Texas hold 'em? Rangers shouldn't discard the notion

Tag : Brad Point Bits

Q: With the rash of injuries Hank Blalock has suffered the last twoyears, I imagine that his trade value is relatively low. However,most of the pundits seem to be saying he's as good as traded comethe deadline or that the Rangers won't pick up his option for 2009.My question is why? Do the Rangers have so much talent that theycan cast aside a proven (albeit injury-prone) infielder? Even withChris Davis' imminent promotion, I just can't see why the Rangerswould go forward with Chris Shelton, German Duran or FrankCatalanotto instead of Blalock. Surely there's room on the team forhim this year and in 2009.
Daniel Hagelberg, McKinney, Texas
GRANT: If Blalock comes back here soon, gets hot and the Rangers get on aroll that pushes them into the playoff race, I doubt Blalock goesanywhere this season. Then the Rangers have decisions: Do they pickup the option? If they do, do they place Blalock at first base orask him to go back to third? Do they ask Chris Davis to move backacross the infield to third if Blalock plays first? (My guess onthe final issue is "no." Makes no sense to me to have anatural third baseman playing first and a natural first basemanplaying third unless you want to have more fielding issues than youalready have.)
If Blalock comes back and performs poorly, he's not going anywhereeither, except perhaps the bench. There would be little if anytrade value at that point. And if the Rangers fall out of the race,then Davis takes over at first. End of story.
The question is what happens if Blalock comes back, performs welland the Rangers pretty much tread water? Would a month at first beenough time for him to prove he could play the position, prove he'shealthy again and make a more serious contender come knocking onthe Rangers' door bearing prospects? Yeah, I think it is. Atrailing team in a playoff race is a desperate team, and it mightbe willing to "overpay" at that point. Blalock might alsoincrease his trade value by showing that he can help a contender atfirst or third.
What it comes down to is this: How does Blalock performindividually and how do the Rangers perform as a team? • • •
Q: I heard some talk today by national radio personalities that theRangers and C.C. Sabathia could be a possible fit at the tradedeadline with a contract extension in the $150 millionneighborhood. Is this a legit possibility or just a talking headkilling time on the air? If it is legit, what kind of names wouldbe included in a deal like that?
Joe
GRANT: Unless the Rangers get on a serious run in the next three weeksand make up serious ground on the Angels and in the wild-card race,I don't see them being significant players for Sabathia at thetrade deadline. Doesn't mean they won't go after him hard in freeagency, but I don't think Sabathia is going to sign any extensionsbefore free agency unless it is absolutely silly money. Evensillier than $150 million.
So, to go after Sabathia in a trade, you'd have to be willing topart with a boatload of talent (start with Elvis Andrus and justkeep adding names to the list) and you'd have to be willing toaccept that he's only a rental. That only makes sense to a teamthat is one pitcher away from winning the World Series. Like Isaid, unless the Rangers get on a serious roll very soon, I don'tsee how they can think they are just one pitcher away. They mightthink that if some things go right, they can contend, and then younever know what might happen in the playoffs. But under that secondscenario, you hold rather than buy.
From my seat, a truly desperate team (hello, Yankees) would seem tobe the most likely fit. • • •
Q: Will Nelson Cruz get one more shot with the big league club beforehe becomes a free agent at the end of the season?
Mick Wright, Dallas
GRANT: Barring an injury, I don't see it. Maybe in September if this teamis in the playoff hunt, but if it's not, I think John Mayberry Jr.is more likely to get a September look than Cruz.
If Milton Bradley is healthy, the Rangers are stretched to the maxto find playing time for five outfielders (Bradley, Josh Hamilton,David Murphy, Brandon Boggs and Marlon Byrd) at four spots(including the DH). Cruz is putting together a monster year atTriple-A, but without injury, I think he's simply been bypassed inthe Rangers' plans.
Boggs has seized an unlikely opportunity that was originally givento him because he was the only outfielder on a 40-man roster thatdidn't have much flexibility. If the Rangers had flexibility at thetime, it's entirely possible they would have added Cruz, and Boggswould still be playing in the minors. • • •
Q: Who are the Rangers' top five prospects after the draft? Is JustinSmoak in there now or not? And what about Max Ramirez and whatposition do you think he will play in the majors?
Mo, Dallas
GRANT: In January, I ranked the top five Rangers prospects as: 1. ElvisAndrus, 2. Eric Hurley, 3. Chris Davis, 4. Michael Main, 5. BlakeBeavan.
Davis has to rise because of an incredible first half. So doesNeftali Feliz (No. 12 on my January list). And Max Ramirez (No.11), too. Main would have to fall simply because he hasn't yetpitched this year because of a stress fracture in his rib cage. Butsome other guys would have to drop also, not because of anythingthey've done, but because Davis, Feliz and Ramirez have forcedtheir way to the top.
When I did my prospect rankings it was based on a combination of success and projection. To updatethat list in the middle of the year, you'd have to weigh actualsuccess more heavily.
With that in mind, here's how my top five would look today: 1.Davis, 2. Feliz, 3. Ramirez, 4. Andrus, 5. Hurley.
Notice that Hurley has dropped from second to fifth while stilladvancing to the majors and having two pretty good starts to hiscareer. That doesn't mean he's become a lesser prospect. It simplymeans the Rangers' farm system is having a very good year. • • •
Q: Will Neftali Feliz ever be promoted? What about the other trio ofguys in Clinton with him? All have performed as expected or evenabove, haven't they? What else do Feliz, Derek Holland, and KennilGomez have to prove in Clinton?
Reagan, Arlington, Texas
GRANT: What's that saying, something like: "Those who don't learnfrom history are doomed to repeat it?" Is that right?
Remember Edinson Volquez and Juan Dominguez? Both guys were rushedthrough the system at the first sign of success. Both hadspectacular flameouts at the major league level. Dominguez neverrecovered from his. Volquez, after being sent down to Class A,seems to have made a pretty good recovery. But perhaps the setbackkept the Rangers from knowing exactly what they had in Volquezbefore dealing him to Cincinnati.
Holland (6-0, 2.92 ERA in 14 starts) is 21; Feliz (6-2, 2.06 ERA in15 starts) and Gomez (8-2, 2.83 ERA in 12 starts) are 20. None ofthem has played in a full-season league before. Gomez bypassedadvanced rookie ball (Spokane) entirely. These guys are very goodprospects, but there is no need to rush them at the first sign ofsuccess. The Rangers want to carefully monitor them to try to avoidfatigue, so that will be a factor. Moving young guys to a higherleague can often induce stress on the arm simply because pitchersthink they have to have better stuff to compete in a higher league.
I'm a big fan of "mystique." What's wrong with these guysdominating the Midwest League this season? What's wrong with one ofthem maybe leading the league in wins and another in ERA andanother in strikeouts? That can only help a kid's confidence andhis reputation.
No need to rush these guys right now. They are having success. Letthem continue to have it for the time being. • • •
Q: The Rangers have a large number of minor league players from LatinAmerica in their system. What are they doing to help them adjust tothe U.S. and stay out of trouble?
Rob, McKinney, Texas
GRANT: Players at the club's state-of-the-art academy complex in theDominican Republic receive daily English lessons and lessons inadapting to U.S. culture. That continues when those players get tothe Arizona Rookie League. Billy McLaughlin is a part-time scoutwho serves as the club's "cultural enhancement" director.It's his job to make sure the players are best acclimated to U.S.culture when they get here.
After they go off to other spots (usually their second year in thestates), the manager becomes the de facto camp counselor. Bottomline is kids who are in the early 20s or even younger often dothings they regret later in life, whether they grew up in SaintLouis or Santo Domingo. • • •
Q: Wondering if you have any info on Brandon McCarthy's health andwhen he might return.
GRANT: McCarthy threw off a mound in Arizona on Monday for the first timesince early April. So let's assume the forearm inflammation isbehind him once and for all. Let's assume that the first moundsession is essentially his first day of spring training. Springtraining is six weeks long. If there are no setbacks, I think thestart of August might be the time you will see McCarthy pitch ingames. Now whether he's pitching in the majors or minors, that'sstill to be determined either by trades, injury or lack ofeffectiveness.
But if the Rangers play well with their current rotation of KevinMillwood, Vicente Padilla, Kason Gabbard, Scott Feldman and EricHurley, McCarthy might have to go to the minors. • • •
Q: Rumors are stirring about Wilmer Font. I was wondering if you hadany info on his condition/troubles?
Nik
GRANT: I know there were some rather vague rumors about the gargantuan,6-4, 237-pound 18-year-old on the Internet. I've asked about Font'scondition since he's not currently pitching for any of the Rangers'minor league clubs. He's been bothered by shoulder problems thisseason, but I've been told he's throwing off a mound in Arizona andisn't far from being ready to pitch in games.
When he's ready, I guess he'll make a couple of starts for theArizona Rookie League team (he was 2-3 with a 4.53 ERA in 45 2/3innings with that club last year). Maybe he finishes the season atSpokane. Font was the youngest Rangers player in the minor leaguesystem last year. Keeping a kid comfortable at such a young age isimportant to his development. Billy McLaughin, the Rangers'director of cultural enhancement who serves as kind of a counselorfor the Latin American kids, is based in Arizona. The Rangers maywant him to work closely with Font this season to ensure he getsacclimated to life in the U.S. • • •
Q: Since Milton Bradley has gone down, the lineup just seems lessscary (amazing what losing the OPS leader will do). Do you thinkthe Rangers consider him a rental to be flipped for more goodies ora core guy whom they will try to re-sign? I can go both ways on himbecause of the injuries, but as a Bradley doubter this off-season,I have really enjoyed watching him play and think his intensity isone of the things the Rangers haven't had enough of lately.Thoughts?
Eric
GRANT: I agree, Eric, and I think I said as much in last week's newletter .
Bradley, Hank Blalock and Vicente Padilla are the most interestingpotential trade decisions this club may have to make. Blalock we'vealready discussed. Padilla underachieved last year in the firstyear of his three-year deal, is pitching very well right now andwill be going into the final year of his contract in 2009; makinghim the kind of guy who might be very attractive to anothercontending team.
Bradley is here on a one-year deal and has been a huge part of whythe offense has been so spectacular. He's really been the perfectcleanup hitter for this lineup. And as I mentioned last week, thefact he can hit right-handed is important given that the Rangers'No. 3 hitter (Josh Hamilton) is a lefty, as is the likely futureNo. 5 guy (Chris Davis).
There is some reason to think that keeping Bradley in the middle ofthe lineup – if he can stay healthy – can make this avery formidable lineup for the foreseeable future. To me, the onlyreally attractive free-agent option on the market is VladimirGuerrero, if the Angels don't re-sign him first. But Guerrero willbe 33 next year and is an injury concern himself.
I simply can't answer this definitively. If the Rangers fallfurther from contention, they've got to be willing to listen tooffers, but if they don't get full value for Bradley, then it makessense to either spend the second half of the season working on acontract extension or taking a chance by offering him salaryarbitration if he reaches free agency. Under that scenario, ifBradley signs elsewhere, the Rangers would receive a pair of draftpicks as compensation.
I also raised this possibility last week: The Rangers could tradehim and then try to re-sign him during the off-season. It's a nicethought, but the second half of that move is easier said than done. • • •
Q: Who is the starting catcher in '09: Jarrod Saltalamacchia, TaylorTeagarden, Max Ramirez or Gerald Laird?
Jason Parks, New York
GRANT: When asked this question a couple of weeks ago, I think I wentwith Saltalamacchia. Think my reasoning was that Laird would bevery tradeable at the deadline and, at the time, Laird wasstruggling at the plate.
Not so sure that's my answer now. Laird played really, really wellleading up to his injury last Friday. He seemed to separate himselffrom Saltalamacchia in the catching race. Now, Saltalamacchia hasat least a month to show the Rangers what he can do behind theplate and with the pitching staff as the everyday catcher. I thinkhis play over the next month will be a significant factor indetermining which direction the club goes at catcher. And MaxRamirez's exposure to the big leagues over the next month may helpthe club determine if he is ready to hit in the majors and whetherhe's got the tools to be a big league catcher.
What is clear is that somebody is going to have to go. The easyanswer is Laird, because he's the closest to free agency. But Idon't think there are any easy answers to this situation. I justknow the Rangers are going to be very popular with teams desperatefor front-line catching.
Only thing I feel fairly comfortable in saying is that I don'tthink Taylor Teagarden is a front-line, everyday catcher. Oh, he'sgot the skills, all right. But I think his shoulder is too fragileto hold up for 120 games per season. • • •
Q: When Ron Washington took over as manager for the Rangers, theyimmediately became the worst defensive team in the AL in errorscommitted and they also lead the AL in walks allowed. These sametwo problem children are at it again in 2008.
Is this an acknowledged problem within the organization and is RonWashington capable of affecting change or is his inability torectify these problems going to be the reason he is fired?
Josey Wales
GRANT: Josey, you outlaw you, this is a disjointed question. Maybe, sincehe came in with the reputation of being a fielding guru, you couldlay the poor fielding at his feet. But the walks? How can themanager take the blame there? I think a ton of walks would moreimperil the pitching coaches than the manager.
Beyond that, the Rangers didn't bring in Ron Washington to be theirfielding instructor. Yes, he had the reputation for being anexcellent fielding instructor in Oakland. But when the club hiredhim as manager, if anything, they wanted him to take a step backfrom the hands-on, individual instruction and run the club as awhole.
I think early during his tenure with the Rangers, Washington triedto be too involved with hands-on instruction. Since he's delegatedmore stuff to his coaches and taken more of an overseer's role, hehas grown as a manager, and the team has played better as a whole.If the Rangers make a managerial change at some point, it won't bebased on one particular aspect of this club; it would be based onthe team's overall performance.
For now, though, based on the way the Rangers have rallied backfrom an awful start, the way their lineup seems to have grown intoa force and the way the personalities on the club seem to havebonded, I would think Washington's job is more secure here than anypoint since the first day of his first spring training.