2012 Rangers thread

[bigdave1310]

Started thinking yesterday while watching the championship games about building a team. I know that was football but the concepts the same. You've got to get all your players fully invested. 

So then translated that to the Fielder over Hamilton debate. Hamilton wants to be a Ranger has never given less then a 100% when he's been healthy, the only reason he's injuries so often is he gives about a 125%. Fielder at this point is only invested in a payday. Not to say Fielders a bad player for wanting to get his but caring about a team doesn't just happen over night. 

We have the championship door open we just need to walk through it. Hamilton is a $16 million dollar a year guy Fielder $24. Is he $8 million better then Hamilton?RBI, Power are about the same both left handed batters. Both have seemingly unlimitless power. Hamilton is a better base runner, average is about 20 points better, and defensively a lot better. 

So with so many players not wanting to come to Texas. Is it better to keep aging players are keep getting younger? I don't want 25 Texirias or Arod where all they wanted was money and to get out of town. 

So that being said I'd commit more resources to scouting and the international market seeing if we are holding on to aging players we'd be screwing ourselves in the long run. 

When I say international market not saying Darvish money deals talking finds like Ogando, Profar, Perez and keep drafting lots of young hard throwing kids like we've done last 5 years. 

[bigdave1310]

Cuban left-hander Gerardo Concepcion has been declared a free agent and is drawing interest from many MLB teams, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports. The 18-year-old recently established residency in Mexico and was said to be close to declaring free agency last week.

The Rangers, Yankees, Cubs and White Sox have expressed the most interest in Concepcion, agent Jaime Torres said. The lefty worked out in front of Rangers personnel, including Nolan Ryan, in the Dominican Republic today. The Phillies, Giants, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Royals have also expressed interest.

Concepcion has an offer on the table and will likely sign within two weeks, according to his agent. He defected from Cuba last June while playing in the Netherlands.

[bigdave1310]

Koji Uehara Rejects Trade To Blue Jays
By Mike Axisa [January 24, 2012 at 8:39pm CST]
Rangers reliever Koji Uehara has invoked his no-trade clause to reject a trade to the Blue Jays, reports Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas. The right-hander's limited no-trade clause allows him to block trades to six teams, and Toronto is one of those six.

Uehara, who turns 37 in April, posted a 2.35 ERA, an 11.8 K/9 rate, and a phenomenal 9.44 K/BB ratio in 65 games last season with the Orioles and Rangers. His $4MM option for 2012 vested in the process, but the Texas bullpen is starting to get crowded, particularly with righties like Uehara, Joe Nathan, Mike Adams, and Alexi Ogando. The Jays were one of several teams interested in acquiring him, but they have since signed Francisco Cordero.

[bigdave1310]

The Rangers need to contact every sorry ass team not on Uehara no trade an give his ass away. Stick that fucker in Houston that'll teach him. 

[bigdave1310]

Scott Feldman has also drawn interest, Sullivan reports. However, the 28-year-old right-hander will make $6.5MM in 2012 with a $9.25MM club option for 2013 ($600K buyout), and he spent much of the 2011 season recovering from a winter knee operation. I expect the Rangers would pick up the majority of Feldman’s contract in any trade. He posted a 3.94 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 32 innings in the second half of last season.

If we could get a prospect and possibly a center fielder would be a good trade. 

[bigdave1310]

Fun Ranger Prospect Site

Strange seeing what they think our team will look like in 2015. 

Catcher Jorge Alfaro
First Base Mike Napoli
Second Base Jurickson Profar
Third Base Adrian Beltre
Shortstop Elvis Andrus
Left Field Josh Hamilton
Center Field Leonys Martin
Right Field Nelson Cruz
Designated Hitter Ian Kinsler
No. 1 Starter Yu Darvish
No. 2 Starter Neftali Feliz
No. 3 Starter Alexi Ogando
No. 4 Starter Martin Perez
No. 5 Starter Derek Holland
Closer Matt West

www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/organization-top-10-prospects/2012/2612842.html

I'd love the versatility of having Kinsler at DH seeing he could be an ultimate utility player with his athleticism. I'd prefer seeing Olt as the starting 3rd basemen seeing Beltre would be way older then most great player at the hot corner. 

[bigdave1310]

That's pretty impressive for a 5-foot-11, 165-pound shortstop playing in his first full season in the Minor Leagues. But that's not what impressed Hickory manager Bill Richardson the most about a player who has now risen to become the No. 1 prospect in the Rangers organization.

"Generally when you see a guy with power, he's still struggling with his strikeouts," Richardson said. "But this kid's walks to strikeouts stayed level: 65 walks and 63 strikeouts. He has incredible high-level hand/eye coordination. When we just needed a single he would have these 13-pitch at-bats and knew how to put the ball in play."

Profar's terrific season for the Crawdads earned him the Most Valuable Player honors in the South Atlantic League and the Tom Grieve Minor League Player of the Year Award for the Rangers farm system. Now he is ranked seventh in MLB.com's top 100 prospects released Wednesday.

Profar is one of four Rangers to make the top 100. He is joined by pitcher Martin Perez (No. 29), infielder Mike Olt (No. 43) and outfielder Leonys Martin (No. 89).

This year's edition of MLB.com's Top Prospects list has expanded from 50 to 100 players. The annual ranking of baseball's biggest and brightest young talent is assembled by MLB.com's Draft and prospect expert Jonathan Mayo, who compiles input from industry sources, including scouts and scouting directors. It is based on analysis of players' skill sets, upsides, closeness to the Majors and potential immediate impact to their teams. The list, which is one of several prospect rankings on MLB.com's Prospect Watch, only includes players with rookie status in 2012.

Profar, among his many accomplishments, finished 25th in the South Atlantic League in slugging percentage. Out of that group, he was the only player with at least 200 at-bats who had more walks than strikeouts. Bryce Harper, the Nationals' highly regarded hitting prospect, had 44 walks against 61 strikeouts.

That Profar was able to do that is even more remarkable considering Richardson said his young shortstop had some issues early in the season with the umpires.

"Basically, he was acting his age," Richardson said. "But as the season went along he started to understand that the way he was going about his business wasn't going to go over well with other managers and umpires."

Once Profar understood that, he started earning respect. It was the opposing managers who selected him as the league's MVP.

"No. 1, in his first full season, to put the numbers that he did at that age and all it took to do it was incredible," Richardson said. "On the field, what he does to attract attention, at the plate, in the field and on the bases, he just creates havoc. His tool set is so dynamic but the best part is his inside matches his outside.

"Because he's so coachable, there are not many baseball hurdles that he can't overcome because of his work ethic, ability and talent. He'll take anything you tell him regarding baseball and take it out with him on the field. He just has tremendous assets."

Richardson said Profar is just coming into his strength but he also has excellent speed. He had 23 stolen bases to go with his 37 doubles and eight triples. Of the top 25 players in the league in slugging percentage, only one had more stolen bases, only one had more doubles and none of those 25 had more triples.

He did commit 22 errors in the field. That actually is relatively impressive.

Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus, as good as there is defensively in the Major Leagues, committed 32 errors while playing in the South Atlantic League at age 18. Derek Jeter was 19 when he played in the South Atlantic League and committed 56 errors. Erick Aybar, who was the AL Gold Glove winner at shortstop this past season, had 32 errors at age 19 in the low Class A Midwest League.

Andrus, Jeter and Aybar are all in the Major Leagues. Profar, who played for Curacao in the Little League World Series in 2004 and 2005, is just getting started. The biggest question with him is if the Rangers will start him at Class A Myrtle Beach or jump him to Double-A Frisco.

That will be decided in Spring Training. What has already been decided is that Profar right now is the top prospect in the Rangers system and ranked seventh overall in baseball.

[bigdave1310]

If Hamilton think he's worth more then $18 million yearly for 4 years with a team option on 5th year they may need to drug test him more often. 

Josh Hamilton and his representatives have "visions" of the huge free agent contracts landed by Fielder and Albert Pujols while the Rangers will aim for a much more conservative deal. Hamilton has said that he'll talk about an extension up until Spring Training. He's scheduled to become a free agent after 2012.

[tecnocrat]

Jan 28, 2012 13:03:16 GMT -6 bigdave1310 said:

If Hamilton think he's worth more then $18 million yearly for 4 years with a team option on 5th year they may need to drug test him more often. 

Josh Hamilton and his representatives have "visions" of the huge free agent contracts landed by Fielder and Albert Pujols while the Rangers will aim for a much more conservative deal. Hamilton has said that he'll talk about an extension up until Spring Training. He's scheduled to become a free agent after 2012.

Agreed. Hamilton won't get anywhere near that kind of money on the open market. But I don't see him staying here. It'll be one of those ticky-tack deals where another team (Seattle? NYY?) offers him 500/750k more a year than Texas, and he goes for it. This'll be his last year here.

[bigdave1310]

Moreland in his first 400 at bats before hurting his wrist was a .280 hitter and had a .865 OPS. That's with 15 home runs and about 60 RBI. That would be nice for a number 8 or 9 hitter on any team. 

[Sideshow Bob]

Feb 9, 2012 4:16:02 GMT -6 bigdave1310 said:

Moreland in his first 400 at bats before hurting his wrist was a .280 hitter and had a .865 OPS. That's with 15 home runs and about 60 RBI. That would be nice for a number 8 or 9 hitter on any team. 

yeah, i think he's set to have a bounce back season this year, if healthy

[mexicanjunior]

I wonder how bad the sex tape is...the camera angle for those couple of seconds must be horrendous.