Nolan Writin' - A Texas Rangers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Let me start by saying that I like David Murphy. Good guy. Team player. Level-headed. Always says the right thing. One day he will probably be a big league manager and whatever team gives him that opportunity will be lucky to have him.

But for all of the things that I like about Murphy, I do not like him in center field. He is not, nor should he ever be, a full-time center fielder.

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There’s no doubt that the hype surrounding Yu Darvish is going to be enormous. He will be, perhaps, the most hyped rookie in Rangers history.

The question is, what can the Rangers do to further promote their newest stud pitcher?

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There’s been a lot of talk over the last few days about Roy Oswalt, a 34-year-old RHP and former All Star, who the Rangers may or may not be targeting. Steve and Philip both wrote about the possibility of bringing Oswalt to Texas and what that might mean for the rotation going forward.

Both of them came to the conclusion that, if Oswalt were signed, it might leave Colby Lewis as the odd man out.

My counter argument is as follows…

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For this post let’s assume the Rangers work out a deal with Roy Oswalt. Even if they don’t this post will still make sense giving the current situation the pitching staff is in. How about a 1 year deal worth $8 million with a team option for a second year worth the same amount.

The starting rotation, with this possible signing, will be projected as such:

Oswalt
Holland
Darvish
Lewis
Feliz

With this assortment of pitchers in the bullpen:

Harrison
Ogando
Feldman
Adams
Uehara
Lowe
Adams
Nathan

I’ve heard the FO say that you can never have too much pitching probably a thousand times. I’m starting to disagree slightly.
I understand what they mean in saying it, but at what legnths are they willing to go to have “too much pitching”. With an Oswalt signing Harrison would be the natural selection to slide into a bullpen role, which in my opinion is wrong. Harrison posted a 3.39 ERA in 186 innings pitched and showed a gigantic step forward in his player development as well as his mental development. This is a young pitcher that needs to be starting, preferrably in a Rangers uniform. In 2011, Oswalt posted a very similar ERA, had two stints on the DL, and is 8 years older. Is this risk worth the value he would add? I don’t think so.

Feldman is another concern of mine. There have been rumors of him being on the trade block, of course the Rangers would have to eat some of his $10 million salary. Scott won 17 games in 2009 and was named the Texas Rangers Pitcher of the Year, I think he deserves the chance to try to win a starting job again and I think he will be better served in the rotation. He has recovered from his knee injury and last year we saw him baffle a sneakily good Tampa Bay offense. His hard sinker is well suited for RBiA and he can handle the heat, having pitched there his whole career.

If it were I that will be filling out the lineup card, my rotation would look something like this.

Darvish
Holland
Feldman
Harrison
Feliz

With Ogando ready to spot start for either Darvish or Feliz if they need a day off. My opinion is that this trade talk should be about Colby Lewis, who is a more established veteran, and is not suited for RBiA with his home-run tendancies. I think the above mentioned rotation will fare better than any other, and has the potential to be one of the best in the game. If the Rangers do sign Roy Oswalt, his projected salary will bring the financial belt in a little tighter, and his now mediocre performance would be more of a burden on this excellent young pitching staff more than it would help. What do you think? Until next time, Go Rangers.

My sister, who is my only sibling, lives in Germany. She works for the USAF and has been stationed overseas for several years now. Twice I travelled across the Pacific Ocean to visit her, in Okinawa and South Korea respectively.

She was in the states for the holidays, only going back to Germany a week ago. When she got here, she had some big news. I am going to be an uncle, which was certainly unexpected.

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Roy Oswalt photo courtesy Calgarysun.com

There are multiple reports that free agent RHP Roy Oswalt is interested in becoming a Texas Ranger. Since becoming a free agent Oswalt has gone from looking for a long term contract to being open to a shorter contractm perhaps even a single year. If this is the case and media reports are true that he would like to join up with the Maddux brothers and Nolan Ryan then I think the Texas Rangers would do well to make a run at him. Combining his strengths as a veteran with the signing of Yu Darvish and moving Neftali Feliz to the rotation the Rangers could be fielding the best starting rotation in the majors.

The American League West is going to be the Wild West this year with the additions that the Los Angeles Angels have made this off season. The Angels are going to put out a starting rotation that is made up of Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, C.J. Wilson, Ervin Santana and Jerome Williams. It should give the Rangers a moment of pause to think that last years number 1 starter for the Rangers is the number 3 starter for the Angels this year. While I will argue the Rangers are offensively are the better team the 2012 war may come down to the rotations. If this is the case then the Rangers should try to sign Oswalt to a team comfortable contract. Should Oswalt sign then there will be an extra starter that has to be dealt with. In my opinion the starting pitcher that must be moved in that situation is Colby Lewis.

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image courtesy of daylife.com

Prince Fielder is dead to me after signing with the Tigers therefore I want to look at the center field position for the Texas Rangers. As it seems right now the Rangers will have Nelson Cruz in right field and Josh Hamilton in left field. There is not a single player at this time that will play the entire year in center. But this shouldn’t be seen as a bad thing, since with the health issues of Hamilton and Cruz a built in outfield platoon could add much needed depth. The two players that will likely start in the outfield are Craig Gentry and David Murphy. Others that may see time in center field will be Julio Borbon, Leonys Martin and Mitch Moreland.

There is no reason why the Rangers should go and find another outfield player to shore up the outfield this year. Just because two players may share responsibility for a position does not make the team weaker at that position. In fact I would argue that the presence of two players at a position make that position stronger since both players get to see regular time playing.

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As everyone has already probably heard, Prince Fielder signed a nine-year $214 million deal this afternoon with the Detroit Tigers. Scott Boras and the infamous Myster Team have won again and it may have not been for the best. There are many things about this deal that spell trouble, but also many good things.

A player of the caliber of Prince Fielder doesn’t come around very often. Last year he hit .299/.415/.566 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI’s in 162 games. He has played at least 157 games per year since 2006. His average OBP during those years of .390 shows how well he controls the strike zone. His defense at 1st isn’t the best in the league by no means, but he can flash the leather every now and then. So, I think I can safely say that the son of legendary slugger Cecil Fielder isn’t too shabby with a bat in his hands.

The first problem I have with this deal is finding the need for a commitment this large. We found out a few days ago that the Tiger’s primary DH, Victor Martinez, will probably miss the entire 2012 season with a torn ACL. This could potentially have been devestating to a very productive 1-2 punch of Miguel Cabrera – V-Mart. There are many other DH sluggers on the free agent market right now that would have come at a much cheaper price, and wouldn’t necessitate the position change of another $20 million a year player in Cabrera. We’ve seen Cabrera play third in 2003 with the Florida Marlins. The rookie at the time helped lead that team to a WS win. He has only played 17 games at third since being traded to the Tigers in 2007. With that trade and the move to first came the ill-advised weight gain. After looking at pictures of 2003 Cabrera and comparing them with the 2012 version, the difference is substantial. A much more limited range and natural arm strength deterioration could make this move potentially disastrous. That being said, I do think Cabrera is the type of player that could make it work. I think for 2012 this move probably just replaces V-Mart’s excellent DH production, 2013 on the other hand could be a huge year for the Tiger’s, given all three of them are healthy and playing to the caliber that they are capable of. So, in short, Lets hope the Rangers don’t see this team in the playoffs anymore.

Another problem I have with this signing is the nature of how quickly it came about. I have no insight into the front office of the Tiger’s organization, but it seems as if this move was made out of fear and a bad reaction to the injury to Martinez. There were cheaper options available that wouldn’t have given this team the same production that they will be getting from Prince, or Martinez, but pretty darn close. In my money management mindset, I would have to say this deal was wrong on all levels.

Now on my mindset of what is good for the game, and Detroit as an ailing city in need, this signing was huge. With rough times falling on Detroit as a whole, Detroit owner Mike Llitch took some of the pressure off of the good Detroit people, and said “Do not fret folks, we still believe”. This inking is going to give a down trodden community with many financial issues a reason to get out and enjoy themselves. It shows how well Major League Baseball and Commisioner Bud Selig are doing in a down economy. It makes sure that there will be a show for the Detroit fan base every night at Comerica Park. It also rekindles some memories, seeing Fielder on the back of a Tiger’s Jersey once again.

Now, how does this move effect the Rangers? I’m not quite sure yet, but it will in some way. I can only imagine how differently the ALCS would have been with The Big Guy hitting behind Miggy and in front of V-Mart. I can’t wait until the season starts so that these questions will be answered, and i’m sure that im not the only one that feels this way. Stay thirsty my friends, until next time, Go Rangers.

“STRIKKKKEEEE TTHHRREEEEE!!!” Cried the umpire.

Damn. Another strike out. That make 12 for this guy. What did he throw me last time? changeup, curveball, fastball then a fastball. Four pitches, man that was embarrassing. I need to do something, 0 for 4 isn’t going to cut it. Not on this team, not this year. The on-deck circle is like a spotlight on a stage on Broadway. Don’t look at the crowd.

“Strike One” The menacing umpire yells.

One down for the guy I’m supposed to be protecting in this lineup. I want him to get on base but I don’t want to be the one to leave him there. This rookie picture looks to be tired, makes sense, he’s already thrown 115 pitches. He can’t throw me a curveball, I cant hit his curveball, but I think he knows it. Wait, here it comes…

“Strike Twoooo!” The umpire calls while my teammate swings and misses.

…Jesus that’s pretty nasty. I can’t hit that. I can hit his fastball. I crushed his fastball earlier this year. He know’s this, he won’t give me a fastball to hit. The sweat in his eye is distracting him. The flies on his neck are definitely bothering him. It’s to hot here for a northerner like him. The plate looks dusty, how well can he see it? Well enough I guess. One run. All we need is one run, we can scratch that off. No. Focus on the task at hand. The only thing that matters is getting on base.

“STRIIIKKKEEEE THHHRREEEEE!!!”

Wow. That wicked curveball gets another one. 13 on the night for this kid. My turn. He is looking at me like the game is already over. Twinkling eyes. Very intimidating for a young kid. No curveball. Can’t hit the curveball. Alright I’m set, let’s see what we got. First pitch…damn…curveball.

“Strike One!” My eyes cringe as the ump yells.

I cant hit that. I need a fastball. He is tired I can see it. Make him make a mistake. Crowd the plate, make him throw outside. Here we go, second pitch….what is that…slider. Outside, good. Mad. I can see it in his face. He wanted that call. Emotions are high. He is close. No curveball. One run. Don’t try to kill it, just get on base. Alright here it is….windup…what is it…oh God….fastball….CRACK….

After this past week I decided I needed a weekend of off-the-grid time, but now I’m back and ready to review the season of one of the best all-around players in the game. Somehow, for a lot of people, Ian has flown somewhat under the radar. He has managed to flex every baseball muscle he can and still receive a minimal amount of credit for it.

kindler was drafted in the 17th round of the 2003 Major League Draft. Known as a 5 tool player, he quickly rose to the big leagues. This post wasn’t meant to be a summary of all of his time with the Rangers, just 2011, but I would be incredibly wrong not to include a list of his accomplishments. After he was drafted, he began to add these accomplishments to his resume(thank you Wikipedia):

2× All-Star selection (2008, 2010)
2× AL Player of the Week (April 2007 & April 2009)
Ranked # 24 on the Sporting News’ list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball (2009)
Hit for the cycle (2009)
3× 20–20 club (2007, 2009, 2011)
2× 30-30 club (2009, 2011)
Majors-best 25-game hit streak (2008)
Led major league 2B in range factor (5.77, 2008)
2× led AL 2B in range factor (5.58, 2006; 5.69, 2007)
Led major league 2B in double plays (123, 2008)
Led AL in power-speed # (31.0, 2009)
Rangers Rookie of the Year (2006)
Rangers record for career steals of third (21, 2009)
Rangers record for career leadoff home runs (9, 2009)
Tied Rangers record for home runs in April (9, 2007)
Rangers record for hits in 9-inning game (6, 2009)
Tied Rangers record for runs in a game (5, 2009)
Tied Rangers record for extra base hits in a game (4, 2009)
Tied Rangers record for double plays in a game (5, 2006)

Extremely impressive. One of my favorite of his accomplishments is definitely his 2 30-20 seasons. Let’s break down what kind of accomplishment that is. There have been fifty-eight 30–30 seasons by 37 different players through the 2011 season. Barry and Bobby Bonds account for 10 of those seasons. The 30-30 season is the result of speed plus power plus an unbelievable instinct for the game, and is a feat that only the best of the game can claim. His other stats weren’t to bad either. He played in 155 games, had 620 at bats, and hit a solid .255/.355/.477. Some would say his average is a bit low, I say who cares. He was second in the AL in Runs Scored with 121, 7th in Stolen Bases with 30, and 5th in the AL in walks with 89. He played magnificent defense, regularly appearing on ESPN’s Web Gems. His leadership qualities are noticeable and effective. One of the back-bone players of this team, I hope to see him succeed with the Rangers for years to come. Until next time, Go Rangers.