Texas Rangers 2021 - 2022 Offseason Thread

[DTC]

Like Adolis, he made some adjustments a year ago that showed up in both the winter leagues and spring training as big improvements. Unfortunately, he never got to play on a regular basis before getting hurt last year, so we don't know if his adjustments were going to make a difference in the games that count or not.

Hopefully now that Adolis has a full season of MLB experience under his belt he can be a little more consistent next year

 

[scotsman1948]

With this new ballpark CF defense is at a premium

which is why i want a full-time CF'er. Adolis is very good but with his size i cringed every time he was in center waiting for the groin pull, hamstring etc that put him on the shelve for weeks. which is why if they're not going with Taveras then i would like to see us trade for one, don't care if it's Marte or Straw or ?

 

[Kelleyman]

which is why i want a full-time CF'er. Adolis is very good but with his size i cringed every time he was in center waiting for the groin pull, hamstring etc that put him on the shelve for weeks. which is why if they're not going with Taveras then i would like to see us trade for one, don't care if it's Marte or Straw or ?

Well I would rather spend money on Suzuki and go with Garcia for now or bridge pitching

I get the risk but Garcia is pretty talented and maybe in a year he moves off CF. As said Kole and past hammy issues does not make him FT TF for an extended time
Defensively. Guess we have to first get out of a lockout

 

[scotsman1948]

Well I would rather spend money on Suzuki and go with Garcia for now or bridge pitching

I get the risk but Garcia is pretty talented and maybe in a year he moves off CF. As said Kole and past hammy issues does not make him FT TF for an extended time
Defensively. Guess we have to first get out of a lockout

if we get Suzuki i would go with him in left, Garcia in right and, if we don't trade for a CF'er, Taveras in CF

 

[Kelleyman]

if we get Suzuki i would go with him in left, Garcia in right and, if we don't trade for a CF'er, Taveras in CF

I know that is what you want. Just have doubts he may be ready. I guess as a hedge Kole can be platooned

Still at this point thinking next year is realistically a rebuild

 

[scotsman1948]

I know that is what you want. Just have doubts he may be ready. I guess as a hedge Kole can be platooned

Still at this point thinking next year is realistically a rebuild

like i said in an earlier post Kole only played in 94 games out of the 60 games in 2020 and the 162 in 2021 and i think maybe 10 of those were as DH in interleague games.

 

[saddles]

From Jeff Wilson:

Chris Woodward didn’t completely overhaul his coaching staff coming off a 102-loss season, but two of the changes were in key posts.

Donnie Ecker signed on as bench coach and offensive coordinator after two seasons as San Francisco Giants hitting coach, replacing Don Wakamatsu, and hitting coach Tim Hyers joined after leaving Boston. He replaced Luis Ortiz.

Ecker, in his hybrid role, won’t take on all of the duties of a traditional bench coach, and some of those will fall to first-base coach Corey Ragsdale and catching instructor Bobby Wilson.

So, there were enough changes to prompt Woodward to bring the entire coaching staff together this week in Arizona. He wants to make sure everyone is up to speed on the changes and any new responsibilities, and to give Ecker and Hyers a chance to get to know the rest of the staff.

“Some guys haven't even met Donnie in person or Tim,” Woodward said last week. “It's getting everybody together, have a couple of dinners with each other, but go through some things like messaging for next year and the vision we have.”

The Rangers still have one opening, an assistant hitting coach to replace Callix Crabbe. They would like to have that filled before Christmas.

Ecker and Hyers were in Arizona last week for a hitting camp with the top prospects in the system. Pitching coach Doug Mathis lives in Peoria, about 15 minutes away from the Rangers’ complex in Surprise, and stopped in on the camp.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

MLB free agent rankings: Top 25 players available post-lockout - Sports Illustrated

4. Trevor Story, SS​

Age: 29 | Former Team: Rockies | Initial Rank: 6
Initial Prediction: Rangers | Revised Prediction: Astros​

Story’s player profile has a lot to like. He’s been durable, is at least a solid defender with good power and speed, and his strikeout rate has declined in each of the past two seasons to a career-low 23.4% in 2021. Story saw a steep decline in BABIP this year, with a .293 clip after a career mark of .347 before this year. That’s likely tied to a dip in line drives and uptick in ground balls, though his average exit velocity and barrel rate were mostly in line with his career marks. A mechanical adjustment could be the remedy there and would likely elevate Story back to his All-Star form.

7. Seiya Suzuki, OF​

Age: 27 | Former Team: Hiroshima | Initial Rank: 17
Initial Prediction: A’s | Revised Prediction: Rangers​

After starring for Nippon Professional Baseball for the past six seasons, Suzuki is ready to make the leap overseas. In 133 games last season, he hit a career-high 38 home runs with a .319/.436/.640 slash line. Over the past three years, Suzuki has more walks (263) than strikeouts (241), and 91 home runs in 391 games. Suzuki is a right-handed hitter who’s spent some time in the infield during his career but has played exclusively in the outfield since 2015 and projects as a right fielder after winning his fifth NPB Gold Glove there last season. Though strikeout rates in NPB are not as high as in MLB, Suzuki’s modest 16.4% strikeout rate since ’18 is an impressive mark for a power hitter of his caliber.

After the Rangers signed Semien and Seager, we said the team’s path to contention would depend on who would follow those two to Arlington. If Suzuki settles in the Lonestar State to fill one of the Rangers’ outfield spots, they’d be well on their way.

15. Michael Pineda, SP​

Age: 33 | Former Team: Twins | Initial Rank: 35
Initial Prediction: Mariners | Revised Prediction: Rangers​

When healthy, Pineda is a solid starting pitcher. He’s put up a 3.80 ERA over the last three seasons, though he hasn’t topped 146 innings since 2017. The underlying stats don’t paint as pretty a picture, though; Pineda’s expected ERA last year was just shy of 5.00, and his hard-hit rate allowed of 46.7% ranked among the bottom 4% of the league. Even though opposing hitters feasted on his fastball to the tune of a .284 batting average and .493 slugging percentage, he actually threw the pitch more frequently (54.2%) than he has in a decade. An adjusted pitch mix would likely lead to more effectiveness for Pineda going forward.

17. Jorge Soler, OF​

Age: 30 | Former Team: Braves | Initial Rank: 39
Initial Prediction: Rangers | Revised Prediction: Cardinals​

The 2021 World Series MVP has a wide range of future outcomes, but there are signs he could soon be one of the sport’s most feared sluggers. For one, he absolutely crushes the ball when he makes good contact, routinely ranking in the 98th percentile of max exit velocity and boasting MLB’s longest average home run distance (423 feet), a statistic no one will be surprised to learn after witnessing his World Series moonshot. His approach also showed signs of maturation this summer, as he struck out at a career-low 23.6% clip with a chase rate that ended up in the 80th percentile of the league. That’s solid growth from the ’19 American League strikeouts leader. Soler best profiles as a mashing DH who doesn’t have to concern himself with improving his sloppy glovework.

 

[saddles]

MLB Free Agency: 5 potential landing spots for Seiya Suzuki

As we wait on Major League Baseball’s lockout to conclude, Tim Kelly of Audacy Sports examines five potential landing spots for Seiya Suzuki.

www.audacy.com

 

[Kelleyman]

MLB Free Agency: 5 potential landing spots for Seiya Suzuki

As we wait on Major League Baseball’s lockout to conclude, Tim Kelly of Audacy Sports examines five potential landing spots for Seiya Suzuki.

www.audacy.com

Not sure this guy although national is very reputable to me. Personal opinion

 

[saddles]

Not sure this guy although national is very reputable to me. Personal opinion

Heyman has always seemed very plugged in, to me.

 

[saddles]

Here is MLB Pipeline's top 10 draft prospects as of this evening.

1. Druw Jones, OF, Wesleyan HS (Ga.)
2. Termarr Johnson, 2B, Mays HS (Ga.)
3. Elijah Green, OF, IMG Academy (Fla.)
4. Jacob Berry, 3B, Louisiana State
5. Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly
6. Jace Jung, 2B, Texas Tech
7. Brock Jones, OF, Stanford
8. Chase DeLauter, OF, James Madison
9. Dylan Lesko, RHP, Buford HS (Ga.)

 

[saddles]

Chase DeLauter has shown up at 3, 4 and 8 in various draft analysis this week.

MLB always seems to overrate MIF so it is no surprise that they have him further down.

 

[Kelleyman]

Heyman has always seemed very plugged in, to me.

Yes he is plugged in but mainly repeats the other guys. I follow hm on Twitter but he rarely breaks anything. To each his own

 

[saddles]

Yes he is plugged in but mainly repeats the other guys. I follow hm on Twitter but he rarely breaks anything. To each his own

Lol. Maybe I am using him as a clearing house so I don't have to follow all of his sources.

 

[Kelleyman]

Lol. Maybe I am using him as a clearing house so I don't have to follow all of his sources.

I am sure you are plugged into all things Rangers. He may get to it quicker but you are undoubtedly more thorough. His side opinions are not my cup of tea

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

I am sure you are plugged into all things Rangers. He may get to it quicker but you are undoubtedly more thorough. His side opinions are not my cup of tea

Yeah, most of the guys I follow, I just read their newsworthy posts and ignore the rest. I am not concerned with their opinions other than maybe their rankings.

 

[saddles]

Elijah Green ranked 1, 8, and 3 in the most recent projections.

 

[saddles]