The reigning champs arrive at the Grill for a weekend set: ATL @ TEX 4/29-5/1

[True Rangers Fan]

Yu is one of those former Rangers that I will always root for.

 

[saddles]

Such an "elite" hitter too.

 

[Kelleyman]

Such an "elite" hitter too.

Well there is my contribution

 

[scotsman1948]

I can't speak for how other teams approach things, but the Rangers (Woody) like rotating guys in and out like crazy, with defense and LH/RH splits given priority over a consistent lineup.

Willie being so poor defensively meant he needed to hit his way into a regular DH presence, and he just didn't do it. Hopefully the kid can get a better shake with another team, but it's time for both sides to move on.

i agree with what you said but see part of the rotation of players being not having enough decent players to go with a set lineup. Semien, Seager, Garver, Adolis & Lowe are the only set points. Heim may be one with Garver at DH but the others are major question marks

 

[True Rangers Fan]

i agree with what you said but see part of the rotation of players being not having enough decent players to go with a set lineup. Semien, Seager, Garver, Adolis & Lowe are the only set points. Heim may be one with Garver at DH but the others are major question marks

true, but I think it's a double edged sword. pinch hitting and later-game defensive switches means that these platoon players are getting 1-2 AB a game, and over a season I think that will affect performance. Someone like Culberson, a vet who is here just to hit LH bats, OK. But younger guys can't get established to be decent everyday players if they're getting rotated in and out regularly, in my opinion.

 

[DTC]

I can't speak for how other teams approach things, but the Rangers (Woody) like rotating guys in and out like crazy, with defense and LH/RH splits given priority over a consistent lineup.

Willie being so poor defensively meant he needed to hit his way into a regular DH presence, and he just didn't do it. Hopefully the kid can get a better shake with another team, but it's time for both sides to move on.

I love playing the platoon splits if it makes sense.
Guy hits .220 vs LHP and you have a guy that hits .270+ vs LHP on the bench and Vice versa.. you swap them out.
Ideally you’d have bonafide badasses at each spot but not the case here lol

 

[saddles]

true, but I think it's a double edged sword. pinch hitting and later-game defensive switches means that these platoon players are getting 1-2 AB a game, and over a season I think that will affect performance. Someone like Culberson, a vet who is here just to hit LH bats, OK. But younger guys can't get established to be decent everyday players if they're getting rotated in and out regularly, in my opinion.

That is what happened with Ryan Rua. He may have never worked out, but it would have been nice to have seen him get to start on a regular basis for an extended period of time.

 

[saddles]

This top 400 list was just updated today.

2022 MLB Draft - Top 400 Prospects — Prospects Live

Top 400 really reinforces a few things we’ve always believed… The Top 3 guys in this class are a cut above the rest. College hitters are good. Really good. And deep. The high school pitching in this class has the potential to be one of the stronger groups in recent memory. Termarr Johnson, Druw Jone

www.prospectslive.com

Updated: 5/2/2022

A new year, a new board and new ranks. College ball is well underway and high school ball is in full swing in some of the country. Winter gains and midnight cage sessions are beginning to reap their benefits. With those developments, a new board is here. As always, our board is built on three pillars.

Our team’s Live Looks. We’ve got every corner of the country covered.

Trackman, Rapsodo and big data evaluation.

Conversations within the industry; What are scouting executives, cross-checkers and scouts seeing at the ballfields?

This Top 400 really reinforces a few things we’ve always believed…

Druw Jones is simply a cut above the rest.

This college crop of hitters is good. And pretty deep.

Injuries have sabotaged this college pitching class, at least at the top. It’s a reasonably strong and deep class starting day two.

The high school pitching in this class has the potential to be one of the stronger groups in recent memory.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

I love playing the platoon splits if it makes sense.
Guy hits .220 vs LHP and you have a guy that hits .270+ vs LHP on the bench and Vice versa.. you swap them out.
Ideally you’d have bonafide badasses at each spot but not the case here lol

I think Woody overdoes it occasionally. Not so much going into a game but during a game, especially once the opposing starter is out.

2022 Major League Baseball PH/HR/Situ Hitting | Baseball-Reference.com

According to this, the Ranges have the second most number of PH at-bats, but are only 23rd as far as "contextual importance" in regards to the nature of the ABs. To me that says that Woody likes swapping guys out more for a small advantage in rather inconsequential game situations, rather than situations that have a significant impact on the game.

 

[DT LUNA]

I think Woody overdoes it occasionally. Not so much going into a game but during a game, especially once the opposing starter is out.

2022 Major League Baseball PH/HR/Situ Hitting | Baseball-Reference.com

According to this, the Ranges have the second most number of PH at-bats, but are only 23rd as far as "contextual importance" in regards to the nature of the ABs. To me that says that Woody likes swapping guys out more for a small advantage in rather inconsequential game situations, rather than situations that have a significant impact on the game.

Swapping players has become a part of game plan automatically seems to me. New pitcher change and then it starts needed or not.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

i like Willie but neither he nor Kole have a future here

That may be true so I won't argue about him being demoted. And I don't care about if Kole is the vocal leader or not he is not part of the rebuild and has no place here.

 

[DT LUNA]

That may be true so I won't argue about him being demoted. And I don't care about if Kole is the vocal leader or not he is not part of the rebuild and has no place here.

Agree and it goes further. Example is Solak. He is not the COF we need and will not play 2b anymore so why is he hear. Blocking time for others like Leody etc.

 

[saddles]

Here is an update on one of the top draft prospects. This is the guy @DTC wants us to draft.

Kevin Parada has more HRs (22) than Ks (19).

He’s 1 of just 2 qualifying players in the country to do that.

In MLB, it’s only happened twice since 1960:

• Barry Bonds 2004

• George Brett 1980

Oh, and Parada is tied for the national lead w/ those 22

What Dropped Yesterday - Mikey Romero, Kevin Parada, Elijah Green, Michael Curialle, Druw Jones, Patrick Messick

4-30-22 - Joe Doyle (@JoeDoyleMiLB) It was a slow start to the season for Orange Lutheran SS Mikey Romero , but he finished with a ba...

mlbdraftdatabase.blogspot.com

The other college player with 22 HR is Ivan Melendez, the UT first-baseman that I mentioned a few weeks ago as someone to keep an eye on when the Rangers select in the 4th round.

His slash line is currently at

.411/.531/.893/1.423

 

[saddles]

Agree and it goes further. Example is Solak. He is not the COF we need and will not play 2b anymore so why is he hear. Blocking time for others like Leody etc.

Unlike the Calhouns, Nick can be a future bench player who can backup at multiple positions. His days of starting here will end in the near future, but he could become a versatile bench player.

 

[DT LUNA]

Unlike the Calhouns, Nick can be a future bench player who can backup at multiple positions. His days of starting here will end in the near future, but he could become a versatile bench player.

His value is well known as a possible bench player but that is no reason to keep him on while searching for position players. Send him down to AAA and recall if we need him. In the mean while explore others like Leody.

 

[saddles]

His value is well known as a possible bench player but that is no reason to keep him on while searching for position players. Send him down to AAA and recall if we need him. In the mean while explore others like Leody.

For some reason they are not ready for Leody to come up or he would have come up instead of Reks.

 

[DT LUNA]

For some reason they are not ready for Leody to come up or he would have come up instead of Reks.

Leody is an example. We can utilize Solak's spot to check out more pitchers or anybody Woody wants to explore.

 

[Uncle Siggy]

For some reason they are not ready for Leody to come up or he would have come up instead of Reks.

He's always had hitting issues so they may see this little streak as temporary. If he keeps this up for another 30-40 games and White or Reks is doing nothing he might get his shot then. Reks seems to have more power and better BA/OBP differential so I imagine that had something to do with it too...

 

[scotsman1948]

Agree and it goes further. Example is Solak. He is not the COF we need and will not play 2b anymore so why is he hear. Blocking time for others like Leody etc.

probably because Solak can play multiple positions while Leody is basically only a CF

 

[saddles]

Leody is an example. We can utilize Solak's spot to check out more pitchers or anybody Woody wants to explore.

Who are these guys? The next starting pitcher up would most likely be Arihara until Alexy or Allard is ready, and even then they would send a starting pitcher down or to the DL. The most likely bullpen callup would be Sborz. They wouldn't bring up a catcher. We already discounted Taveras. The next infielder up would probably be Carpenter and he has no future here either.

Even when they are ready to bring up guys like Taveras, Thompson. Smith or Wendzel they will most likely be starting and not need a bench spot. One of those guys may push someone like Ibanez to the bench and then Ibanez might push Solak off the team, but that is 2 or 3 months away at the earliest

A guy on the bench is only blocking another bench player. In the offseason they may acquire a better bench player and send Solak packing, but it doesn't look like he has much competition at this point.

Of course, who knows what the front office has in mind.