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Ric
Bayou Bum
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841st Post Mon Sep 1st, 2008 08:21 pm | |
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THE NOB HILL REPORT
*Covering the San Francisco Giants from Top to Bottom*
If there’s anything that 59-77 has taught us as loyal Giants fans, it’s that we play in baseball’s weakest division, aren’t anywhere close to competitive in it, and don’t appear to be on the verge of making any NL West noise in the next couple years. This will probably be our fourth straight year in the 70s in wins, and while our farm system has made some real progress the past year or two, the strength is in starting pitching, which means two things: (1) hope they’re ready to rack up the no-decisions – if it weren’t for Washington, we’d have the worst offense in the league . . . for the second year in a row, and third out of four; and (2) we actually might have an opportunity here to do something bold.
If new managing general partner Bill Neukom doesn’t replace GM Brian Sabean this winter (he’s under contract through 2009, with a club option for 2010), Sabean probably has to know that he’ll be expected to do something aggressive to change the team’s fortunes in order to keep his job.
Here’s one assessment of the franchise’s big-picture assets, offensively:
* Outfielders Aaron Rowand (age 31) and Fred Lewis (27) and Nate Schierholtz (24)
* Catcher Buster Posey (21)
* Catcher-corner infielder Pablo Sandoval (22)
* Corner infielder Angel Villalona (18)
* Second baseman Nick Noonan (19)
The rest is pitching. And there’s lots of it. Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, and Brian Wilson on the big league staff. Madison Bumgarner, Tim Alderson, Henry Sosa, Jesse English, and others on the farm.
And of course, there’s Barry Zito, who is necessarily a big-picture asset because we’re paying him $18.5 million next year, $18.5 million in 2010, $18.5 million in 2011, $19 million in 2012, $20 million in 2013, and $7 million to dump him from the payroll in 2014 (though if he somehow finds a way to earn 200 innings of work in 2013 [or 400 in 2012-13, or 600 in 2011-13], his $18 million contract for 2014 vests, too). And he’s got a full no-trade clause, though that’s sort of irrelevant because he might be baseball’s most untradeable player right now.
If Sabean wants to make a splash this winter – or let’s be honest: if a replacement comes in and wants to immediately place his stamp on this thing – there’s one obvious way to do this: Trade pitching to rework the look of this lineup, because waiting on Posey, Villalona, and Noonan isn’t all that inviting. Keep Lincecum, of course, but everyone else is fair game.
Figuring out who wants to get in on this will be easy. There’s no team out there who would turn down a chance to improve its rotation. I’m not dealing with the Diamondbacks or Dodgers, despite their strength in young hitters, because I’m not into the idea of facing Cain or Sanchez that many times every year while trying to chase their teams.
Can we get Atlanta to put Jason Heyward in a package? The Mets: Fernando Martinez (after they emptied the farm for Johan Santana)? St. Louis: Colby Rasmus? Pittsburgh: Andrew McCutchen?
Just as the Twins were probably happy to get Santana out of the AL altogether, all things equal it would be a good thing, if we’re going to move Cain in particular, to send him to the other league.
Looking at the deepest systems in the AL, I’m ruling Oakland out, because having Cain develop into a 20-game winner across the Bay as that team grows around him would put him above the fold in the [size=Chronicle] every time he pitches, and that’s not happening.
Tampa Bay? The Rays would have no interest, it would seem, in trading offense for another starter when they have Scott Kazmir, James Shields, Matt Garza, Edwin Jackson, David Price, Wade Davis, Jeff Niemann, Jeremy Hellickson, and Jake McGee on hand. Frankly, Tampa Bay might actually be our competition if we were to put Cain on the market, as any team interested in our guy might have a chance to get with the Rays on one of theirs, too.
The Red Sox and Yankees will be interested, of course, and we need to get them involved, if for no other reason to raise the stakes. But it’s doubtful Boston would move Lars Anderson or Jacoby Ellsbury, and Jed Lowrie has probably made himself virtually untouchable. Bet we could get New York to part with Austin Jackson, but he alone isn’t going to remake our lineup, and the Yankees’ strength on the farm is also in pitching. Jesus Montero is a possibility, but where is he going to fit if we have Posey behind the plate and Sandoval or Villalona at first? Does Robinson Cano fit, considering he’s under contract for $27 million over the next three years (or $54 million over the next five if his two club options are picked up)?
Sure do like the Rangers’ farm system. They have impact talent everywhere on the field. And let’s be honest: If Cain were to go star in Texas, that’s more palatable from a P.R. standpoint here than if he were doing it in the National League, or in Oakland, or on national TV every week in New York or Boston.
First, remember that Henry Schulman reported in the [size=Chronicle] just before the trade deadline that Texas covets Sanchez and might have been dangling Hank Blalock in a possible deal for him in July before Blalock had a physical setback. (And some blogger named Newberg wrote: “I have an unnatural partiality to Sanchez, just like I always have for Oliver Perez” – maybe if the Rangers’ front office is that into Sanchez themselves, we can take advantage of that and work talks on the 25-year-old, keeping the 23-year-old Cain off the table for another deal.)
I’ll offer Sanchez (he had an awful July [0-3, 8.57] and hasn’t pitched in three weeks due to a shoulder thing, but he’s slated to start today) and ask for Chris Davis and Elvis Andrus, and the Rangers will say no. They’ll probably try to turn the discussion to Cain and refuse to offer Davis or Andrus, and we’ll say no. And that all assumes, of course, that this type of discussion didn’t already take place more than a month ago, which is silly. Surely there’s already been plenty of groundwork laid.
Cain, incidentally, is owed just $6.9 million over the next two years combined, has a $6.25 million club option in 2011 (which could vest based on innings pitched or games started or Cy Young finish, and which could also increase to as much as $8.15 million based on the first two categories), and he’ll then have free agency rights. He’s a huge bargain and, though he’s a lifetime 30-40 pitcher (a third of his starts have been no-decisions even though he gets into the seventh inning on average), he’s undoubtedly a potential number one.
But the righthander’s also leading the major leagues in pitches thrown this year. Not sure that that’s as much of a red flag as Lincecum’s delivery, but it’s something to consider given his age.
As for Sanchez, the lefthander has one more pre-arbitration season and then three more years before he can be a free agent. He’s just 12-15, 4.92 in his career (8-9, 4.53 in 24 starts this year), but he has as much upside as any young pitcher that the Rangers have gotten to the big leagues this season, and he’s inexpensive.
Let’s look at the young players worth targeting, but first, here’s a thought: Blalock really looks out of rhythm right now, but maybe if he finds his stroke this month we take a chance on him in the deal. We liked him at mid-season. His $6.2 million option for 2009 isn’t a payroll crusher, at he’ll still only be 27 when this season ends. Rich Aurilia comes off the books in a month, and there’s no sense in going forward with the 37-year-old at first base. If Blalock settles in here, maybe he can give this roster a solid veteran bat, hold things down until Villalona arrives, and, if things go badly for the Giants in 2009, his contract could be flippable at the deadline. But first, he’s got to show something in September. He’s not in sync right now.
OK, I want a shortstop and I want a center fielder, and that means I want Andrus and I want Julio Borbon. I want another outfield bat that I can put in the lineup right away, and David Murphy is my guy. I’m certainly going to get a young pitcher in the deal, even if it’s not my number one priority, and I’m asking for Eric Hurley or Matt Harrison.
So that’s my proposal to Texas: Jonathan Sanchez for Andrus, Borbon, Murphy, and Hurley or Harrison.
The Rangers will tell me that they won’t give that package up for Cain, let alone Sanchez.
Maybe they counter with something like Joaquin Arias (impressive offensively since Ian Kinsler got hurt, though I have my doubts as to whether his arm will ever play at shortstop again) or Marcus Lemon, Marlon Byrd, and a couple local products, Zach Phillips and Wes Littleton.
And we’ll say no.
We’ll haggle over the shortstop, settle on Byrd (who has two arbitration years left) rather than Borbon as a center field option, agree to make Blalock part of the deal rather than Murphy, and we’ll grapple over what pitching we get back.
Maybe the talks boil down to Hurley, Lemon, Byrd, and Blalock, which Texas offers for Cain, to which we say absolutely not – but we’d do it for Sanchez. The Rangers may “covet” Sanchez, but they aren’t going to go that far.
So to do a Cain deal, we need more back.
To do a Sanchez deal, we need to improve our offer.
So then we tell the Rangers that, to move Cain, they need to add Omar Poveda, whose pedestrian-looking 4-4, 4.57 season belies the fact that, at age 20, he’s gone 3-1, 2.38 (30 hits and 18 walks in 41.2 innings, 44 strikeouts) in his last seven starts in the hitter-friendly California League.
And as far as Sanchez is concerned, we don’t insist on Poveda and we reluctantly agree to put 25-year-old righthander Sergio Romo in the deal. The reliever has given up 13 runs (eight earned: 3.43 ERA) on 14 hits and four walks in 21 big league innings, fanning 22. In four minor league seasons, he’s struck out 10 hitters per nine innings, with fewer hits plus walks allowed than innings pitched. He’s short, tends to give up more flyballs than grounders, and has average stuff, but he gets guys out – especially lefties, who are dealing with his changeup by hitting .107 in the big leagues.
But we want a catcher back. Yeah, Posey is our long-term answer, but Sandoval probably isn’t going to stay behind the plate, Jackson Williams may never hit, and – hey – the Rangers have shown what a good idea it is to stockpile catching prospects. We’ll take Manny Pina, who is so good defensively that if his bat plays at all, he’ll be a big league backup. The 21-year-old is hitting .286 in Frisco and .270 for the season, striking out just once every 10 times up.
We’ll also drop Blalock from the deal.
So:
For Matt Cain: Eric Hurley, Omar Poveda, Marcus Lemon, Marlon Byrd, and – if he shows something in September – Hank Blalock. And ultimately, we probably hold out for Andrus instead of Lemon, and might insist on Engel Beltre rather than Byrd.
For Jonathan Sanchez and Sergio Romo: Eric Hurley, Marcus Lemon, Manny Pina, and Marlon Byrd.
Quickly, before I get out of here to settle in for Sanchez’s return to the mound this afternoon, I know Giants fans probably haven’t had the pleasure of listening much to the late Mark Holtz or current Rangers radio play-by-play man Eric Nadel, but they are both candidates once again for the 2009 Ford C. Frick Award, and you should vote for them. Balloting begins today at http://www.baseballhalloffame.org, and you can vote up to once per day throughout the month.
Also, this may be a Giants blog, but did you see that Dale Scott call at home plate Saturday night in the Angels game against the Rangers? Maybe the worst I’ve ever seen.
Last edited on Mon Sep 1st, 2008 08:23 pm by Ric
____________________
All I ask is a chance to prove
that money can't make me happy.
"There are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary. And there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I learned that, I gave Jesus a chance."
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Burley Glen
Whatever...
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842nd Post Mon Sep 1st, 2008 08:44 pm | |
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| Well, at least he redeemed himself in the last couple of paragraphs...don't agree with the proposed trades...
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I'd rather be wrong because I trusted someone, than because I didn't...
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Bob Of Burleson
...And the smell of gunsmoke
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843rd Post Mon Sep 1st, 2008 09:27 pm | |
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| I'm no so sure that Matt Cain is that much better then Eric Hurley by himself when Hurley is healthy.
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Ric
Bayou Bum
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844th Post Mon Sep 1st, 2008 09:30 pm | |
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Burley Glen wrote: Well, at least he redeemed himself in the last couple of paragraphs...don't agree with the proposed trades... heh.. well a lot of Jamey's trades are pretty one-sided, too......
____________________
All I ask is a chance to prove
that money can't make me happy.
"There are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary. And there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I learned that, I gave Jesus a chance."
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Ric
Bayou Bum
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845th Post Tue Sep 2nd, 2008 02:26 am | |
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According to multiple reports, Texas has expanded its roster by recalling catcher Taylor Teagarden and infielder German Duran from Oklahoma, and they will activate lefthander Bill White tomorrow after a brief option to Bakersfield, as the Blaze's season concluded today with a 7-6 comeback win over Modesto.
Meanwhile, Giants lefthander Jonathan Sanchez, pitching for the first time since August 11, went into Coors Field and held the Rockies to three runs on three hits and three walks in seven innings, fanning six.
And, naturally, he got a loss, as his teammates got blanked by Jorge De La Rosa in a 4-0 Colorado win.
Jamey
____________________
All I ask is a chance to prove
that money can't make me happy.
"There are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary. And there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I learned that, I gave Jesus a chance."
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LEB
Member
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846th Post Tue Sep 2nd, 2008 03:07 am | |
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If Zito wants out of SF badly, and the Giants want to unload part of his salary then I think the Rangers might take a gamble on this guy who has pitched GREAT at the ballpark in his career. Maybe he needs a change of scenery but there's no way I would take that salary on. If the Rangers could work an A-Rod deal with SF however.......
The big difference is, ARod produced great in Dallas. The Yanks were not taking much of a gamble.
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stemyn
Waiting for my tickets
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847th Post Tue Sep 2nd, 2008 04:22 am | |
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LEB wrote: The big difference is, ARod produced great in Dallas. The Yanks were not taking much of a gamble.
I didn't realize Dallas finally got their own team. Sorry LEB, I couldn't resist. I know what you meant, just had to give you a hard time.
____________________
People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring. ~Rogers Hornsby
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Ric
Bayou Bum
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848th Post Thu Sep 4th, 2008 02:56 pm | |
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THE NEWBERG REPORT
The latest step in Max's apprenticeship as a good baseball fan came yesterday afternoon, years sooner than I expected: The kid loves a well-pitched, low-scoring game. Well pitched, well defended, clock-friendly. Every pitch counted. I'm a proud Dad.
In 2004, when Dustin Nippert and Felix Hernandez were ranked by Baseball America as Arizona's and Seattle's number one pitching prospects, that sort of game was what was envisioned -- not that one of the two would slide all the way through waivers, as Nippert did three months ago.
Nippert was great yesterday, blanking the Mariners on seven hits and no walks in seven innings, fanning four. He changed speeds well and located all his pitches, and was especially sharp early, throwing only two balls in the first inning, four in the second, and three in the third.
Through four innings, Nippert had thrown 16 balls out of the strike zone.
In his Rangers debut on April 4, Nippert threw 18 balls in two-thirds of an inning.
In the last two times through the rotation (which hasn't included Vicente Padilla), Rangers starters are 6-2, 2.76, with seven quality starts out of 10, getting into the sixth inning every time and completing at least six all but twice (which not only speaks to their effectiveness but also boosts the health of the bullpen). In 65.1 innings, they've issued six walks, fanning 38.
Ten starts. Six walks.
In fact, in the last time through the rotation, the current starting five issued one walk, a Scott Feldman free pass in the fourth inning on Saturday.
Since then, Rangers starters have put up 28 straight innings without a base on balls.
I'm not suggesting we've found our rotation for 2009, but it's good to see guys like Brandon McCarthy (age 25) reasserting himself, Scott Feldman (25) continuing to offer proof, Matt Harrison (22) giving indications that he may not be not far away from dependability, and Nippert (27) showing flashes of what made him, not long ago, a legitimate prospect (with reports of a mechanical change prompted by Andy Hawkins and Jim Colborn, who have apparently pointed Nippert's stride more toward the plate so that he's throwing less across his body).
These are all guys who project at best in the back half of a decent rotation, if not in a relief role, but things look a lot better going into
2009 if you have candidates for those roles you feel good about, lots more where they came from just a little further from being ready, and Kevin Millwood and Padilla under control.
It's still important for Texas to add another horse to the rotation -- and maybe one of the above named will have to be traded in order to get that done -- but the situation isn't as empty as, say, the Rangers' outfield picture was a year ago.
An effort to rein in Feldman's workload has been thwarted by injuries to other starters, but the club is apparently intent on skipping his next start (aided by off-days tomorrow and Monday).
The timetables for a return to action this month by Ian Kinsler (who reportedly met with team doctors yesterday) and David Murphy are uncertain.
Meanwhile, Jarrod Saltalamacchia's 2008 season is finished due to a strain and inflammation in his right elbow. He plans to get a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews on Monday (presumably to confirm that there's no ligament damage and no need for surgery) before starting a six-to-eight-week rehab program.
Two of the numbers in his final .253/.352/.364 line are disappointing, but it shouldn't be overlooked that he's still just 23, younger not only than Gerald Laird but Taylor Teagarden and Max Ramirez as well, or that he was locked in offensively (and more consistent defensively) lately, hitting a robust .378/.477/.514 over the last five weeks.
I still think that he'd be the catcher I trade this winter in a deal for front-end pitching, assuming the injury doesn't deflate the trade offers to the point at which Texas would be selling low. Recall that the Rangers had reason to unclog the catcher position last winter but wisely decided that trading Laird after a poor season would have been unwise from a timing standpoint. Laird has significantly more value today than he did last winter.
Saltalamacchia still plans to play winter ball in the Dominican Republic once he completes his rehab program, and his ability to show that he's healthy there will be important. If he does that, he's still a valuable commodity, as evidenced by the apparent face that there were multiple teams interested in trading for him in July -- and that was before his torrid month-long streak at the plate.
If Texas can use Saltalamacchia to center a deal for a young pitcher ready to step into its rotation -- and ideally to front it before long -- I'm happy to go with Laird, who has two more seasons under team control before he can explore free agency, backed up by Teagarden. There are scenarios as well under which Ramirez could make the team and get 350 at-bats as a designated hitter (depending on whether Milton Bradley returns) who can also spell a left-handed-hitting first baseman and give the club a third catcher on the roster.
If Laird fetches a trade offer that's significantly better than anything proposed for our other catchers, I'm OK moving him. But I'm very comfortable with how Laird's game has developed and like the idea of having him here as a steadying influence as Texas breaks in the next wave of high-ceiling starting pitchers.
In a strange way, as unfortunate as Saltalamacchia's injury is, having him end his season on such a good run of productivity at the plate may turn out to be a pretty good thing.
Nice moment for Teagarden yesterday, squeezing the pop-up to seal the major league shutout he'd just caught.
He's started three games. Two have been 1-0 Texas victories.
Teagarden also caught an Oklahoma no-hitter this year.
Thrown by Nippert.
Frankie Francisco since inheriting the closer's job from Eddie Guardado:
four games, four saves, 4.1 innings, one hit (a single), no walks, eight strikeouts. Fifty-six pitches, 44 strikes. Any questions?
Derek Holland was masterful once again last night, getting the starting assignment in Frisco's playoff opener and firing 7.1 strong innings, as he held San Antonio to one run (the result of an eighth-inning ball that bounced off right fielder Dustin Majewski's glove and over the fence) on two hits and a walk while fanning five. Learn more about Holland's dazzling effort and all the other action from the first night of the minor league playoffs in Scott Lucas's morning email recaps.
You should also read Scott's outstanding playoff preview if you're not already on the mailing list. You can check it out at
http://www.newbergreport.com/article.asp?articleid=1130.
Our own Eleanor Czajka reports in her can't-miss "Girls Don't Know Anything About Baseball" blog (http://emcmlb.blogspot.com/) that Teagarden, Chris Davis, and Warner Madrigal, after contributing prominently in the big club's day game, were in the Frisco stands last night, watching their former teammates take Game One of the series. That's a really, really cool note.
Elvis Andrus made a play deep in the hole, I'm told, that defies description. Suffice it to say that he evidently channeled Derek Jeter on the backhand jump-throw with enough juice on it to get the out at first.
Ken Rosenthal points out in his Fox Sports column that Hank Blalock's tradeability this winter (should the Rangers pick up his $6.2 million option for 2009) could be boosted by the weakness of the free agent market at third base. Rosenthal notes that Blalock, still just 27, is committed to an off-season throwing program designed to enable a return to third.
I was planning on writing about a Rosenthal note from last week suggesting that a "growing number of baseball people expect Rangers president Nolan Ryan to make sweeping changes -- changes involving [Jon] Daniels, manager Ron Washington or both," but a local reporter wrote this week that "[w]ord has come from the very top that such speculation is" an unprintable word for which the sanitized replacement was "rubbish."
I'd be very disappointed, and very surprised, to see Daniels let go.
Davis has a .552 slugging percentage for Texas in 2008.
Mark Teixeira has a .541 slugging percentage for Atlanta and the Angels in 2008.
Weird: Teixeira is hitting a monstrous .376/.468/.641 since joining the Angels. Yet the club was 65-40 (.619) before acquiring him, and is 19-14
(.576) since.
I have no idea.
ESPN's Buster Olney had the Elias Sports Bureau measure which hitters have been most productive this year against starting pitchers with an ERA of 3.75 or better and relievers with an ERA of 2.75 or better. Kinsler (.355) was third in all of baseball as of August 19, and Michael Young (.338) was fifth.
Young needs 36 hits to reach 200 for the season. If he were to play in every one of the club's remaining 21 games, he'd be on pace for another 96 at-bats, in which case he'd need to hit .375 the rest of the way to get to 200.
Josh Hamilton is the second player in the last 55 years (Albert Pujols is the other) to drive in at least 120 runs in his second big league season.
Consider this quote from Hamilton, when asked about the achievement: "It helps my confidence. It kind of reaffirms to myself that I can play at this level and hopefully do it for a while."
Millwood (3-1, 2.76, two complete games) and Marlon Byrd (.393/.468/.607, 42 hits, 15 extra-base hits) were named pitcher and player of the month for August by the Rangers. Millwood is also the Rangers' nominee for baseball's Roberto Clemente Award, given annually to the player who best exemplifies the sportsmanship and community involvement that Clemente demonstrated.
Nelson Cruz had the highest slugging percentage (.695) in the minor leagues this year. He was also tied for fourth in home runs (37) and 10th in both hitting (.342) and reaching base (.429). Renny Osuna was fourth in hits (178), sixth in runs (100), and 14th in hitting (.338). Julio Borbon was sixth in hits (175) and tied with Andrus for ninth in stolen bases (53), but Borbon was also fifth in times caught stealing (18). Ian Gac was fifth in RBI (109) and tied for eighth in home runs (32), but third in strikeouts (170). Jose Vallejo was tied for 12th in hits (166), Johnny Whittleman was sixth in walks (89), and high school teammates John Mayberry Jr. (65) and Steve Murphy (64) were tied for ninth and 13th, respectively, in extra-base hits.
Neftali Feliz had the highest strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate (10.8) of any starting pitcher in minor league baseball, was sixth among starters in opponents' batting average (.201), and was 15th in total strikeouts (153), while Derek Holland was 10th in three categories: strikeouts (157), ERA (2.27), and opponents' batting average (.209). Elizardo Ramirez was tied for seventh in hits allowed (193).
The minor league leader in total bases and extra-base hits (and runner-up in home runs) was High A first baseman Chris Carter, whom Oakland acquired from Arizona in this winter's Dan Haren trade. The reason I note this is that, two weeks before the Diamondbacks sent Carter to Oakland in mid-December, they'd acquired him from the White Sox for Carlos Quentin -- shortly after Chicago was reportedly prepared to trade Carter to Texas for Akinori Otsuka, before the White Sox reviewed Otsuka's medical records and withdrew the offer.
In a BA survey, Class A managers and scouts ranked Vallejo as the California League's best defensive second baseman in 2008 and Clinton manager Mike Micucci as the Midwest League's best manager prospect. Those polled in the Texas League called Max Ramirez the league's best batting prospect, ranked Davis as having the best power, recognized Michael Ballard as having the best change-up, honored Teagarden as the best defensive catcher and Andrus as the best defensive shortstop, and touted Scott Little as the best manager prospect.
The Oklahoma RedHawks will become the Oklahoma City RedHawks next year, and will feature a new color scheme and logo.
Texas extended its player development contract with Spokane two years through the 2010 season.
There are reports that Bakersfield Blaze owner D.G. Elmore intends to move the franchise to the Carolina League after the 2009 season. I'm pretty sure the Rangers' player development contract with the Blaze goes through 2010.
Kelley Gulledge, the son of Rangers P.A. announcer Chuck Morgan, had an excellent second half with AA Jacksonville in the Dodgers system, moving from behind the plate to play first base and DH for the Suns and hitting
.286/.383/.557 in 70 at-bats. He also made a cameo pitching appearance on Friday, working the eighth inning of a 7-2 loss to Montgomery and retiring the Biscuits in order, one on the ground and two on strikes. It was apparently the first time that the 29-year-old had pitched since Little League.
In its ranking of the top prospects in the various summer collegiate leagues, Baseball America judged University of Texas outfielder Kevin Keyes as number one in the California Collegiate League and Cal Poly righthander Kevin Castner as number five. The Rangers drafted Keyes in the 26th round in 2007, and Castner in the 10th round in 2008, not signing either.
Cincinnati righthander Nick Masset was involved in a minor auto accident on Monday, bruising his hand. He'll be OK.
Jason Jennings, sidelined since a month into the season, will start throwing in two weeks. He'll be a free agent again this winter.
According to local reports, Rangers equipment manager Zack Minasian says the team will increase the red in their uniform look in 2009, and included could be a solid red alternate jersey and red hat.
Maybe it will call back the look of the Rangers' three playoff teams from the late '90s, which would suit me fine. Maybe it will bear some resemblance to the Diamondbacks jersey that Dustin Nippert wore last year, or the Team USA jersey that Taylor Teagarden wore last month, or the Frisco RoughRiders jersey that Derek Holland wore last night.
I'm not sure who my money would be on among Nippert, Teagarden, and Holland to be wearing Rangers red when this team is next playing playoff baseball -- I might bet on them in reverse order -- but there are lots of steps, some little, some big, some aesthetic, and some essential, being taken right now to continue moving this thing in the right direction.
____________________
All I ask is a chance to prove
that money can't make me happy.
"There are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary. And there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I learned that, I gave Jesus a chance."
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stemyn
Waiting for my tickets
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849th Post Fri Sep 5th, 2008 08:22 am | |
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I am just going to highlight some stuff in this report that impresses me.
Ric wrote:
THE NEWBERG REPORT
In the last two times through the rotation (which hasn't included Vicente Padilla), Rangers starters are 6-2, 2.76, with seven quality starts out of 10, getting into the sixth inning every time and completing at least six all but twice (which not only speaks to their effectiveness but also boosts the health of the bullpen). In 65.1 innings, they've issued six walks, fanning 38.
Ten starts. Six walks.
In fact, in the last time through the rotation, the current starting five issued one walk, a Scott Feldman free pass in the fourth inning on Saturday.
Since then, Rangers starters have put up 28 straight innings without a base on balls.
Jarrod
Two of the numbers in his final .253/.352/.364 line are disappointing, but it shouldn't be overlooked that he's still just 23, younger not only than Gerald Laird but Taylor Teagarden and Max Ramirez as well, or that he was locked in offensively (and more consistent defensively) lately, hitting a robust .378/.477/.514 over the last five weeks.
Frankie Francisco since inheriting the closer's job from Eddie Guardado:
four games, four saves, 4.1 innings, one hit (a single), no walks, eight strikeouts. Fifty-six pitches, 44 strikes. Any questions?
Davis has a .552 slugging percentage for Texas in 2008.
Mark Teixeira has a .541 slugging percentage for Atlanta and the Angels in 2008.
Weird: Teixeira is hitting a monstrous .376/.468/.641 since joining the Angels. Yet the club was 65-40 (.619) before acquiring him, and is 19-14
(.576) since.
____________________
People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring. ~Rogers Hornsby
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stemyn
Waiting for my tickets
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850th Post Fri Sep 5th, 2008 09:39 am | |
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THE NEWBERG REPORT
No doubt motivated by his buddy Derek Holland to put it to San Antonio for a second straight night and give Frisco a 2-0 lead in the teams’ best-of-five playoff series, Neftali Feliz racked up the following numbers tonight:
Seven innings pitched.
Three hits (none after the fourth inning).
Two walks.
No runs.
Eleven strikeouts (including nine in the first four innings).
Ninety-eight pitches, 65 for strikes.
While not as flashy a number, a little quick math reveals a figure just as phenomenal as all the rest: Feliz averaged 14 pitches per inning.
That’s a very good number.
That’s an almost inconceivable number when half the outs you record are by strikeout. They don’t award those on just one or two pitches.
This info is from the Scott Lucas' minor league report:
The Missions swung at 45 of Feliz’s 98 pitches with the following results: 13 hit into play, 13 fouled off, 19 completely missed.
There may not be half a dozen better pitching prospects in the game right now.
And there’s probably not a better tandem than the 20-year-old Feliz and the 22-year-old Holland.
I’m going to allow myself to blur my vision of those two photos just slightly enough to imagine Feliz and Holland in those alternate solid reds that were mentioned in the papers yesterday, pitching Games One and Two of a big league series in which “Games” and “One” and “Two” merit capitalization.
That may be years from now, if ever, but it’s not hyperbolic to suggest that the Rangers have never had a more exciting pair of pitching prospects than they do right now, in Frisco, adding to their dossier every single stinkin’ time they take the mound.
Jamey
Last edited on Fri Sep 5th, 2008 09:45 am by stemyn
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People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring. ~Rogers Hornsby
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LEB
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851st Post Fri Sep 5th, 2008 12:55 pm | |
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stemyn wrote: THE NEWBERG REPORT
And there’s probably not a better tandem than the 20-year-old Feliz and the 22-year-old Holland.
That may be years from now, if ever, but it’s not hyperbolic to suggest that the Rangers have never had a more exciting pair of pitching prospects than they do right now, in Frisco, adding to their dossier every single stinkin’ time they take the mound.
Jamey
How about Volquez and Danks, who are a combined 26-13 3.28 this year for the Reds and White Sox?
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Ric
Bayou Bum
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852nd Post Fri Sep 5th, 2008 02:36 pm | |
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You're like a broken record, sometimes... they are both struggling by the way.. though yes, the numbers look good. But lets see if it was a good deal once McCarthy is a regular.
And, oh yeah.. tou forgot Chris Young, etc....
And, I hope you're not too dissapointed that Josh hasn't backslid into drugs yet, or got injured, or suffered some othe malady that makes the trade as bad as you seem to think it is..
I'm just sayin'......
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LEB
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853rd Post Fri Sep 5th, 2008 03:02 pm | |
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Ric wrote: You're like a broken record, sometimes... they are both struggling by the way.. though yes, the numbers look good. But lets see if it was a good deal once McCarthy is a regular.
And, oh yeah.. tou forgot Chris Young, etc....
And, I hope you're not too dissapointed that Josh hasn't backslid into drugs yet, or got injured, or suffered some othe malady that makes the trade as bad as you seem to think it is..
I'm just sayin'......
Young has missed a lot of this year. Yes, both Danks & Volquez have struggled recently but I think having two starters with their record would have made the Rangers a pretty good team with a very bright future at the start of the rotation.
As for Josh, why would I be disappointed he's not injured or back on drugs? He's had a marvelous season and the trade is basically a wash. He's one of the great stories of baseball. But for a team that has a history of scoring a lot of runs, giving up young starting pitching for more runs seems to be a repeat of what has made this franchise what it is......a loser.
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stemyn
Waiting for my tickets
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854th Post Fri Sep 5th, 2008 11:04 pm | |
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LEB wrote:
As for Josh, why would I be disappointed he's not injured or back on drugs?
Maybe because you are so negative when it comes to the Rangers?
There has been definite progress this year. The starting pitching over the last few weeks has been exceptional. Who knows what Feldman, Nippert, and Harrison will contribute next year? But I will be there for the ride.
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People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring. ~Rogers Hornsby
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LEB
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855th Post Fri Sep 5th, 2008 11:14 pm | |
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stemyn wrote: LEB wrote:
As for Josh, why would I be disappointed he's not injured or back on drugs?
Maybe because you are so negative when it comes to the Rangers?
There has been definite progress this year. The starting pitching over the last few weeks has been exceptional. Who knows what Feldman, Nippert, and Harrison will contribute next year? But I will be there for the ride.
i'm negative for a reason: they've earned it over this decade. they've sucked. maybe feldman, nippert, harrison, millwood and padilla will combine to win 75 games next year. maybe hurley will contribute. maybe the following year, holland and bevan will be horses. maybe none will. dunno. i think even nolan would be the first to say they have to earn respect.
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stemyn
Waiting for my tickets
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856th Post Sat Sep 6th, 2008 06:38 am | |
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| I feel you are the type that will not be satisfied even if the Rangers were to make the playoffs. You'd be complaining about how they will never win the AL. That's alright, you be that way, I will continue reveling of the knowledge that I get to be at a major league game as often as I am.
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People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring. ~Rogers Hornsby
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gumpbowl
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857th Post Sat Sep 6th, 2008 08:00 am | |
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stemyn wrote: I feel you are the type that will not be satisfied even if the Rangers were to make the playoffs. You'd be complaining about how they will never win the AL. That's alright, you be that way, I will continue reveling of the knowledge that I get to be at a major league game as often as I am.
Well said
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LEB
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858th Post Sat Sep 6th, 2008 03:02 pm | |
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That's what Rangers management counts on, fans who don't care about winning. Just those satisfied to watch baseball! 
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Ric
Bayou Bum
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859th Post Sat Sep 6th, 2008 04:25 pm | |
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LEB wrote: That's what Rangers management counts on, fans who don't care about winning. Just those satisfied to watch baseball!
I doubt Nolan feels that way. Or JD.
How can you EVEN say that. Hicks has spent stupid money a couple of different times, trying to appease guys like you who say he never does eough. At least now he has a real Baseball Man inserted, which will prevent stupid moves, and provide the fan base with a team worth watching.. and watch we will, as it grows into a premier franchise. You will still be complaining about Young, Volquez, Danks, et al, though.. and saying how much quicker it could have happened... You are very much like most Cardinal fans (a Baseball Town with Baseball-Wise fans, certain sure) who think that they are smarter than any other fan simply because their franchise has been so successful.... I just wish that sometimes you would dwell on th GOOD things that this franchise has done recently.. there are many, by the way..instead of dwelling on the mistakes that you percieve that they have made over the last 30 years...
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