During the past two days, OF Jake Smolinski and RHPs Phil Irwin and Roman Mendez became the 999th, 1,000th and 1,001st players to perform for the Washington Senators II/Texas Rangers.
The count won't stop there.
Even with the influx of new talent?, Rangers pitchers gave up 20 runs and 29 hits in two losses against the Astros. Another defeat Wednesday night could drop Texas to the worst winning percentage in the major leagues.
The Rangers were at .500 until their current 3-17 superslump. Injuries finally caught up to them.
They have 15 players on the disabled list, five of whom -- starters Matt Harrison and Martin Perez, reliever Pedro Figueroa, 1B Prince Fielder and 1B/DH Mitch Moreland -- will not play again this season.
Those absences have led to 15 players who otherwise wouldn't be in the majors making up 60% of the active roster. That necessarily has meant a decline in the talent level. For example, the bottom three hitters in Tuesday's lineup were 1B Carlos Pena, who was out of baseball early this season, and Smolinski and 2B Rougned Odor, who both began the season at Double-A Frisco.
With some questionable talent already on the roster and pretty obviously nowhere to go over the final 70 or so games of the season, there's plenty of flexibility to move players on and off the 40-man roster.
For example, Smolinski was a minor league free agent who already had spent six seasons in the Nationals and Marlins organization. Mendez is on the 40-man roster, and would be out of options next season.
And it's actually a 45-man roster, because there are also five players on the 60-day DL that don't count against the limit.
So what we'll see from the Rangers from now until September will be essentially an open tryout camp. Texas can answer questions about potential players to keep on the 40-man off-season roster. Can this guy make it in the majors? I don't know, let's put him on the 40-man and bring him up from Round Rock or Frisco.
And once this guy shows what he might be lacking, the organization can do the same thing with that guy -- until they eventually run out of guys. If the Rangers find even one keeper that way, it would be worth the mounting losses in a lost season.
* * *
The Red Sox aren't in quite such a precarious position in the standings, but they too are throwing open to rookies the doors of their lineup.
In addition to giving 3B Xander Bogaerts and OF Jackie Bradley futile major league at-bats when they still should be refining their batting skills in the minors, the Red Sox have designated 37-year-old C A.J. Pierzynski for assignment and elevated rookie C Christian Vazquez to the big leagues.
Expect more rookies, especially pitchers, during what's left of a lost season in Boston.
Showing posts with label Rougned Odor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rougned Odor. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Hockey stretches out season, geography
I'm breaking into my baseball inactivity to write a bit about hockey.
Before the Stanley Cup finals get too far along, and with the Kings leading 1-0 in games, I'll say that Los Angeles is my pick to win the title. The Rangers and Henrik Lindqvist are proof that a team with a hot goalie can go far in the playoffs, and I can't count them out.
But then, what do I know? My initial picks for the finals were St. Louis and Boston.
In putting together some personal biographical information yesterday, I checked out the American Hockey League's Calder Cup playoff history to refresh my memory on what season I was a beat writer for the Rochester Americans. My initial thought was 1976-77, but then I thought perhaps it was '78-79.
Turned out that my initial thought was correct -- Rochester did lose the Calder Cup finals in six games to Al MacNeil's Nova Scotia Voyageurs in 1976-77. As I recalled, the finals were in early May. (Just checked that; Game 6 was April 30, but I probably flew home May 1.
Anyway, my trip to the AHL website showed me that this year's Calder Cup finals still are going on. At least they will be beginning tonight. It's the Texas Stars against the St. John's IceCaps. And if the series goes seven games, it would go even longer than the interminable NHL and NBA playoffs. Calder Cup Game 7 is scheduled for June 23. Summer hockey!
I don't know much about either team, except that Texas has a number of players who were up and down with Dallas this season. Included are a couple who went back after the NHL parent team was eliminated in the Stanley Cup first round.
I did know that the Texas Stars play in Cedar Park, Texas, near Austin. But I had to check the IceCaps website to see exactly where they're from. It's not St. John, New Brunswick, which did/maybe still does have an AHL team, but St. John's, Newfoundland, which I think was new found because it's the closest spot in North American from Europe.
So there's a bit of travel involved from deep in the heart of to an island out in the Atlantic Ocean, right?
Right. The competing cities are 3,450 miles apart. The driving time is estimated at 58 hours. I don't believe that includes the 110-mile ferry ride between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, or the time waiting for the ferry. The route would go through three Canadian provinces and 14 U.S. states. The cities are 2 1/2 time zones apart, because Newfoundland has its own time zone that is half an hour ahead of Atlantic Time in Canada's other maritime provinces.
For a sense of perspective, 3,450 miles is about the distance from New York to London, but with less of it over water. In the coast-to-coast Stanley Cup finals, New York and LA are about 1,000 miles closer to each other.
* * *
Friday night, I saw a Texas Rangers prospect, Double-A Frisco RoughRiders RHP Alec Asher, impressively mow down a verifiably weak San Antonio lineup. In seven innings, Asher allowed two hits, a single and a triple, no walks and no runs while using just 84 pitches. The visiting Missions do have some prospects, such as OF Rymer Liriano and C Austin Hedges, but they were no match for Asher. My one concern about Asher, who last night pitched better than I'd ever seen him, is that he's not a strikeout pitcher even though he has a mid-90s fastball. I'd compare him a pitcher with less velocity but similar results: Rangers RHP Nick Martinez. Both of them have to command both the fastball and something crooked and off-speed to be successful in any given start. That might sound like the formula for any pitcher, but my point is that neither Asher nor Martinez need the off-speed stuff to make straightish fastballs more effective in a way that Clayton Kershaw, Yu Darvish and other dominant major league starters don't have to.
I challenge anyone, even in the Rangers organization, to tell me they knew when circumstances forced 2B Rougned Odor to jump from Double-A ball to the majors with barely a hiccup after just a few dozen games above A ball. But with a 400-foot home run and a .280ish average Friday, Odor has done just that. He's supremely confident, with some swagger and flair, but he's justifying that opinion of himself. On a lesser level, SS/2B Luis Sardinas has held his own with Texas since a similar promotion.
Before I forget, here's an expression of my admiration for 3B Adrian Beltre as a professional. A couple of weeks ago, with the Rangers' offense in an even deeper slump than usual this season, Beltre took the burden on himself. That's a leader's perspective, but he's a leader in part because he's willing to stand up and take responsibility. Still, it's easier to say than it is to do. Beltre, who still can beat an opponent with anything but his legs, is walking the walk. He has even stepped his hitting up a notch this week. He hit three home runs in a three-game series against his own personal punching bags, the Orioles. Beltre now has 9 homers in his last 11 games vs. Baltimore.
Big series in Pittsburgh this weekend. The Brewers are trying to keep their perch in the NL Central lead with a fairly wide gulf between themselves and the .500 Cardinals and sub-.500 Pirates. The Bucs are trying to climb into serious contention for really the first time this season. If they didn't wear themselves out circling the bases 15 times Friday night, they have a chance to move within four games of the lead. Pittsburgh's latest unlikely heroes have been SS Jordy Mercer and utilityman Josh Harrison, who has grabbed a hold of the leadoff spot with both hands.
Before the Stanley Cup finals get too far along, and with the Kings leading 1-0 in games, I'll say that Los Angeles is my pick to win the title. The Rangers and Henrik Lindqvist are proof that a team with a hot goalie can go far in the playoffs, and I can't count them out.
But then, what do I know? My initial picks for the finals were St. Louis and Boston.
In putting together some personal biographical information yesterday, I checked out the American Hockey League's Calder Cup playoff history to refresh my memory on what season I was a beat writer for the Rochester Americans. My initial thought was 1976-77, but then I thought perhaps it was '78-79.
Turned out that my initial thought was correct -- Rochester did lose the Calder Cup finals in six games to Al MacNeil's Nova Scotia Voyageurs in 1976-77. As I recalled, the finals were in early May. (Just checked that; Game 6 was April 30, but I probably flew home May 1.
Anyway, my trip to the AHL website showed me that this year's Calder Cup finals still are going on. At least they will be beginning tonight. It's the Texas Stars against the St. John's IceCaps. And if the series goes seven games, it would go even longer than the interminable NHL and NBA playoffs. Calder Cup Game 7 is scheduled for June 23. Summer hockey!
I don't know much about either team, except that Texas has a number of players who were up and down with Dallas this season. Included are a couple who went back after the NHL parent team was eliminated in the Stanley Cup first round.
I did know that the Texas Stars play in Cedar Park, Texas, near Austin. But I had to check the IceCaps website to see exactly where they're from. It's not St. John, New Brunswick, which did/maybe still does have an AHL team, but St. John's, Newfoundland, which I think was new found because it's the closest spot in North American from Europe.
So there's a bit of travel involved from deep in the heart of to an island out in the Atlantic Ocean, right?
Right. The competing cities are 3,450 miles apart. The driving time is estimated at 58 hours. I don't believe that includes the 110-mile ferry ride between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, or the time waiting for the ferry. The route would go through three Canadian provinces and 14 U.S. states. The cities are 2 1/2 time zones apart, because Newfoundland has its own time zone that is half an hour ahead of Atlantic Time in Canada's other maritime provinces.
For a sense of perspective, 3,450 miles is about the distance from New York to London, but with less of it over water. In the coast-to-coast Stanley Cup finals, New York and LA are about 1,000 miles closer to each other.
* * *
Friday night, I saw a Texas Rangers prospect, Double-A Frisco RoughRiders RHP Alec Asher, impressively mow down a verifiably weak San Antonio lineup. In seven innings, Asher allowed two hits, a single and a triple, no walks and no runs while using just 84 pitches. The visiting Missions do have some prospects, such as OF Rymer Liriano and C Austin Hedges, but they were no match for Asher. My one concern about Asher, who last night pitched better than I'd ever seen him, is that he's not a strikeout pitcher even though he has a mid-90s fastball. I'd compare him a pitcher with less velocity but similar results: Rangers RHP Nick Martinez. Both of them have to command both the fastball and something crooked and off-speed to be successful in any given start. That might sound like the formula for any pitcher, but my point is that neither Asher nor Martinez need the off-speed stuff to make straightish fastballs more effective in a way that Clayton Kershaw, Yu Darvish and other dominant major league starters don't have to.
I challenge anyone, even in the Rangers organization, to tell me they knew when circumstances forced 2B Rougned Odor to jump from Double-A ball to the majors with barely a hiccup after just a few dozen games above A ball. But with a 400-foot home run and a .280ish average Friday, Odor has done just that. He's supremely confident, with some swagger and flair, but he's justifying that opinion of himself. On a lesser level, SS/2B Luis Sardinas has held his own with Texas since a similar promotion.
Before I forget, here's an expression of my admiration for 3B Adrian Beltre as a professional. A couple of weeks ago, with the Rangers' offense in an even deeper slump than usual this season, Beltre took the burden on himself. That's a leader's perspective, but he's a leader in part because he's willing to stand up and take responsibility. Still, it's easier to say than it is to do. Beltre, who still can beat an opponent with anything but his legs, is walking the walk. He has even stepped his hitting up a notch this week. He hit three home runs in a three-game series against his own personal punching bags, the Orioles. Beltre now has 9 homers in his last 11 games vs. Baltimore.
Big series in Pittsburgh this weekend. The Brewers are trying to keep their perch in the NL Central lead with a fairly wide gulf between themselves and the .500 Cardinals and sub-.500 Pirates. The Bucs are trying to climb into serious contention for really the first time this season. If they didn't wear themselves out circling the bases 15 times Friday night, they have a chance to move within four games of the lead. Pittsburgh's latest unlikely heroes have been SS Jordy Mercer and utilityman Josh Harrison, who has grabbed a hold of the leadoff spot with both hands.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
There's a reason why it's called a twin killing
In Ron Washington's pre-game media session Wednesday, he answered a question about how the Rangers could avoid hitting into so many double play.
I discarded my notes, but following is a pretty accurate paraphrase:
"Stop hitting the pitcher's pitch. Wait for your pitch. He's going to want to keep the ball down so you'll hit it on the ground. Until you get two strikes, you have to lay off those pitches and hope you can get one up."
Those words came back to mind Saturday in Texas' game at Detroit. It wasn't a Rangers batter hitting a pitcher's pitch, but 38-year-old Tigers OF Torii Hunter making what could be considered a rookie mistake.
Detroit trailed 5-1 with two runners on base and two out in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Texas rookie RHP Nick Martinez fell behind Hunter 3-0, then threw a called strike. Just as the TV announcers were saying that with Miguel Cabrera on deck. Hunter should be looking for a fastball in to swing at and leave anything else alone, Martinez threw a down and away fastball. Hunter swung anyway, and hit a harmless ground ball to shortstop for an inning-ending force out.
So instead of coming up against a scuffling rookie pitcher as the potential tying run, Cabrera was the leadoff man in the bottom of the sixth. By that time, the Tigers trailed 8-1.
The final score was 12-2. I'm not saying that Hunter's mental mistake made a 10-run difference, but the game would have played out a lot differently if it had been 5-4 going to the sixth, with Detroit into the Rangers' bullpen already and probably not sending out their own rookie (RHP Corey Knebel) for his major league debut.
An interesting sidelight was watching Knebel battle a fellow rookie, Texas 2B Rougned Odor, to a 3-2 count. Odor won the battle with a bases-loaded triple on a day when he went 4 for 5 and drove in five runs.
I've been ridiculously absent from the blog for way too long. Let's chalk that up to a week or so of the flu, then trying to catch up from that, plus a busy schedule and more than a little bit to inertia/laziness/writer's block.
The plan is to bring you more short takes such as this one when the come up.
I'm also preparing some bigger articles, starting with my third-of-the-way-through recommendations of pitchers (and probably hitters) who have hidden value you can add to your fantasy rotation (and lineup).
I discarded my notes, but following is a pretty accurate paraphrase:
"Stop hitting the pitcher's pitch. Wait for your pitch. He's going to want to keep the ball down so you'll hit it on the ground. Until you get two strikes, you have to lay off those pitches and hope you can get one up."
Those words came back to mind Saturday in Texas' game at Detroit. It wasn't a Rangers batter hitting a pitcher's pitch, but 38-year-old Tigers OF Torii Hunter making what could be considered a rookie mistake.
Detroit trailed 5-1 with two runners on base and two out in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Texas rookie RHP Nick Martinez fell behind Hunter 3-0, then threw a called strike. Just as the TV announcers were saying that with Miguel Cabrera on deck. Hunter should be looking for a fastball in to swing at and leave anything else alone, Martinez threw a down and away fastball. Hunter swung anyway, and hit a harmless ground ball to shortstop for an inning-ending force out.
So instead of coming up against a scuffling rookie pitcher as the potential tying run, Cabrera was the leadoff man in the bottom of the sixth. By that time, the Tigers trailed 8-1.
The final score was 12-2. I'm not saying that Hunter's mental mistake made a 10-run difference, but the game would have played out a lot differently if it had been 5-4 going to the sixth, with Detroit into the Rangers' bullpen already and probably not sending out their own rookie (RHP Corey Knebel) for his major league debut.
An interesting sidelight was watching Knebel battle a fellow rookie, Texas 2B Rougned Odor, to a 3-2 count. Odor won the battle with a bases-loaded triple on a day when he went 4 for 5 and drove in five runs.
I've been ridiculously absent from the blog for way too long. Let's chalk that up to a week or so of the flu, then trying to catch up from that, plus a busy schedule and more than a little bit to inertia/laziness/writer's block.
The plan is to bring you more short takes such as this one when the come up.
I'm also preparing some bigger articles, starting with my third-of-the-way-through recommendations of pitchers (and probably hitters) who have hidden value you can add to your fantasy rotation (and lineup).
Monday, February 3, 2014
Rays' Hellickson to miss 6-8 weeks this season
One starting pitcher has had the start of his season moved back. Another appears to have a chance to return to a somewhat improved major league rotation in 2014.
Rays RHP Jeremy Hellickson underwent elbow surgery -- not Tommy John surgery, but an arthroscopic procedure to remove loose bodies. Hellickson is expected to miss the first 6-8 weeks of the season, meaning he wouldn't return until well into May.
RHP Jerome Williams was no more than an innings-eater for the Angels last season, but even that level of effectiveness would be an improvement in the Astros rotation. He said he has agreed to a 1-year major league contract, pending a physical exam Wednesday. Houston has not confirmed the assignment. There is no guarantee that Williams would become a starter with the new team; he could have a long-relief role. But there isn't much experienced talent vying for rotation spots.
The Mets signed RHP Kyle Farnsworth, who is beginning to approach the career life span of a left-handed reliever, to a minor league contract. And, no, the Mets themselves are not included among the teams in the minors.
The Rangers have signed RHP Armando Galarraga, who began his major league career with Texas, to a minor league contract. But even with a spring-training invitation to 2B prospect Rougned Odor, bringing the list of invitees to 18, Galarraga won't be among them. Texas also is trying an experiment that has worked with some strong-armed minor leaguers, most notably RHP Alexi Ogando. The Rangers signed former Red Sox OF Che-Hsuan Lin to a minor league contact, with the intetnion of converting him to a pitcher.
* * *
Basketball. I won Week 14 6-2, extending my lead slightly to 9 1/2 games with five weeks to play. I couldn't catch up in rebounds and remained behind in field goal percentage, primarily because Orlando's Victor Oladipo was just 3 for 16 (19%). I did not add a rebounder because the Magic and Celtics were the only teams playing Sunday. My opponent happened to have two front-court players in action, which enabled him to add slightly to his lead in rebounds.
Nine players on my team are active tonight, compared to seven for this week's opponent.
* * *
Hockey. I remained at 66 points, but moved within eight points of second place. The team ahead of me lost a point.
I have made some adjustments in my lineup for each day this week to try to remain on pace to avoid running out of games played before I reach the league limits. Wasn't easy. With just four skating bench spots, and teams squeezing in a lot of games before the Olympics break begins Sunday, I've had to have a couple of games extra for both forwards and defensemen.
There will be some help late in the week because D Zdeno Chara will miss the Bruins' games Thurday and Saturday so he can carry the Slovakian flag at the Olympic opening ceremonies. Keep that in mind if you have him on your roster, and check other Olympians who could miss a game or two.
* * *
Football. My pick of Denver in the "bet a thousand" pool proved to be disastrous. Along with the 13 other people who took the Broncos minus-2, I ended up with $0. Each of us bet everything s/he had. Most of the 20 who went with Seattle also bet everything, but the Seahawks won. No matter how much hypothetical money I wagered, I couldn't have finished in the money with The Broncos failing to cover the spread.
With Seattle as my big game 48 pick in the Pittsburgh pick-'em pool, I placed first. Not sure how much I won, or how much will go to pay for donuts at the company where the pool was hosted.
Bring on the baseball season.
I intend to do just that, with increased attention to fantasy stats and other features leading up to draft day/opening day.
By the way, do the games being played early in Australia make it so you hold your draft earlier. Just wondering. If you're reading this, please let me know about your draft plans. The Inner League Baseball drafts will be a week earlier than usual, on March 16, Sandy Duncan's birthday.
Rays RHP Jeremy Hellickson underwent elbow surgery -- not Tommy John surgery, but an arthroscopic procedure to remove loose bodies. Hellickson is expected to miss the first 6-8 weeks of the season, meaning he wouldn't return until well into May.
RHP Jerome Williams was no more than an innings-eater for the Angels last season, but even that level of effectiveness would be an improvement in the Astros rotation. He said he has agreed to a 1-year major league contract, pending a physical exam Wednesday. Houston has not confirmed the assignment. There is no guarantee that Williams would become a starter with the new team; he could have a long-relief role. But there isn't much experienced talent vying for rotation spots.
The Mets signed RHP Kyle Farnsworth, who is beginning to approach the career life span of a left-handed reliever, to a minor league contract. And, no, the Mets themselves are not included among the teams in the minors.
The Rangers have signed RHP Armando Galarraga, who began his major league career with Texas, to a minor league contract. But even with a spring-training invitation to 2B prospect Rougned Odor, bringing the list of invitees to 18, Galarraga won't be among them. Texas also is trying an experiment that has worked with some strong-armed minor leaguers, most notably RHP Alexi Ogando. The Rangers signed former Red Sox OF Che-Hsuan Lin to a minor league contact, with the intetnion of converting him to a pitcher.
* * *
Basketball. I won Week 14 6-2, extending my lead slightly to 9 1/2 games with five weeks to play. I couldn't catch up in rebounds and remained behind in field goal percentage, primarily because Orlando's Victor Oladipo was just 3 for 16 (19%). I did not add a rebounder because the Magic and Celtics were the only teams playing Sunday. My opponent happened to have two front-court players in action, which enabled him to add slightly to his lead in rebounds.
Nine players on my team are active tonight, compared to seven for this week's opponent.
* * *
Hockey. I remained at 66 points, but moved within eight points of second place. The team ahead of me lost a point.
I have made some adjustments in my lineup for each day this week to try to remain on pace to avoid running out of games played before I reach the league limits. Wasn't easy. With just four skating bench spots, and teams squeezing in a lot of games before the Olympics break begins Sunday, I've had to have a couple of games extra for both forwards and defensemen.
There will be some help late in the week because D Zdeno Chara will miss the Bruins' games Thurday and Saturday so he can carry the Slovakian flag at the Olympic opening ceremonies. Keep that in mind if you have him on your roster, and check other Olympians who could miss a game or two.
* * *
Football. My pick of Denver in the "bet a thousand" pool proved to be disastrous. Along with the 13 other people who took the Broncos minus-2, I ended up with $0. Each of us bet everything s/he had. Most of the 20 who went with Seattle also bet everything, but the Seahawks won. No matter how much hypothetical money I wagered, I couldn't have finished in the money with The Broncos failing to cover the spread.
With Seattle as my big game 48 pick in the Pittsburgh pick-'em pool, I placed first. Not sure how much I won, or how much will go to pay for donuts at the company where the pool was hosted.
Bring on the baseball season.
I intend to do just that, with increased attention to fantasy stats and other features leading up to draft day/opening day.
By the way, do the games being played early in Australia make it so you hold your draft earlier. Just wondering. If you're reading this, please let me know about your draft plans. The Inner League Baseball drafts will be a week earlier than usual, on March 16, Sandy Duncan's birthday.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Dealing from strength
The baseball hot stove is heating up. In recent years, a lot of talk has been bubbling on the stove in Texas.
This winter's big issue is which middle infielder the Rangers will trade. Side issues are what can they get in return, how big the deal will be and how they might replace what they'll be giving up.
For my money, Texas would be giving up less by trading 2B Ian Kinsler than if they were to deal SS Elvis Andrus, swingman Jurickson Profar or Double-A 2B Rougned Odor. I'm leaving Double-A SS Luis Sardinas out of the mix because to me he seems the least advanced/talented of the group. But if a team would prefer him in a trade, I wouldn't hesitate to sell him high.
Kinsler is most expendable because he has virtually no upside, and all of the others have dynamic upsides.
I still think Andrus can hit for at least gap power, and his greatest value lies in his defense.
Profar didn't fare well in his spotty first pretty much whole season in the majors. He's not Mike Trout, but Profar will be an above-average fielder and a useful offensive player.
Odor is an overachieving scrapper. I'd say potentially a higher-end Jose Altuve.
Texas' No. 1 trade target seems to be Rays LHP David Price, the guy who kept the Rangers out of the playoffs in 2013.
The Rangers couldn't just trade Kinsler and call it a day. In order to trade him from an already shrunken offense, they'd have to make another deal to bring in a proven bat. It's quite likely that many of the scenarios Texas' front office has played out included Marlins OF Giancarlo aka Mike Stanton. Miami insists he is not on the market.
Thus, the Rangers might be more likely to look to free agency for a bat, and they won't find one with Stanton's raw power or upside. They'd probably have to settle for OF Carlos Beltran or 1B Justin Morneau.
Another possibility would be resigning RF Nelson Cruz, but he's also on the downside of his career. Or Texas could try to pry OF Jose Bautista away from the Blue Jays. It's an intricate puzzle. Every move seems to require a counter move.
We could see the Rangers make a honeycomb or matrix of deals. They believe -- as do a number of other organizations -- that they have nearly sure-fire prospects at just about every position.
From what I've seen of their farm system, it's not as dynamically productive as it has been during the past several years. But other organizations are enamored of the prospects from an organization that has brought along way more prospects than their own system has.
Another scenario is that Texas could be shut out in the trade and free agency markets, as it was for the most part a year ago. That didn't work too well last winter, so expect the Rangers to make even somewhat less advantageous deals than they'd like to have at least a chance of moving forward.
* * *
Just started reading a very interesting book that I've had for probably a decade. It's a SABR reprint of a 1925 book called "Batting," by F.C. Lane. I believe this was one of the bonus publications that SABR provides to its members along with its usual publications. As the editor of the old Baseball magazine, Lane interviewed many players during the first quarter of the 20th century. They're quoted with their opinions about batting.
One passage seems really relevant, given today's emphasis on defensive shifts. " ... In short, batting resolves to the brief but pointed epigram of Willie Keeler's when he said, 'Hit 'em where they ain't.' "'Where they ain't,' is something of a study in geography limited by the playing field and its immediate environs. There are certain zones of safety where the ball may be driven and allow the batter time to negotiate first, but these zones of safety can never be chartered, for they vary with the batter, with the opposing pitcher, with the ball field, even with the stage of the game."
That wasn't to say that teams hadn't developed shifts against certain hitters 90 or 100 years ago. Lane pointed out that opponents would overload the right side of their defense when lefty slugger Cy Williams came to bat. But clearly, today's computer capabilities weren't envisioned in 1925.
Even so, the idea of maximizing and customized defensive capabilities has been around for a century and it has taken most of that time to put the idea into effect.
* * *
Even before Monday night's game, I have won in one fantasy football league and lost in the other. I'm on a bit of a roll in the former, now 6-5 and I believe tied for fourth. The other league is going south, down to 4-7. Just 14 points from Peyton Manning, which just about equaled the total from the three RBs in my lineup. Bad day for Jordan Reed too.
* * *
My fantasy hockey team is pretty much static, still fourth by a comfortable margin, half a point out of third and not likely to finish first unless the current leader collapses totally. With plenty of room to grow with my goalies, I have made a trade offer to the owner who leads in GAA and save percentage. We'll see what happens there. By the way, the goalie I already picked up on waivers was Jean-Sebastien Giguere.
This winter's big issue is which middle infielder the Rangers will trade. Side issues are what can they get in return, how big the deal will be and how they might replace what they'll be giving up.
For my money, Texas would be giving up less by trading 2B Ian Kinsler than if they were to deal SS Elvis Andrus, swingman Jurickson Profar or Double-A 2B Rougned Odor. I'm leaving Double-A SS Luis Sardinas out of the mix because to me he seems the least advanced/talented of the group. But if a team would prefer him in a trade, I wouldn't hesitate to sell him high.
Kinsler is most expendable because he has virtually no upside, and all of the others have dynamic upsides.
I still think Andrus can hit for at least gap power, and his greatest value lies in his defense.
Profar didn't fare well in his spotty first pretty much whole season in the majors. He's not Mike Trout, but Profar will be an above-average fielder and a useful offensive player.
Odor is an overachieving scrapper. I'd say potentially a higher-end Jose Altuve.
Texas' No. 1 trade target seems to be Rays LHP David Price, the guy who kept the Rangers out of the playoffs in 2013.
The Rangers couldn't just trade Kinsler and call it a day. In order to trade him from an already shrunken offense, they'd have to make another deal to bring in a proven bat. It's quite likely that many of the scenarios Texas' front office has played out included Marlins OF Giancarlo aka Mike Stanton. Miami insists he is not on the market.
Thus, the Rangers might be more likely to look to free agency for a bat, and they won't find one with Stanton's raw power or upside. They'd probably have to settle for OF Carlos Beltran or 1B Justin Morneau.
Another possibility would be resigning RF Nelson Cruz, but he's also on the downside of his career. Or Texas could try to pry OF Jose Bautista away from the Blue Jays. It's an intricate puzzle. Every move seems to require a counter move.
We could see the Rangers make a honeycomb or matrix of deals. They believe -- as do a number of other organizations -- that they have nearly sure-fire prospects at just about every position.
From what I've seen of their farm system, it's not as dynamically productive as it has been during the past several years. But other organizations are enamored of the prospects from an organization that has brought along way more prospects than their own system has.
Another scenario is that Texas could be shut out in the trade and free agency markets, as it was for the most part a year ago. That didn't work too well last winter, so expect the Rangers to make even somewhat less advantageous deals than they'd like to have at least a chance of moving forward.
* * *
Just started reading a very interesting book that I've had for probably a decade. It's a SABR reprint of a 1925 book called "Batting," by F.C. Lane. I believe this was one of the bonus publications that SABR provides to its members along with its usual publications. As the editor of the old Baseball magazine, Lane interviewed many players during the first quarter of the 20th century. They're quoted with their opinions about batting.
One passage seems really relevant, given today's emphasis on defensive shifts. " ... In short, batting resolves to the brief but pointed epigram of Willie Keeler's when he said, 'Hit 'em where they ain't.' "'Where they ain't,' is something of a study in geography limited by the playing field and its immediate environs. There are certain zones of safety where the ball may be driven and allow the batter time to negotiate first, but these zones of safety can never be chartered, for they vary with the batter, with the opposing pitcher, with the ball field, even with the stage of the game."
That wasn't to say that teams hadn't developed shifts against certain hitters 90 or 100 years ago. Lane pointed out that opponents would overload the right side of their defense when lefty slugger Cy Williams came to bat. But clearly, today's computer capabilities weren't envisioned in 1925.
Even so, the idea of maximizing and customized defensive capabilities has been around for a century and it has taken most of that time to put the idea into effect.
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Even before Monday night's game, I have won in one fantasy football league and lost in the other. I'm on a bit of a roll in the former, now 6-5 and I believe tied for fourth. The other league is going south, down to 4-7. Just 14 points from Peyton Manning, which just about equaled the total from the three RBs in my lineup. Bad day for Jordan Reed too.
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My fantasy hockey team is pretty much static, still fourth by a comfortable margin, half a point out of third and not likely to finish first unless the current leader collapses totally. With plenty of room to grow with my goalies, I have made a trade offer to the owner who leads in GAA and save percentage. We'll see what happens there. By the way, the goalie I already picked up on waivers was Jean-Sebastien Giguere.
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