes in this team. But other than the White Sox series ( which he should know means nothing) this team has been a bottom 10 team for a couple months now.

Too late to sell. I suspect a few players will see the waiver wire in hopes of reducing payroll. But it's time to bury this season.

I'm looking forward to Seager, Semien in a bounce back year, Jung, Langford, and hopefully a healthy Carter next year. I'm ok with one more year of Lowe but he'll likely cost too much. Smith will have good trade value so maybe he is moved.
Hopefully everyone else is replaced.

Prob stuck with Garcia and his 9m deal. Can't be any worse than he's been since May 1 so maybe some upside.

Time to wave the white flag and prepare for next season.

 

[saddles]

From Hector Gomez:

BREAKING: Texas Rangers signed David Ortiz Jr., with a signing bonus of $225,000, plus a student scholarship.

 

[saddles]

From The Prospect Times and Scott Lucas:

Alejandro Rosario's line for Hickory tonight:

7 IP
2 R
3 H
6 SO
4 groundouts
6 flyouts
84/59 strikes

Alejandro Rosario retired first 16 in a row, held velo late. Last 3 pitches were 98, 98, 86 SL. He is good.

 

[saddles]

From the Frisco Roughriders:

.@DaneAcker finishes before the sixth inning tonight!

FINAL LINE 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K

 

[saddles]

Dustin Harris continues to hit (2 more tonight), and he continues to play CF. Harris would make a very versatile utility man. I would like to bring him up and try him all over the OF and at both corner IF spots.

 

[saddles]

From the Frisco Roughriders:

.@DaneAcker finishes before the sixth inning tonight!

FINAL LINE 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K

Hopefully, they will promote Acker and Teodo up to Round Rock very soon.

 

[fanman8825]

Dustin Harris continues to hit (2 more tonight), and he continues to play CF. Harris would make a very versatile utility man. I would like to bring him up and try him all over the OF and at both corner IF spots.

I have not followed Harris as much as I did in 2022. It seems like it’s his time to get an opportunity. Hope CY sees this