Texas Rangers Weekend Struggles
Written Saturday by: Toby Garza
Die hard Texas Rangers fan and equipment manager for Texas high school football Coppell Cowboys (5-5A)
Follow Garza on Twitter @16for21
Well, last night was just like any Friday night for me. Watch a little baseball and little bit of wrestling. Usually watching baseball and wrestling on a Friday night is always the highlight of my Friday night, however last night was one of those night where the Rangers game was not worth watching and Friday Night Smackdown just…sucked. So, I decided to get on my laptop. When I was able to get on the laptop, I went straight to ESPN.com to check my fantasy baseball team(s). Then, I went to ESPN Dallas to watch a video that I was not able to access during the day. I scrolled down the page to find a question. This was a Rangers question. The question asked “Who does the Rangers’ offense miss most?” with the options consisted of Ian Kinsler, Mitch Moreland, Mike Napoli, Josh Hamilton, or David Murphy. I picked an option, only to figure out that 60% of people picked Kinsler, 9% picked Moreland, 15% picked Napoli, 13% picked Hamilton, and 3% picked Murphy.
I was not surprised that 60% of people picked Kinsler because; when Kinsler is in the line up the Rangers play a lot better. If you don’t believe me check out the Rangers record in June and their recent struggles. Yea, it doesn’t look good. So, let’s look at the question again; who does the Rangers’ offense miss most?
Obviously, I am not going to say Josh Hamilton (or in my words, he who shall not be named). Sure, the Rangers miss the kind of power that Hamilton provides, but they will not miss how many times he strikes out and the attitude that he brought to the team mid way through the season last year.
You can also say the same thing about Napoli, besides the attitude part. So that narrows down to Kinsler, Moreland, and Murphy.
When Hamilton signed with the Angels, I expected that Murphy was a liable replacement for Hamilton. So far this year Murphy has been inconsistent, batting at a disappointing .208 average and has 8 HRs and 27 RBIs. I’m not too worried about Murphy because I have a feeling that he will turn it around soon.
Moreland provides power that the Rangers need and Moreland was getting on an offensive terror till he landed on the DL in a game against the Boston Red Sox when he was running the bases. Moreland will be on the DL a little longer than Kinsler, but will not be out for long and is on pace to return to the lineup by June 21st. I can say with the way Moreland was batting before he landed on the DL, the Rangers really miss his power and could put up a fair argument that the Rangers miss him, however when Kinsler went on the DL he too was on an offensive terror. Here’s the thing about Kinsler. The offense plays better with Kinsler in the lineup.
So I picked Kinsler and shut down my laptop. When I was done with the laptop, I decided to grab my Ron White Tater Salad DVD and watch a little bit of it. However, it was a little too late as my Friday was already disappointing. While watching the DVD, I got to thinking Kinsler and Moreland would really help the Rangers offense, but they can’t carry the Rangers offense throughout the whole year especially the way the A’s are playing. The Rangers need reinforcements.
Texas Rangers Bats Need Fixing…And Fast!
A common scene at the plate for Texas Rangers bats
With their fifth straight loss and dropping eight of their last ten, well, things just aren’t going good for the Texas Rangers.
When a team is in this kind of funk, people start pointing fingers, and The Ledger is pointing directly at Dave Magadan, hitting coach for Texas.
In the NFL, if an offensive coordinator can not produce points, his job is in jeopardy. A change in philosophy is in order, or, a coaching move may be necessary.
Magadan is no danger of losing his job (yet), his previous credentials and success with Boston precede his reputation. However, the wood in Texas is not the same lumber he had at his disposal in Beantown (Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Mike Lowell, Jason Varitek, Kevin Youkilis). These players were at the hight of their careers. Texas’ current lineup consists of aging veterans on the downside and unproven youngsters still trying to adjust to the speed of major league pitching.
Which poses the question: What is Dave Magadan doing during this mini-crisis?
One thing for sure is if Magadan doesn’t fix this soon, the three-year playoff wave Texas has been riding will come to an ugly end.
I’m not a batting coach, but here are a few observations that need immediate attention:
The Problem
Opposites attract
Watch the swings of the Rangers. Early & hard. A clear sign of over-zealous and anxious minds.
Texas had the perfect opportunity to regain their offensive composure Saturday as the oft-battered knuckleballer R.A. Dickey took the mound. Instead of practicing patience, Magadan’s ill-prepared bats salivated at every 71-mph soft toss that came their way. Texas’ only run came on an infield hit.
The Fix
Patience
Kinsler, Beltre, Andrus, Martin, Profar et al must slow it down and punch the ball the other way instead of swinging for the fences.
Time to manufacture runs instead of squandering them.
The Problem
Ron Ball (or lack there of)
The one constant for Ron Washington during their 2010-12 playoff run was that his players not only bought into his system, they executed it to perfection.
Slap the ball to the opposite field, steal second, bunt the runner over to third, pop the ball deep to the outfield for an easy sacrifice fly. It was that easy.
Mix in the occasional three-run homer and presto, Ron Ball at its best. Instead, Texas’ RISP% has been beyond dismal, causing Washington to chew through an extra bag of sunflower seeds per game.
The Fix
Time for a revival
A come to Jesus meeting of sorts.
Washington must re-engage and relay his Ron Ball message loud and clear. Good teams fall into these cyclic funks regularly, how they dig themselves out will set them apart from the rest of the American League West.
The Problem
Coaching
It is clear from a fan’s perspective Magadan has either lost touch with his batters or they have tuned him out.
Rangers batters have lost their edge at the plate; mediocre pitching aside, this bunch can not score runs.
The Fix
Change
Just as Washington must double-tap his troops, so to does he need to kick his batting coach in his batting nuts. GM Jon Daniels must seriously investigate the seriousness of the problem.
If revelations prove it’s his coach, changes on the staff may be needed.
Texas Rangers Trade Rumors 1.0
Written by: Toby Garza
Die hard Texas Rangers fan and equipment manager for Texas high school football Coppell Cowboys (5-5A)
Follow Garza on Twitter @16for21
Well, it’s that time of the year again. Trade rumors are flying all over the place. What team is chasing which player, the whole 9 yards. You can bet the Texas Rangers will be exploring all trade options. Rest assured, they will be making calls to several teams about several players.
With the Rangers struggling to score runs, let alone getting hits with RISP, they are bound to be buyers around the trade deadline. However, what positions are the Rangers in need of? What players could the Rangers target?
Here is a list of players the Rangers could possibly target at the trade deadline (or not):
David Price: David Price’s name has been floating around the trade block since last year. Why would the Rays put their best player on the block? After all, he won the CY Young Award last year and is a proven ace. However, there is a lot of speculation that the low-budget Tampa Rays will not be able to resign Price. They will have no choice other than trade him, and yes you guessed right, the Rangers will get involved. The Rays would love to get a deal done with the Rangers because they hold a valuable asset: the best prospect in baseball, SS Jurickson Profar. However, the Rangers know as well as any team that the only way to get Price would be by trading their top prospect(s). The Rangers could afford to make the trade because they signed starting SS Elvis Andrus to a long-term deal. So, pull the trigger and trade Profar right? Think again. The Rangers will not trade Profar for a player with just 2 more years left on his contract and no assurances that he would resign with Texas. As tough as that may be, Jon Daniels could still make a deal for Price that wouldn’t include Profar; however that will be tough to do.
Giancarlo Stanton: Another name that has been floating around the trading block, Miami Marlins OF Giancarlo Stanton. After the Marlins made the huge Jose Reyes blockbuster deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, Stanton tweeted his unhappiness with the move. A clear sign that he wants out of Miami. Stanton is a power hitter, something Texas really needs. Let’s face it; Berkman and Pierzynski are not going to replace the power the Rangers lost during the offseason. Their sudden lack of power is a huge reason why the Rangers are having a tough time scoring runs. Having Stanton on the team would be great, but what would it take? You guessed right, start with Jurickson Profar. Like I said with David Price, I’m not giving up Profar for Stanton, especially with Stanton’s two-year run on and off the DL. Profar has more upside as the best prospect in baseball.
Cliff Lee: Every time I hear ‘trade’ and ‘Cliff Lee’ in the same sentence, I can bet the Rangers are bound to get involved. Of course, the Rangers would love to bring Lee back to Arlington to pitch. However, the chances of that happening again are not so great. When Lee signed with the Phillies, he was given a no trade clause. That clause has 20 MLB teams on it, meaning he can block any trade from those 20 teams. One of those teams is the Rangers. I’m here to say, stop the “Lee to Ranger” rumors. If Cliff Lee really wanted to return to the Rangers, he would have done so back in the 2011 winter meetings.
Shin-Soo Choo: Choo is an interesting name that could be on the trading block. However, the Reds keep saying that they will not trade Choo. But think about it. Choo has only one year left on his contract. The Reds should consider the idea of trading Choo if he doesn’t resign with the Reds. If Choo does go on the block, the Rangers will look into it. Sure, Choo is not a power hitter, but is most certainly a guy who can spark up an offense. He is also a guy who is a threat to steal bases. This would be a guy the Rangers would love to have right now.
Bud Norris: When Matt Harrison landed the DL (back surgery), Bud Norris’ name popped up in the Rangers trade rumors. However, they blocked that thought by calling up SP Justin Grimm. As the trade deadline draws closer, the Rangers could really use a middle to back-end of the rotation guy. Norris could fit that spot for the Rangers. Sure, Tepesch and Grimm have done a decent job holding up the back of the rotation, but at times they can be really inconsistent (take for example the 17-5 loss to the Red Sox and the beating the Rangers took at the hand of the Cubs earlier this year. Both games pitched by Grimm and Tepesch). acquiring Norris would help take the pressures off Grimm and Tepesch and help them become more consistent pitchers, which would most definitely help the Rangers in the long run.
With the trade deadline coming up, the Rangers need to make a trade to help the offense score runs and for the rotation to be a little more consistent.
Question is…who?
