September 28, 2008 at 11:00 pm · Filed under AL West, Ben Sheets, CC Sabathia, Chris Davis, Derek Holland, Elvis Andrus, Ian Kinsler, Matt Harrison, Michael Young, Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers
Well, the 2008 Texas Rangers complete their season at 79-83, finishing second in the American League West, their highest ever finish since the Rangers last won the division back in 1999.
So what can we take away from this season:
- The Rangers’ Young Core Is Among The Best In Baseball. Hamilton, Kinsler, Davis, and potentially Taylor Teagarden are an excellent young core that should only improve as time goes by. All off them are on the payroll for at least the next four years, with Hamilton being the one with the most service time and without a long term deal. The building blocks for a potential pennant winner exists in those four.
- The Farm System Has Begun Bearing Fruit. The Rangers have seen a great deal come out of their farm system this season to contribute to the big league level. Aside from the mention of Davis and Teagarden, the Rangers still have Max Ramirez, who is a solid bat, as well as Matt Harrison, who showed that he could be the second coming of Kenny Rogers at times. Other young players made it to the big club, with Tommy Hunter, Joaquin Arias, Brandon Boggs, and fan favorite David Murphy all showing some good contributions. Warner Madrigal, who was shrewdly picked up from the Angels after they goofed on adding him to the 40 man, showed solid talent and could eventually become the Rangers’ closer.
- But The Farm Continues To Have Top Talent. The Rangers also have several other highly regarded prospects, which include two of the best young arms in baseball in Neftali Feliz and Derek Holland, a right and left hander that both flash top of the rotation stuff. Julio Borbon, the Rangers’ centerfielder of the future, also showed that he could at least be similar to Melky Cabrera (2007 Edition) if given a shot. And beyond that, the Rangers had other products continuing to make noise, with Elvis Andrus, Engel Beltre, Michael Main, and Justin Smoak to name a few.
- However, The Pitching Needs A Lot Of Work. The Rangers’ pitching staff, notably the starters, has been awful this year. The two most productive members of the staff arguably were Scott Feldman, who was a reliever last season, and Vicente Padilla, who was erratic. Kevin Millwood is looking pretty much done and aside from that, there were a cavalcade of young ptichers that came in and out of Arlington this year. Hopefully, this year did something well for their development. Strong starting pitching means that the bullpen won’t be severely gassed by the time June comes around…which is exactly what happened for the Rangers.
However, I feel that overall, the Rangers have done a lot of things right. The rebuilding effort undertaken by Jon Daniels a year and a half ago is now starting to show some promise, especially if the Rangers can acquire solid talent to augment the farm’s core. Staying away from unwise free agent dealings would be another good idea, though I feel that Texas is somehow going to try and swing for the fences with the Sabathia/Sheets/Burnett trio of free agent starters available. That would be a mistake, but hopefully, the Rangers can find those missing pieces, which would take this roster from a promising one to a contending one.
So, one final time this season, I say with enthusiam…
Go Rangers!!!
July 21, 2008 at 5:32 pm · Filed under AL West, Elvis Andrus, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, MLB, Matt Harrison, Michael Young, Neftali Feliz, Nelson Cruz, Texas Rangers
The past two weeks, I’ve gone to Chicago, Milwaukee for Vacation, only to return and discover it’s off to San Antonio for business right after that. Chicago and Milwaukee I’m not complaining about. That was pleasure. San Antonio? Four days straight of meetings at a conference. All there really was to do was to head to downtown and get trashed…
The Rangers Report
The Teixeira Deal, One Year Later
It’s been about one year since the Rangers traded away Mark Teixeira to the Atlanta Braves for a package of five minor leaguers.
At the time, the big piece of the package was Jarrod Saltalamacchia, while everyone else was generally thought to be high upside filler.
So, with the one year anniversary of the trade nearly upon us, let’s see how the kids from the trade have fared:
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia (C) - MLB. Salty has struggled this year, but is still a young player with a bright future. He’s got plenty of value as a trade chip, which may work considering the fact that Max Ramirez and Taylor Teagarden have made some huge impressions while they were up. Despite all that, I’m still a beleiver in Salty. Future - All Star Catcher Still
- Neftali Feliz (RHP) - Double A. Seen at the time as just a raw arm with potential, Feliz has catapulted up prospect rankings and is now regarded as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. Feliz throws in the high 90’s, but more importantly how has a solid enough curveball and changeup to compliment the heater. He’s now in Double A, having skipped the California League entirely, and is currently 2-0, with a 2.65 ERA and 17 K’s in 3 starts for the Roughriders, and is coming off of a 6 inning, 8 K gem from Friday. Future - Potential Ace.
- Elvis Andrus (SS) - Double A. Andrus was one of the more highly touted prospects coming into the season based on his speed and his impressive glovework at shortstop. Many feel he’s ready defensively for the majors defensively. The big problem for Adnrus was that he was rushed quicker than he should have been by the Braves., which stunted him a bit offensively. Texas has since slowed him down, which has helped Andrus adjust, as he is currently hitting .293 with 38 stolen bases. That’s not bad for a 20 year old in Double A. Andrus still has some warts, such as his plate discipline and lack of power, plus the fact he’s been caught stealing 11 times, but he’s young enough to improve on those. All in all, the Rangers have Michael Young’s future replacement. Future - Poor Man’s Edgar Renteria.
- Matt Harrison (LHP) - MLB. Harrison was impressive in Double A, but was still a bit raw in Triple A when he was called up to pitch for the Rangers. Harrison has been shelled, but still has a bright future as a back of the rotation starter, a la Jarrod Washburn. Future - Innings Eater Back Of The Rotation Starter.
- Beau Jones (LHP) - High A. The sleeper in the picture, Jones struggled as a starter before being moved into the bullpen for the Braves, where he’s been a revelation. Jones is currently sporting a 1.17 ERA in the pen for the Blaze and could soon rise to Double A by the end of the year. Future - Power Lefty Out Of The Pen, Potential Closer.
Meanwhile, Teixeira has been very good for the Braves, but hasn’t done much to improve their post season chances. And with Scott Boras wanting the bidding to start at $23 million a year for hsi client’s services, Atlanta is likely doomed to accept less than what they may have given up to the Rangers.
Feldman Headed To The Bullpen
In what has been an impressive rebound season for Scott Feldman, it looks like tonight will be Scott Feldman’s final start.
He’s headed back to the bullpen.
The thing is, Feldman is starting to put up some highs in terms of innings, which in turn has lead to his recent fatigue in his last few starts. It’s said that the Rangers are hoping to cap Feldman at around the 130 inning mark, which would in turn set him up for a possible 160 inning mark next season.
All in all, kudos to the Rangers organization for recognizing that Feldman did indeed have the talent to succeed, not just as a pitcher, but as a starting pitcher. All in all, this sets up for a potentially exciting rotation next year, with the following rotation:
- Kevin Millwood (RHP)
- Vicente Padilla (RHP)
- Eric Hurley (RHP)
- Scott Feldman (RHP)
- Brandon McCarthy (RHP)
And that’s not counting Matt Harrison, Luis Mendoza, or Kason Gabbard, all of whom who have started for the Rangers.
Should be interesting.
Marlon Byrd And Nelson Cruz Potential Trade Chips
The Rangers are getting calls on Marlon Byrd and Nelson Cruz, the latter of which has flamed out with the Rangers, but is getting some love due to his 31 home runs in 314 at-bats at Oklahoma. Byrd has been the subject of trade rumors before, but Cruz is a new one, considering his struggles with the majors. For Cruz, I think it’s possible to get an arm, likely one in the lower minors, for him, maybe a positional prospect that has flopped or is blocked.
As for Byrd, well, I’m not sure what he’d bring back. Ideally, I’d like a young arm or a decent positional player. Well see if the Rangers can get one.
Next Week’s Blog Schedule:
Thursday - Finding The Successor For Young
Monday - Finding Fits For Potential Trades