SB Nation User Blog: bigsteve

Texas Rangers market size

bigsteve — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:53:27 -0000

What are we? Does being in the DFW area make us a large market club? With the recent discussion about FA pitching and who we should and shouldn't go after this winter and the size of our payroll it got me wondering.

I think we are a mid level club who thinks they are a large market club. Our location means we should be a large market in the same tier as New York, Boston, LA and Chicago. Which is why in the winter we seem to have our name attached to the top names on the market. But we always seem to come up short. We as fans get upset but should we be? I don't think we should.

I believe we should be targeting the mid level guys. We should be the biggest of that level and should get those guys. Go back two winters. There was a good amount of pitchers available. At the top of the list was Zito and Dice-K with Padilla (coming off his 15 win season) as the tail end of the top group of FA pitchers. Then the second tier of guys included Lilly, Meche, and Suppan. We went hard after Zito and made an aggressive bid for Dice-K but came up empty handed and had to resort to Padilla. hes been good but what it also did was pretty much take us out of the market for those mid level guys.

Now look at this winter upcoming. With CC and Sheets arguably being the top of the heap with AJ Burnett as the tail end of the top group. The 2nd tier of pitchers includes guys like Oliver Perez, Jon Garland and Derek Lowe.

As Hindmans blog entry yesterday showed those high priced guys don't always end up giving the best results. Yet because we are in the DFW area most fans expect us to go after the top talent. I believe we should drop the notion that we are a large market club and settle in our minds as the biggest mid level franchise there is and use that to acquire talent based on that premise. With our offense we don't necessarily need shut down, ERA leading pitchers to be a winning ballclub. But we do need consistency and guys who we can depend on. Ive advocated signing Jon Garland for a long time. I think he would be the perfect fit in this rotation. he would slide into the 3rd or 4th slot and be asked to just go out every 5 days and give us the 6 or 7 innings he has his whole career. A 5 ERA will still be a 10 win pitcher most likely. We aren't Florida or tampa by any means but we also aren't the Cubs or Yankees. I don't think its a bad thing if we were just considered the biggest of the mid level teams.

Sexson released, Bedard to DL

bigsteve — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:11:32 -0000

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3481747

Wow their season is truly headed down the drain and fast. I wonder if this ends the Bedard trade speculation or if he will be able to come back in enough time for them to drum up some interest in him.

Well as TAG would say, see ya ya 6'7" formerly good player. And if you are going to hit someone we would have hit one of their good players.

Pure Ticket gold

bigsteve — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 02:08:05 -0000

Pure Ticket gold

Taint on Taint with Doyle King

Rangers/ Mariners fight transcript

bigsteve — Fri, 09 May 2008 05:01:08 -0000

Well someone in the gameday thread asked for a transcript of Josh and Toms commentaryduring the melee at Safeco and since I couldn't sleep I figured what the hell. It starts when Sexson comes to the plate and ends when Gabbard starts pitching again. Tom got a couple more good quips in a little afterwards but frankly I was too tired to go on. Hope yall enjoy

Seattle with 2 out nobody on Sexson comes to plate

JL: Inside and there goes Sexson. (Sexson throws helmet like a little girl) With a helmet throw...come on
TAG: That ball wasn't even close
(about 15 seconds of silence while players wrestle around on the field)
JL: He went out there and played dodgeball with the helmet
TAG: Where did that come from?
JL: Lot of pointing. Lot of gesturing.Lot of pushing and shoving. And a lot of question as to what the heck Richie Sexson is doing out at the mound. Not to mention Felix Hernandez stirring it up now. Eddie Guardado trying to play peacemaker. The former Mariner and a guy that helped Hernandez break in.
TAG: You know the thing that is hard to understand in this game is Hernandez is the guy thats drilled two guys. He drilled Laird, he drilled Kinsler. That pitch to Sexson wasn't even close to hitting him. I guess when you are hitting .209 and can't drive in any runs you are going to try and take it out on the pitcher..............................I have no idea what Sexson was thinking though.
JL: The 2 out HBP. Felix Hernandez had hit Kinsler with two out in the bo...top of the 4th inning.
TAG: Thats just thats just a great example of a team thats struggling, a team that can't score runs, trying to stir it up, trying to get some emotion into their performance.
JL: Well now Laird in the middle of it too. Milton Bradley picks up Laird and is actually him across the foul line (cut to shot of Milton pushing Laird repeatedly)
TAG: I have no idea where thats coming from
JL: Laird was trying to get back at Sexson it would appear after it had kinda died down. Milton Bradley of all people, remember he was tackled by his own manager last year and had his whole season ruined.
TAG: Thats just thats just frustration by a team thats getting beaten.
JL: There is a lot more Rangers versus Mariners baseball here in 2008 and Richie Sexson...
TAG: You would ....
JL......has just detonated stuff here
TAG:....you would think it was the Mariners that were getting drilled tonight. Its Hernandez thats drilled the Rangers.

Heres where it starts to get good

JL: Well now...
TAG: I mean if ya if Kason Gabbards gonna hit anybody hes gonna hit one of their good hitters. Hes not gonna hit Richie Sexson.
JL: Sexsons obviously been ejected
TAG: You got a chance to hit Ibanez, you got a chance to hit Beltre two good hitters. You got a guy coming up there who can't hit water if he fell out of a boat. And you think hes gonna throw at HIM?
JL: You know heres the interesting part of all this. Obviously Sexsons gone he charged the mound. Gabbard just stood there and absorbed a helmet
TAG: I think I think hes gotta be SHOCKED the guy charged him. I don't I don't I think if Sexson didn't even move the ball wouldn't have hit him.
JL: There were no warnings folowing the Kinsler hit by pitch. And I just I gotta assume Gabbard, well here lets check it out.
(replay shows pitch high but right down the middle almost)
TAG:THAT PITCH WASN'T EVEN CLOSE.THAT THAT PITCH IS A FOOT AWAY FROM HIM
JL: Gabbard is stunned
TAG Boy that is a gutless 6'7" .200 hitting formerly good player. What a joke.
JL: Then you got Laird all crumpled and twisted in there. That could have led to who knows what in terms of injuries.
TAG: Ehhhh theres no excuse, if that pitch was two feet lower it would be a strike.
JL: Tom I think what you initially said is dead on. Heres a guy just trying to stir something up and looking for any excuse to get it done.
TAG: I think I think he went up to the plate and he said "this is what I gotta do". "we can't score"...
JL: Yup...
TAG..."I gotta try and get some emotion back in the team". But its such an irresponsible thing to do. Ya risk a number of people getting hurt. Kason Gabbard didn't do anything. He wasn't throwing at him. That ball wouldn't have even hit him.
JL: Well at least wait until a pitch at least comes within 7 or 8 inches of you before going out ther.
TAG: Thats a joke
JL: And again what the umpires have to discuss now is who goes where in terms of staying in this game or being ejected from this game. I'll be honest with ya TAG I just assumed that ball hit Sexson when he charged because im thinking..obviously thats why hes running out there.
TAG:Well I didn't assume it hit him I saw the pitch it wasn't even close it was a foot away from his head.
JL: Well I mean I was assuming I just saw it wrong it doesn't compute. Theres no reason otherwise to even think about going out there:
TAG: I think he had it in his mind he was going to do it before he ever came to the plate. I think when Richie Sexson sees the replay of that pitch hes gonna be embarrassed.
JL: I would agree with that
TAG: And hes gotta be embarrassed for runnning out toward the pitcher and throwing the helmet at him.
JL: Well ya its one thing...
TAG: You wanna go out and fight...fight. Throw a helmet at a guy? I mean whats the difference between throwning a helmet and taking a bat swinging it at somebody.

(tracker pops up and shows the Sexson pitch is high but right down the middle of the plate)

JL: That 4th pitch of the at bat. Thats where it registered on the tracker. It was high. But it sure didn't look like it was in.
TAG: He didn't see 4 pitches though that was the first pitch to Sexson. That had to be someone else.
JL: Well yeah I think you are right I think that was the 4th pitch of the inning. Yeah that would make sense cause Ibanez was up for a couple and Beltre...
TAG: Where that pitch was it was definately high but if Sexson never moved his head the ball is a foot away from his head. Ya see him move back. The pitch is probably over the plate just 3 feet high. Hes ducking out of the way of a pitch that wouldn't even have hit him.
JL: Gabbard is stunned here
TAG: Ya throw the helmet at him. You talk about a gutless move.
JL: Well again what happens here is Gerald Laird is in a position now where he could get hurt and theres no reason for all that to be happening in the first place
TAG: Nobody should be in that position on that pitch. Hes not even dreaming of throwing at him after two Rangers get drilled.
JL: Well and as you said TAG. I thought the interesting kinda sidebar to all that was the guy most upset about all that was Felix Hernandez. A guy that actually hit two Rangers
TAG: You know what hes upset about. Hes gotten bombed his last three times out there. The Yankees got 12 hits off him and the Rangers have 5 hits and 4 runs against him. Hes getting beat thats what hes upset about.
JL: Miguel Cairo is gonna come up and inherit a 1-0 count. And this will make for some interesting discussion after the game for sure. Richie Sexson is gonna have to answer to the commisioners office about that thats for sure
TAG: If he doesn't get suspended for a week for that gutless move i'll be shocked. #1 for charging the mound on a pitch that wasn't even close. And then for getting 20 feet away and throwing the helmet at him like a girl. What a joke. Not to denegrate girls I don't think girls would even do that.

Thats where it returns to baseball. TAG has a couple more decent quips but frankly I am way too tired to go through it. Hope yall enjoy

Welcome Mr. Duran

bigsteve — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:07:29 -0000

Looks like its not Hank that is going to the DL but Marlong Byrd. And we are going to get some German Duran action now.

http://rangersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/04/i-hope-hes-hungry-to-face-brian-wolfe.html

Personally I am worried about what move they made to clear room for Duran. And I don't think he is ready for the big leagues. He had a breakthrough season last year at AA but then started this year slow. Now he is coming off an injury and will be sitting on the bench for 2 weeks basically. Personally I think he would be better served to play everyday in OKC then to play once or twice in the next couple weeks up here. Also we just lost a full year of evaluation time by putting him on the 40 man. Had we waited until September and brought him up we would have still had 3 options left going into next year. Now we will only have two and with Kinsler and Young/Andrus entrenched at his primary positions the more options we have the better.

Dustin Nippert

bigsteve — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 03:52:44 -0000

I know after his first outing everyone wanted to get rid of the guy but I am glad he had a solid outing tonight. I think there were alot of factors that played into that bad outing. For one, he hadn't pitched in over a week. He had been traded during that time and had his first child born if I recall correctly. Thats alot to have happen to a guy in such a short amount of time. Add in the fact that he came in a game with an 8 run lead or something big like that and there wasn't any sense of urgency. He was just going through the motions it seemed.

Well tonight he looked really good. Arizona was in the same position we were in with Tejeda. A young guy with alot of potential but was out of options. They decided to trade him off. Hopefully he can get under contol here and be another young bullpen arm we can rely on. In any case I think tonight shut down any attempt to DL him to make room for Feldman on Monday.