SB Nation User Blog: tricer

Fire up the hot stove

tricer — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:10:30 -0000

TR has an article up about some of the Rangers offseason plans.

Says Vizquel could be resigned in the next couple weeks. I don't think you could find a better fit for the utility spot.

Byrd wants to test the market. Say all the right things, offer him arb, and express deep regret when he signs elsewhere.

Rangers looking for a RH middle of the order bat. Mentions Dye, Vlad, Sheffield, Glaus and Tatis. Note to the old school brother: you have a RH middle of the order masher on the roster, quit batting him 7th.

Ownership situation probably won't be resolved in time to affect the offseason plans. Of course... whenever it appears that Ranger fans have a reason for optimism, ahh shit, nevermind.

Servais is working with Salty and monitoring his rehab. Club is evaluating his status while considering bringing back Pudge. Have a feeling that catcher production is going to suck again next year.

Blalock and Andruw ain't coming back. The Hefty Lefty is expected to retire.

Apparently CJ to the rotation is at least a consideration. Hopefully just to appease him, dude doesn't have a starter's arsenal or mindset.

Lots of good stuff there. I'm hoping to see a big trade and some smaller ones because I don't see anything on the FA bargain bin that would improve the team enough to really be a strong contender going into the season.

And an OT note that I heard on the Ticket at lunch today, did anybody hear Teixeira's comments after the game? He said that he's been faithful and that God rewarded him by leading him to the Yankees. Go have a white wine spritzer with Bitch Tits and shut up, you doucheface.

5/26 minors thread

tricer — Wed, 27 May 2009 01:50:59 -0000

Only two games slated for tonight.

Crawdads deadlocked at 1-1 going to extra innings. Carlos Pimental is quietly going about his business and putting together a nice season. Tonight he goes 5.1 ip allowing 6 hits, 1 run, 1 bb, and 4 k. David Paisano is hitting like he's never hit before, which is to say he's hitting a little. Tonight he goes 2-3 with an extra base hit(!) and a walk(!). BA ranks him as the best defensive OF in the system, which is pretty strong praise considering Beltre and Borbon have both been profiled as above average.

And the stopdown prospect in the system, Big Cheese Feliz, takes the ball against Reno. Through 2 innings so far, with 2 hits and no runs or walks allowed. 3 k. Radio feed available here.

As always, thanks to Shroom and his magical calendar.

Vizquel w/ comments on Andrus

tricer — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 02:34:51 -0000

Vizquel w/ comments on Andrus

Nice article by Jeff Passan with quotes from both the Venezuelan shortstops.

injury risk pitchers for this year

tricer — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 01:27:45 -0000

injury risk pitchers for this year

These guys have crunched some numbers and determined several criteria to help identify pitchers at risk for injury. Nothing is really groundbreaking, but I did find it interesting that their study showed the strongest correlation of injury risk to percentage of breaking pitches thrown. Anything over 25-27% seems to be a big red flag.

what JD had to say

tricer — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 02:31:05 -0000

I'm not real good with prose, so I'll just scattershoot the parts of the session that I remember...

JD started by remarking that the Q&A event w/ the Newberg crowd is one of his favorite days of the year. Nice touch and good way to warm the crowd.

My favorite anecdote was when JD answered my question about the reaction in the draft room when Houston made their draft pick, which sealed the fact that Smoak was going to fall to the Rangers. He remarked that within the industry it is generally pretty well known what each team is going to do going into the draft, so once the first few picks played out, it started to become obvious to them that they would be able to land Smoak. Then he told a story about how the 2006 draft unfolded in the Rangers draft HQ. He said that going into that draft, the one team that was unclear on their intentions was SF. The Rangers had eyes for Tiny Tim Lincecum, and if he had made it past SF, then the braintrust was confident that he would be a Ranger. JD said that Lincecum's five digit draft number was something like 00605, and when the Giants announced their pick, they started by saying "six" and JD admitted that he was feeling elated, not realizing that the first two zeros are commonly ommitted.

He said that the evaluation of Galaragga was flawed, but he does not think that the Rangers evaluation process is flawed. I understood his answer to mean that he believes the team had a poor evaluation of an individual pitcher, but that it was an isolated incident. This was also my question.

Hambone extension talks have been tabled for the time being.

When Grant Schiller asked what he would guess the rotation would be in 2010, using only current members of the system. JD asked him what he thought and he said Feliz, Hurley, Hunter, Harrison, and Kiker. JD responded that those sounded good to him then remarked that some young pitchers currently in the bigs could also hold their roto spots.

Remarked that he is hopeful CJ grows into the closer role, and he said he knows that fans have been getting uneasy when the Ceej enters a game and remarked, "if you are getting uneasy when he is coming into the game, just try and imagine how I am feeling". Got a roomfull of laughs there.

When asked what advice he would give to others that could be used in coaching, leadership, business, or life in general he said, "Be brutally honest".

Said that Jon Hart is around a few times a year and admitted that he solicits opinions from him at certain times. Remarked that even though Hart had a rough go in Texas with media, fans, and on-field results, but he still has a wealth of knowledge that JD like to tap into at times.

From Will Carroll...

Said that JD is one of the GMs that he most respects in the game, but said that he has "grave concern" about the hiring of Colburn as bullpen coach. Carroll has a very low opinion of that guy.

Regarding Brandon McCarthy (my question), Carroll said that he doesn't expect him to recover. Said something about a chain of injuries from fingertips to forearm to elbow to shoulder that is rarely ever recovered from. Said some guys just aren't cut out for the act of pitching in the bigs and every time one part of the body is strengthened, another weak link in the chain brakes. He sounded very discouraging about any expectations of McCarthy lasting any length of time in a major league rotation.

He also mentioned that he has serious concerns about Clayton Kershaw's mechanics. (Gasp...the cornerstone of my keeper team!)

He has known Tommy Hunter since he was 15 years old and has always been high on him. Says he thought Hunter would end up a closer, but now thinks he may have been selling him short. He says CJ is no closer, he's a LOOGY.

Believes that if Teagarden stays healthy and hits .260 that he will be the most valuable of that group of four.

Joe Sheehan said...

When asked what pitcher would be the best FA target for the Rangers in the next few years - he said King Felix.

He also said that he thinks the talent on hand could easily lead to a run of 3 divisional titles in a 5 year time frame, beginning in 2010 with Feliz heading the rotation. Also cautioned against expecting Feliz to pitch in the big leagues before then. I guess he is saying that Feliz could top a rotation from the moment he gets called up.

Anyway, the event was great - big props to Newberg for another quality program.

4/5 minors

tricer — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 23:20:04 -0000

Ballard had a really nice looking line today for Frisco. 6 ip, 2er, 5 hits, 1 bb, and 6 k. I remember he had a real nice first start last year as well.

Teagarden had a blast and 2 walks (and a stolen base!), Max also went deep.

Evan Reed is currently cruising. 5 ip, 3 hits, 1 bb, and 6 ks. Zeros on the scoreboard. Cristian Santana with a couple hits and an rbi as DH.

Feliz starts the nightcap for Clinton.

OKC lineup is posted and I can't for the life of me figure out why my man Boggs is buried in the 8th spot while Ellison is hitting leadoff (and playing CF) and Arias is hitting 6th. Watch out for double B tonight.

Michael Main -- injured ribcage

tricer — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:10:49 -0000

Right-hander Michael Main, one of the Rangers' two first-round draft picks last summer, has a stress fracture in his rib cage. Main is not expected to pitch before late May.
http://rangersblog.dallasnews.com/

At least it is not the elbow or shoulder.

Pitch selection and velocity

tricer — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:33:09 -0000

Cool new feature on fangraphs.com shows the pitch selection and average velocity for each ML pitcher. I haven't seen this available for free elsewhere, and it is pretty interesting.

A few examples:

Kason Gabbard
48.7% fastballs at average velocity of 86.4 mph
29% curves at 76 mph
22.3% change at 79.6 mph

Brandon McCarthy
66% fastballs at 88.9
16.5% curves at 75.6
17.6% change at 76.6

Vinny Padilla
73% fastballs at 91.9
5.6% sliders at 83.1
14.6% curves at 70.4
6.6% changes at 79.4

Joaquin Benoit
58.6% fastballs at 92.6
19.7% sliders at 86.1
20.7% changes at 83

CJ Wilson
76.7% fastballs at 92.4
11.7% sliders at 84.4
3.5% curves at 77.2
8.1% change at 82.6

BA Ranger report is up

tricer — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:58:54 -0000

http://tinyurl.com/yqseu8

This quote seems right on the money regarding the Rangers future:

The Rangers expect to continue their rebuilding process in 2008, field a competitive team by 2009 and make a serious playoff run in 2010. In addition to the foundation in the farm system, Texas has whom it regards as a few core players to build around at the big league level, including outfielder Josh Hamilton (brought over in an offseason trade with the Reds for righthander Edinson Volquez), second baseman Ian Kinsler, righthander Brandon McCarthy, Saltalamacchia and shortstop Michael Young.

Projected 2011 lineup seems a bit puzzling in several ways, including that Davis' scouting report is pretty clear that he will wind up at 1B, and Kinsler at DH while Young is at 2B seems ridiculous.

Catcher Taylor Teagarden
First Base Jarrod Saltalamacchia
Second Base Michael Young
Third Base Chris Davis
Shortstop Elvis Andrus
Left Field Engel Beltre
Center Field Julio Borbon
Right Field Josh Hamilton
Designated Hitter Ian Kinsler
No. 1 Starter Eric Hurley
No. 2 Starter Neftali Feliz
No. 3 Starter Michael Main
No. 4 Starter Blake Beavan
No. 5 Starter Brandon McCarthy
Closer Kasey Kiker

The scouting report on #5 prospect Feliz is tantalizing:

Background: Feliz could wind up as the crown jewel of the Mark Teixeira haul. Rather than blowing hitters away with his fastball after the trade, he focused on developing his secondary stuff and still struck out 27 in just 15 innings.

Strengths: With some time to refine his command, Feliz's fastball could rate as an 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale. With a smooth, effortless arm action, he pumps heaters that sit at 94-97 mph and touch 99, exploding on hitters. He is athletic and a hard worker.

Weaknesses: Feliz flashes a promising three-quarters breaking ball in the high 70s, but it's inconsistent. One day he'll show a plus curve with very good depth, and the next day he'll drop his arm, causing the pitch to flatten out and spin but not bite. He tends to throw his changeup too hard, right into hitters' bat speeds, but he has some feel for the pitch and made progress with it in instructional league. He shows good control but not command.

The Future: Feliz has a chance to open 2008 as a 19-year-old at low Class A Clinton, but he's still a long way from the majors. If it all comes together for him, he has the potential to be a true No. 1 starter, though some scouts see him as a flame-throwing closer down the road.

Chat with Aaron Fitt today at 1 pm:
http://tinyurl.com/25ux5y

OT: Mexican Honeymoon

tricer — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:07:46 -0000

Getting married in May and wondering if anybody has recommendations for a good Mexican beach for a honeymoon destination. We would prefer quaint over touristy, small cantinas over happening nightclubs, local street markets over Gucci outlets, strolling cobblestone streets and dining at family owned eateries over spa treatments and buffet lines, etc. She's not really the adventurous sort, so Scuba diving, jungle treks, and sport fishing excursions won't be on the agenda. Affordability is also a key concern. I guess we would prefer to spend most of our time (4-5 days) relaxing beachside, some shopping and a jeep tour or something like that, maybe couple of nights out checking out the local scene, and plenty of time in a comfortable, but not pretentious, cabana.

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.