Texas Rangers 2017 Thread

So we are still a little ways from pitchers and catchers reporting on February 14 but with the Hall of Fame Vote and Pudge getting in on his first ballot attempt (by a mere four votes) it seems appropriate to start our 2017 thread. Perhaps as we count down days to spring training some Pudge memories are in order. I still love quote from Pudge when Nolan lost a no hitter in the seventh and media asked Pudge about it and Pudge said, well he shook me off on the pitch. First real home grown in the system Ranger to the Hall of Fame.

The week was not all good news as Diekman will be out at least the first three to four months of the season. The Rangers look to be the leader to sign Napoli but if that happens the local media seem to think it will be late in spring training and it will be a Desmond type signing (1 year for say 8 mil). The Astros have made several off season moves and look to be the favorites in the West, Seattle has been similarly active and looks really good, but with Hamels and Darvish leading the rotation the Rangers should be in mix all year.

Playing games with likely lineup and presuming a Napoli signing I like the following:

1. Gomez CF
2. Choo RF
3. Beltre 3B
4. Odor 2B
5. Lucroy C
6. Napoli DH
7. Rua 1B
8. Mazara LF
9. Andrus SS

Profar will get time at DH and resting infielders and Naps would get time at 1B too. Gallo will probably come up and strike out about eleventy billion times.

Perez, Cashner and Griffin/Tyson Ross look to round out the starting rotation.

I have no connection or interest in the site but great place to get Ranger daily news and updates is www.lonestarball.com.

I already have plans to get out to Arizona for a getaway weekend in March and catch a couple of games in spring training so the clock is ticking on 2017 getting going.

 

Hopefully not this, but I am not holding my breath.

 

Rangers still trying to find a #2 SP: http://www.lonestarball.com/2017/2/...ose-quintana-pursuit-increased-by-nightengale
A bit high on the price side, but a controllable SP with an ERA under 3.5 tied down until 2020 is worth a premium.

 

Looks lie Napoli will be back for at least a year if he can pass the physical. Announcement delayed until Fielder and one other can be moved off the 40 man.

 

One year deal with Napoli.

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/215390370/rangers-mike-napoli-agree-to-1-year-contract/

 

Not surprising. The Rangers need a patch at 1B and some RH power in the lineup, and Napoli provides both at a reasonable price. I want to see Gallo spend some serious time at AAA working on his swing - far too many Ks. And I won't be stunned if Profar is traded somwhere near the deadline in July - he is capable of playing every day as a middle infielder, and the Rangers are set at 2B and SS.

 

I just looked it up; Gallo had 30 plate appearances in 2016 with the Rangers; he walked five times and struck out 19 times... he's at rock bottom at this point. Then he got hurt in winter ball.

 

I keep hearing snippets that some in the organization would prefer keeping Profar and trading Odor for greater value. I think they are equals with the same warts - some bad fielding brain farts and tend to be to aggressive at the plate and on the base path. With all of the moves so far I am not sure they have addressed the two areas that really need addressing - strong 3 and 4 SP and a big time bat.

 

Good point, Viper. If I understand correctly, the Rangers are keeping the financial powder dry in order to take care of (a) signing Lucroy longterm and (b) potentially signing Yu this year before he gets to Free Agency. If both of the above are on the burner, you're talking a bunch of bucks. If either Cashner or Ross gets back to form, that would take care of one spot in the bottom of the rotation.

As for Odor and Profar, I think Odor has more time remaining before Free Agency. If so, that increases (a) his value to the Rangers and (b) his potential trade value. The question would be this - are the Rangers willing to commit to Profar as the everyday 2B?

 

That has to be THE question after deciding what to do with Yu.

 

Any debate about Odor or Profar should be a short one, Odor has proven himself and Profar despite a great start last year still is far too unproven. I agree with Viper that the Rangers job one is to resign Yu, but job two is Lucroy, and beyond that I think they have some good options. I had really hoped they would find a way to keep Desmond but that price got too high, I worry that Yu will end up the same way as the Yankees or Boston offer him a stupidly high number.

 

Forgot about Lucroy. Agree.

 

FWHORN, we could get into an interesting discussion about that point. My personal opinion is that the Rangers will take care of Lucroy first, for several reasons: (1) he helps the entire pitching staff, while we see Yu only once every five days, (2) Lucroy adds offensive punch, and (3) he is an easier signing. IMO, they would not have traded for Lucroy if they didn't intend for him to be the long-term solution behind the plate. They will try their best to sign Yu before he hits Free Agency, but I fear you're correct - the anticipation of getting a contract near the national debt from another club will be very hard for Yu to resist.

 

HHD you wouldn't get much of an argument from me on Lucroy being the real job one. The FWST had an article yesterday suggesting that this years lineup is top to bottom better than last year and that with a full year of Yu and Cole this stacks up to be a better team than the one that won 95 games last year. Of course expecting to win so many one run games again isnt very realistic. We will see just how lucky last year was. I am three plus weeks out from heading to Arizona for a getaway weekend and a couple of spring training games, already counting the days.

 

^Hope you have a terrific time in Arizona for spring training!

 

Yu Darvish pitched yesterday and Cole Hamels had his first work of spring on Monday in the B game. Several Rangers are taking part in the World Baseball Classic (Beltre, Profar, Perez, Dyson and Lucroy) in fact Profar had a towering HR for Netherlands against Korea. Here is LSB article and video on that:

http://www.lonestarball.com/2017/3/7/14842132/jurickson-profar-wbc-video-of-home-run

 

Profar also had a walk-off walk with 2 outs and a 3/2 pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th this morning against Taiwan.

 

Am in Phoenix this weekend and took day trip up to Surprise this afternoon to see Rangers play the White Sox. AJ Griffin got start and threw four strong shutout innings surrendering only 2 hits and no runs. If he continues to perform like today he will be solid fourth starter especially with Cashner now not looking to be available until May earliest. Griffin was followed by Alvarez, Kela, Bush and Jeffress none of whom gave up an earned run. Gomez had two solid hits and Gallo had a two RBI single to go with his two strikeouts and Rangers won 5-1.

I was flying yesterday so I missed Hamels start last night and he apparently got rocked which is not good news. I had hoped to see Darvish tomorrow but looks like he will go Monday. I had planned to catch the same two teams but this time over at White Sox stadium tomorrow especially if Darvish was going to pitch but with Rangers rolling out a minor league lineup tomorrow I may call an audible and see Clayton Kershaw pitch for Dodgers against KC instead.

Three weeks to opening day.

 

Rangers gave us the answer yesterday in the Odor/Profar debate as they sign Rougie to a six year extension for 49.5M.

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/19001424/texas-rangers-rougned-odor-agree-extension

This leaves Lucroy and Yu as big extension negotiations left. I like this move but it does mean Profar becomes trade bait hopefully for another solid starter and/or a long term solution at first base.

And speaking of Yu, he will be the opening day starter.

http://www.lonestarball.com/2017/3/25/15059986/yu-darvish-texas-rangers-opening-day-starting-pitcher

 

Both Profar and Odor had their good and bad moments during the WBC so neither has done anything since the start of last season to separate. Odor's issue is taking moments off during games, but I do not see how a long term relatively high value contract extension is going to get him to keep his head in games.

 

Odor's contract is actually less than others similarly situated.

http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/tex...s-expected-extension-may-seemundervalued-much

 

Looks like since the schedule has enough off days these first two weeks that the Rangers are going to start the year with just a four pitcher rotation until Cashner is healthy enough to start. AJ Griffin appears to have locked down the number four slot so the first four games will be Darvish, Perez, Hamels and Griffin on the mound. There is talk that Beltre may start year on DL and miss the first six games but that is still up in air. Less than week to opening day.

 

FWHORN, this confirms the earlier discussions we had on this thread.. IMO, Odor was a pretty easy signing. I still expect Lucroy to be the next to get an extension. They wouldn't have traded for him at a huge cost in prospects if they didn't expect to keep him - and top-notch catchers with some offensive pop don't grow on trees.

And I agree on Profar - if he performs well, his mid-season trade value will be very high, and he might command a proven, young, durable starting pitcher in return. I would love to see the Rangers extend Yu before he gets to Free Agency, but I'm not expecting that to be the case - guess we'll see how it unfolds as the season progresses.

As for the 2017 season itself, The Rangers, Astros, and Mariners should be in a battle for the West title right up to the end. I'm thinking it's a question of which team keeps the healthiest rotation the longest. None of the three stand head-and-shoulders above the other two at the start of the season. Meanwhile, the Angels and the A's can fight it out for the cellar.

I'm ready for BASEBALL!!!!!

 

HHD, the DMN says that Lucroy is waiting to see what Yadier Molina gets and that will give a range for the number he will want with his contract. I do think they sign Lucroy as soon as the range is set by the Molina contract. Darvish will be a season long dance and I do not expect him to sign anything before he tests the waters after the season is over unless the Rangers offer him Kershaw type money to lock him down.

 

Waiting to see how many innings he pitches is the best course, but after the season someone (Houston most likely as Nolan and Reid have just been waiting) will offer him Kershaw money plus.

 

Beltre will start season on 10 day DL along with Cashner, Ross, Scheppers, Nicholas and Alberto. Chi Chi is on the 60 day DL to start year. None of this comes as surprise. Beltre will be back after opening homestand.

I will be at Wednesday game so if any DFW area Hornfans are planning to go shoot me a message and we can talk Rangers over a couple of dollar hot dogs.

 

Beltre's leg health is deteriorating which would suggest more DH than 3rd. I assume this is one of the reasons Profar has not been moved as the Rangers know the options at 3rd behind Beltre are not on a level that anyone in Arlington wants to test.

 

Additionally, Kela will start the season at AAA - and reports are saying that this is not due to performance, but due to his attitude in the clubhouse. Apparently he is suffering from a craniorectal insertion and is being sent down to pull his head out and get his approach ironed out. Hope this happens quickly - he has terrific talent and the bullpen will need him.

 

Well 162-0 is off the table. Darvish is typical Yu dominating at times but prone to giving up the long ball and a few really bad pitches that hitters just crush. Last night is probably yet another in a long line of reasons why he is a very good but not very great pitcher and why giving him Kershaw type money is almost certainly overpaying him. Yu did hand off a 5-4 lead to bullpen after going 6 and 1/3 but Rangers blow what was a 5-1 lead with Bush giving up tying run in the 8th and then Dyson melting down in the ninth giving up three runs in an 8-5 season opening loss. Perez goes tonight as Rangers look to get back to .500 in this opening series.

 

I agree with FW's assessment of Yu, but this is professional sports and as long as Yu isn't seriously injured, someone is going to offer him more money than what has ever been offered a .500 pitcher.