D

2 down, 1,014 to go.

Been fun this summer Evan, thanks.

It was a pleasure, Evan. Thanks.

Dear Carpetbagger, You come back after betraying us and leaving nothing to blog. The Shame of it. And you from Atlanta…Ohh, The Burn!!….Yeah, Sure, Why Not.

Everybody clasp hands and let’s move forward. Give it the ol’ Thelma & Louise try. Or maybe there is a better analogy.

BTW: If a pinch runner scores, does the original player get the “Run Scored” stat or the replacement?

@B. Money, the pinch runner gets the credit for the run scored.

Evan,
I exploded your new web digs today. Ouch! You have your work cut out for you. One last time from San Antonio! Go Rangers!
Len

Yesterday,Wash gave his Christmas Wish List to the media. JD is very tight lipped. Shuold we interpret Wash’s words as coming from the front office?

1. Veteran SP: translated…Ben Sheets?
2. RH hitting OF/1B: translated…Marlon Byrd?
3. LH relief: translated… Bimel?

Given the assumptions:

A. No substantial $ for type A FA.
B. No desire to give up draft picks, particularly intra- div.
C. Exclusive of trades.

Hey, guys! How’s it going?

What the heck, why not. This should generate some comments. Traded emails tonight with my one baseball friend (the dude that is buddies with J. Peavy) and he on cloud 9 watching Peavy’s game and threw out that he had to be top 3, at least top 5.

I retort that very well may be right, but that the guys in that tier 1 were so hard to separate, that its hard to really rank them. We came up with 2 tiers of exellence:

Tier 1 (in no particular order):

Santana
Halladay
Felix
Peavy
Greinke
Verlander
Felix
CC
Haren

In between Tier 1 and Tier 2 (and closing fast):

Kershaw
Wainwright
Hanson

Tier 2

Lackey
Weaver
Beckett (stuff to be Tier 1 (if not very top, but performance says Tier 2)
Lester
Billingsly
Webb (if no injury, Tier 1)
Nolasco/J. Johnson (arguably top of Tier 3)
Lee
Hamels
Carpenter (could be back in Tier 1 if another healthy season)
Gallardo
Jimenez (arguable top of Tier 3)

Thoughts? Did I miss somebody?

This should be good for at least one comment from everyone here tonight.

Who is your top 3?
Who do you pick for 1 game, 1 seaon and a career?

Here are mine:

Top 3: Felix, Halladay and Verlander (see how hard this is? Why not Peavy or Greinke?)
One game: I honestly can’t answer. Probably, Halladay, with a gun to my head
One season: Felix
Career: Felix

Just heard Grieve. I don’t think their is any question Mauer is MVP. I think the only question now is whether he is unamimous.

@Danny: The first offseason question the Rangers have to answer is Rudy Jaramillo’s future. His contract expires on Oct. 30.

Yes, the team has underperformed offensively this season. But it’s the first time in 15 years you can say that. To me, I’ll take one year as a misstep, re-charge Jaramillo with his mission and see what happens next year.

I believe this year’s offensive statistical drop was due more to not filling the hole left by Milton Bradley’s departure, the injuries to Josh Hamilton, and, most importantly, the necessary growing pains that any young pitcher must endure.

@Evan – you’ve never responded to my charges that Rudy failed twice before (October of 98 & 99). How do you reconcile what happened in those two 3 games series? Weren’t they eerily similar to what happened 2 weeks ago?

What is is current K? If ownership is transferred, you are talking at around 15-17 guys making the serf minimum. How do you do that, but then pay your swing coach (I refuse to stop calling him that) 2X, 3X that amount? You can’t. Which means I don’t see how he comes back. I think the the budget/financing gives them the perfect out to let him go and let all parties save face.

@JackDaddy: I still don’t see how you can blame the playoff losses on Rudy. Those teams were more an example of good pitching beating good hitting, along with maybe some playoff jitters.

@JackDaddy: Here is a question for you. In October ’98 & ’99, at that point in time, were you blaming Rudy? Or is that just piling on because of this year?

@Jack Daddy: Haven’t responded because I think they don’t really have merit. Yes, the Rangers struggled in those two playoffs, but they did so against a dynastic team that swept to a pair of World Championships. There was no shame in being shut down by the Yankees.

Two weeks ago, the Rangers were without Michael Young and Josh Hamilton, which was a huge loss to try and overcome.

I do think this season reinforces that the Rangers must mature in their approach at the plate, but I do think in another year you will see significant progress from a number of the young hitters.

Even if Jaramillo receives $600,000, he will be making no more than $200,000 more than a first-year player with no major league experience.

I get the frustration. I believe there must be improvement, but I believe Jaramillo is the guy to guide that.

@scoop – don’t recall blaming him then. Have thought about it off and on over the years when I have questioned our approach. I am definitely not a hitting expert by any means, but it appears to me that over the years we have appeared stupid in our approach at the plate.

You could never really argue with the results, but that was before it came out that in just about every single case those successful players were juicing. Just about he only player that hasn’t had aspersion cast on him is MY (and he was BEST friends with Arod on that team…)

@JackDaddy: so are you trying to say that MY juiced, too?

injuries killed us no doubt. But haven’t we been 1 hit 2 times this year and 2 hit once? The Tiger game with the knucklehead Willis the game last week and the game against the Gaudin and the Padres? That’s beyond injuries and rookies.

I keep pointing to the NYY series because to me, those failure were mental and I don’t believe Rudy does a good job of helping the players mentally get out of funks or to adjust mid-game. Again, though, what the hell do I know about the art of hitting.

At the very least, it doesn’t appear these particular pupils are getting the message through to them. You can be the best teacher in the world, but sometimes a different approach is needed.

Oh well, I suppose we’ll find out next year. Hopefully, the pitching is even stronger and can carry us again.

@scoop – nope. see next post. I knew that was coming. And I honestly don’t. But I would bet a nickel that he knew ARod was. If not, then he is either very naive or very stupid. Or clubhouses (and friendships) don’t function at all the way I imagined. From what I’ve heard, there are not a lot of secrets in the baseball fraternity.

I just wish when asked about stuff like that, say “I’m not going to lower myself into this fray and become at all a part of it. You’ll have to go somewhere else for your stories”. That way, you don’t appear full of beans.

@Jack Daddy: Consider the number of inexperienced hitters in this year’s lineup: Andrus, Cruz (yeah, he qualifies), Murphy (only one full year), Davis, Borbon and Salty. If those guys each improve a smidgeon due simply to experience, how much more formidable will this team be? Minor improvement by many will make for one major step forward for the team.

@Evan,

thanks for this place and your hard work this season. I don’t participate much but I do read nearly post. Thanks again for everything.

dooty

@Jack Daddy: Guess what I’m saying is flip the argument for a moment. Look at how many young players this team was counting on. If you look at this as a young team that is going to get better, then is the offensive performance actually not so bad?

@ALL: Is it bad that I’m spending more time watching Pirates of the Caribbean 3 than the Rangers? I never saw it after rushing out to see the first two. And now I think I know why. It’s so hard to follow, so many double-crosses and what not, that I’m not so sure I even have the story down now.

@aggiebeth – I think Wash almost lost his job after 1 yr and 2 weeks (its been pretty well documented). CLint Hurdle was fired 18 months after going to WS. Baseball is litered with firings due to accountability.

No, I don’t believe 1 season warrants a firing. I think the track record over the 15 year period is inflated by 1) a collection of some elite hitters (wouldn’t any batting coach look good with Gonzalez, Pudge, Raffy, ARod, etc., particular when they are cheating), 2) a ballpark that inflates run production (when you look at our road performance over that 15 year period, see if you still think he’s a wonderkind), and 3) cheaters (one of his big claims to fame is GM Jr – now we know why). And I think that 15 year period is littered with failures when confronted by tough situations (over-reliance on HR, no ability to manufacture runs and play small, ball, etc.).

But this story has been beaten like a dead horse. Its not fun to debate because people get so entrenched on both sides and it’s pointless as neither side will capitulate.

Let’s discuss the Danks/BMac trade instead.

@Evan: forget Pirates 3. It’s not that good, and you need to focus on our chat instead of all the double-crosses!

@JD: nice word usage with “capitulate”!! Impressive!

Ok, I got a question… will there be another hitter ever like Ichiro? Getting 200 hits season after season. I’m surprised he has stayed in Seattle. Wonder if he will jump ship after his current contract.

@Fred: I think the early part of this season was the aberration for Chris. He had hit for average and power at every level, and I think he will up here, too. I’m excited to see what next year brings.

@Jac-Those weren’t great examples that you gave. The quwstion on Pudge when he came up was whether he would ever hit enough; Palmero came from the Cubs with gap power, not a HR/RBI guy and Gonzo was pretty raw when he first came up. A Rod was, of course fully developed and taking all measures possible to cintinue developing

Pirates 3 was horrible (but was 2 really that good)?

Other than Bourne (and I suppose Star Wars), is there another good trilogy out there where the quality didn’t go down, significantly?

@Evan – I don’t blame the struggles of rookies on Rudy. I blame what appeared to be an inability to reach those young players and help them pull out of it. What happened to Salty’s legendary plate discipline? What happened to Blalock (I think I know). Why couldn’t he help Davis? Why did he mess with Hamilton? Why did Kinsler (a 4th year player) slump for close to 3 months? Why did he think Andruw Jones could be a contributor on a playoff team?

There I go again. I’ll stop. nah, Scoop, I’m not entrenched

Win – I think JD has had an impact. This was a broken organization four years ago. He has found good value this year with players that have contributed. The minor league system is obviously contributing and will continue to do so over at least the next year or so. I’m not going to look up the records, but I’m pretty sure the Rangers have gotten better each of the last four years (at least three) on a pretty short budget. I give a lot of credit to JD. Let him go and he will be out of work about two weeks.

Win – I will have to say that Washington at times has made some curious moves. I have to give you that. But he has made a lot of good moves too. By and large, he’s done a very good job of managing the bullpen.

@JIC – agree with you too. I have a much greater vested interest in “our” guys we have developed. I am REALLY pulling for Chris, as I really like the guy and player. I have my doubts and I hope I am wrong and Fred’s referenced stats make me feel a little better.

@Win’s Dad: Are we missing the point here? This team has come up short in the playoff race, but did you expect an 8-10 game improvement over last year?

I didn’t. I thought I was being optimistic when I predicted 84-78 back in late March. Credit for the improvement must be spread out throughout the organization, from president to GM to scouts and instructors and mostly to players. Though the season won’t result in a playoff berth, the Rangers have improved year over year from Washington’s first club. To me, that is a definite sign of moving in the right direction.

The easy part, however, is going from 75 to 87. The hard part is getting those extra six to eight wins that make the club a playoff team. Expectation will be higher next year. How this team reacts will help pass ultimate judgment on a number of fronts.

Of the additions this year, do most of you feel that Mike Maddux? Elvis Andrus? or Tommy Hunter contributed the most to this successful season? my vote goes to Maddux

I’m out for the night, guys. Have fun!

@evan: It’s been fun, good luck, and I’ll see you at the DMN blog.

Jack – I know you think Davis needs to be moved, but you have MY hitting right, Andrus, Kinsler, and then a right handed DH along with one of the catchers. Now you don’t seem so left handed heading into next year. Smoak is a switch hitter too if that comes into play. And I didn’t include Byrd because his return is a little too iffy.

Evan’s is right. In 1986 (my favorite season before this one), we won 87 games and chased the Angels the entire second half, never able to quite catch them but never being fully shook loose either (sound familiar). We were loaded with rookies and young players: Oddibe McDowell, Jerry Browne, Inky, Sierra, the Kiddie Korp of pitchers (Witt, Guzman and Correa). There was an abundance of talent on the farm (Palmer, Kevin Brown, Kenny Rogers). The next year, we fell below .500 and just muddled along until we finally broke through in 1996, with an entirely new crop of players.

Ok, pretend I never wrote that. I will now bang my head repeatedly against the desk until I erase this memory.

@jic – I don’t feel he needs to be, just that there is a good chance he is. I think you accomplish what you need (getting more RH) by moving Murphy instead (and he probably has more value and you have a likely replacement in Mooreland). Plus, if ownership is stabilized and you can get that RH bat via F.A., then you don’t need to move anyone.

@RR: I hope so!!

Win – I would go only in a slightly different direction and say you need guys that get on base and guys to get those guys home. Compare these team OBP’s….

NYY – .362
LAA – .350
Oakland (for crying out loud) – .329
Texas – .320

A team OBP of .320 is not playoff baseball in the major leagues. And yes, the Rangers need help there for sure.

I think Maddux has been huge. I am an enormous JD supporter. I often scratch my head as some of Wash’s moves, but you are going to get that when you manage by your gut and not “the book”. Wash understands that. I look at the results (I think getting 87 wins with this hitting and this many rookie pitchers is one of the all time managing jobs) and the fact that these players (1) like him and (2) play hard for him. Until the results and/or #2 change, this is his job and I won’t complain.

I think often times we don’t have all the facts. A great example: on Sunday, all of us (me included) went nuts when he didn’t PH borbon for Jones to lead off the 9th. He did bring Borbon in to bat for TT. Well, it turns out that Hamilton was NOT available (even though he threw Wash under the bus and said on Sunday after the game that he was). So, Wash, only had 1 lefty available and chose to PH for TT instead of Jones. Entirely defensible in a 1 run game. I probably wouldn’t have gone that route, but it was not the dumbest move in the history of the game.

Yesterday, Adam Morris riled on Wash for leaving Millwood in to pitch the 9th. Why? What difference did it make? Today, Millwood acknowledged that it was very important for him to finish that game. I think Wash did the right thing.

We’re a bunch of lawyers, accountants, doctors, teachers, students, and knuckleheads questioning stategic moves by a guy that has worn a big league uniform for what, 25+ years? We should save our scorn for over rated swing coaches.

meanwhile, not a single writer in this city retreated for bashing on Wash, when it came out on Tuesday that Hamilton was indeed NOT AVAILABLE. They were on to writing crap about the stupid Cowboys (Evan gets a pass since he was busy turning all of our baseball lives upside down).

@JIC: I don’t know about Wash trying to deal Murphy. He likes Murphy a lot. He keeps batting him in the 3-hole, and he went from a 4th or 5th outfielder earlier in the season to being a mainstay lately.

Just an observation. Last year, the Rangers made a Major League leading 132 errors and of course had the worst Major League fielding percentage. This year the Rangers have made 106 errors and are 12th in the A. L. in fielding percentage. Johnny Oates used to say that to win a championship, a team needs to score 800 runs and make fewer than 100 errors. This team will do neither, as they now have 776 runs scored on the season. (Okay, they could score 24 in the last 22 innings of this series and get to 800, but not likely.)

@Jack-Couldn’t agree with your 2nd guessing comment more. And, I was also puzzled/amused AJM’s snit about Millwood being left in to finish a well pitched laugher on his last appearance of the year. Couldn’t quote figure out the downside, but there’s a lot I’ve never understood over there.

@Jack-I think McCarthy was better suited to play in Chicago

Aggie – I like Murphy okay too. He’s a major league player. But if that’s what it costs for the Rangers to improve, it’s got to be done.

@JIC & JD: it’s not that I don’t want to trade Murphy. I like him, but I wouldn’t mind trading him. I just don’t think WASH wants to trade him. But I really want to keep CD, he’s a hometown boy!!

I wish we could combine Borbon’s offense with Gentry’s defense. That kid has a great arm! But I’m guessing he’ll spend next year at AAA, since he spent most of this year at AA.

is Evan still with us? He hasn’t chimed in for awhile.

@fred – bingo.

Bottom line is that right now we have some very nice parts that don’t quite fit well together. That’s ok though, as left handed, proven major league hitters have VALUE. I’m sure there are teams out that struggle to hit right handed hitting. There will be a fit. But it probably means moving one of these hitters that we have grown to like.

And there probably is a chance that you are going to see one of the pitchers get moved. Harrison is probably not an option. I think they really like Hunter. Hurley is not an option. They aren’t going to move Holland or Feliz. I think we should expect the unexpected. NOBODY saw the Danks or Volquez trades coming. I think there is a good chance we see a trade like the volquest/Hamilton trade. Is Delmon Young somebody that might get moved again? If Rudy is so awesome, maybe he “fixes” him like he did GMJ, DeRosa and Byrd.

I’m telling you that this off-season is going to be nuts. Particularly with the mgmt uncertainty.

Tom B – back to you and to all the regulars. It was awesome to watch the games, talk some baseball (learn a lot), debate the finer points (but always respectful), chat pop culture and bond together. Best time I’ve ever had following a sports season. You guys are the best.

you know you are tired when you, within the span of 10 words, refer to the same person as both “Volquez” and “volquest”.

and that would be ownership, not mgmt, uncertainty.

I think I at too much at the Fair this afternoon!

oh, lucky, I wish I’d eaten too much at the fair today! And I knew what you meant, don’t worry.

I figured I should join in for the last time…getting sad.

yes!!

man, ichiro is a good ball player.

nice job, Michael Young. good lesson for these young pups – keep grinding for 162.

Jones wouldn’t have been 1/2 way to home when the throw came in.

yes, ichiro is amazing. I’m actually (pleasantly) surprised that we got the safe call!

@RangerRick/aggiekb – agreed and agreed.
@JustSaying – nice way to put it, removing emotion and blame.
@RangerFan – agreed.

why not put Davis at 1B and PH for the dh spot when it comes up? you have Pudge on bench. you have gentry on bench. you have richardson on bench.

i am here, just watching and listening.

@rf: I know he was clearly safe, but I expected the throw from ichiro to be right on the money and make it a tough call! So I’m pleasantly surprised that it didn’t happen!

@evan did you finally give up on Pirates 3?

@Jack Daddy: Davis isn’t playing 1st bc of the hammy…

Regarding Davis..were there any postgame comments from Lackey and/or Davis/Kinsler about Lackey’s homerun outburst at CD?

@Jack-I think Davis’ hammy is pretty bad. Can’t stretch

and it’s like i don’t love rudy and pudge but hey guys unemployment is 9.8% and with cost cutting and lean and mean yata yata…….

Thanks Fred…still think Lackey is a child but, OK.

Pirates 3 is over. Just been watching the game without having a lot to say.

Don’t know why Lackey opened his big mouth to begin with.. there isn’t any rule that the player has to sprint around the bases. For that matter on a homer he can walk if that is what he wants to do.

@Evan:surrrrre you have

Lackey is a bit prickly, but most pitchers take some offense if batter milks a HR too much, either standing and admiring it at the plate, or a very slow trot

@Ranger_Rick: Since the club got eliminated, it’s been difficult for me to get really fired up to talk about individual games. That’s why I admire your passion so much.

they need to get davis out before he tears that muscle. he did not look good running to 1B.

I’d like to not have TT hitting here…

Not sure TT is who I want up here

Genius reverse psychology…

yes!

I think Fred and I can take an assist for that run..ok not, but still…

Can Frankie save it?

i didn’t follow Angels series that close, so forgive me – has FF pitched sinced the game that I like to call “the kick to my tenders”?

if Josh & Tom can take credit for “the call,” Fred can take credit for TT’s hit

If I saw Josh Hamilton in a yankee uniform I think I would lose my lunch…and hate baseball. Perhaps, that’s exaggerating. I love baseball. But I’ll admit Josh brought me back into the fold. Of course, I always loved the Rangers and paid attention but the passion that it takes to follow a baseball team for a 162 games, it’s minor league systems, scowering the web for articles, etc….came back when Josh had his magical season. He jumpstarted the rebound that I believe began last year. I can’t bear to think of him not here…at least until mid-year next year. If he’s not better then OK…but they can’t let him go. I think everyone believes he will be better next year. Maybe not 2008, but signifigantly better than this year. He’s low money and has the potential to explode. You have to have that.

@rf: it would make me wanna urp to see Josh in pinstripes too

oh, that was a great game!

This will saound blasphemous as well (leading question coming up), but what has the Rangers ERA done since Pudge took over as the primary catcher?

@ruffian – already thinking it. not apples to apples, as the pitching is somewhat out of gas, but there is something there. We better stop though. We’re sure to incite a riot!!

@ Jack Daddy and Fred,
TT has some wonderful receiving tools but there is a nagging problem somewhere. Fred has alluded to it in past games but he just doesn’t move right sometimes but he seems to have good connection with the pitchers. He has some work to do or he has peaked and will have to go.

@Evan-Thanks for making this summer more pleasurable. You built something wonderful here. I have little hope that it will remain.
I’ve been sorry to see the lame duck emerge. Wish you really had finished your last shift.
Good luck with DMN. It’ll be tough duty. A lot tougher than being the lead baseball beat writer, if you’re to be a multi-sport blogger over the next few months.
I’ll look in, from time to time to see hoe it’s going.

@tom b – no doubt. he definitely moves at times like somebody with a balky back (noticed it more around mid-summer).

notice how josh said “see you all real soon, I hope” rather than “see you next year”?

I don’t get feeling he’ll be back in booth. Barnett was horrible in radio booth (pains me to admit) but is much better on TV. They can then search for a radio voice or just go with Busby, who is solid.

Oh please lord no…I can’t bear to listen to Barnett. It is as boring as boring can get.

I love Busby on the radio, but I don’t like Barnett and Greive together. No chemistry. Not too happy with Josh & Tom, but it’s better than Dave & Tom

I love Josh and Tom. Great chemistry, entertaining and knowledgeable. Doesn’t get better.

@Jack & Tom B=Actually, I agree with Tom B that TT has a big gap in his game behind the plate. Don’t really understand it, but he just seems to short arm some pitches, up, in and out once in a while (went thru a bad stretch in middle of season where it was more than once in a while). I kinda understand because I had a spot like that, just over my head, at 1B, but his is more general. Totally wiffs on some.Throws well. Good foot work. I doubt he’ll ever hit consistently enuf to be a ML starting C.

@tom b – agree on Salty. I wish people acknowledged more his terrific season behind the plate. .250 with the D he had is NOT a bad season. KOs were too high, but the rest was not a disgrace.

@fred – it was strange after all that we heard to watch this year and see that Salty (imo) was the far superior defender. maybe it was the back, maye it wasn’t. but i do think the guy has a great rapport with his pitchers and sets up nicely (pudge seems to constantly move all the way to the point where the ball is on the way, which umpires hate).

Nothing like a white collar nerd analyzing the technical defensive merits of HALL OF FAME catcher!!

@tom b- i think nippert is a big part of this thing next year. he and mathis both really seem to have taken to the long man role. They were salty all year. If our offense had been the comeback offense of last year, they might have 8 more wins between the 2 of them.

well at least we broke 200 comments.

Going to wash off the fair. I’ll be here throughout the hot stove league, piping in occasionally. Will definitely be back to check out the game depot next season. Hope many of you do too. Will also be at Spring Training for a weekend at some point. Maybe some of you will make it down there (this will be my first time).

Have a nice fall and winter.

Best,

Jack Daddy

Well, not a bad way to go out.

200+ comments.

A comeback win.

Clinching of second place.

I’ll go out in second…..

Thanks, y’all. See you Monday.

Well, that’s it.
Happy trails, y’all.

Way to go Rangers! A very good year. Thanks for an exciting season.

@JDad- no way the Rangers trade Josh for Melky. Josh is a potential superstar. Melky is not.

Good night folks!

Evan

I know that finances are always an issue for any team but let’s assume that the Rangers could add say $20 million over this year’s payroll.

How would you spend the money? Who would you go for?

Evan, no..no..no…take it off slowly