Series Thread: Rangers Travel to the Great Northwest to Play Mariners 6/10-6/12

[DT LUNA]

An MRI is needed to validate injury or not. Then it can be decided what to do or not. Don't know if he can be forced to have the MRI but he should want one for health reasons.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

Well, from reading you guys posts, and listening/reading to the writing/talking-heads, my eye sight must be failing. B/c I really didn't think his bat speed looked so poorly.

But Jared Sandler, said on 105.3 little while ago that Prince isn't even getting around good on avg, to slightly above avg fastballs. 92 mph one's he's late on.

To be honest none of us knows what the heck we are talking about. The guy is killing us offensively and needs to sit. But if he comes out of this thing it is not going to be because now all of a sudden he is healthy.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

An MRI is needed to validate injury or not. Then it can be decided what to do or not. Don't know if he can be forced to have the MRI but he should want one for health reasons.

And for the benefit of the team.

 

[donaldson79]

To be honest none of us knows what the heck we are talking about. The guy is killing us offensively and needs to sit. But if he comes out of this thing it is not going to be because now all of a sudden he is healthy.

One thing which I feel sure of is this, "he'd serve us/himself/his family better if he went a serious diet."

I'm not playing with this. Carrying that refrigerator body around works as long as your young. But he ain't so young anymore.

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

To be honest none of us knows what the heck we are talking about.

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

Well, from reading you guys posts, and listening/reading to the writing/talking-heads, my eye sight must be failing. B/c I really didn't think his bat speed looked so poorly.

But Jared Sandler, said on 105.3 little while ago that Prince isn't even getting around good on avg, to slightly above avg fastballs. 92 mph one's he's late on.

I have no idea if it is bat speed related. To me the results matter more than the cause at this point.

 

[donaldson79]

I have no idea if it is bat speed related. To me the results matter more than the cause at this point.

Although I agree with you, if we could figure out if it's an age related situation or an injury, it would sure take some of the guesswork outta what happens next. Or at least how we're gonna approach what happens next.

Easier to make a plan of attack, or perhaps "detach" from our current problem.

 

[jaar01]

Prince needs to drop 20 pounds yesterday. Agree with Donaldson the man is no longer "young" in baseball metrics and carrying that weight around is only going to hurt him.

Or at the very least learn how to take an outside pitch the other way. The man tries to pull everything and he's no David Ortiz in terms of bat control.

 

[saddles]

Although I agree with you, if we could figure out if it's an age related situation or an injury, it would sure take some of the guesswork outta what happens next. Or at least how we're gonna approach what happens next.

Easier to make a plan of attack, or perhaps "detach" from our current problem.

What are our options and which of the potential problems leads us to each of the options?

To me they all lead to having to get rid of a player that no other team wants. If he has fallen off of a cliff no other team would touch him. If he is capable of slumps lasting half of a season when healthy I don't think another team would want him. If he is injured then he will prove to be in the injury prone category and I still don't think another team would want him.

 

[Bmurph]

2016 Draft: Kyle Cody RHP

Cody started the Cape Cod League all-star game in 2014, highlighting a summer in which he positioned himself as a likely first-round candidate for the 2015 Draft. He struggled early that spring before rallying late in the season and going in the second round to the Twins. Negotiations broke down over concerns about his elbow, so he returned to Kentucky for his senior season, during which he started slowly but finished strong once again. Cody's stuff has looked pretty much the same as it did a year ago. He has one of the better fastballs among college starters, working at 92-95 mph and hitting 98. He generates easy velocity with a 6-foot-7, 245-pound frame that also creates difficult angle and plane on his pitches. His slurvy breaking ball has been a little less sharp this spring, though Cody shows a solid low-80s slider when he stays on top of the pitch. He rarely employs his changeup but has shown some decent feel for it in the past. He throws enough strikes and has a ceiling of a workhorse starter, though some scouts think his inconsistent command means he'll have more success as a high-leverage reliever.

 

[donaldson79]

What are our options and which of the potential problems leads us to each of the options?

If he's injured, then we can at least put him on the DL. If it's career ending type situation then we can recoup some insurance money.

So if it's an injury he's no longer an option for the 25 man roster, much less playing. And in case (B) we could get some dollars back.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

Although I agree with you, if we could figure out if it's an age related situation or an injury, it would sure take some of the guesswork outta what happens next. Or at least how we're gonna approach what happens next.

Easier to make a plan of attack, or perhaps "detach" from our current problem.

Agree.

 

[saddles]

If he's injured, then we can at least put him on the DL. If it's career ending type situation then we can recoup some insurance money.

So if it's an injury he's no longer an option for the 25 man roster, much less playing. And in case (B) we could get some dollars back.

I am not sure how much insurance is going to help us. I have heard that the insurance is different for different players. There are varying amounts of deductibles and various elimination or waiting periods before it kicks in. Then you have the case where the injury keeps the player from being who he used to be, but doesn't disable him, ala Matt Harrison the last few months we had him.

Then there is the 40 man roster situation in the off season. Just prior to the Rule 5 draft the guys on the 60 day DL have to be added back to the 40 man roster until the next season starts. As deep as we are that would keep a very talented player from being protected. We aren't carrying any Kirkmans on the 40 man any longer that we can jettison when we need the space.

The DL would help out for the rest of this season, but once the season is over it doesn't help any. Even if he gets put on the DL eventually this year I am not sure how much money that would save us insurance-wise.

Do we even know that the Rangers have insurance on Prince? I have read where a guy from Lloyds of London estimated that baseball teams typically insure half of their players who have expensive long-term contracts. I believe I remember speculation that we did have insurance on him a couple of years ago, but I wonder if that is still the case. If the insurance company had the option I doubt they renewed the policy. I am not sure if they had such an option though.

Either way it works out I am ready to be rid of him by November.

 

[saddles]

Jamey Newberg's idea of "put them to the ground". Only it was Altuve being put to the ground on this Profar smash and not any of the Rangers.

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

2016 MLB Draft: Texas Rangers Day Two selections

Round 3: Kole Enright, 3B, West Orange HS, Winter Garden, Florida -- Enright is listed at 6'1", 175 lbs., and does not appear to be in the BA top 500. He's a switch-hitter.

Round 4: Charles Leblanc, SS, University of Pittsburgh -- Leblanc is a draft-eligible sophomore who was drafted in the 33rd round of the 2013 draft by the Milwaukee Brewers out of Toronto, Ontario. He just turned 20 on June 3, and is listed at 6'3", 195 lbs., and is listed at #452 on the BA top 500 list. BA praises his hit tool, but says he's unlikely to stick at shortstop.

Round 5: Kyle Roberts, LHP, Henry Ford CC -- Roberts is a 6'6", 210 lb. lefthanded pitcher who was ranked #246 on the BA top 500. He's big, extremely raw (BA says he didn't pitch as a high school senior), and has touched 96 mph, so he's one of these project guys the Rangers like.

Round 6: Kyle Cody, RHP, Kentucky -- Cody is a 6'7", 245 lb. senior who was drafted by the Twins using one of their competitive balance picks last year, and who Baseball America had ranked at #89 in their top 500 this year, with Keith Law ranking him #84 on his top 100. He throws in the 93-95 mph range, with a "slurve," and seems to profile as a reliever, though he apparently seems to have a chance to start.

Round 7: Sam Huff, C, Arcadia High School, Phoenix, Arizona -- Huff is a righthanded hitter listed at 6'4", who was #146 on BA's top 500. BA praises his raw power and his framing, saying he's an average thrower. Huff does sound like a player who should stick behind the plate, rather than being a catcher drafted for his bat who will have to change positions.

 

[donaldson79]

Bennie.....thanks for keeping us up on the draft.

 

[saddles]

 

[donaldson79]

The young man from KY in the 6th round would be a pretty imposing figure to run out there late in games wouldn't he?