Texas Rangers 2021 - 2022 Offseason Thread

[Kelleyman]

ewberg looks ready to write off prospects. Not saying I would overvalue or overhold. But there are guys I think may. have a big impact on 40 man when here. Ni sure thing but odds are we hit lightning in a bottle with one or tow position players.
Not sold supplying As just yet for Olson

 

[saddles]

Here is an excerpt from an article by TR Sullivan.

Rick Helling and C.J. Wilson are the two most underrated and underappreciated players in Rangers history.

Their time in the Arlington spotlight was relatively short, and recognition of their accomplishments is fading with time. Just go into any DFW sports bar and ask who was the last Rangers pitcher to win 20 games in a season and see how many people have the correct answer.

If any at all.

How many people remember Helling was the last Rangers pitcher to win 20 games. Probably as many who know Wilson had the best ERA-plus of any left-handed pitcher (minimum 500 innings) in club history. No, it was not Kenny Rogers or Cole Hamels.

Helling and Wilson were at the top of the Rangers’ rotation for four of the club’s seven division champions, and it is not a stretch to say the Rangers don’t win without them.

Yet the history of the Rangers over the past 30 years is far more filled with laments and bewailing about the lack of pitching rather than recognizing those pitchers who were instrumental in getting Texas into postseason. Helling and Wilson are on the top of that list.

 

[saddles]

ewberg looks ready to write off prospects. Not saying I would overvalue or overhold. But there are guys I think may. have a big impact on 40 man when here. Ni sure thing but odds are we hit lightning in a bottle with one or tow position players.
Not sold supplying As just yet for Olson

He really failed at answering the question about the rotation in 2023, 2024, and 2025.

We will know a lot more in 6 or 7 months, but I think we might have a very strong chance of being able to have a completely homegrown rotation within about 3 or 4 years. At least 4 out of the 5, anyway.

 

[Kelleyman]

Here is an excerpt from an article by TR Sullivan.

Rick Helling and C.J. Wilson are the two most underrated and underappreciated players in Rangers history.

Their time in the Arlington spotlight was relatively short, and recognition of their accomplishments is fading with time. Just go into any DFW sports bar and ask who was the last Rangers pitcher to win 20 games in a season and see how many people have the correct answer.

If any at all.

How many people remember Helling was the last Rangers pitcher to win 20 games. Probably as many who know Wilson had the best ERA-plus of any left-handed pitcher (minimum 500 innings) in club history. No, it was not Kenny Rogers or Cole Hamels.

Helling and Wilson were at the top of the Rangers’ rotation for four of the club’s seven division champions, and it is not a stretch to say the Rangers don’t win without them.

Yet the history of the Rangers over the past 30 years is far more filled with laments and bewailing about the lack of pitching rather than recognizing those pitchers who were instrumental in getting Texas into postseason. Helling and Wilson are on the top of that list.

Ceej great regular season. Playoffs not so much. Seems like Helling was going through some pitching issues at end of his Ranger tenure. He definitely had a lively arm

 

[saddles]

From Jeff Wilson's article yesterday about Kyle Cody:

Cody was one of the few significant injuries on the big-league club in 2021. What was initially diagnosed as a bone bruise in May turned into labral debridement surgery Sept. 30.

He won’t begin a throwing program until sometime in March, at which time the pitchers he competed with last spring will be competing for big-league roster spots without him.

Where does that leave Cody in the future plans? He has a place. He throws hard, has quality off-speed pitches and can work multiple innings. And he’s already gotten Tommy John surgery out of the way in 2018.

So there’s that.

After a nice debut in 2020, he struggled in spring training and made Opening Day roster as a reliever. Maybe it was the injury causing the issues. Maybe he should have been at Triple A Round Rock starting.

The Rangers need to find out. They owe it to Cody and themselves.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Oh I remember seeing that HR. A classic. Seems like Mitch gave it up right?

Wild Thing himself

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Here is an excerpt from an article by TR Sullivan.

Rick Helling and C.J. Wilson are the two most underrated and underappreciated players in Rangers history.

Their time in the Arlington spotlight was relatively short, and recognition of their accomplishments is fading with time. Just go into any DFW sports bar and ask who was the last Rangers pitcher to win 20 games in a season and see how many people have the correct answer.

If any at all.

How many people remember Helling was the last Rangers pitcher to win 20 games. Probably as many who know Wilson had the best ERA-plus of any left-handed pitcher (minimum 500 innings) in club history. No, it was not Kenny Rogers or Cole Hamels.

Helling and Wilson were at the top of the Rangers’ rotation for four of the club’s seven division champions, and it is not a stretch to say the Rangers don’t win without them.

Yet the history of the Rangers over the past 30 years is far more filled with laments and bewailing about the lack of pitching rather than recognizing those pitchers who were instrumental in getting Texas into postseason. Helling and Wilson are on the top of that list.

CJ was pretty douchey but 2011 doesn't happen without him, and any Rangers fan worth their salt recognizes that.

I got Helling's auto a few years ago. That dude has permanent "intense game face," but I was damn glad to get his signature.

 

[Kelleyman]

 

[True Rangers Fan]

sign of a good start to the rebuild

 

[saddles]

And they haven't even discovered Ricky Vanasco yet. Lol

 

[saddles]

Jamey Newberg's picks for breakout players at the minor league and major league levels are Davis Wendzel and John Gray.

I think I would go with Ricky Vanasco and Josh Jung.

My second picks for each would be Tekoah Roby and AJ Alexy.

 

[saddles]

I have high hopes for five of our starting pitcher prospects. Of course, since they are no longer prospects, that doesn't include Hearn and Dunning. It also doesn't include prospects like Alexy, Otto, Henriquez, Rodriguez, Kent, Bradford, Slaten, Weems, Ragans, and Latz. It isn't that I don't think any of that last group of prospects are any good. I really like several of them. I just put our top five guys head and shoulders above those guys. Leiter, Vanasco, Winn, White and Roby are shaping up to be really special pitchers. Some of the rest of those guys may make up the bulk of our bullpen in three or four years.

 

[saddles]

 

[Kelleyman]

I agree with the responder to A Morris who is out of line.

However I do remember early days of Ryan where he was a tad wild and of course not as good as Seaver back then. I think Ryan durability counts a lot as a pitcher

Maybe and maybe not as good as peak Pedro but sustainability who else? Moyer or Bartolo. Lol

 

[saddles]

I agree with the responder to A Morris who is out of line.

However I do remember early days of Ryan where he was a tad wild and of course not as good as Seaver back then. I think Ryan durability counts a lot as a pitcher

Maybe and maybe not as good as peak Pedro but sustainability who else? Moyer or Bartolo. Lol

I think some of Adam's angst about Ryan stems from when people started choosing sides when it came to JD and Ryan. Adam always seemed to be the President of the JD fan club, and when some fans spoke ill of JD while singing Ryan's praises, it really seemed to turn Adam into being anti-Nolan Ryan. Now he has created a false competition between Nolan and Beltre so he can disparage Nolan some more.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

I agree with the responder to A Morris who is out of line.

However I do remember early days of Ryan where he was a tad wild and of course not as good as Seaver back then. I think Ryan durability counts a lot as a pitcher

Maybe and maybe not as good as peak Pedro but sustainability who else? Moyer or Bartolo. Lol

His ability not to just be able to pitch but pitch well into his 40's is beyond comprehension. How does anyone pitch that hard for that long. The guy had 301 K's at age 42 followed by 2 years of over 200 K's followed at age 45 with a strikeout per inning. I really do not think we will ever see anything like that in this baseball era. The whole JD and Ryan thing just muddied up peoples opinion of Ryan which is a shame.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

From what I can tell, Adam's point was that ESPN was overrating Nolan Ryan on some "best of" list, and underrating Beltre on the same list. My big takeaway is that this just reinforces my opinion that ESPN is complete shit when it comes to baseball overall.

 

[saddles]

His ability not to just be able to pitch but pitch well into his 40's is beyond comprehension. How does anyone pitch that hard for that long. The guy had 301 K's at age 42 followed by 2 years of over 200 K's followed at age 45 with a strikeout per inning. I really do not think we will ever see anything like that in this baseball era. The whole JD and Ryan thing just muddied up peoples opinion of Ryan which is a shame.

Hey, it is good to see you back.

 

[saddles]

From what I have been able to tell over the years, Adam Morris is often a very bitter, hateful individual. He is a very knowledgeable Rangers fan and writer, but he often let's his emotions and his bitterness get the best of him.

A lot of people are brought up on this forum from players, to front office people, to coaches and managers, and to media members. Of all of those we mention on any kind of a regular basis, Adam is just about the last one I would want for a coworker, boss, neighbor or relative.

 

[saddles]

Adrian Beltre may be underrated on a national level, but it has nothing at all to do with any other player and certainly not Nolan.

I can't remember seeing any national media ever overrate Nolan. Some around here overrated him as a member of the front office, but many underrated him in that capacity also.