The Officially Official Off Season Thread (2016)

[saddles]

 

[jta4437]

All I am saying is that he is essentially the same 1B that he was 8 months ago and the Rangers were content going into the season with him playing 1B. Some seem to have changed their mind about him simply because Prince did what was best for the team. He is not a quality 1B, but he is adequate for teams who need his bat in the lineup.

I don't remember any outcry from Rangers fans a few months ago saying Prince should be replaced at 1B and that JD was wrong to not find a replacement at 1B last offseason. Last offseason most wanted Mitch out of here and were quite satisfied with Prince as our everyday 1B. Now that has magically changed. He is not any worse of a first baseman now than he was then.

I know that wasn't me in that conversation, I've long thought this about Fielder and Moreland

 

[saddles]

I know that wasn't me in that conversation, I've long thought this about Fielder and Moreland

I have always wanted Prince to DH as well since we have Mitch. Now, if we wouldn't have had Mitch I would have rather Prince played 1B than a better defensive first baseman who couldn't hit very well.

 

[donaldson79]

And we were willing to trade for him knowing he would be the everyday 1B. I think teams who need his bat would be willing to stick him at 1B just like the Rangers have been. I am not saying he would be an ideal fit for the NL, but I don't discount the possibility that just like the Rangers some NL team may be willing to take him if they need his bat bad enough.

But I think the circumstances are very much different today than they were then. For one thing, it was two years ago. When a guy who is listed at 275 lbs gets 2 years more on his life resume, this isn't a good thing.

Plus, although he had a very good season last year, his power numbers were down, and his second half/PS numbers were not great.

And as we both agree, he was never a great 1st baseman to begin with, much less now.

I'm fine with a full time Napoli at 1st with Prince being the backup.

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

But I think the circumstances are very much different today than they were then. For one thing, it was two years ago. When a guy who is listed at 275 lbs gets 2 years more on his life resume, this isn't a good thing.

Plus, although he had a very good season last year, his power numbers were down, and his second half/PS numbers were not great.

And as we both agree, he was never a great 1st baseman to begin with, much less now.

I'm fine with a full time Napoli at 1st with Prince being the backup.

I think you would need a platoon partner with Napoli. He only hit .191 against right handed pitching in 2015.

 

[saddles]

I wonder if this team trading for a backup catcher means Gimenez will be non-tendered. If so, I wonder what more he had to do before they could be satisfied with him.

 

[donaldson79]

I think you would need a platoon partner with Napoli. He only hit .191 against right handed pitching in 2015.

Good point. But let me ask, hasn't Nap's numbers been better than this overall? Since you brought this up, would you have a problem with Prince/Nap splitting time if push-came-to-shove with the righty/lefty situation?

Also, wouldn't this be a terrific move if we could get Lucroy? Seems he and Robinson would be a good tandem.

 

[saddles]

Good point. But let me ask, hasn't Nap's numbers been better than this overall? Since you brought this up, would you have a problem with Prince/Nap splitting time if push-came-to-shove with the righty/lefty situation?

Also, wouldn't this be a terrific move if we could get Lucroy? Seems he and Robinson would be a good tandem.

T R Sullivan says it isn't anybody like Lucroy. He says it is for a backup catcher.

HaHa. The Prince/Napoli question gets us right back to the other discussion. However, you would still need someone to DH while Prince plays 1B. We might be better off just keeping Mitch and letting him and Napoli split time at 1B. Of course I have been on record of being in favor of going after Chris Davis and trading Prince and Moreland. There are a whole bunch of ways this could work out.

 

[saddles]

Good point. But let me ask, hasn't Nap's numbers been better than this overall? Since you brought this up, would you have a problem with Prince/Nap splitting time if push-came-to-shove with the righty/lefty situation?

Also, wouldn't this be a terrific move if we could get Lucroy? Seems he and Robinson would be a good tandem.

To answer your question about Napoli his numbers against right handed pitching are trending down as he has approached his mid-30s. He hit .248 against them in 2013 and .230 against them in 2014. Then the .191 in 2015.

 

[saddles]

I found this on MLB.com about Kivlehan

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 45 | Field: 45
As a college football player who didn't return to baseball until his senior year of college - and winning the Big East Triple Crown in the process -- Kivlehan has followed one of the more unusual paths to pro ball. Now he, he's just about knocking on the door to the big leagues.

While he might be older than the average prospect at his level, he's not in terms of experience. But the more he's played, the more rust Kivlehan has knocked off to reach Triple-A in 2015. His approach at the plate is a bit unorthodox, but he continues working to smooth out rough edges along the way. His move to Triple-A marked the first time he didn't hit for both average and power. Kivlehan is a good athlete who is an average runner and the Mariners have given him looks at third, where he started his career, first and the outfield. He might best be suited in left field or at first, where he's been better than anticipated.

More than anything, it's Kivlehan's makeup that stands out the most. That, and his bat, should help him find his way to the big leagues somewhere in the near future.

 

[saddles]

Mariners send prospect Patrick Kivlehan to Rangers to complete Leonys Martin/Anthony Bass trade

Kivlehan, 25, hit .256 (121×472) with 58 runs, 25 doubles, 1 triple, 22 home runs, 73 RBI, 36 walks and 14 stolen bases in 123 games in his first full season with AAA Tacoma. He led the Rainiers in games played (123), while also finishing among the team leaders in home runs (T1st/22), doubles (2nd, 25), RBI (3rd, 73), hits (3rd, 121) and walks (3rd, 36). His 22 home runs ranked T7th in the Pacific Coast League. Kivlehan appeared in games at 6 different positions: first base (30 G/26 GS), third base (26 G/23 GS), left field (48 G/46 GS), center field (11 G/9 GS), right field (13 G/11 GS) and designated hitter (7 GS). He also participated for the U.S.A. in the Pan Am Games, hitting .342 with a team-leading 3 home runs.


Kivlehan was the Mariners 4th round selection in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft out of Rutgers University. In four minor league seasons in the Mariners organization, he hit .288 (507×1762) with 262 runs, 99 doubles, 16 triples, 70 home runs, 318 RBI, 54 stolen bases, a .352 on-base percentage and a .481 slugging percentage in 461 games.

 

[saddles]

Top Prospects: Kivlehan, TEX

Here is a link to a short video about Kivlehan.

 

[saddles]

Detroit non-tendered Feliz and Al Albuquerque. Anyone interested in either of them?

 

[donaldson79]

I have been on record of being in favor of going after Chris Davis and trading Prince and Moreland. There are a whole bunch of ways this could work out.

Financially, how would/could this work for the Rangers? Would we trade both for BP help/back-end starter, AA/AAA high end guys and reload the system? Eat money on Prince, and get what we can?

There's some of your "lotta ways to make this work." ha ha

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

Detroit non-tendered Feliz and Al Albuquerque. Anyone interested in either of them?

Nope.

 

[saddles]

Financially, how would/could this work for the Rangers? Would we trade both for BP help/back-end starter, AA/AAA high end guys and reload the system? Eat money on Prince, and get what we can?

There's some of your "lotta ways to make this work." ha ha

We would have to raise the budget like some other teams appear to be willing to do this offseason. Not sure what we could get for them, but after seeing what we got for Leonys I think JD could bring back some good value.

 

[Kelleyman]

We got the kid I wanted from Seattle.

This from Jamey Newberg:

The Rangers have acquired corner bat Patrick Kivlehan from Seattle to complete the trade that sent outfielder Leonys Martin to the Mariners for right-handed reliever Tom Wilhelmsen.

There's a lot to like in Kivlehan's game, and I'm not so sure he's not a bigger piece in the deal for Texas than center fielder James Jones was.

Kivlehan was added to Seattle's 40-man roster two weeks ago and accordingly moves onto the Rangers' 40.

Good call Bennie. When they rostered him I was thinking maybe not as I thought we wanted to take on a minor league contract. Obviously Rangers valued him higher as well. Older player with still a lot of tread

 

[Hambombs]

His 1400 other innings of work disagree with you. But yeah play the small sample game.

I mean obviously he's great if you want to win the regular season. But playoffs have been a different story atleast so far. Obviously I'm not saying he's not a great pitcher. Just not in the postseason that's what counts

 

[Hambombs]

But you have to admit that is a very important small sample. He has not been able to elevate his game like many studs will do in the playoffs.

Exactly my point here.