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Andruw Jones Situation May Be Taking Dramatic Turn; He Could End Up Rangers’ Right-Handed Hitting DH

Posted on March 21st, 2009 7:50pm by Evan Grant
Filed under Breaking News, Roster report, Texas Rangers

SURPRISE, Ariz. – The three-day extension to Andruw Jones’ minor league contract with Rangers may end up turning into a much longer stay.

Less than a week after informing Jones he had virtually no chance to make the Opening Day roster, the Rangers have had a significant change of heart. After Saturday’s 8-4 win over Colorado, team officials retired to a quickly scheduled evaluation meeting to discuss the roster in general, but Jones specifically.

The scenario that is now developing: The Rangers could keep Jones as a right-handed designated hitter to give them better balance against left-handed starting pitchers. Doing so, however, would probably cut into the playing time of both DH Hank Blalock and 1B Chris Davis and it would almost certainly mean the release of left-handed pinch-hitting specialist Frank Catalanotto. The Rangers owe Catalanotto $6 million in salary and buy-out clauses, but his role on the club had been greatly reduced even before the Jones situation arose.

Rangers GM Jon Daniels acknowledged the meeting and said only that officials would discuss the entire roster, including Jones. Earlier this week, however, it appeared the team had done just that. Daniels informed Jones he almost certainly would not break camp with the Rangers. The club planned to allow Jones to explore free agency rather than add him to the 40-man roster by Friday (as his contract stipulated).

Shortly after Jones hit two mammoth home runs in a minor league game, the Rangers and agent Scott Boras worked out a last minute arrangement to buy both some more time to consider all the options. Had another club been willing to offer Jones a spot on its major league roster, however, the extension talk likely would have gone nowhere. But with no jobs on the horizon, Jones asked to stay with hitting instructor Rudy Jaramillo.

“I’m here and I want to be here with these guys,” Jones said after agreeing to the extension. “But we’ll see what happens. I’ll keep working with Rudy and maybe if things don’t work out here, other clubs will see the effect he’s had on my swing. This gives me more chance to work with him.”

Jones has seemingly responded to the work. After striking out 10 times in his first 14 at-bats, he’s gone 7-for-19 (.368) with just four strikeouts. He’s gotten more at-bats in intrasquad and minor league games over the last 10 days than in “A” games. He has just seven at-bats and one hit – a single on Saturday – over that 10-day stretch.

The Rangers must consider several factors in determining whether to add Jones to the roster. Among them:

• The club is concerned its starting lineup may be “too left-handed” to be formidable against left-handed starting pitching. The regular lineup includes Josh Hamilton, Blalock, David Murphy and Davis. In addition, starting catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, a switch-hitter, has only a .199 career average against lefties. Taking Blalock out of the lineup and inserting Jones would help even things out. The Rangers were just 21-31 (.404) last year against left-handed starters. In the AL, only Baltimore had a lower winning percentage against lefties (.333).

• The club is concerned Davis’ slow start this spring could translate into a bad slump to start the season. Using Jones at DH against left-handed pitching would allow the Rangers to give Davis, who has less than one full season in the majors, time off against difficult matchups. When prospect Justin Smoak was sent to the minor leagues earlier this week, manager Ron Washington said Smoak had a shorter swing than Davis and it was easier for Smoak to get “zeroed in.” Davis is hitting .245 this spring, but in his last 22 at-bats, he has seven hits (.318), a pair of walks, two doubles and a homer. He was 1-for-3 with a double on Saturday.

• The club would have to be convinced both Jones and Blalock would respond to less playing time than either is used to. Jones is a 10-time Gold Glove winner and has played more than 150 games in 11 of the last 12 seasons. The lone exception was last year when he got off to a rough start in Los Angeles and ultimately made three trips to the DL. Blalock has been limited to less than half the Rangers’ games in each of the last two seasons by injuries, but is entering the final season of his contract and showing that he is capable of being a full-time player is critical to his future.

• Finally the club would have to be willing to swallow the $6 million commitment left to Catalanotto. The Rangers have been open to trading him since last spring training, but have found no takers for the full value of the contract. The Rangers, according to club sources, are willing to eat some of the remaining contract, but there have still been no serious takers. The Rangers initially intended to go into the season with Catalanotto as their top pinch-hitting option for rookie SS Elvis Andrus. Among active players with at least 150 pinch-hit at-bats, Catalanotto has both the second highest batting average and on-base percentage.

On Saturday, though, it was clear the Rangers had started thinking more about the needs in the starting lineup than the assets on the bench.

30 Comments to “Andruw Jones Situation May Be Taking Dramatic Turn; He Could End Up Rangers’ Right-Handed Hitting DH”

rob m @ March 21st, 2009 at 8:01 pm

All I have to say… Sammy Sosa.
Ryin A @ March 21st, 2009 at 8:15 pm

Evan, you’re 10 or so days too early for this April Fools joke…good try.
rob m @ March 21st, 2009 at 8:23 pm

Lets see…

Jones vs LHP
2007 .785 ops
2008 .631 ops
career

Blalock vs LHP
2007 .796 ops
2008 .903 ops

I know, small sample sizes.

JD, you have built the farm system already. You don’t need totry to maximize his value in order to get something in a trade for him. Just let him go retire with Sammy Sosa.
Ryin A @ March 21st, 2009 at 8:24 pm

upon further thought, if Jones is willing to take a part time DH role on this squad, then it isn’t as bad as I initially thought.
dude in Afghanistan @ March 21st, 2009 at 8:48 pm

I can’t believe Jones is willing to be the RH-DH. That doesn’t translate into more than 300 AB’s, does it?

But if he is, I’m all for it. The Rangers definitely struggled against lefties last year.

Evan, one thing you confused me on is how Jones being on the roster affects Davis at all. Crash is going to be the full-time first baseman all season unless Smoak comes back, right? There is no RH-1B option on this roster, correct? Maybe Jones playing pushes Davis farther down in the batting order?

If anything, Jones will take at-bats away from Murphy and Blalock, but not Davis unless you think there would be some pinch-hit situations coming up semi-regularly.
rob m @ March 21st, 2009 at 8:54 pm

Dude- If I may. Evan addressed it in his second bullet item above. I think there are certain LHPs that Davis would sit against in favor of Blalock starting at 1B.
Gdawg @ March 21st, 2009 at 9:24 pm

Why is the club so concerned with the left handedness? There are 4 guys in that lineup that are lefties which leaves 5 righties. When Murphy isn’t playing, he’s getting switched out with a righty in Byrd. Hamilton also doesn’t look like he’ll have any problems facing lefty pitchers and Davis hasn’t shown much difficulty facing them too.
dirty @ March 21st, 2009 at 10:01 pm

yeah, marlon byrd has been awful against LH pitching the last couple of years. I can certainly see how adding the current edition of Andruw Jones is an upgrade over that. This is what happens when smart people have too much time to think: they over analyze the situation…
Jon @ March 21st, 2009 at 10:11 pm

I guess the idea makes a certain amount of sense… my concern however is how much Wash will increase his playing time if he hits well in the role of a lefty-killer. There’s no way to decrease the value of a lefty-killer faster than playing him against RHP’s – and if the whole Sosa debacle was any indication, Wash doesn’t realize that.
Mr. Pink @ March 21st, 2009 at 10:28 pm

Whatever, Evan.

Certainly not a very decisive decision (as it were). Whoever heard of making a ML roster on the strength of 2 minor league ST homers? Looks like what it boils down to, no?

As you noted often previously, Blalock has not only lost his 3B position, but he has now been reduced to a part-time DH. Hard to see a lefty Blalock spelling a lefty Davis against tough LHP. The big losers, as you say, are Blalock & Davis. Not exactly a big show of confidence in these 2 guys.

What about the big “hurt feelings” argument you advanced in favor of breaking camp with Andrus? Doesn’t the same apply here? It would seem so, except the victims are now Blalock & Davis.

No mention of Andruw spelling Hamilton in CF. Fair to assume “Mr. 10 Gold Gloves” is now a platoon DH also?

The Rangers were hooked for the $6mm to Cat, so it would appear Andruw is now the new “6mm man”. Maybe the shift in thinking came about when JD finally convinced Hicks to eat the $6mm due Cat? So now instead of a content Cat (know quantity) soaking up 100-150 ABs we’ve got Andruw (unknown quantity) soaking up 300 ABs. Plus reduced roles for Blalock & Davis.

Bad vibes. I thought Andruw had been disposed of. Now the starting 9 is a “flexible 11″ … Murphy, Byrd, Davis, Blalock & Jones … 5 guys covering 3 spots. Plus the 2-headed catcher question. Baseball players like “roles”. They feel more comfortable when they know whether they’ll be starting day to day. Now the starting lineup becomes more of a flip a coin issue, giving Wash a field day to “play his hunches.” More bad vibes.

Oh well, nobody should be too upset about the loss of Cat. Unless the Ugly Andruw of the previous 2 years reemerges. Whoa, those 2 ST homers in the minors surely had their repercussions.
Jolly @ March 21st, 2009 at 10:34 pm

He’s on the bench as a RH DH? Then there is no lefty to switch hit? Visquel?

If the Rangers put Jones and Vizquel on the bench and take two 40 man roster spots then it must not have the best farm system in baseball………

Wow someone has been drinking the Boras koolaid……….
texaslifter @ March 21st, 2009 at 11:15 pm

Chris Davis cannot succeed against LHPs if he is on the bench….. trust him, mentor him, play him. He has already exceeded expectations.

Hank Blalock deserves the opportunity to be the full-time DH.

Brandon Boggs has more tools now than either Catalanotto or Andruw Jones…. Boggs should be oufielder #5.
texaslifter @ March 21st, 2009 at 11:21 pm

While the Rangers dally with another reclamation project (Andruw Jones, Sammy Sosa, Ken Caminiti, etc), they create roster problems for legit prospects ready for the big show (Brandon Boggs, Jason Botts, Nelson Cruz).

Let the philosophy that moved Young to 3rd and made way for Andrus at ss rule the day…. keep promoting and supporting high-ceiling talent…. Boggs’ 2008 season demonstrated he is ready and able. Time to commit, Nolan and JD.
Jon @ March 21st, 2009 at 11:38 pm

The thing about Boggs is he needs to be playing everyday still. In terms of continued development, he’s actually better off in OKC playing everyday than he would be hanging on as the 5th OF in the majors (which would be kind of like what happened to German Duran last year, who basically lost a years development time riding the pine in the majors).

The real downside is that now Andruw will likely be in line ahead of Boggs if sombody goes down with an injury, but that’s still not a reason for Boggs to be stuck on the bench all year.
rob m @ March 21st, 2009 at 11:42 pm

texaslifter- I think Boggs needs regular ABs in OKC. He can be easily called up in an OFer gets hurt.
Jolly @ March 21st, 2009 at 11:42 pm

If you use two 40 man roster spots on Vizquel and Jones then you don’t have them to give to Donnelly or Turnbow. That doesn’t seem like the right idea…….but we have a new improved pitching evaluation process, right?

From now on Boras clients need to wear a scarlett B on their foreheads……seems only fair…….
Brett in SD @ March 22nd, 2009 at 12:31 am

Does anyone really think Cat offers more than Jones for the Rangers at this point? Please. There’s absolutely no trade market for Cat. The Rangers will get nothing from him during the season or for him in a trade with another team. Might as well eat the $6M and roll the dice on Jones. In a worst case scenario, Jones isn’t good the Rangers promote Boggs or Borbon to replace him later in the year. Big deal. And Jones is more likely to be an attractive trade target later in the year if he does play well considering he’s playing for near the league minimum (as opposed to Cat’s $6M).
rob m @ March 22nd, 2009 at 12:35 am

Jolly: The 40 man roster isn’t really a problem. There is one spot available now plus Hurley and Benoit will be put on the 60-day DL which will free up two spots. I also think it will be Cat or Jones that makes the team. Also, I don’t think GMs need any help identifying Boras clients.
Mr. Pink @ March 22nd, 2009 at 12:53 am

Good point, Brett,

My only problem is Andruw’s 300 ABs come out of the pockets of Davis & Blalock. Cat’s 100 or so ABs would primarily be as a classic PH. Plus Cat is more versatile, can play 1B & drag out there for a decent LF. You know, the late inning replacement guy. It appears Jones has been reduced to a bat on the bench. Evidently the Rangers don’t feel he can play in the field. No biggie, but whatever Jones does he’s not bringing anything much at the deadline. His 2006 & 07 have cinched that fact. Sides, I’m tired of the Rangers making decisions based on what some retread may bring at the deadline. Hasn’t the farm system moved them past this consideration?
Mr. Pink @ March 22nd, 2009 at 1:19 am

Sorry, should read Jones’ 2007 & 08 have cinched the fact he won’t bring much at the deadline. I lost a year there. Time just whizzes by when you follow the Rangers.
Bennie @ March 22nd, 2009 at 1:46 am

When this experiment fails, whoever decided to keep Jones should be fired because they obviously don’t know what they are doing. If Daniels and Nolan both want to keep him then both should be fired. Jones is done. It is as clear as can be. Cat, Boggs, and Golson all should be in front of him on the depth chart.
Sriram @ March 22nd, 2009 at 1:57 am

If Jones really is going to be kept as a part-time DH, this move stinks. As Mr. Pink has noted, he’s not going to get more than a couple of hundred ABs in such a role, so the Rangers aren’t going to get much in a deadline deal, AND they take ABs away from Blalock/Davis. If the Rangers are concerned about Davis’ play against LHPs and they were contenders, that would be one thing – but they’re not, so they should let him work through it. It’s not going to matter if they lose an extra game or two this year.

Mr. Pink, allow me to play the devil’s advocate to your argument about making deadlines to stock the farm system – I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. After all, they got Maximus for Lofton, and Beltre for Gagne (and rumor has it they could have gotten Michael Bowden instead of Gabbard). I’m not saying the Rangers could get that for Jones, but if they get him enough ABs and reps in the OF to show that he’s still useful, they might, especially since contenders WILL overpay at the deadline for players like Jones. You can never have enough quality players; it makes it easier to pull off a trade for a premium pitcher or two later while still keeping the farm system stocked (assuming, of course, that JD is smart enough to do so).
tomckil @ March 22nd, 2009 at 4:12 am

Three choices: Cat, Boggs, or Jones. Cat’s 6M is water under the bridge. It’s not on the table any more. Wash isn’t going to play him anyway, even as PH. Boggs needs to play every day. So it’s just a question of: Is Jones more valuable (RH DH, 6th outfielder) than Cat (almost never used LH PH, 3rd 1B, 6th OF)? That’s what they’re talking over this weekend. My guess the answer is yes, partly because there is a lot of upside potential with Jones and Blaylock is still tradeable.
Jared @ March 22nd, 2009 at 9:51 am

I’m really ok with Jones sticking around, assuming it’s in lieu of Cat. I understand the want for a lefty bat off the bench, but this club has too many lefty bats already to make that a major concern.

Of more concern to me is:

A. What you do when you face lefties.

and

B. What you do when Blalock gets hurt.

Taking that into consideration, I’m fine with Jones staying on as the 5th OF/RH DH, as long as he won’t disrupt the clubhouse.

In fact my only real concern is that I don’t trust Washington to use him correctly, but that’s a reality that can’t be changed right now.
Jolly @ March 22nd, 2009 at 12:17 pm

Rob m go back and check your 40 man roster……

You have to add Eddie and Andrus.

Plus, Vizquel, Turnbow, Donnelly, Jones, Benson, Jennings all need a spot if you decide to use them…..

Which do you need more, a worn out hitter or another bullpen or starter? Well it won’t be far into the season when you are going to want that 40 man spot on a pitcher…….
Jolly @ March 22nd, 2009 at 12:19 pm

The scarlett B on players foreheads with Boras as their client is not for the GM…it is for the fans so they won’t become attached to them….gives fans a head start ignoring a player who is leaving soon…….
AJM @ March 22nd, 2009 at 2:00 pm

The scarlett B on players foreheads with Boras as their client is not for the GM…it is for the fans so they won’t become attached to them….gives fans a head start ignoring a player who is leaving soon…….

Like Chris Davis, Taylor Teagarden, Julio Borbon…
Tom B @ March 22nd, 2009 at 2:01 pm

There is an invisible elephant in this room. I don’t see it but I smell peanuts on it’s breath. This is the Ron Washington/Milton Bradley effect coming around again. Ron says, “I’m going to get you a contract. I am on my last year with no contract extension. ‘Give me what I want to do my job.’” I’ll use AJ in the ‘Sweet Spots’ and ‘juice him up’ in a legal way. The problem is; At this point AJ has not proven definitively that he is the superior man for the required position. If Wash is willing to stick his neck out JD has to honor that wish.
He is out on the proverbial limb and sawing feverishly behind himself. It bodes badly for the Rangers.
rob m @ March 22nd, 2009 at 2:18 pm

Jolly: You are correct. Eddie, Andrus and Vizquel will take up the three available spots. I was of the opinion that Arias could be DFA to clear a spot but I am not to sure now. Metcalf could probably clear waivers at the end of ST and Nippert may get a mysterious shoulder ailment that lands him on the 60-day DL.
texaslifter @ March 22nd, 2009 at 7:22 pm

Put the best team on the field….

Jones and Cat do not have the talent to play OF on a MLB team…. Boggs does.

Brandon has already proven himself at AAA and as a quality backup OF for the Rangers. The thinking that Boggs needs to play everyday for his “development” has not been applied to the catching situation…. There has been no argument in the press/blogs for Teagarden to play everyday at AAA despite his lack of mastery at that level. That Teagarden may receive more playing time at catcher than Boggs in the OF is speculative thinking…. one predicated on Nelson Cruz and David Murphy getting off to a solid starts.

Boggs has the best arm and speed in the OF…. he belongs on the ML roster.