The Rangers have signed outfielder Kevin Mench to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training. He'll compete for a job presumably with Jason Botts, Nelson Cruz and others.
I'm not happy he's back....he's about the nicest guy there is....but he is not exactly a whiz in the field and he can hit the long ball but he is one of the most streaky hitters in the game. He hit a home run 7 days in a row in 2006 but then hit like 3 the rest of the way.....
I really hope he doesn't get the nod over Botts or Cruz......50 spring training at bats do not a good audition make.....Cruz and Botts should be handed the jobs until July......look at what Kevin Kouzmanoff and Adrian Gonzalez did in the past few years......horrible starts, then they get acclimated and they go on a tear....play the kids
dwigod,
i don't always agree with you, but this time around you were right. i just hope the rangers only commit to mench if they are positive cruz and/or botts won't cut it. i personally think botts should be given till the middle or end of may b/c he is a slow starter. cruz is worthless at the moment unless he can play like he is in winter ball. anyways dwi, no hard feelings. you're a cop and i don't like cops, but you are fun to argue with b/c your love for rebuilding. i support jd and nolan ryan, not tom hicks and ron washington. unfortunatly only washington can get fired at this point. if we the fans could fire jicks that would be cool. go rangers!
This is off the subject, but could we petition for a uniform change in 2009? Since the Angels are wearing our old ones, how about going back a little farther into the past. With the present graphics, how about a blue cap with a red bill and the present style "T". Keep the blue piping on the jersey and pants, but change the letters to red highlighted by blue. The red letter looks sharp with the blue on the sleeveless jersey. Just a thought. I'm tire of seeing the Cubs wearing our old 70's hat and the Angels in our old uniforms. Next, bring back Farm and Ranch night. Then, we could have fun watching Mench milk a cow...or goat...or something.
I think this move stinks.
Mench hit .212 against RHP in 2007, and from what I've heard, he can't field anymore either. He's just another spare for Ron Washington to trot out there in place out there in place of younger players. The guy that's probably gonna lose the most playing time to this move is David Murphy.
Mench may be an old fan favorite, but the reality is, resigning Sammy Sosa would have probably been a better idea.
Any chance that Mench learns to play first base? Seems like he's at a point in his career where versatility could only help. And the way he hits against lefties, he would be a nice platoon partner with Broussard. I'd rather have Mench on this team than Frank Catalanotto.
I can hear the "I told you so..." from DWI already but TR said it first. This looks like it was a for the fans move. Shrek was undoubtedly a fan favorite and still is with a great many, we always liked watching him play.
My gut tells me this is an insurance policy at this point from a baseball side of things. Lots of ifs in the outfield:
How long will it take Bradley to be ready for the field and how effective will he be?
Can Byrd repeat?
Is Cruz finally going to break out?
Will Murphy have a strong spring and force the issue?
Is Cat really just gonna DH?
I'll bet the everyday outfield/platoons are not set until mid-May so. So having another 4th outfielder type with ML experience at AAA just makes sense.
BTW - Botts should not even be in the outfield except to shag flies with the pitchers during BP, he looks like Barry Bonds from the last few years out there.
Welcome back Shrek. Now that he is back, I'm sure the Rangers team doctors will get him juiced back into top form in no time.
And don't forget to get some bigger shoes. That young man's feet are still growing you know...
Two comments on Mench.
1) At least Mench can field a position, unlike Botts. (And run, throw, and hit, at least some streaky times)
and
2) Yawn.....this is a non-starter. I'd much rather have Sammy Sosa hitting, if that is what we say we are lacking, power. How can anyone not like 92 RBI's driven in in barely 2/3 of a season? (And I don't care about his average versus righties, he STILL drove home 92 RBI's by choking up and driving in the run with less than two outs and a man on third. He rarely didn't drive in the runner or hit situationally--unlike 2/3 of our lineup did, leave the man stranded. (I know I promised I was over Sammy, and I am. I'm just saying 92 RBI's will be sorely missed in this popgun offense.)
Otherwise, signing Mench might please Dwiregod and some fans with short memories, but this signing is of no consequence...in my humble opinion. I wish Mench well, and hope he can drive hit 25 HR's and drive in 85 RBI's....(yeah, right.) Personally, I hope Nelson Cruz starts every day in right field, and he can either sink or swim.
Check the blog, i said it weeks before TR ever mentioned it. I didn't say i wanted him, i was having fun, knowing it was going to transpire. I know baseball, i have been around the Rangers long enough to predict how they operate. If Mench wanted 5 million a year, he wouldn't be here, hear? Now here is another prediction, Cruz is gone. Now Daniels can stand up and say we have Mench, he is better. Lets say it all together JUSTIFICATION. Does anyone here think that Daniels is not going to have at least 1 player from those bad deals on the team? That would stick out like a sore thumb if he didn't at least have 1 player left and would be EMBARASSING to him and his "organization." Cruz will either be exposed to waivers or traded along with Botts. I am not for that, just stating what the truth is. I personally think Cruz should play right field everyday, but Washington and Daniels obviously think he isn't as great as what they first believed. You can never believe what those guys say, you have to look at their actions. They never lie and they always seem to be about money. You can believe it or not. Mench will make this team, he is a right handed bat, is popular and sells freaking baseball jerseys. Now that is the truth.
So here is the lineup: 12 pitchers, Salt and Laird as Catchers. 1b Broussard, 2B Kinsler, SS Young, 3B Blalock, UT Vazquez, LF Murphy, CF Hamilton, RF Bradley, 4th OF Byrd, DH Cat and Mench. There is no room for Cruz, Botts and Shelton. If the pitching holds up then we may be a .500 team. PS.... Fools Gold to count on 34 wins from Millstone and Padilla. Remember P.S. stands for Pyrite Sullivan. Hey TR, how about some free excerpts from the book. It may entice me to purchase the book.
Bingo, Sosa would be here if he weren't dellusional. "I want 7 million a year." He ain't getting 7 million @ year in pesos from anyone. He only got an opportunity here last year because of the money. He should have learned and taken another incentive laden deal. Then he would be here, hear??? It is all about the money. IF the Rangers had to choose between Sosa and Mench at the same money, they would take Sosa all day long. He sells more jerseys maybe. Mench is going to make this team, they don't have any right handed hitting outfielders. MENCH!! MENCH! Looks like i am the only fanon this blog who wanted MENCH back and now the Rangers are listening to me? "Fans wanted Mench Back." Wow! I didn't know i had that much pull? Here goes, i want Adrian Gonzales back, Alphonso Soriano, Pudge Rodriguez, Chris Young, Coco Cordero, Volquez and Danks. It is nice to be listened to. I guess i better reup my season tickets now that Nolan Stooge is in charge and Mench is back. Not!
In regards to Mench returning with the Rangers....NOTE TO EQUIPMENT MANAGER: Please make sure that Kevin Mench has the correct sized-cleats!
Last time, once he figured his feet hurt and he was slumping badly, some Einstein in the Ranger organization suggested a size larger shoe, and Mench went on to hit 7 home runs in 7 days, I believe it was. PLEASE MR.EQUIPMENT MANAGER--Get the right-sized shoe, or a size larger.
Over and out, for now.
Can i get someone else to say, you are right, you told us? So predictable. Can i get the GM's job over there. Could i do any worse? At least i would STAND BY MY MAN. Something that Daniels isn't doing. If Wash and/or the team struggles out of the gate, watch DANIELS cut the chord so quick that it would make Washingtons head spin. Wash is on a short leash, believe it. Any turmoil in the clubhouse and he will be gone. Not that i am against that, it is just kinda sad to watch DANIELS distance himself. Self Protection i guess. I got my extension from Hicks the Day i supposedly got a new boss. But all is quiet for Washington, wow what did he get originally a 2 year deal that was extended last year for 1 year. All Wash did last year was alienate Texiera and Young his two best everday players. Mench, i love you. Welcome back and thanks for proving me right. And Cruz couldn't hit 7 homers in two weeks with two extra size shoes on. Cruz is gone, Botts is gone. So much for the youth movement. The only deal that is good for rebuilding is acquiring the 26 year old drug addicted center fielder, who i don't think we can count on. The rest of the moves appear to have been made to compete now! What a joke. I don't believe in giving up before you start but the Angels and Mariners both have more pitching than we do. IT IS ALL ABOUT THE PITCHING, who are our starters? Prediction: Angels, Tigers, Red Sox and Indians this year. Don't see us making it, just the truth. That is why i think we should rebuild for the future. If they started now maybe 2010, 2011. By playing Bradley and Broussard, Mench and Cat we are further delaying our competitive process and the future. Why can't they see this? Is Broussard, Mench, Cat and Bradley going to be on this team in 2010, 2011, 2012? We have to start putting players, finding players that will be then. Duran, Teagarden, Davis, Boggs, Borbon, Metcalf, they are the future. Start now, but they won't. Good Bye Cruz and Botts, their is no place for you on this team. You are probably better off. What do you think we can get for Cruz and Botts?
lonestar90@gmail.com and dwidregod@tx.rr.com are right on. Of all the outfield candidates from last year that are coming back, David Murphy was the only one who looked like he could really play (play meaning hit, run, field and throw).
Mench seems to be a great guy from everything we hear, but can we afford to go another year splittting time between Botts, Cruz, Murphy and now Mench? Sounds like basically a replay of last September when the Rangers benched the only guy that was hitting (Sosa) to look at these other guys! I looked at 'em and saw Murphy could play, Botts couldn't and Cruz was a maybe? lonestar90@gmail.com, dwidregod@tx.rr.com and I saw this, but evidently the Rangers brain trust did not.
I'm not happy he's back....he's about the nicest guy there is....but he is not exactly a whiz in the field and he can hit the long ball but he is one of the most streaky hitters in the game. He hit a home run 7 days in a row in 2006 but then hit like 3 the rest of the way.....
I really hope he doesn't get the nod over Botts or Cruz......50 spring training at bats do not a good audition make.....Cruz and Botts should be handed the jobs until July......look at what Kevin Kouzmanoff and Adrian Gonzalez did in the past few years......horrible starts, then they get acclimated and they go on a tear....play the kids
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dwigod,
i don't always agree with you, but this time around you were right. i just hope the rangers only commit to mench if they are positive cruz and/or botts won't cut it. i personally think botts should be given till the middle or end of may b/c he is a slow starter. cruz is worthless at the moment unless he can play like he is in winter ball. anyways dwi, no hard feelings. you're a cop and i don't like cops, but you are fun to argue with b/c your love for rebuilding. i support jd and nolan ryan, not tom hicks and ron washington. unfortunatly only washington can get fired at this point. if we the fans could fire jicks that would be cool. go rangers!
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This is off the subject, but could we petition for a uniform change in 2009? Since the Angels are wearing our old ones, how about going back a little farther into the past. With the present graphics, how about a blue cap with a red bill and the present style "T". Keep the blue piping on the jersey and pants, but change the letters to red highlighted by blue. The red letter looks sharp with the blue on the sleeveless jersey. Just a thought. I'm tire of seeing the Cubs wearing our old 70's hat and the Angels in our old uniforms. Next, bring back Farm and Ranch night. Then, we could have fun watching Mench milk a cow...or goat...or something.
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I think this move stinks.
Mench hit .212 against RHP in 2007, and from what I've heard, he can't field anymore either. He's just another spare for Ron Washington to trot out there in place out there in place of younger players. The guy that's probably gonna lose the most playing time to this move is David Murphy.
Mench may be an old fan favorite, but the reality is, resigning Sammy Sosa would have probably been a better idea.
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Any chance that Mench learns to play first base? Seems like he's at a point in his career where versatility could only help. And the way he hits against lefties, he would be a nice platoon partner with Broussard. I'd rather have Mench on this team than Frank Catalanotto.
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I can hear the "I told you so..." from DWI already but TR said it first. This looks like it was a for the fans move. Shrek was undoubtedly a fan favorite and still is with a great many, we always liked watching him play.
My gut tells me this is an insurance policy at this point from a baseball side of things. Lots of ifs in the outfield:
How long will it take Bradley to be ready for the field and how effective will he be?
Can Byrd repeat?
Is Cruz finally going to break out?
Will Murphy have a strong spring and force the issue?
Is Cat really just gonna DH?
I'll bet the everyday outfield/platoons are not set until mid-May so. So having another 4th outfielder type with ML experience at AAA just makes sense.
BTW - Botts should not even be in the outfield except to shag flies with the pitchers during BP, he looks like Barry Bonds from the last few years out there.
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Welcome back Shrek. Now that he is back, I'm sure the Rangers team doctors will get him juiced back into top form in no time.
And don't forget to get some bigger shoes. That young man's feet are still growing you know...
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Two comments on Mench.
1) At least Mench can field a position, unlike Botts. (And run, throw, and hit, at least some streaky times)
and
2) Yawn.....this is a non-starter. I'd much rather have Sammy Sosa hitting, if that is what we say we are lacking, power. How can anyone not like 92 RBI's driven in in barely 2/3 of a season? (And I don't care about his average versus righties, he STILL drove home 92 RBI's by choking up and driving in the run with less than two outs and a man on third. He rarely didn't drive in the runner or hit situationally--unlike 2/3 of our lineup did, leave the man stranded. (I know I promised I was over Sammy, and I am. I'm just saying 92 RBI's will be sorely missed in this popgun offense.)
Otherwise, signing Mench might please Dwiregod and some fans with short memories, but this signing is of no consequence...in my humble opinion. I wish Mench well, and hope he can drive hit 25 HR's and drive in 85 RBI's....(yeah, right.) Personally, I hope Nelson Cruz starts every day in right field, and he can either sink or swim.
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Check the blog, i said it weeks before TR ever mentioned it. I didn't say i wanted him, i was having fun, knowing it was going to transpire. I know baseball, i have been around the Rangers long enough to predict how they operate. If Mench wanted 5 million a year, he wouldn't be here, hear? Now here is another prediction, Cruz is gone. Now Daniels can stand up and say we have Mench, he is better. Lets say it all together JUSTIFICATION. Does anyone here think that Daniels is not going to have at least 1 player from those bad deals on the team? That would stick out like a sore thumb if he didn't at least have 1 player left and would be EMBARASSING to him and his "organization." Cruz will either be exposed to waivers or traded along with Botts. I am not for that, just stating what the truth is. I personally think Cruz should play right field everyday, but Washington and Daniels obviously think he isn't as great as what they first believed. You can never believe what those guys say, you have to look at their actions. They never lie and they always seem to be about money. You can believe it or not. Mench will make this team, he is a right handed bat, is popular and sells freaking baseball jerseys. Now that is the truth.
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So here is the lineup: 12 pitchers, Salt and Laird as Catchers. 1b Broussard, 2B Kinsler, SS Young, 3B Blalock, UT Vazquez, LF Murphy, CF Hamilton, RF Bradley, 4th OF Byrd, DH Cat and Mench. There is no room for Cruz, Botts and Shelton. If the pitching holds up then we may be a .500 team. PS.... Fools Gold to count on 34 wins from Millstone and Padilla. Remember P.S. stands for Pyrite Sullivan. Hey TR, how about some free excerpts from the book. It may entice me to purchase the book.
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Bingo, Sosa would be here if he weren't dellusional. "I want 7 million a year." He ain't getting 7 million @ year in pesos from anyone. He only got an opportunity here last year because of the money. He should have learned and taken another incentive laden deal. Then he would be here, hear??? It is all about the money. IF the Rangers had to choose between Sosa and Mench at the same money, they would take Sosa all day long. He sells more jerseys maybe. Mench is going to make this team, they don't have any right handed hitting outfielders. MENCH!! MENCH! Looks like i am the only fanon this blog who wanted MENCH back and now the Rangers are listening to me? "Fans wanted Mench Back." Wow! I didn't know i had that much pull? Here goes, i want Adrian Gonzales back, Alphonso Soriano, Pudge Rodriguez, Chris Young, Coco Cordero, Volquez and Danks. It is nice to be listened to. I guess i better reup my season tickets now that Nolan Stooge is in charge and Mench is back. Not!
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In regards to Mench returning with the Rangers....NOTE TO EQUIPMENT MANAGER: Please make sure that Kevin Mench has the correct sized-cleats!
Last time, once he figured his feet hurt and he was slumping badly, some Einstein in the Ranger organization suggested a size larger shoe, and Mench went on to hit 7 home runs in 7 days, I believe it was. PLEASE MR.EQUIPMENT MANAGER--Get the right-sized shoe, or a size larger.
Over and out, for now.
Report any abuse or spam
Can i get someone else to say, you are right, you told us? So predictable. Can i get the GM's job over there. Could i do any worse? At least i would STAND BY MY MAN. Something that Daniels isn't doing. If Wash and/or the team struggles out of the gate, watch DANIELS cut the chord so quick that it would make Washingtons head spin. Wash is on a short leash, believe it. Any turmoil in the clubhouse and he will be gone. Not that i am against that, it is just kinda sad to watch DANIELS distance himself. Self Protection i guess. I got my extension from Hicks the Day i supposedly got a new boss. But all is quiet for Washington, wow what did he get originally a 2 year deal that was extended last year for 1 year. All Wash did last year was alienate Texiera and Young his two best everday players. Mench, i love you. Welcome back and thanks for proving me right. And Cruz couldn't hit 7 homers in two weeks with two extra size shoes on. Cruz is gone, Botts is gone. So much for the youth movement. The only deal that is good for rebuilding is acquiring the 26 year old drug addicted center fielder, who i don't think we can count on. The rest of the moves appear to have been made to compete now! What a joke. I don't believe in giving up before you start but the Angels and Mariners both have more pitching than we do. IT IS ALL ABOUT THE PITCHING, who are our starters? Prediction: Angels, Tigers, Red Sox and Indians this year. Don't see us making it, just the truth. That is why i think we should rebuild for the future. If they started now maybe 2010, 2011. By playing Bradley and Broussard, Mench and Cat we are further delaying our competitive process and the future. Why can't they see this? Is Broussard, Mench, Cat and Bradley going to be on this team in 2010, 2011, 2012? We have to start putting players, finding players that will be then. Duran, Teagarden, Davis, Boggs, Borbon, Metcalf, they are the future. Start now, but they won't. Good Bye Cruz and Botts, their is no place for you on this team. You are probably better off. What do you think we can get for Cruz and Botts?
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lonestar90@gmail.com and dwidregod@tx.rr.com are right on. Of all the outfield candidates from last year that are coming back, David Murphy was the only one who looked like he could really play (play meaning hit, run, field and throw).
Mench seems to be a great guy from everything we hear, but can we afford to go another year splittting time between Botts, Cruz, Murphy and now Mench? Sounds like basically a replay of last September when the Rangers benched the only guy that was hitting (Sosa) to look at these other guys! I looked at 'em and saw Murphy could play, Botts couldn't and Cruz was a maybe? lonestar90@gmail.com, dwidregod@tx.rr.com and I saw this, but evidently the Rangers brain trust did not.
Report any abuse or spam