SB Nation - Kris Benson

Jeff Salazar, Bryan Bullington Become Free Agents

Charlie — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:16:22 -0000

More photos » by Keith Srakocic - AP

8 months ago: Pittsburgh Pirates' Jeff Salazar, right, steals second before the tag of Cincinnati Reds' shortstop Adam Rosales in the bottom of the ninth inning of the spring training baseball game in Bradenton, Fla., Monday, March 30, 2009. Salazar went on to score the game winning run on a hit bit Jason Jaramillo in the Pirates 3-2 win. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

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Since we're at the point in the year where there's nothing to care about except little things, here's some news: a bunch of guys just became minor league free agents. The only Pirate on the list is Jeff Salazar, who went 1-for-23 for the Bucs this year. Salazar probably needed to hit better this season to have much of a shot at a real major-league career, which is too bad; he has an .826 career minor league OPS (albeit in some pretty hospitable hitting environments, like Tucson and Colorado Springs), and it's a shame he never got more of a shot. Most guys who stick as fourth outfielders begin their careers as starters, like Brandon Moss this year; guys like Salazar who have the skillset but are never lucky enough to be confused for starters usually don't make it.

Also on the list of minor league free agents are former Pirate #1-overall picks Kris Benson and Bryan Bullington. Bullington actually pitched very well for the Jays' Class AAA affiliate in Las Vegas, but he didn't make an appearance there after June. The list also includes Chris Duffy, Chris Shelton, and Craig Stansberry.

Other vaguely interesting names on the list: Phil Humber (third overall pick by the Mets in 2004, acquired by Twins in the Johan Santana trade, stalled in the high minors), IF Wilson Betemit (former top Braves prospect, still not that old, bad season in the White Sox organization but versatile and potentially still useful), RP Javier Lopez (again, a terrible season, but he's one year removed from being one of the majors' more effective relievers), RP Greg Aquino (consistently good minor league numbers; certainly a better option than the Denny Bautistas of the world), RP Vinnie Chulk (ditto), RP Jon Switzer (same), RP Joe Nelson (actually a totally decent MLB pitcher for the Rays last year, and a terrific one for the Marlins in 2008), and lefty SP Travis Blackley (former top Mariners prospect finally seems to be pitching with better control in his late 20s and still hasn't been used exclusively as a reliever, where he might find his niche).

Nothing big here, but I'd be mildly psyched to see the Bucs sign Blackley, in particular.

Thanks to WTM.

Saturday morning Rangers stuff

Adam J. Morris — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:11:23 -0000

by Gail Burton - AP

3 months ago: Texas Rangers starting pitcher Scott Feldman is congratulated by teammates after leaving the game in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles Friday, Sept. 4, 2009, in Baltimore. The Rangers won 5-1. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

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The Rangers are 18 games over .500 for the first time since the 2004 season. They haven't been 19 games over .500 since 1999. This has been a pretty positive year.

Scott Feldman had another solid game yesterday, and Jeff Wilson's game story suggests that the biggest move (or non-move, depending on how you look at it) of the season may have been to leave Feldman in the rotation when Kris Benson, who Feldman had replaced in the rotation when Benson went to the d.l., was activated.

Putting Feldman in the bullpen in the first place was a dumb decision, a panic move based on fears in spring training that the bullpen was a mess and the decision that, well, maybe Benson wouldn't be terrible in the rotation. I killed the Rangers for about a month or so over that decision, something that I feel compelled to bring up fairly often because of the recent complaints that I'm anti-Feldman and refuse to give him credit because I didn't think he'd be good.

And I mention this because I figure I'm about to upset some folks again with what will be perceived as "criticism" of Feldman. Evan Grant's game story suggests that Feldman should be in the mix for the Cy Young Award, something that I've seen suggested elsewhere. But just like Kevin Millwood wasn't a legit Cy Young candidate earlier in the year, Feldman isn't now.

Feldman isn't in the top 10 in ERA (Millwood, in fact, is 10th, a skosh ahead of Feldman). He's 10th in ERA+. He's nowhere near the leaders in innings pitched, in part because he started the season in the bullpen, in part because he doesn't work deep into games.

If we look at some of the higher-level stats, he's 12th in the A.L. in VORP (Millwood is 11th). He's 18th in WAR, behind guys like Dallas Braden and Carl Pavano. He's 21st in FIP.

Scott Feldman has had a very good year. He's been one of the best 10-20 starting pitchers in the A.L. this year. But the only real case he has for winning the Cy Young Award is that he's got 15 wins for a playoff contender. Zack Greinke and, maybe, King Felix are the guys who should be in the mix to win, and there are a half-dozen others who should be getting third place votes. Neither Feldman nor Millwood should be in that group.

Moving on...

Willie Eyre is a major leaguer again, having been recalled yesterday by the Rangers.

Brandon McCarthy is back in the rotation, replacing Dustin Nippert, and Josh Hamilton hopes to travel to Baltimore today after getting an injection in his back.

Nelson Cruz gets some praise from Jeff Wilson, albeit without some criticism from the manager about his run-producing:

"He’s still not the guy he’s capable of being," Washington said. "As strong as he is, if you keep giving him at-bats, he’ll run into 30 home runs. Now we’ve got to get those 30 bombs and transfer them into 100 RBI. Then, you’ve arrived."

Nelson Cruz is hitting .290/.398/.495 with runners in scoring position. He just has had a lot fewer opportunities with men on base this year than some of his teammates, in part because of the time missed with injury, in part because of the OBP failings of the guys in front of him, in part because he's hit in the bottom of the lineup much of the year, and in part because of the random benchings that Washington has imposed.

I can't believe I'm sitting here reading about reading complaints from the Ranger manager that the team's best hitter this year -- who has performed with runners on base -- doesn't have enough RBIs.

David Pinto is a fan of Neftali Feliz.

Thursday Pebble Report: Sky Sox know how to get a RISP hit, Cole Garner still raking

Poseidon's Fist — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:00:18 -0000

More photos » by LM Otero - AP

This guy has fallen a long way from being the guy with the nice contract and hot wife. The Sky Sox torched him for 9 runs last night.

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AAA Colorado Springs, W 13-3 - (66-58, 1st)

Contrary to their parents last night, the Sky Sox had no trouble taking advantage of run-scoring opportunities, and they faced a pitcher with a far better MLB track record than the MLB club. The Springs was 7-for-17 with RISP against the Oklahoma City RedHawks (Rangers), pounding out 9 runs in the first three innings in devouring Kris Benson. And yes, THAT Kris Benson. Every hitter except Daniel Ortmeier got a hit and an RBI, highlighted by Matt Murton's 4-for-4 night and Kenny Perez' two-hit, 3 RBI effort. Mike McCoy and Eric Young Jr each doubled and singled.

Brandon Hynick (10-7, 3.59) got his tenth win despite failing to throw a quality start for the first time in his last seven tries. He allowed three runs on eight hits and three walks in five innings. Damian Moss, Scott Munter and Ryan Speier allowed just one baserunner in the last four innings.

The RedHawks and SkySox square off again tonight at 6:05MDT in OKC.

AA Tulsa, L 6-7 - (27-23, 1.5 GB)

Shane Lindsay and Matt Reynolds combined to give the game away agaisnt the Frisco RoughRiders (Rangers) in the last two innings. Lindsay allowed two runs on no hits by walking a batter, hitter another, throwing a wild pitch and giving up a sac fly. Reynolds then came on and allowed an RBI single. After an RBI single by Jeff Kindel to tie the game in the ninth, Frisco earned a walkoff win off of Reynolds with a walk, sac bunt and single.

Cole Garner was once again the offensive hero. By extended his hitting streak to 19 games, he's back up to hitting .300. He ripped his 16th HR, laced two doubles and walked. The 24-year-old was compared to Matt Holliday by Irv Moss before the season, and he's having a much better season than Holliday did in Tulsa at 23. Of course, that means nothing, as Holliday's season was uninspiring (.395 SLG) there.. But after two injury-plagued seasons, he has cut his K rate significantly, has a little speed and has a stout .206 IsoD. He's worth a solid look in your PuRPs list. He has fairly large home/road splits, though I honestly don't know how much to make of that. Rex Rundgren was 3-for-3, and Daniel Carte and Jeff Kindel each had two hits.

The two teams face off again tonight at 6:05MDT.

High-A Modesto, W 5-0 - (27-25, 10.0 GB)

Ethan Hollingsworth (2-2, 4.19) backed up his first Modesto win with another strong start, going 6.2 scoreless innings, striking out eight. He has now allowed just one run in his past 14.0 IP. Joey Williamson and Xavier Cedeno shut the door convincingly on the Stockton Ports (A's) for the shutout.

Three Nuts homered. Charlie Blackmon was a triple shy of the cycle, hitting his 7th HR and 24th double in the process. Brian Rike (11) drove in two with a dinger and Jeffrey Cunningham had a solo job (7). Lars Davis drove in the other run in the first with a single.

Tonight's rubber game is at 8:05 MDT in Stockton.

Low-A Asheville, W 9-2 - (31-19, 1st)

Behind Dan Houston (7-8, 3.88), the Tourists snapped a four game losing streak to wallop the West Virginia Power (Pirates) in a game featuring nine errors, four by Asheville, two belonging to SS Carlos Martinez). Houston allowed one run in six innings, striking out six. Kiel Roling hit his 17th home run, going Barmes/Gonzalez in homering in his third straight game. Jimmy Cesario and Tyler Massey tripled, Jordan Pacheco and Scott Robinson doubled, and David Christensen walked three times and stole two bases.

Both teams retangle tonight at 5:05MDT.

SS A Tri-City, Off Day - (34-24, 1st)

The Dust Devils had an off day to travel home from Vancouver. They open a series tonight at 8:15MDT vs the Spokane Indians (Rangers).

Rookie Casper, L 2-3 (6-8, 7.5 GB)

Th Ghosts failed to complete the sweep against the Great Falls Voyagers (White Sox) in Montana. Catcher Brandon Whitby had two singles but also two errors and two strikeouts. Nolan Arenado and Jared Clark, two new draftees and potential PuRPS, each had two singles and an RBI. Arenado, who is "duck-footed and lumbers" according to this, had the Ghosts only successful stolen base in four team tries. Ricardo Ferrer (2-6, 6.80) allowed 3 runs, 2 earned in five innings, walking five.

The Ghosts will play double headers the next two days to make up for three rainouts against Billings in Casper Aug. 15 and 16. Because these rules bend in the minors, the make-up games will be in Billings instead of Casper. The first game is set to start at 5:35MDT.

Washington Nationals Set To Draft Stephen Strasburg: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?"

Ed Chigliak — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:30:14 -0000

In the first few paragraphs of ESPN the Magazine writer Tim Keown's article on Stephen Strasburg and the impending showdown between the young pitcher, his agent Scott "Maximum" Boras and the Washington Nationals, owners of the 1st pick in this year's MLB draft, Mr. Keown describes the Washington Nationals as a team that's, "....hurting in every way-- home attendance, television ratings, NL East standings," and the DC franchise, Mr. Keown writes, is, "irrelevant nationally, and only marginally relevant locally," but that could all change with this year's No. 1 pick, which gives the Nationals, in Mr. Keown's words, "...the opportunity to get a once-in-a-generation talent, a pitcher who would be out of their range on the open market."

Mr. Keown goes on to recount the last year in Strasburg's life, quoting the hyperbolic scouts and talking to Strasburg's SDSU coaches, who recount the transformation they've seen in the pitcher since he arrived at the school. Then, Mr. Keown speaks to "Acting" DC GM Mike Rizzo, who, Mr. Keown observes, "...seems to be the lone voice looking beyond the hype", which is probably because that's Mr. Rizzo's job, as it's been for years as a scout, scouting director, assistant and now "acting" GM. Mr. Rizzo, like any GM, has some interest in downplaying the Nationals' desperation to add someone with Strasburg's talents in advance of the upcoming negotiations, and Mr. Rizzo's comments in the article that, "A lot of guys have dominated college hitters but haven't excelled in the big leagues," seem to be part of an agenda on behalf of the Nationals to downplay the hype, as he goes on to state elsewhere in the article that Strasburg, "...is no different from anyone else who's been drafted No.1," and then makes sure to dismiss the demands for the oft-mentioned "Matsuzaka-like" contract in the $50 million dollar area, by arguing that, "Daisuke Matsuzaka was a nine-year professional when he came here."

The media, as a whole, in these last few weeks, have seemed focused on bringing all the Strasburg talk back down to earth, which must delight the Nationals as they see one article after another listing the old pitching prospects who have flamed, or never panned out. Mr. Keown's article mentions Mark Prior, (#2 overall to CHC in 2001), Colt Griffin (#9 to KC in 2001), Brien Taylor (#1 by NYY in 1991), Todd Van Poppel (#14 by OAK) and Ben McDonald (#1 by BAL in 1991) as just a few of the cautionary tales of top pitching prospects, and in the online supplement to the article, Mr. Keown adds Kris Benson (#1 by PIT in 1993) to the list.

In the Sunday New York Times' Sports section today, NY Times' writer Alan Schwarz has an article entitled, "Pitching's Brightest Stars Sometimes Flame Out", where Mr. Schwarz writes that being called the best prospect that anyone has ever seen, "...is the rough equivalent of being rated the world's No. 1 hydrogen dirigible." Mr. Schwarz's article goes into more detail about Ben McDonald, selected No.1 overall by Nationals' neighbors to the north in Baltimore in 1991, who was described at the time by LA Dodgers' scout Ben Wade as having, "better stuff than anyone on the Baltimore staff...so damn complete a pitch right now. I mean, I don't remember the last time I graded a pitcher so high.'" **

Sound familiar? It's a story those who have been around have heard before, but as Mr. Schwarz explains, "The draft is for dreams. And amnesiacs."

Say, have you heard about this Bryce Harper kid?

(ed. note - " ** = McDonald went on to win 78 games in his 9-year career before a shoulder injury forced him into retirement.")

Either rain or a roster move tonight

Adam J. Morris — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:55:59 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

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Evan Grant says that if there's a game tonight, the Rangers are going to option Warner Madrigal to AAA, purchase the contract of Doug Mathis, and move Willie Eyre to the 60 day d.l.

Why? Beats me, other than they want to get Madrigal work. This does suggest, though, that Kris Benson is going to lose his roster spot when Matt Harrison comes back, with Mathis replacing him as the long man. As has been mentioned before, if the Rangers aren't going to use Benson in a situation like last night's game -- and instead would go with Derek Holland, who is supposed to be starting just four days later, and who is a lefty facing a team that kills lefties -- then there's really not much reason for him to be on the team.

The other possibility is that Benson is going to make Saturday's start now, since Holland was used yesterday, and they presumably don't want to start him on three days' rest. In that situation, Mathis replaces Benson as the long man, although Benson could still get the ax when Harrison returns.

In the meantime, there's rain in New York, and some question about whether or not the game tonight will even be played. I imagine the Rangers would like a rainout, since it means they can skip Holland's spot in the rotation altogether on Saturday, and not worry about starting him on short rest or Benson at all. Presumably, the game would be made up in August, and you'd hope that Josh Hamilton would be back in the lineup by then, and possibly someone like Roy Oswalt in the rotation...

Friday a.m. Rangers stuff

Adam J. Morris — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:39:22 -0000

More photos » by LM Otero - AP

6 months ago: During a weather delay, New York Yankees right fielder Nick Swisher hands over a ball while signing autographs for fans before the game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, May 26, 2009. The start time of the game was postponed due to passing thunderstorms. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

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Doubleheader today against the A's.

Tommy Hunter is being called up today to make the start in game one, although it is up in the air as to who will be added for game 2, or what move will be made to make room for Hunter.

There are a couple of things the Rangers could do. They could cut loose Kris Benson, and then add Doug Mathis after game 1 to replace Benson in the long relief role.

Or they could put Matt Harrison on the d.l. to make room for Hunter, and then call up someone already on the 40 man -- Luis Mendoza, perhaps -- to take Hunter's spot after game 1.

My guess is that Benson is cut loose and Mathis takes over as the long man in the bullpen for the Rangers.

Jeff Wilson has an item about Chris Davis trying to work through his struggles, with this explanation as to why he's late on fastballs:

Jaramillo wants Rangers hitters to start their swing when a pitcher breaks his hands. But because Davis doesn’t fully trust his mechanics, his bat has been late and pitchers are routinely beating him with fastballs.

"It’s somewhat mechanical, but it’s more mental than anything," Jaramillo said. "A lot of times you can have the best plan when you step in the box, but if you don’t trust it, then things get out of whack."

Davis is focused on getting the kinks worked out of his swing. His contributions as an above-average fielder are helping him stay in the lineup, and he hasn’t been a total bust at the plate.

The end of Davis’ struggles is near, Jaramillo said.

Wilson also has a new Rangers mailbag up.

Jim Reeves has a column up about David McDavid's ongoing discussions with Tom Hicks about buying the Rangers, with McDavid saying he will either have a controlling interest or won't buy. Reeves also says that while Hicks is valuing the club at about $600 million -- which is what Forbes puts it at -- the current market makes it more in the $400-450 million range, which would be less than what the San Diego Padres sold for, and which would be an almost shockingly low figure for the club.

Richard Durrett has some quotes from Nolan Ryan about the ownership situation, as well as apost about Darren O'Day's thoughts on Mike Maddux.

And T.R. Sullivan has some bloggy notes up.

A look back at the 1st round of the 1996 draft

erik — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:13:37 -0000

Once upon a time, Kris Benson was Stephen Strasburg. No, really.

Pitcher	IP	H	K/9	BB/9
Strasburg	97.1	61	12.3	1.5
Benson	156	109	11.8	1.6

I dare say Benson was facing tougher competition pitching in the ACC than what Strasburg has faced for the Mountain West Conference. I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer. If I was the GM of the Nationals (call me, Mr. Kasten!) I would draft Strasburg in a heartbeat. The point is there's lots of risk involved in giving gobs of money to any pitcher.

Benson is just one wart on the ugly face that is the 1996 draft.

Charted below is how the draft went down, alongside their wins above replacement totals for their first six years in the majors. Again, we're looking at six years because that is when the player was under his team's control.

Player	POS	Team	HS/College	WAR
Kris Benson	P	PIT	College	8.2
Travis Lee	1B	MIN	College	2.5
Braden Looper	P	STL	College	3.8
Billy Koch	P	TOR	College	5.8
John Patterson	P	MTL	HS	5.1
Seth Greisinger	P	DET	College	0.3
Matt White	P	SF	HS	0
Chad Green	OF	MIL	College	0
Mark Kotsay	OF	FLA	College	13.6
Eric Chavez	3B	OAK	HS	26.7
Adam Eaton	P	PHI	HS	4.4
Bobby Seay	P	CHW	HS	0.5
Rob Stratton	OF	NYM	HS	0
Dee Brown	OF	KC	HS	-2.8
Matt Halloran	SS	SD	HS	0
Joe Lawrence	SS	TOR	HS	-1
Todd Noel	P	CHC	HS	0
R.A. Dickey	P	TEX	College	0.6
Mark Johnson	P	HOU	College	-0.6
Eric Milton	P	NYY	College	13.2
Jake Westbrook	P	COL	HS	8.2
Gil Meche	P	SEA	HS	4.4
Damian Rolls	3B	LAD	HS	-0.5
Sam Marsonek	P	TEX	HS	0
John Oliver	OF	CIN	HS	0
Josh Garrett	P	BOS	HS	0
A.J. Zapp	1B	ATL	HS	0
Danny Peoples	1B	CLE	College	0
Paul Wilder	OF	TB	HS	0
Nick Bierbrodt	P	ARI	HS	-0.1
Peter Tucci	OF	TOR	College	0
Corey Lee	P	TEX	College	0
Matt McClendon	P	CIN	HS	0
Chris Reitsma	P	BOS	HS	1.1
Jason Marquis	P	ATL	HS	-0.1

Scott Boras is evil, just in case any of you had forgot. Exploiting a loophole in Rule 4 (E), his clients Travis Lee, John Patterson, Matt White and Bobby Seay all filed grievances and were declared free agents. Lee and Patterson ultimately signed with the Diamondbacks, White and Seay signed deals with the Devil ~~Rays~~. The four combined for $29.2 million in signing bonuses flushed down the toilet.

Outside of Boras and is antics, there's not much to say here. Eric Chavez was a star. Eric Milton and Mark Kotsay became average big league regulars while they were under team control. 71% of this first round class contributed less than an average of .5 WAR per season while under team control. That is...bad. Splitting them into groups ---

Grouping	#	Total WAR	Avg /season
College Pitcher	8	31.3	0.652
HS Pitcher	13	23.5	0.301
College Hitter	5	16.1	0.536
HS Hitter	9	22.4	0.414

College players came out ahead over high school players, high school pitchers in particular predictably came out worse than any grouping.

Later on, Jimmy Rollins was taken in the 2nd round, and much later on, Travis Hafner was picked in the 31st round. Apparently it's hard for North Dakota kids to get noticed. Other notables in the '96 draft are Milton Bradley (2nd), Joe Crede (5th), Mark DeRosa, Casey Blake (both 7th), Doug Davis (10th) and Chad Bradford (13th).

We've only looked at three drafts so far but I think there are some lessons here. 1.) not every draft is equal. Each draft has it's strengths and weaknesses. 2.) TINSTAAP likes to rear its ugly head. 3.) Which is tied to 2, and that is there are a ton of failures along the way. When reading different scouting reports on some of these draft prospects you might get the impression that some of these players are destined to stardom or least will make it as big league regulars. The odds are against such outcomes.

Benson activated, Mendoza down, and the state of the pen

Adam J. Morris — Wed, 06 May 2009 01:12:54 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

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Evan Grant says that the Rangers are activating Kris Benson from the disabled list tomorrow, and are sending Luis Mendoza back to AAA.

Vaya con dios, Luis. Hopefully, you'll spend the next four months in AAA, pitching well, and we won't see you again until September. I think your development would be much better served staying in Oklahoma until rosters expand, rather than bouncing up and down.

As for Benson, the Rangers are being coy, flexible, or indecisive (depending on your point of view) as to what he'll be doing going forward. He's apparently going to be in the pen for the next few days, and then...well, it isn't clear. Scott Feldman continuing to pitch well in the rotation seems to only make the organization get all hot and bothered about what he can do in the bullpen, even though Benson hasn't shown much reason to believe that he's really a viable option in the rotation anyway.

What the Rangers really need is another reliable righty reliever. As it is, Dozer is getting the boot because Ron Washington would be reluctant to put him into that famous 30-3 game in Baltimore, and if you aren't going to use Eddie Guardado in a tie game in the 9th against Ichiro, there seems to be little reason to have him in the bullpen. That, together with the Holland Rules in place, means that the Rangers are effectively working with a 4 man bullpen right now.

And of that four man pen, one guy was an NRI coming off two terrible seasons with no history of relieving, and one is a Rule 5 guy claimed off of waivers a week or so ago. When you bring your closer into his second straight game to get two outs with a five run lead, that's a pretty damning indictment of how you feel about the other options you have out there.

I felt that some guys in the minors could provide some options in May, but Thomas Diamond is hurt, Guillermo Moscoso isn't pitching that well, Pedro Strop just got shelled, and they probably aren't going to bring up Neftali Feliz until Holland moves into the rotation. And a trade at this point of the season isn't realistic.

It wouldn't be surprising if A.J. Murray came up in the next couple of weeks to replace Guardado in the LOOGY role. And maybe Benson can provide a little more security in a long man role, assuming they don't bump Feldman again in the misguided notion that he's more valuable in relief. But right now, you have to be worried about whether the handful of guys Washington relies upon are going to be able to last the season.

Monday morning Rangers stuff

Adam J. Morris — Mon, 04 May 2009 14:48:22 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

7 months ago: Texas Rangers' Matt Harrison pitches in the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Sunday, May 3, 2009, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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Impressive outing by Matt Harrison. In the second inning in his last start, I had mentally thrown in the towel on him, and was pretty much ready to see the Rangers send him back to Oklahoma when Kris Benson was healthy, or else move Derek Holland into the rotation into his place.

And I'm not sure what exactly happened, but it is like a switch flipped...he's allowed 0 runs in his last ten innings, he's been throwing strikes, it is like he's a whole new pitcher out there. This looks like the guy who the Rangers traded for, the guy who was a BA top 100 prospect.

Anthony Andro focuses on how two key parts of the Mark Teixeira trade -- Harrison and Elvis Andrus -- fueled yesterday's 5-1 win. But Ozzie Guillen wasn't impressed with Harrison:

"What did I see out of him?" Guillen said of Harrison. "He throws strikes. He was in deep counts all the time and walking people. But he got the win. To me, whoever got the 'W', that's the one who is the best. I don't care how good or bad he throws."

Harrison actually didn't issue any walks yesterday, although he did go deeper in counts than you'd like, and his pitch count was too high for 5 innings. But I'll take that from him right now...

Jeff Miller's story includes comments from Ron Washington about keeping Andrus in the #2 hole while Josh Hamilton is out, although he then indicated that David Murphy might get some time there, as well.

With Jarrod Saltalamacchia recovered from his eye problem, Max Ramirez is heading back to AAA, and Greg Golson is coming up to take his place on the roster.

Kris Benson's rehab start went fine from a health standpoint, andT.R. Sullivan says the question now isn't whether he'll replace Scott Feldman -- who is apparently sticking in the rotation -- but whether he'll be activated immediately to replace Luis Mendoza in the bullpen.

Gil LeBreton says that, while the Danks/McCarthy trade was a backstory for this weekend's series, it is time to let that go and move on.

Ain't Nobody Feeling No Pain: A Texas Rangers Preview

U-God — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:01:50 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

Joe Erwin, of Mineral Wells, Texas, was the only man present to witness the Rangers play on Wednesday, April 29, 2009. He must have gotten lonely.

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A brief look at an opponent we'll be playing this weekend.

Dates we play them: 5/1-5/3 @ Texas, 5/8-5/10 at home

Offense: A potential lineup: Ian Kinsler-2B, David Murphy-LF, Michael Young-3B, Hank Blalock/Andruw Jones-DH, Marlon Byrd-CF, Nelson Cruz-RF, Chris Davis-1B, Jarrod Saltalamacchia-C, Elvis Andrus-SS. Bench players: Omar Vizquel-INF, Taylor Teagarden-C

The first thing you probably noticed with my potential lineup is a strange lack of Josh Hamilton. Everybody's hero from last year's home run derby (despite the fact that he lost to a Canadian) is most likely going on the DL with hurt ribs, so we may not even see him and his glorious tattoos. Ian Kinsler is the shit. Seriously. When Gordon Beckham gets to the majors, I would like him to be Ian Kinsler. Kinsler was worth 5.7 WAR last season, and is currently tied for second in the AL in batting value wins, sharing the mountain top with guys who will always get more attention than him, even though he is doing this as a second baseman. David Murphy is a solid option to have in the outfield now that Hamilton might be out for a while. While he'll probably never be an All-Star, he was worth two wins last year and comes in as the fourth or fifth outfielder. Not a bad situation for the Rangers, and all it took to get him was Eric Gagne. Michael Young and his terrible Gold Glove defense have mercifully been moved to third base. His defense hasn't been that great yet, but its still early and seeing as they massively over-paid for him and don't have much in the pipes at third, he's probably going to be there a while. The two-headed monster of Hank Blalock and Andruw Jones is the current DH. Both are having nice rebounds so far, but Blalock isn't walking (.284 OBP) and Jones isn't playing much (39 PA) so who knows how long this could last.

Not so shockingly, coming to Texas has saved Marlon Byrd from becoming a AAAA player, the baseball equivalent of becoming a habitual felon. I'm not giving the credit to the stadium though, but to the best hitting coach in baseball. Byrd has cut his K rate each season and seems to have finally figured out that hitting thing that confused him in the NL. Nelson Cruz is another outfielder who seemed doomed to the same fate. SSH's favorite hitter, Cruz strikes out at an alarming rate (25.9% for his career) but has legitimate power which should keep him around for a little while longer at least. Chris Davis is a young masher whose presence allowed the Rangers to trade Mark Teixeira to the Braves for a crap-load of talent. Davis absolutely crushes the ball, but the 23 year old needs to learn to walk as his career could end quickly if he doesn't improve on his terrible BB/K of .2. Justin Smoak is waiting in the minors and will probably be ready next season. No pressure or anything. Jarrod Saltalamacchia was the original big name in the aforementioned Tex trade. Salty hasn't exactly been everything the Ranger's hoped for, but he is around league-average and only 24 years old, so he has plenty of room to grow. And if he doesn't, its not a big deal as the Rangers have a reservoir of catching depth in the minors. Elvis Andrus was another key part of that trade. The 20 year old already plays phenomenal defense, the only question is will he develop the bat to go with it. The Rangers signed Omar Vizquel, who is over twice as old as Andrus, as insurance and to be a mentor to the young shortstop. Oh yeah, and Andrus is somehow the first major league baseball player named Elvis. Hail to the king, baby.

Pitching: A potential rotation and closer: Kevin Millwood-RHP, Vicente Padilla-RHP, Brandon McCarthy-RHP, Matt Harrison-LHP, Scott Feldman-RHP, Frank Francisco-RHP

Few things have been as terrible as the Rangers pitching over the last few years (though Organic Chemistry and Business Calc come close). Understandably so, they've become a rather easy joke. Kevin Millwood has somehow managed to pitch 38 amazing innings (225 ERA+) without dying or having a limb fall off. I really don't expect him to be able to keep this up though, as his .220 BABIP is about .087 points lower than usual. Sadly, it gets even worse after him. Vicente Padilla is a douche bag who has been teetering on the brink of "meh" for a few years now. He's off to a terrible start and nothing would make me happier than if we got to keep that going. The odds of him not throwing a pitch at A.J. are about as good as the odds of A.J. throwing someone out. Ah, Brandon McCarthy. B-Mac is probably my favorite former prospect of ours, mostly because of how terrible that trade went for the other team. Brandon throws a mediocre fastball and gets hurt. Often. Matt Harrison is left-handed and gets groundouts. He was also a part of the Tex trade, but not a very important one. Scott Feldman will probably step in for Kris Benson and do just as badly but without providing the smoking hot and crazy wife. Frank Frank could be pitching for us, but we decided we needed Carl Everett in 2003. Francisco is pitching well, but will forever be remembered as that guy who threw a chair at a fan. There is hope for the pitching staff, as the Rangers finally have some good defensive players. The future looks very bright as well, with Neftali Feliz and Derek Holland right around the corner.

Outlook: The Rangers are another team whose future looks a lot brighter than the present. The number one farm system in baseball looks like it could finally produce some good pitching that Daniels hopefully won't foolishly trade away again, dooming the team to more mediocrity. The AL West could be wide open this year, so I wouldn't be shocked if the Rangers somehow won it. That being said, I love our chances against them. Sox win the season series 4-2. I just wish this wasn't from last season.