SB Nation User Blog: clark

Trade Talk

clark — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:44:06 -0000

I have nothing substantial here, but as July gets closer, my mind tends to wander this way. I keep reading over and over that this is such a seller’s market, which amazes me because, with the financial situation as it is, I figured teams would be more willing to move guys. I am starting to wonder if the Rangers can pull off a dual “buyer/seller” mode over the next month and move some guys who may not be able to help after this year while also keeping their team strong for a playoff run. Of course, it would help if every position player at the big league level wasn’t mired in suck right now.

Still, I love proposing deals, so I’d figure I’d throw some shit at the wall and see what sticks.

#1 Chris Davis, Thomas Diamond and Greg Golson for Ian Snell, Adam LaRoche and Sean Burnett.

Why it makes sense for the Rangers: Ian Snell is controllable through 2012 and when he’s right, he’s a very good young pitcher. Let him stay down in OKC through the all star break and hope that he comes back strong and rejuvenated by playing for a contender in the second half. He hasn’t faced the AL West much, which should be an advantage this year. Adam LaRoche could come in and solve our 1B problem for the rest of the year, and he’s always been a very strong second half guy (and as a FA at year’s end, we would stand to get some compensation for him). Sean Burnett gives us a groundball inducing lefty (a true loogy) to bolster our reliever corps.

Why it makes sense for the Pirates: Chris Davis is obviously a wildly talented hitter with an impeccable minor league track record. He is also very solid defensively. Still, the Rangers need help at 1B now, and not necessarily in the future (with Smoak coming through the ranks), so letting Davis play through his slump makes a lot more sense for a non-contender like the Pirates. Pittsburgh is reportedly looking for toolsy OF to put around McCutchen, and Golson makes sense in that department (he is no higher than sixth or seventh on our OF depth chart). I still think, somewhere in there, Thomas Diamond has what it takes, but obviously DVD needed to be elsewhere in order to thrive, so its time we set this bird free.

Which team balks at this deal? There is obvious risk on both sides, and it would certainly sting to see Davis leave, but it makes sense in both the short and long term for the Rangers.

#2 Jose Vallejo for Sergio Romo

Why it makes sense for the Rangers: When healthy, Sergio Romo has been one of the best relievers in baseball over the past two years, despite his smallish stature. I don’t love this move only because Vallejo is the obvious choice to fill in long term if Kinsler went down with an injury, and he makes sense as a cheap utility guy for us in the future. But Sergio could team with Wilson, Frankie and O'Day to give us a true shut-down back end of our bullpen, and it would be nice to have a Romo I can count on when it matters.

Why it makes sense for the Giants: The Giants have solid pitching depth, especially in their bullpen, and a dearth of position player prospects in their upper levels. Vallejo is just about major league ready and could step in and play 2B for the Giants tomorrow, while filling that hole for years to come. He is currently blocked in TX by two talented young players who are controllable for many years, but he has the tools to be a legit ML starter somewhere.

These are the first two that popped into my head. They may be wildly biased on my part. I just figured I’d get a little conversation going. Feel free to rip mine and/or add your own.

New Draft Thread

clark — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:08:04 -0000

I think we're about to lose the previous draft post and subsequent conversations from the main page, so let's get this party started...again. Here are all the links that were included in the last thread:

Andy's most recent first round projection over at minorleagueball.com...click around and check out Andy's previous projections.

The Sporting News has some interesting articles up about Crow, Volz, and the college closer trend on their mlb draft page.

Some early prep profiles from Saberscouting...RIP, we hardly knew you...

Check out milb's draft profiles to familiarize yourself with some of the top names, and then check BA's updated draft tracker to see how these guys have progressed throughout the year. Here is their general draft page, with some great stuff for everyone and lots more behind the pay wall.

Here is the link to Brewerfan.net's top 30 as another point of reference (although their top 30 is already looking a little outdated in this year's very fluid first round).

Another useful resource during draft season is PG Crosschecker, although you either have to pony up for a subscription or root around for scraps of free information.

A new (and somewhat questionable) source of data this year is Real Baseball Intelligence. Their top prospects list includes some eyebrow raising locations for more than a few familiar names.

And here's an early first round mock from the Sporting News as well as one from mymlbdraft.com.

Since this is my thread, I'll go ahead and link the player bio of my personal cheeseball, current UNC LHP and future Ranger great Brian Moran.

If you have more helpful links, throw 'em up here.

Well all right! Let's commence the jigglin'!

Rangers Draft Talk

clark — Thu, 14 May 2009 05:09:36 -0000

We've tiptoed around it long enough and flirted with it in various threads, but to this point there is not a catch all spot to discuss the upcoming draft. Andy Seiler has done a great job covering the draft over at minorleagueball, but its time we had our own spot to bounce ideas over here at LSB.

For starters, check out milb's draft profiles to familiarize yourself with some of the top names, and then check BA's updated draft tracker to see how these guys have progressed throughout the year.

Then head over to the aforementioned minorleagueball and check out Andy's most recent first, supplemental and second round mocks, as well as his Ranger's draft preview and his MOD thread. You'll find each link in the recommended fanposts because apparently every Rangers thread over there is rectacular.

I'll kick off the conversation tonight by saying I have a new draft crush (or personal cheeseball, as BA would say) should the Rangers miss out on the many sexy arms projected to go at the top of the first round, and his name is Bobby Borchering. He's a prep third baseman who is an advanced hitter from both sides of the plate. While the Rangers would love to see him stick at third (though scouts seem mixed on that) I think he has the bat and the arm to make him a strong option as a left fielder. He may not be the top prep position prospect, but he seems to have the top prep bat, and he has 13 HRs in 107 appearances so far on the year.

UPDATE:

Here is the link to Brewerfan.net's top 30 as another point of reference (although their top 30 is already looking a little outdated in this year's very fluid first round).

Another useful resource during draft season is PG Crosschecker, although you either have to pony up for a subscription or root around for scraps of free information.

And finally, a new (and somewhat questionable) source of data this year is Real Baseball Intelligence. Their top prospects list includes some eyebrow raising locations for more than a few familiar names.

A Question/Ranking Opportunity

clark — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:18:09 -0000

Okay, this may come off as piling on after this four game debacle we all just witnessed, but this actually stems from a conversation I had with some friends here in Houston at an Astros game when the Rangers sat at 2-0 on the year. As you may imagine and/or have witnessed yourself, a person can take a fair amount of shit for being a transplanted Rangers fan, but lately I have been quick to come back with the retort that our farm system ranks number one in baseball and that our organization is clearly trending upwards. Anyway, our conversation quickly turned to trying to identify the most futile, hapless franchise in baseball history over the course of each respective team’s lifespan. Ultimately, it was decided that it depends on if you want to allow a franchise to count prior cities and identities (as with the Rangers and the Senators), but for the sake of this conversation, we decided not to include past iterations because a fan base regenerates with each move (Nationals fans don’t care about the Expos’ struggles).

Without the Senators (and possibly even with their efforts), I was unable to give any good reason why the Rangers would not be the worst franchise in baseball. This may have been obvious to some, but it caught me off guard. It didn’t seem this clear 4 or 5 years ago, but with the relatively recent success of the Astros, Rockies and Rays, I think it has become pretty clear. In the AL, the Mariners were the closest with three division titles and no WS appearances, but that 107 win season gave them a slight nod. A team like the Expos would have been our best chance to avoid the basement, but if you look only at the work of the Nationals, then the sample size is too small. Even long suffering teams (at least in my 25 year life to date) like the Pirates and Orioles had enough success earlier to slide comfortably above the Rangers. It was a sad realization, but ultimately, a small source of pride. I think we may be the best fans in baseball, because we have the greatest labor of love.

Did I forget anything that may change this dubious status?

Opening Day #2

clark — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:45:08 -0000

Guys! It's opening day for our four full season minor league affiliates. As great as the first two Rangers games have been, baseball season doesn't really start for me (and many of you, I'm sure) until I get to open three game day trackers and scan and rescan 5 box scores at the end of the night. I don't know when our parent team will suffer its first loss this year, but I am sure glad they were able to hold out long enough that the sting can now be mitigated by the juggernaut that is our farm system.

So be sure to check Shroom's site for the probable starters and read over all the great stuff in your inbox from Jamey and Scott, and be sure to count your blessings that you were born a Rangers fan and have a bazillion resources at your disposal to help you follow all our affiliates.

A case for Jimmy Gobble

clark — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 04:04:13 -0000

Jimmy Gobble's numbers last year were ugly. 8.81 ERA, 27:23 K:BB ratio, 1.96 WHIP. On the surface, he seems like the sort of pitcher this team should stay away from. But looking a little deeper, he could be exactly who this team needs.

I have recently opined at length about our bullpen, and it was admittedly mostly fretting. Frankie is a lock in the 9th inning role, and Wilson will hopefully return to be the 8th inning guy. If his blister problems linger, it's looking like two of Turnbow, Eyre, or Madrigal would be asked to step into the 7th and 8th inning roles. The long reliever will be either Nippert or Rupe. What the bullpen currently lacks is a loogy.

As horrible as Gobble was last year, he was pretty dominant against lefties. His BAA vs lefties was .200, vs righties it was .382. His OPS against vs lefties was .580, vs righties it was 1.193. His K:BB was 18:4 vs lefties, 9:19 vs righties. He is the textbook definition of a loogy, and he can be had for next to nothing. With the current instability among our crop of bullpen lefties, he seems like exactly the sort of player to take a chance on.

Our weak link

clark — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:27:34 -0000

For the most part, this has been a spring of pleasant surprises. The rotation has received a number of effective and efficient starts from its younger members and Millwood has already thrown more “A” game innings than I can ever remember him throwing as a Rangers pitcher. Our veterans in the lineup look to be rounding into shape and the core group has had a strong spring. Our young catchers have only increased their value, and our young OFs have displayed their tantalizing physical tools. Most important, the injury bug has stayed away (vigorously knocking on wood).

But I am still worried, because without a strong bullpen, this team is destined to fail. The formula for winning in Texas was well established by Melvin’s late 90’s teams and revisited and reconfirmed in 2004: a good offense, a decent and efficient enough rotation, and a strong bullpen. We don’t exactly have a rotation full of established workhorses. Rather we are asking many pitchers to either establish new professional career highs after setting doing the same last year (Harrison, Feldman) or to reestablish themselves as effective 180-200 inning guys after a couple of years of falling pathetically short and with a contract situation acting as some sort of carrot-on-a-stick/elixir (Millwood, Padilla). But even if we get significantly more innings from our starters (and it is almost impossible not to after last season), we will still need an effective bullpen in order to compete and, some might argue, to grow as a team, as nothing causes clubhouse strife and managerial second-guessing like late inning losses.

It would be heartbreaking to see the team finally assemble a decent rotation, only to see a weak bullpen prove to be the Achilles heal of the team. But as of right now, we are looking at only three bullpen locks in Francisco, Wilson (whose status as a lock is now in question because of a blister injury that could linger and will certainly cause him to miss a significant amount of ST) and Eddie Guardardo (who has been utterly hittable since last July). Beyond that, the best bets are probably Nippert (whose lack of options and strong spring have all but assured his spot as resident long man) and Warner Madrigal. But Mad Dog is a guy who, going into ST, most agreed would benefit greatly from more time in the minors.

Josh Rupe is beginning to near Loe/Littleton territory in his frustrating stuff/results quotient and his lack of control and player options, and he is coming off a year in which his arm was abused. It would be a huge help to the org if he stepped up and looked sharp from here on out and then proceeded to remain healthy, but that is hard to bank on. Our wildcards, Donnelly and Turnbow, still look like wildcards, and at this point are probably behind Willie Eyre because Eyre is already on the 40. Guys like Diamond, Torres and Gabbard, three quality arms who could have laid claim to a spot with a strong, healthy spring, have taken themselves out of consideration. The 40 man roster and player options will undoubtedly have a large effect on our ultimate assembly of arms, possibly to the detriment of the team.

Granted, it would only take three or four strong outings in a row by someone like Rupe or Turnbow to drastically alter the projection, but as of right now, with so few sure things, I just don’t see a way this collection of guys can congeal into a strong bullpen unit.

Sorry for the length. Can anyone give me "reasons to believe"?

Michael Lewis takes on basketball

clark — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 15:23:47 -0000

Here.

I know nothing about the Mavericks. I know nothing about the Mavericks.

Winter Meetings Rumor Mill Thread (1st of ???)

clark — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 20:49:21 -0000

As many of you know, the Nationals have joined the Tigers and Reds in the pursuit of Gerald Laird. Could this guy be on the Rangers' radar? But that is hardly the only significant rumor mill fodder to come out recently.

JD Sullivan adds that the Giants and Rangers will discuss Big Bank Hank and Jonathan (Dirty) Sanchez. Sanchez and the Giants have been tied to Cantu and the Marlins and Encarnacion and the Reds, and both of those players have been healthier, more productive, and are under control longer, making it seem like the Rangers would need to significantly sweeten the pot to make such a trade happen.It is worth noting that the Giants could use some middle infield talent, an area in which the Rangers enjoy some depth. Still, the Giants have been tied to Blalock for a while now, so their interest seems legit. They have Sandoval, who profiles better defensively as a 1B, so a lot could hang on how confident the Giants are that Blalock can return to third, his previously stated preference.

Also, there are reports leaking that Jason Varitek will reject arbitration, which seemingly takes away a little of the leverage from the Red Sox should they and the Rangers continue to discuss a young catcher for pitcher swap. It seems that many around here have grown to like the idea of keeping both Teagarden and Salty and continuing to let both high-upside players develop, but I still think dealing one of these two for a significant young pitching return would be ideal, as the market will probably only become more saturated with young catchers as the glut of minor league talent works its way up to the major league level. Perhaps this is a good place to note Salty's continued domination of Dominican Winter Ball.

Rule 5 Previews

clark — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:39:11 -0000

Because things are still pretty slow, I thought I would link Baseball Analysts' Rule 5 previews for pitchers and position players. Of course, as of right now this is pretty much irrelevant for Rangers fans...

Not that it matters, but if I was looking to find a cheap way to fill out my bullpen, I would take a long look at RHP Eduardo Morlan in the first round and perhaps LHP Ryan Mullins in the second. Morlan has pretty legit stuff and is only available because of the amazing depth of the Rays farm. I would think he is one of the first guys off the board. Mullins has an underwhelming fastball but a legit curve and solid loogy splits. He is 6'6" so perhaps a mechanical adjustment and/or a move to the pen could squeeze a little more out of that fastball.