OK, GM Jon Daniels and assistant Thad Levine are out of the office today, enjoying a beautiful Arizona Wednesday. Time for us to, um, borrow their chairs for a bit. We’re in charge now. We’ve got 10 days to decide if we want to put Andruw Jones on our major league roster. Here’s the good news: Jones is looking much more like his old self at the plate lately. Here’s the bad news: He’s looked so good hitting the last couple of days that if we don’t put him on the roster by March 20, he might just take his exit clause and go play somewhere else. So do you add him or not?
Rangers general manager Jon Daniels Monday acknowledged disappoinment that Team Venezuela has not played Rangers prospect C Max Ramirez more significantly in the first round of the World Baseball Classic.
Daniels said the Rangers were led to believe Ramirez would start in the first round of games. Venezuela instead used veteran Ramon Hernandez. Ramirez got one at-bat Sunday in a 15-7 loss to the United States. Daniels has not contacted the Venezuelan Baseball Federation because, well, what’s the point? But you can bet that teams that don’t get cooperation from participating countries remember for the future who can be trusted to back up their words and who can’t.
The loss put Venezuela on the brink of elimination. They will face the winner of today’s game between Canada and Italy in an elimination game Tuesday. Ramirez was not the only Ranger on a World Baseball Classic, here’s a look at the others: