What do you think Hamilton’s new deal will look like?

What are the odds that Arias or Duran make the roster rather than Omar Vizquel?

If the team starts off the season like it did last year (God Forbid) and Wash is handed his walking papers, who of the potentially available managerial pool would you look to first?

Probably a moot point but just wanted to get your thoughts.

If the Rangers stumble out of the gate again this season, like the past two, how long does Management stick with Washington? How much slack does he have?

Who would the Rangers replace him with? Would they try to promote from within?

What are the chances of Orel Hershiser taking over the Manager’s seat? He was a great addition to the team before departing in 2006 and might have been able to work some magic with the pitching – especially with the group of youngsters coming up.

What differences, if any, have you noticed in Ron Washington’s work this spring as opposed to the last two seasons? Has he made any changes in his handling of the team in light of the horrific Aprils of 2007 and 2008?

@Brett asks: What do you think Hamilton’s new deal will look like?

ME: The problem in calculating this deal is where is the precedent. How many 27-year-olds do you know with less than two years of big league experience who have put up Hamilton’s numbers. And how many have the extenuating circumstances he does to cloud the decision-making process. If I gotta take a guess, I’d think Hamilton’s agent would want him out of the deal before age 35 to allow for one more multi-year deal. So let’s take a wild guess at 6 years, $60 million. It’s a complete wild guess on my end.

@ab03 asks: Let’s assume that that Jones continues producing like he has the last few games but his CF defense looks pretty lackluster – basically projecting your analysis of him in the earlier post. What do the Rangers do – assuming they can’t find any great deals for Byrd, Murphy, etc?

Would the Rangers risk granting Jones his release?

ME: Andruw Jones either makes this team as the starting center fielder or doesn’t make it all. Don’t see a fit for him as a backup outfielder. So, if there is any aspect of his game the Rangers feel is suspect, I think they’d be willing to cut him loose. Besides: How likely is it that Jones will be in Texas in 2010. The Rangers are going to be willing to give at-bats and opportunities to the guys in whom they have long-term investments. To me, Jones has got to look like an All-Star – on both offense and defense – over the next 10 days for the Rangers to consider keeping him.

While being interveiwed for last night’s “Building the Rangers” program on FSN-SW, JD eluded to the possibility that we could have 4 of the 5 players from the Teixeira trade contribute to this year’s team. Andrus, Harrison, and Salty are obvious and I assume Feliz would be the 4th.

How realistic is it to think that Feliz can find strike zone consistency, refine his secondary pitches to a ML level, figure out how to keep men on base and still be able to make it to Arlington this season?

@Ant Gale asks: Traffic any better than the past years in Surprise?

ME: Surprisingly (see what I did there), it is. Bell Road has not been quite the tie-up it’s been in the past. One word of warning if you are coming out here, though: Try to avoid Grand Avenue. In the past, it’s been a good back route. Now, not so much.

@bioaggie asks: If the team starts off the season like it did last year (God Forbid) and Wash is handed his walking papers, who of the potentially available managerial pool would you look to first? Probably a moot point but just wanted to get your thoughts.

ME: My guess would be Jackie Moore would be handed the job for the rest of the season while the club tries to figure out a future plan. Hard to predict because of this: If Washington is fired, what happens with Jon Daniels? Does he get another chance to hire a manager or does he get tossed out, too. And if the latter is the case, it’s going to depend largely on who Nolan Ryan brings in as GM.

With the pitching injuries the Angels have and the lack of experience in the A’s rotation, Do the Rangers have a legit chance of winning the west?

Let’s say for the sake of argument that come the trade deadline, the Rangers are 60-47 and four games up on the Angels for the AL West lead.

Do you think the organization, at that point, would be willing to part with some young pieces for an impact arm to put it over the top? Say, Roy Halladay, Justin Verlander or Brandon Webb, three guys who could be available at the deadline?

Or do you think the Rangers are committed to building from within so much so that they would stand pat?

Who, if anyone, would you not be surprised to see dealt before opening day and where?

Evan – I’m glad to see you back.

Would you consider yourself a writer that likes covering baseball, or a baseball fan that is lucky enough to have a gig writing about it?

Do Holland and or Happy Happy(Feliz) get a look in Arlington this season. Maybe a Sept. call up?

Let’s hear your prediction:

How many games do the Rangers win in 2009?

Who leads the team in wins? ERA (among starters)?

And what is Nelson Cruz’s offensive line in 2009?

@pblack asks: What differences, if any, have you noticed in Ron Washington’s work this spring as opposed to the last two seasons? Has he made any changes in his handling of the team in light of the horrific Aprils of 2007 and 2008?

ME: Don’t want to be evasive, but due to my hiatus on baseball, I didn’t see the workouts before the exhibition season started. I think that’s where you get a better sense of how organized everything is. Certainly seems like a smooth camp at this point. I think the biggest factor in a different April is that the Rangers play nine of the first 12 at home and all of those 12 games against teams that had losing records in 2008. On the other hand, it would make another bad start stick out that much more.

Do you know if Johnny Narron is at Spring Training? If so, what is his role? He was signing autographs at Fan Fest, and at that time his title was “coach”. Thanks.

Do you think Rudy Jaramillo’s player turnarounds are truly mechanical… or is there a drug induced element too. I know the ballpark helps hitters a lot, but I almost feel like some of these guys are making unnatural leaps.

Also, do you think there is any doubt that Juan Gonzalez and Pudge were also roided?

@Doug asks: With all the young talent in the minors, how long before you feel they have to start trading some of those players for future considerations or players that are ready now?

ME: This talent would bring a whole lot more than “future considerations.” If the Rangers trade any of their young players, it will be for the kind of piece that puts them over the top such as, … oh, a top-of-the-rotation pitcher. That’s the kind of trade that gets made in July of a playoff race. Don’t expect those circumstances to surface before the middle of next year.

Now, I’m not ruling out contending in 2009. But so much depends on how many innings Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla soak up. If these guys are each 200-inning pitchers, the Rangers will win more than they lose. At that point, getting to 90 wins becomes a product of having some unforeseen breaks come their way.

@ Dave S asks: While being interveiwed for last night’s “Building the Rangers” program on FSN-SW, JD eluded to the possibility that we could have 4 of the 5 players from the Teixeira trade contribute to this year’s team. Andrus, Harrison, and Salty are obvious and I assume Feliz would be the 4th.

How realistic is it to think that Feliz can find strike zone consistency, refine his secondary pitches to a ML level, figure out how to keep men on base and still be able to make it to Arlington this season?

ME: Dave, do you have your answer to this question yet? If Feliz pitches in the majors this year, I don’t think it happens before September (when rosters can be expanded). I think this is a season of refinement for Feliz. And there is nothing wrong with that. The kid is 20. No need to rush him this year. But your points are well made. All that’s separating from being a big league starter right now are all the things that separate every prospect with a big arm from being an ace. The refinements to be made are small, but the gap between prospect and ace is huge.

Who are the best comparisons all time for The Rangers “Big 3″ Feliz, Holland, and Smoak?

I’ve heard Smoak compared alot to Texieira but havent heard anything on the other 2

@ ghtd36 asks: Let’s say for the sake of argument that come the trade deadline, the Rangers are 60-47 and four games up on the Angels for the AL West lead.

Do you think the organization, at that point, would be willing to part with some young pieces for an impact arm to put it over the top? Say, Roy Halladay, Justin Verlander or Brandon Webb, three guys who could be available at the deadline?

Or do you think the Rangers are committed to building from within so much so that they would stand pat?

ME: If the Rangers are four games up at the trade deadline, I STRONGLY believe they will do what is necessary to acquire big-time pitching arm. They have the depth in the minor league system to make the deal. The only thing standing in the way is actually contending that late into the season. Under your scenario, I think they’d have the best shot at acquiring an ace.

@ Molly Erdman asks: Who do you think will be the better MLB pitcher Holland, Perez, Main or Feliz?

ME: See, Molly, this is why I have a crush on you. Not only are you a most attractive young lady (Molly is the Sonic pitch person we’ve featured in D; she just happens to be from Dallas). We can discuss this over some tater tots and a cherry limeade. But for all our friends here, I’ll just say this: Give me that rotation and the Rangers are going to be in pretty good shape. Today, I have about as much of a crush on Derek Holland as I do on you, so let’s go with him. Michael Main – not far behind.

@ Jacob asks: Who, if anyone, would you not be surprised to see dealt before opening day and where?

ME: Hank Blalock. To the New York Yankees. Plain and simple. Do not ask which pitcher the Rangers get in return, but I’m guessing that’s what it would take. Depends on how desperate the Yankees get to replace Alex Rodriguez and how strong Blalock’s arm looks at third base.

OK folks, I’m out. It’s been a fun 75 minutes, hasn’t it? I’m going to watch a little Rangers-Giants, try to come up with a story for our little website/blog. I’ll try to get to some of the questions I couldn’t answer during regulation as the day goes on. Can’t make any promises about how many, but I’ll try.

Thanks for taking part. Loves ya. Mean it.

Grant, thanks for doing this chat. I don’t have a question, but if you’re looking for a chat application, check out CoveritLive. http://www.coveritlive.com/ . Both Rotoworld.com and the DMN use it. The chat function is very easy to use, and I like the archive function. Plus I think it’s free for the chat hoster.

I can’t believe you took so long to answer Molly. Hi, Molly. Love it that you’re a Ranger fan. Sonic ice all around! Great forum Evan.

@The Write Stuff asks: Would you consider yourself a writer that likes covering baseball, or a baseball fan that is lucky enough to have a gig writing about it?

ME: I always said I was practical as a kid. I knew I wanted to work around sports. Just didn’t know in what vain. Loved the newspaper as a kid. Did well on essay tests. Figured that was my route. I just think that I’ve been very fortunate to match up two things I enjoy – writing and sports, particularly baseball.

@Anthony asks: Is Nolan Ryan’s pitching philosophy producing results yet or will it be something gradual over time? Also, how is the strength and conditioning/training program changing to accommodate this? There has been a high number of pitcher injuries on the major league club the last few years.

ME: Don’t think there is a great deal of difference between Ryan’s “philosophy” and that of the rest of the Rangers’ front office. Think the “philosophy” starts with identifying talent, acquiring it and then letting the talent separate itself.

As far as the training program, there is a little more emphasis on running and on playing “long-toss.” So far, there have been no major injuries at camp. But the Rangers’ management, from Ryan on down, accept the fact that some pitcher may break down as a result of the new training program. They also believe the number of pitchers who will be better prepared for the majors will outnumber any who fall by the wayside.

@Winston Wolfe asks: Do you know if Johnny Narron is at Spring Training? If so, what is his role? He was signing autographs at Fan Fest, and at that time his title was “coach”.

ME: Johnny Narron is indeed at spring training. His official title is Special Assignment Coach. He is involved on a number of levels. He works with Rudy Jaramillo as an adjunct hitting instructor. He helps with some video analysis. And he is a confidant to Josh Hamilton. Some people might label it a babysitter. But as Hamilton himself would acknowledge, he’s an addict. And addicts have some special needs.

@Clark asks: If one player currently on the 40-man roster had to be cut to make room for a current non-roster invitee who would it be?

ME: Wow, good question, Clark. Think the obvious choice would be to trade either Frank Catalanotto or Hank Blalock. Beyond that, there are no real easy calls. Right now, if I had to go past those guys, it would probably come down to Luis Mendoza or Dustin Nippert, depending on who has the worse spring. Don’t really want to let either go, but based on the depth of pitching in the system combined with the idea that you’d be cutting them to make room for a veteran pitcher makes it a little easier to stomach.

@BigCat also asks: Also rank your top 5 Jimmy Buffett songs. Mine Personally: 1. He Went To Paris; 2. A Pirate Looks at 40; 3. Nautical Wheelers; 4. Son of a Son of a Sailor; 5. The Whino and I know.

ME: Toughest question on the board, Cat. It changes monthly. But for today let’s go with: 1. Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On; 2. Migration; 3. Tin Cup Chalice; 4. One Particular Harbour; 5. The “new” mix of In The Shelter (from Meet Me in
Margaritaville).

Honorable mention: Trip Around the Sun; Pirate Looks at 40; Cowboy in the Jungle; Who’s the Blonde Stranger. I could go on for a few more minuts, but I should stop. The non-Parrottheads (poor, poor deprived folks) are getting tired head.

@Anthony asks: Will Julio Borbon be the CF before the season is over?

ME: Only under certain scenarios, none of which I’m guessing you are hoping for. 1. Josh Hamilton is hurt; 2. Rangers are out of the race; 3. Nelson Cruz or David Murphy are failures, necessitating the move of Hamilton to right and opening a hole for Borbon. I think, more likely, Borbon is next year’s Elvis Andrus. His impending arrival will force Jon Daniels to go and ask Josh Hamilton to move to right with Cruz or Max Ramirez as the DH.

@Rangerette says: I can’t believe you took so long to answer Molly. Hi, Molly. Love it that you’re a Ranger fan. Sonic ice all around! Great forum Evan.

ME: I was playing hard to get.

Theoretical questions:
Blalock is traded to the Yankees and proves he can still play at 3rd. When A-Fraud comes comes back does Blalock stay at 3rd and A-Fruad slide back to SS moving Jeter to the OF or the bench?

Does a Blalock trade give Misspelled-First-Name Jones the job as primary DH?