Official 2010 Texas Rangers Thread

[ludosc]

because Mr Bean said I could...lock this if you'd rather use the other one...but here is some analysis from me...

Starting Lineup

C- Salty/Teagarden

I still hope and pray that Salty will turn into the player we all hoped he would be when that trade happened. Im still not sold on either player though.

I would hope for a .270 BA with about 15 HR's from Salty

1B- Chris Davis

hopefully with a full offseason of work and a new hitting coach the strikeout problems will be diminished. Otherwise look for Justin Smoak to start stealing some playing time mid season.

thinking positively: .300 BA 30 HR's

2B- Ian Kinsler

Again, with a new hitting coach and a different approach hopefully we will see last April's Ian Kinsler and not the rest of the season Kinsler. He is capable of hitting .330 with about 15 HR's if he doesn't swing for the damn fences everytime up...

3B- Michael Young

.300 BA 15-20 HR's...not much surprise there

SS- Elvis Andrus

I still think Elvis has a chance to be one of the greatest Rangers players ever. Hopefully he wont have a Chris Davis like Sophomore season.

.280 BA 10 HR's 35 SB

LF- Nelson Cruz

I would expect to see about a .280 Batting average and 30+ HR's...

CF- Julio Borbon

He looked amazing towards the end of last season, and I am really glad the Rangers are committing to him fully in 2010.

RF- Josh Hamilton

I have no idea what to expect from Hamilton this season. will it be the 2008 version or the 2009 version. I guess only time will tell

DH- David Murphy/Justin Smoak/???

I still expect the Rangers to sign another bat (please no Mike Lowell). I would really like to see Vlad signed here, but that probably depends on how the sale of the team goes.

Batting Order I would expect to see on opening day:

CF Borbon
3B Young
2B Kinsler
RF Hamilton
LF Cruz
1B Davis
C Salty
DH Murphy
SS Andrus

Starting Rotation

Rich Harden

I really like the trade of millwood/signing of Harden. Harden, when healthy, is one of the best pitchers in baseball and we got him cheap. He is also the oldest pitcher in our rotation at the age of 28

Scott Feldman

I never thought id ever say this, but Feldman is a damn good pitcher. He has the potential to be a Roy Halladay type with the movement he has on his fastball.

Tommy Hunter

Tommy reminded me a lot of Kevin Millwood (probably somewhat because of his size) but he also is a workhorse. I am also waiting for the day that somebody charges the mound against him. Tommy has a Judo Black Belt

The rest of the rotation will see 2 of the following

Neftali Feliz

badass motherfucker...nuf said

Derek Holland

needs polishing, but definitely has the potential to be a solid MLB pitcher

Brandon McCarthy

looked decent at the end of last season, but can he stay healthy?

Eric Hurley

missed all of 09 with a shoulder injury, will probably start at AAA

Matt Harrison

has potential, but needs to stay healthy. Will probably start at AAA

Bullpen

Closer

Frank Francisco

the job is his to lose

C.J. Wilson

I still think he is a excellent lefty relief pitcher. No matter what most people say

Darren O'Day

O'day, O'day, O'day, O'day!!!

Darren Oliver

provides the veteran leadership the bullpen needs

Chris Ray

if we get the 2006 version of Ray, badass...if not, it was nothing more than a salary dump to get Harden

there are other players to mention as well, but i am running out of time so I will leave it with this...

[crackamacgowski]

Go Rangers.

[Schulz]

Hell, I'll be happy if Chris Davis hits .275 with a .330ish OBP and ~30 HRs.

[spystud13]

Yeah, no chance Davis hits .300.

And Wash has said Hamilton will play LF & Cruz RF.

And I still think Salty is fucking terrible. We need to sign another C badly...

[spystud13]

And I want Xavier Nady as our RH DH, 5th OF, part-time 1B. He's started 59 games there, & it would be easy on his elbow.

[bigsteve041]

Wow some seriously optimistic projections there

Feliz will most likely start out in the pen mainly to limit his innings. I imagine Holland and McCarthy round out the Opening Day rotation with Harrison in OKC and Hurlye probably starting out in extended spring training still recovering from his rotator cuff injury. I doubt hes a candidate for the ML rotation before the ASB.

Offensively next season will depend mostly on whether Hamilton, Davis, and to a lesser extent Kinsler improve on their 2009 seasons. IMO Kinsler needs to get his BA back up to the 290+ range even if it means sacrificing 5-10 home runs. Expect alot of running on the basepaths with potentially Andrus-Borbon-Kinsler hitting 9-1-2. Ron Washington has said he plans on batting Kins 2nd, Young, 3rd and Hamilton 4th which I don't agree with. Keep Young in the 2 hole and Hamilton 3rd and move Kinsler to either 4 or 5 and let him try and jack one everytime up. If hes gonna hit 250 with 30 HRs that shit needs to be done from the middle of the order not the top of the order.

Pitching wise it will depend alot on Hardens health. Expecting anything over 140 innings out of him is stupid. If we get it its a bonus. What we need to hope is he gives us at least 120. I think anything less than 120 and we have no shot of the playoffs. The bullpen should be lights out with Oliver, CJ, Frankie, and Feliz at the start of the year.

As far as prospects go. Justin Smoak should make his debut at some point. It mostly depends on him. However if the Rangers are in the playoff chase I think we will err on the side of caution and not put a rookie into that big a situation unless he absolutely destroys AAA pitching this year. Tanner Scheppers could make a Feliz-like appearance out of the bullpen toward the end of the year. Other than that you may see lesser prospects like Guillermo Moscoso, Kasey Kiker, Omar Poveda, and Craig Gentry at some point.

6 weeks till P & C report. Can't wait

[drycreek]

That line up and rotation has me feeling very optimistic right now. Very much looking forward to this spring. Go Rangers.

[CBT]

That line up and rotation has me feeling very optimistic right now. Very much looking forward to this spring. Go Rangers.

+1

(subscribed to new thread)

[BigOrange]

i will probably be going to a lot of rangers games this year as i expect to move to the dfw area sometime around june so i will definitely be a more than casual rangers fan this year. i think the al west is wide open and i really like the rangers' offense. to me, their rotation will be what determines whether or not they are a legit contender. seattle is going to be very tough with lee and king felix.

here is to a rangers - braves world series!

[DAGMAR]

I like your optimism. This team has me feeling pretty good right now.

The key, as said above by bigsteve, will be Davis, Hamilton, and Kinsler getting back to their 08 numbers and avoiding injuries to our rotation (not likely).

Anyone know much about Hurdle as a hitting coach? I seem to remember his good Rockies teams were focused more on pitching and defense

[NOMAAA]

85 wins and 3rd place in the west.

[ludosc]

85 wins and 3rd place in the west.

last year we won 87...what makes you think we are going to be worse this year? I cant imagine that our offense will be as inept as last season...and I think our pitching staff will be even better this season.

93 wins 1st in the West...

[NOMAAA]

dont ask me for justifications of my prediction.

i think our offense is going to be worse this year. and i dont think that the staff is going to be healthy enough to keep the bullpen from being overused.

[spystud13]

And Seattle will be much better, & Oakland can't be worse. LAA will fortunately take a step back though...

[NOMAAA]

yep. remember oaktown made a push at the end of last year. lots of young talent on that team. good pitching to boot.

[NOMAAA]

i like the Payano signing. a lot.

[UTCRP]

Salty just does not seem durable enough, and hasn't really figured it out at the plate yet. Teagarden is a nice backup, but as much as my homerism tries to convince me otherwise, he is nothing more than a backup.

I like the bullpen a lot, the starting rotation will once again make or break this team. Harden is a great pickup if he stays healthy, if he struggles we may miss Millwood a lot more than we thought.

I'm excited about this year, if Kinsler, Hamilton, and Davis can have halfway decent years at the plate we should have a solid offense capable of keeping the team in most games.

Here's to the 2010 season!

[Mr Bean]

i'll just go ahead and post my annual prediction of 100-62. go rangers.

[Sooner2483]

i'll just go ahead and post my annual prediction of 100-62. go rangers.

Your Avatar creeps me the fuck out....as for your prediction?

[spystud13]

T.R. Sullivan's latest:

Vlad III was Prince of Wallachia. He was a mean dude. He would skin the feet of thieves, pour salt on the wounds and let goats lick away. He nailed turbans to the heads of Ottoman envoys.

He was the inspiration for Count Dracula.

Vladimr Guerrero has been just as cruel to Rangers pitchers. He kills Rangers pitching. He has the highest career batting average (.396) and the highest OPS (1.127) of any opponent ever with at least 150 at-bats. In 102 games and 389 at-bats, he has 73 runs, 24 home runs and 68 RBI against the Rangers.

Now the Rangers want him on their side. They are definitely interested and they are definitely talking to his represenatives. They like the idea of him him Josh Hamilton.

A quick resolution is not expected. This is may be the ultimate off-season Catch-22.

The two sides may be perfect for each other. However...

The Rangers want badly to improve their offense but don't have a lot of money to spend.

Guerrero wants to get paid a lot of money but doesn't have too many teams lined up for his services.

At this point in his career, an American League team makes the most sense. Complete sense actually. There may be some debate about how much he has left at the plate but there's little doubt that his days in the field are limited.

Big bat, big body, much wear-and-tear even if he will only be 35 in February. He needs to DH as much as possible.

The Rangers have an immediate opening. It's just a matter of how high the Rangers will go and how low Guerrero will go.

The Rangers have options. They are very much interested in Jermaine Dye. They have made that clear from the beginning. They also have interest in Jim Thome. He is a left-handed hitter but the Rangers are willing to be flexible. They still have Michael Young, Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz from the right side. And Elvis Andrus.

The Rangers still mull Gary Sheffield as well. There is some interest in him.

The dark horse is Xavier Nady. He had Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery and missed almost all of 2009. But he hit .305 with 25 home runs and 97 RBI with the Pirates and Yankees in 2008. Both those parks (PNC and old Yankee) are tough on right-handed hitters.

He is a right-handed hitter. He can play the outfield, first base and of course DH.

One Rangers official called him, "Very interesting."

Dye still wants to play in the field. He has told the Rangers he's not ready to be used mostly at DH.

Guerrero should feel differently. Nady might be smart to think the same way, at least for one year after Tommy John surgery.

Vladimir Guerrero or Xavier Nady make the most sense for the Rangers.

I know some of you want Vlad, but I want Nady.

[Sooner2483]

Not sure I want an outfielder coming off Tommy John Surgery. To me, that just screams disaster.

[ludosc]

I'd be happy with Vlad or Nady...

I guess i'd be ok with Dye...

fuck no on Gary Sheffield...

[spystud13]

Not sure I want an outfielder coming off Tommy John Surgery. To me, that just screams disaster.

He would VERY rarely see the OF for us. Mostly DH & some 1B.

Regardless, it looks like Vlad might happen.

[Brad Wesley]

dont ask me for justifications of my prediction.

i think our offense is going to be worse this year. and i dont think that the staff is going to be healthy enough to keep the bullpen from being overused.

why can't we? your entire prediction is based on HUGE what ifs. offense be worse than last year? i hope not but you can't get much worse years from Hamilton and Kinsler. about the only player in our lineup who performed above expectations was Andrus.

[ludosc]

from Newberg's email about 1 hour ago

According to former big league GM Jim Bowden, who I believe now works for XM Radio’s MLB channel, via Twitter in the last half-hour: “Source close to Vladimir Guerrero says Vlad and Texas Rangers finalizing one-year contract pending physical”

[tx 3 putt]

go get'em rangers !!!

I would love to see this team make a playoff run.

[scottsins]

Taylor Teagarden and Chris Davis were at our tailgate in Pasadena. Davis didn't look as big as I thought he would. Oh, and I did think it was awesome that I was tailgating with them.

[Schulz]

Supposedly the Rangers and Vlad have reached an agreement on the contract, per T.R. Sullivan.

[Firemans4Horn]

Taylor Teagarden and Chris Davis were at our tailgate in Pasadena. Davis didn't look as big as I thought he would. Oh, and I did think it was awesome that I was tailgating with them.

Drew Stubbs was there as well.

[SA_Town_Horn]

Taylor Teagarden and Chris Davis were at our tailgate in Pasadena. Davis didn't look as big as I thought he would. Oh, and I did think it was awesome that I was tailgating with them.

Yes. I was a fan of this as well.

[scottsins]

Drew Stubbs was there as well.

And michael torres and swindell and brooks.

However, this is a texas rangers discussion.

[CBT]

Taylor Teagarden and Chris Davis were at our tailgate in Pasadena. Davis didn't look as big as I thought he would. Oh, and I did think it was awesome that I was tailgating with them.

Dad and I ran into Chris at Love Field this afternoon. We both thought he looked a little svelte.

[NOMAAA]

rangers get vlad. huge upgrade at dh over lowell and murphy. 100 wins.

[Chachi1004]

rangers get vlad. huge upgrade at dh over lowell and murphy. 100 wins.

Damn...You beat me.

This is great news for our Rangers....I can't wait for the season to start. Go Rangers!!!!!

[UTCRP]

Rangers also sign Khalil greene as a utility infielder. 1y 750k

[spystud13]

Greene is an interesting pickup... He's never played 1B, but I bet he learns.

And I saw Davis @ Billy Bob's last year; I thought he looked pretty big.

[Chachi1004]

My Projected Rotation
1. Harden
2. Feldman
3. Hunter
4. Holland
5. Harrison/McCarthy

My Projected Lineup
1. Borbon CF
2. Young 3B
3. Kinsler 2B
4. Vlad DH
5. Hamilton LF
6. Cruz RF
7. Davis 1B
8. Salty C
9. Andrus SS

That should scare the shit out of anybody.

[dedalus]

Young, Kinsler, Vlad, Hamilton, and Cruz = scary fucking prospect for pitchers. I am going on the notion that neither Kinsler or Hamilton will have as disappointing a year as last.

[ludosc]

My Projected Rotation
1. Harden
2. Feldman
3. Hunter
4. Holland
5. Harrison/McCarthy

My Projected Lineup
1. Borbon CF
2. Young 3B
3. Kinsler 2B
4. Vlad DH
5. Hamilton LF
6. Cruz RF
7. Davis 1B
8. Salty C
9. Andrus SS

That should scare the shit out of anybody.

id switch Vlad and Hamilton...so your 3-4-5 hitters go R, L, R...but other than that, yeah pretty much...

[NOMAAA]

they are saying vlad bats cleanup behind hamilton. i am guessing kins bats 5th.

[ludosc]

they are saying vlad bats cleanup behind hamilton. i am guessing kins bats 5th.

anything but leadoff for kinsler

[spystud13]

they are saying vlad bats cleanup behind hamilton. i am guessing kins bats 5th.

Definitely this.

[ludosc]

just renewed my rangers season tickets for this season...going on 5 years now...here's to hoping this will be the year...

[Macanudo]

Heard on the radio that Vlad has hit .394 at Arlington. If he stays healthy, this is a great pick up for the Rangers.

[gsoda3]

Heard on the radio that Vlad has hit .394 at Arlington. If he stays healthy, this is a great pick up for the Rangers.

that's only b/c our pitchers had been pitching to him.

[Duck of Death]

Heard on the radio that Vlad has hit .394 at Arlington. If he stays healthy, this is a great pick up for the Rangers.

yeah against rangers' stellar pitching. still, excited about the pickup.

i too would assume that josh bats ahead of vlad due to speed. and i think kinsler needs protection to be most effective - not sure that davis would provide that. i'd almost want to go kinsler/cruz/davis due to that even though that would put 3 righties in a row from 4-6.

i think the opening day top 4 is set in stone as borbon/young/ham/vlad. back half may be a work in progress except for andrus at 9.

i still feel that feliz' future is in the rotation where his arm gets 4 days rest per outing. and i think that harden/feldman/hunter/feliz/harrison is a damn good rotation with holland/mccarthy for spot starts and injury replacement.

[spystud13]

Newberg's lineup:

1. Julio Borbon, CF
2. Michael Young, 3B
3. Josh Hamilton, LF
4. Vladimir Guerrero, DH
5. Ian Kinsler, 2B
6. Nelson Cruz, RF
7. Chris Davis, 1B
8. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
9. Elvis Andrus, SS

I like it!

[Duck of Death]

guess me and jamie think alike

[LIMNdude]

I hope Vlad has something left. If he does then 1) He won't be killing us, and 2) It exceeded my expectation for the bat we would find. Unfortunately, he's toast in the field but we're deep on d.

I can't wait for spring. This move to Minneapolis from DFW and the winter is killing me! Although the Twins little run was exciting and they have a new ballpark to watch some Ranger series in.

[bentleybrau]

Khalil Greene sucks. I don't get it. I'd think any random guy at AAA could do just as bad of a job. Nice OPS+ of 64 over the last two years.