Tanner Scheppers Receives $1.25 Million

It’s been a busy day here at the Corner so I haven’t had time to digest all the theories on the Rangers’ demise, but I will and we’ll try to get this all figured out by Friday morning. In the meantime,I bring you a few tidbits about RHP Tanner Scheppers, the 44th overall pick in the draft, who signed today for a $1.25 million bonus.

• According to the Rangers and Scheppers, the tear in his rotator cuff has healed. Scheppers said his tear was originally misdiagnosed as a stress fracture while he was at Fresno State in 2008. Two physical exams this year, including one before the Rangers selected him, have indicated the tear has healed thanks to a rehab and maintenance program. GM Jon Daniels said Rangers officials were comfortable with what they found out about Scheppers shoulder. Scheppers took the uncommon step of submitting to a pre-draft physical, then took another on Tuesday. The images from MRIs showed no significant changes to the structure of the shoulder.

• Scheppers has signed a 2010 minor league contract, which means he won’t have to be placed on the 40-man roster until after the 2013 season. He will go to Arizona immediately and work out with the instructional league club and then will take the open fall league spot the Rangers had been saving for him.

• Scheppers bonus of $1.25 million may be less than what he was seeking in 2008, but it is still about $500,000 more than the recommended slot for his spot. The 42nd overall pick received $802,000 and the 45th received $725,000.

Rangers Sign Tanner Scheppers

Below is the Rangers’ press release on the signing of supplemental pick Tanner Scheppers. Working on confirming a bonus figure:

The Texas Rangers announced today that the club has signed right-handed pitcher Tanner Scheppers, the club’s supplemental first round selection (44th overall) in the 2009 June draft.  Scheppers passed a physical today at the Medical Center of Arlington and will join the team’s instructional league program in Surprise, Arizona tomorrow.

Scheppers, 22, was the club’s second overall selection in this year’s draft.  Due to the fact that Scheppers did not have any remaining college eligibility, he was exempt from the Aug. 17 signing deadline that applied to most of this year’s draftees.  He was rated as the 9th-best overall prospect in this year’s draft by Baseball America, the 7th-best pitching prospect.

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Help Wanted: Theories Needed on Rangers Demise

Admission: I’m completely stumped.

This week was shaping up as such a huge week for the Rangers. When they came home from sweeping Cleveland, the Rangers seemed to be in prime position to make a real run at two different playoff spots. They had manageable deficits in both the AL West race and the wild card. And to start the homestand off, they’d have six games against the non-contenders in the division and a day off while the division-leading Angels faced a three-game series at wild card leader Boston.

The way everything was shaping up, they’d know by this evening exactly which playoff spot was theirs for the taking and then they could go out and try to seize upon it with a sea of red-clad fans in a three-game series against the Angels over the weekend. The Rangers – believe it or not – threatened to make the official regular season opener of Cowboys Stadium a second-tier event.

And then this week happened. Three rain delays. Four losses in five games. Three shutouts. One run in the 37 innings. Who saw this coming?

Not me.

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Analyze the Enemy – Week 2 – New York Giants

THURSDAYS: We catch you up on this week’s opponent with an overall portrait of their team. This is not breaking down this week’s match-up, because that happens on Friday. This is just to set the table in preparation for laying out the gameplan.

This week’s foe needs no introduction. I remember when I first arrived in Dallas in 1998, I was always interested in the discussion of who is the Cowboys biggest rival (according to Cowboys fans). They are very similar to the University of Texas in the rivals department as everyone counts them as their biggest game, but what did you feel?

I can’t remember what the results were in my survey, because the important thing I learned is “it depends who you ask”. Well, if you ask me, the Giants are the biggest current rivalry in my mind. These two teams do not like eachother. At all. In fact, they go out of their way to say it. And it is pretty clear that bulletin board material is not a very big worry for either side.

This is an amazing division, as their are traditional powers in every direction. Off the top of my head, I believe it is the only division in football with all 4 teams owning NFL Titles (yes, in 1960, the Eagles last won the NFL Title; and no, I will not count AFL Titles for the purpose of my point).

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Race Day: Looking at the A.L. Playoff Races

About the AL West Race

Los Angeles: After the Angels’ frenetic 9-8 loss at Fenway on Wednesday night, manager Mike Scioscia asked assembled media if the count was “3 and 4″ to Nick Green when Green walked to score the tying run before Alex Gonzalez’s winning bloop to left. Watch the at-bat and decide. LHP Brian Fuentes afterward said players across the league talk about umpires being intimidated at Fenway. Fuentes has allowed runs in three of his last five appearances, his ERA rising from 3.91 to 4.41.

The Angels finally broke out of their September hitting slump and couldn’t beat the weakest link in Boston’s rotation, RHP Paul Byrd. They’ve lost three straight, four of five, and send RHP Ervin Santana (7-8, 5.52 ERA) into Thursday night’s series finale before boarding a plane for D/FW. Last time out, Santana pitched seven innings and allowed two earned runs (solo home runs) and seven hits in a no-decision against the White Sox.

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