Series Thread: Rangers Host Twins August 15-18

[saddles]

If I recall GM Hart was not a fan of MY. I think he liked Frank Catalanotto. But I could be wrong. 2b was MY's best position but they moved him out of that spot. They I guess being JD.

As I recall, he volunteered to
move to SS when ARod left, and then the other two moves were like pulling teeth.

 

[saddles]

Bennie the muse. You deserve a free subscription for the inspiration.

Haha. You would think so.

At least, I would like to be able to read that particular article. lol

 

[WastinSomeTime]

As I recall, he volunteered to
move to SS when ARod left, and then the other two moves were like pulling teeth.

Wasn't part of the problem Alfonso Soriano would not play the OF even though he was just an okay 2b. Then when he left Washington Nationals put him in the OF. We kind of gave into him.

 

[saddles]

Wasn't part of the problem Alfonso Soriano would not play the OF even though he was just an okay 2b. Then when he left Washington Nationals put him in the OF. We kind of gave into him.

I thought Soriano not moving to the OF became a problem when Kinsler was ready to come up.

We definitely gave in to Soriano and then we did the same thing to Kinsler a few years later. Both times we made bad trades to keep from having to move them to the OF.

 

[Kelleyman]

Definitely worth the read. Josh a very complicated sincere person. Happy for him

 

[Kelleyman]

Haha. You would think so.

At least, I would like to be able to read that particular article. lol

I will take the liberty on this one

They were both right-handed-hitting middle infielders, with some outfield experience in college as well as the minor leagues. Each was blocked in his organization, moved to Texas for a big-league pitcher in a July deal, and after arriving, turned a good season into a great one.

Michael Young parlayed his hot streak with Tulsa into a September debut in Arlington. Chances are very good that Nick Solak, currently tearing things up in Nashville, is poised to do the same.

Will it be a matter of weeks or days until Solak, hitting .340/.375/.680 with nine home runs in his 25 games since the Rays traded him to the Rangers, shows up to make his big-league debut?

“Can I say hours?” jokes Sounds manager Jason Wood, though he’s not eager to see him leave.

There are differences between doorstep-model Young and Solak. Young was a better defender, while Solak has developed more game power. Young was 23 and in AA; Solak, 24, has spent all of 2019 in AAA.

But Solak’s response to the trade is reminiscent of the .319/.368/.457 run Young had with the Drillers in 2000, setting the stage for a long career in Texas. Once shortstop Alex Rodriguez was signed months later, Young had Randy Velarde and prospect Jason Romano to contend with as he set his sights on the starting job at second base. Solak’s challenge is more formidable, as Rougned Odor stands in his way.

Odor, for all his well-documented slumps and surges, has been a Rangers fixture over the better part of six seasons and could be for several more. His contract guarantees three more years at a total of $33 million. After that, a club option will pay him $13.5 million in 2023 if not bought out for $3 million.

Solak, however, is pushing for a big-league look one month after coming over from Tampa Bay for reliever Peter Fairbanks. Solak was drafted by the Yankees in the second round of the 2016 MLB Draft. A year later and a half later, he was on the move to Tampa Bay in a three-team, seven-player deal. He exclusively played second base as a Yankee farmhand but the Rays experimented with him in the outfield, giving him nearly as many outfield appearances (57) as second base assignments (61) in 2018 and a significant, albeit less frequent amount of time on the grass (18 out of 85 games) in 2019 before sending him to Texas in mid-July.

His profile as a full-time second baseman throughout his pro career, with only experimental looks so far at other positions, is fairly uncommon among legitimate prospects. But it’s a development path he shares with the player with whom he could compete for playing time down the stretch.

Odor wasn’t thought to have the arm for the shortstop position and wasn’t a burner on the basepaths when Rangers Assistant GM Mike Daly and Director of International Scouting Rafic Saab, then in different roles, signed the 16-year-old out of Venezuela. He was a second baseman from the jump.

Odor’s $425,000 signing bonus was relatively modest on the scale of frontline Latin American talent. But it was a healthy amount for a player confined to second base. Texas believed enough in his bat to make the investment.

Big-league second basemen are often former shortstops who are either forced off the position developmentally or moved to get their bat into the lineup alongside a better (or at least more experienced) defender. The latter was the case for Young, who was set to compete with Royce Clayton at shortstop until Rodriguez joined the club.

A few things are generally true for a player to turn pro as a second baseman and get to the big leagues without ever really veering off the position: He has legitimate upside with the bat, a good enough glove to make all the plays at the highest level, and yet defensive limitations of some sort have prevented a move to the left side of the infield. Though both the Rays and Rangers have taken looks at Solak in the outfield, it appears Texas views him primarily as a second baseman.

At the Rangers’ behest, Wood played Solak 19 straight times at second base before a three-game stretch in left field a week ago. He returned to second base for a couple of games after that, then played right field for the first time as a pro on Tuesday night. (He’d seen some time in center field in 2018.)

“His actions and routes in the outfield are fine,” Wood says. “The arm strength out there might be a little light, but his accuracy is on point.” Solak’s ability to play an adequate outfield could increase his chances of carving out a big-league role. But his best position is his original one. “Nick has a knack for being in the right place at second base,” Wood adds. “He understands the game. He makes the routine play. He turns the double play well. He may not be flashy, but he’ll make a play you wouldn’t expect from time to time.”

Errors aren’t a reliable measure of an infielder’s defense, as inferior players getting to fewer balls will have fewer opportunities to make a play — or an error. But it’s perhaps worth noting that, after making 17 errors in his first full pro season (2017), Solak committed only two errors in 118 defensive games in 2018 and only seven in 102 games this season, including none with the Sounds until a miscue in right field Tuesday night.

The 24-year-old’s aptitude and preparation at second base have impressed his manager. “You give Nick the game plan and charts, he looks at it once and he’s got it locked in,” says Wood. “He’s got a real feel for the position. He’s probably MLB-average right now or close to it — and I have no doubt he can get there with more reps, and maybe a tick above that.”

Solak is also said to have tremendous makeup. It was a big part of Young’s game, and evidently distinguishes Solak as well.

“A true individual who has an understanding about the game of baseball and how it should be played,” Wood says. “Quiet but understanding of where his place is. Great person comes (a) great teammate.”

Solak is a lock to be on the Rangers’ 40-man roster this winter, his first to be Rule 5 Draft-eligible, and he could get added sooner. Perhaps not before September, when rosters expand, especially since players like Ronald Guzman and Scott Heineman could command spots first while rosters are capped at 25. But, like Heineman, Solak offers a right-handed bat with some defensive versatility, and Texas probably wants to see how he handles big-league pitching before bringing him to camp in February.

There are other second basemen in the Rangers system who could factor in over the next few years in the event that Odor is unavailable or plays his way out of the club’s plans. Though Willie Calhoun is likely done playing on the dirt, Danny Santana’s role going forward has any number of possibilities, and second base is certainly in his skill set.

Down on the farm, Andy Ibanez and Eli White (AAA) and Yonny Hernandez, Charles Leblanc, Ryan Dorow and Michael De Leon (AA) have played a meaningful amount of second base the past couple years. For the first time in his pro career, Diosbel Arias (High-A) is getting mostly second base reps, while in 2019 it’s become a secondary spot for Jonathan Ornelas and Frainyer Chavez (Low-A). Kenen Irizarry (Short-Season A) and Cody Freeman and Keithron Moss (Rookie) also play second base more often than not.

Of that group, White stands out for his versatility both in the field and offensively. Hernandez’s hit tool and defense recall Hanser Alberto. Arias is a bat-first type whose power has yet to actualize. Ornelas and Freeman are years away but each possesses bat-to-ball skills the Rangers are excited about.

Second base is not the primary spot for shortstops Anderson Tejeda (High-A) or Chris Seise (Low-A), who are out for the year, or for teenagers Derwin Barreto (Short-Season A), Osleivis Basabe and Keyber Rodriguez (Rookie) and Luisangel Acuna (DSL), but any of them could ultimately settle in on the right side of the bag if circumstances call for it.

None of them are purely second basemen like Odor was, and like Solak is for the most part. The bat is the carrying tool for both, and before long they could be sharing a uniform. Young was given two plate appearances when he debuted in 2000. Solak is almost assuredly going to get a heavier look than that down the stretch.

“Ever since Nick got here, he’s been nothing but fantastic,” says Wood, who knows his days with Solak could be numbered. “He’s an old-school, line-drive hitter with a lot of pop and he gets to good velo. And he really understands what he has to do to play an effective second base.

“I’m anxious to see how it plays out at the big-league level.”

 

[saddles]

I will take the liberty on this one

They were both right-handed-hitting middle infielders, with some outfield experience in college as well as the minor leagues. Each was blocked in his organization, moved to Texas for a big-league pitcher in a July deal, and after arriving, turned a good season into a great one.

Michael Young parlayed his hot streak with Tulsa into a September debut in Arlington. Chances are very good that Nick Solak, currently tearing things up in Nashville, is poised to do the same.

Will it be a matter of weeks or days until Solak, hitting .340/.375/.680 with nine home runs in his 25 games since the Rays traded him to the Rangers, shows up to make his big-league debut?

“Can I say hours?” jokes Sounds manager Jason Wood, though he’s not eager to see him leave.

There are differences between doorstep-model Young and Solak. Young was a better defender, while Solak has developed more game power. Young was 23 and in AA; Solak, 24, has spent all of 2019 in AAA.

But Solak’s response to the trade is reminiscent of the .319/.368/.457 run Young had with the Drillers in 2000, setting the stage for a long career in Texas. Once shortstop Alex Rodriguez was signed months later, Young had Randy Velarde and prospect Jason Romano to contend with as he set his sights on the starting job at second base. Solak’s challenge is more formidable, as Rougned Odor stands in his way.

Odor, for all his well-documented slumps and surges, has been a Rangers fixture over the better part of six seasons and could be for several more. His contract guarantees three more years at a total of $33 million. After that, a club option will pay him $13.5 million in 2023 if not bought out for $3 million.

Solak, however, is pushing for a big-league look one month after coming over from Tampa Bay for reliever Peter Fairbanks. Solak was drafted by the Yankees in the second round of the 2016 MLB Draft. A year later and a half later, he was on the move to Tampa Bay in a three-team, seven-player deal. He exclusively played second base as a Yankee farmhand but the Rays experimented with him in the outfield, giving him nearly as many outfield appearances (57) as second base assignments (61) in 2018 and a significant, albeit less frequent amount of time on the grass (18 out of 85 games) in 2019 before sending him to Texas in mid-July.

His profile as a full-time second baseman throughout his pro career, with only experimental looks so far at other positions, is fairly uncommon among legitimate prospects. But it’s a development path he shares with the player with whom he could compete for playing time down the stretch.

Odor wasn’t thought to have the arm for the shortstop position and wasn’t a burner on the basepaths when Rangers Assistant GM Mike Daly and Director of International Scouting Rafic Saab, then in different roles, signed the 16-year-old out of Venezuela. He was a second baseman from the jump.

Odor’s $425,000 signing bonus was relatively modest on the scale of frontline Latin American talent. But it was a healthy amount for a player confined to second base. Texas believed enough in his bat to make the investment.

Big-league second basemen are often former shortstops who are either forced off the position developmentally or moved to get their bat into the lineup alongside a better (or at least more experienced) defender. The latter was the case for Young, who was set to compete with Royce Clayton at shortstop until Rodriguez joined the club.

A few things are generally true for a player to turn pro as a second baseman and get to the big leagues without ever really veering off the position: He has legitimate upside with the bat, a good enough glove to make all the plays at the highest level, and yet defensive limitations of some sort have prevented a move to the left side of the infield. Though both the Rays and Rangers have taken looks at Solak in the outfield, it appears Texas views him primarily as a second baseman.

At the Rangers’ behest, Wood played Solak 19 straight times at second base before a three-game stretch in left field a week ago. He returned to second base for a couple of games after that, then played right field for the first time as a pro on Tuesday night. (He’d seen some time in center field in 2018.)

“His actions and routes in the outfield are fine,” Wood says. “The arm strength out there might be a little light, but his accuracy is on point.” Solak’s ability to play an adequate outfield could increase his chances of carving out a big-league role. But his best position is his original one. “Nick has a knack for being in the right place at second base,” Wood adds. “He understands the game. He makes the routine play. He turns the double play well. He may not be flashy, but he’ll make a play you wouldn’t expect from time to time.”

Errors aren’t a reliable measure of an infielder’s defense, as inferior players getting to fewer balls will have fewer opportunities to make a play — or an error. But it’s perhaps worth noting that, after making 17 errors in his first full pro season (2017), Solak committed only two errors in 118 defensive games in 2018 and only seven in 102 games this season, including none with the Sounds until a miscue in right field Tuesday night.

The 24-year-old’s aptitude and preparation at second base have impressed his manager. “You give Nick the game plan and charts, he looks at it once and he’s got it locked in,” says Wood. “He’s got a real feel for the position. He’s probably MLB-average right now or close to it — and I have no doubt he can get there with more reps, and maybe a tick above that.”

Solak is also said to have tremendous makeup. It was a big part of Young’s game, and evidently distinguishes Solak as well.

“A true individual who has an understanding about the game of baseball and how it should be played,” Wood says. “Quiet but understanding of where his place is. Great person comes (a) great teammate.”

Solak is a lock to be on the Rangers’ 40-man roster this winter, his first to be Rule 5 Draft-eligible, and he could get added sooner. Perhaps not before September, when rosters expand, especially since players like Ronald Guzman and Scott Heineman could command spots first while rosters are capped at 25. But, like Heineman, Solak offers a right-handed bat with some defensive versatility, and Texas probably wants to see how he handles big-league pitching before bringing him to camp in February.

There are other second basemen in the Rangers system who could factor in over the next few years in the event that Odor is unavailable or plays his way out of the club’s plans. Though Willie Calhoun is likely done playing on the dirt, Danny Santana’s role going forward has any number of possibilities, and second base is certainly in his skill set.

Down on the farm, Andy Ibanez and Eli White (AAA) and Yonny Hernandez, Charles Leblanc, Ryan Dorow and Michael De Leon (AA) have played a meaningful amount of second base the past couple years. For the first time in his pro career, Diosbel Arias (High-A) is getting mostly second base reps, while in 2019 it’s become a secondary spot for Jonathan Ornelas and Frainyer Chavez (Low-A). Kenen Irizarry (Short-Season A) and Cody Freeman and Keithron Moss (Rookie) also play second base more often than not.

Of that group, White stands out for his versatility both in the field and offensively. Hernandez’s hit tool and defense recall Hanser Alberto. Arias is a bat-first type whose power has yet to actualize. Ornelas and Freeman are years away but each possesses bat-to-ball skills the Rangers are excited about.

Second base is not the primary spot for shortstops Anderson Tejeda (High-A) or Chris Seise (Low-A), who are out for the year, or for teenagers Derwin Barreto (Short-Season A), Osleivis Basabe and Keyber Rodriguez (Rookie) and Luisangel Acuna (DSL), but any of them could ultimately settle in on the right side of the bag if circumstances call for it.

None of them are purely second basemen like Odor was, and like Solak is for the most part. The bat is the carrying tool for both, and before long they could be sharing a uniform. Young was given two plate appearances when he debuted in 2000. Solak is almost assuredly going to get a heavier look than that down the stretch.

“Ever since Nick got here, he’s been nothing but fantastic,” says Wood, who knows his days with Solak could be numbered. “He’s an old-school, line-drive hitter with a lot of pop and he gets to good velo. And he really understands what he has to do to play an effective second base.

“I’m anxious to see how it plays out at the big-league level.”

Props to JD for finding and acquiring Solak. He sounds like a no-brainer choice for our 2B of the future.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

Props to JD for finding and acquiring Solak. He sounds like a no-brainer choice for our 2B of the future.

Fairbanks for Solak, Chris Martin for Allard and getting Nate Jones who may be a good pickup along with International bonus slot money may turn out to be good moves. Jake Petricka, Shane Carle and Ian Gibaut remain to be seen. Overall I am good with it so far.

 

[Nightcrawler]

Fairbanks for Solak, Chris Martin for Allard and getting Nate Jones who may be a good pickup along with International bonus slot money may turn out to be good moves. Jake Petricka, Shane Carle and Ian Gibaut remain to be seen. Overall I am good with it so far.

I just wish more teams were willing to trade with us.

Seems like teams avoid us like the plague on major deals.

 

[DT LUNA]

I just wish more teams were willing to trade with us.

Seems like teams avoid us like the plague on major deals.

Please explain why you think teams won't trade with us

 

[saddles]

He means against the Angels.

 

[saddles]

I just wish more teams were willing to trade with us.

Seems like teams avoid us like the plague on major deals.

If JD was a buyer teams would be glad to trade with us. If JD really wants to trade a player like he did with Darvish and Kinsler teams would be glad to trade with us.

 

[Kelleyman]

He means against the Angels.

Should be at the late game. Guess it will be Palumbo

 

[saddles]

Should be at the late game. Guess it will be Palumbo

He is saying they both will pitch that day.

 

[Nightcrawler]

Please explain why you think teams won't trade with us

Teams should’ve given us better offers for minor and pence.

 

[DT LUNA]

Teams should’ve given us better offers for minor and pence.

My feeling is they did but JD never wanted to let Minor go.

 

[Kelleyman]

 

[DT LUNA]

Fairbanks for Solak, Chris Martin for Allard and getting Nate Jones who may be a good pickup along with International bonus slot money may turn out to be good moves. Jake Petricka, Shane Carle and Ian Gibaut remain to be seen. Overall I am good with it so far.

So far I am as well. Should work out well with Solak and Allard.

 

[DT LUNA]

#26 dbl for Maz. Like to see him continue

 

[DT LUNA]

DDJ hits into a dblplay.