Monday Morning Manager...Cinco de Mayo

1. Keep it going.
2. AJ Murray
3. Frank Catalanotto
4. Brandon Boggs
5. Gerald Laird

1. Aegroto, dum anima est, spes esse dicitur

2. AJ Murray

3. Neither – since Jason Botts was DFA’d the Broussard/Shelton tandem: 20 AB’s – 1 hit, 1 RBI, 3 BBs, 8 Ks – (things are so much better aren’t they?)

Why not a platoon of Nate Gold and Frank Catalanotto – and if Chris Davis is anywhere near ready bring him up in late July or early August.

4. Brandon Boggs

5. Jarrod Saltalamacchia

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1. Would like to have been able to have a sweep in there somewhere, especially in Oakland, but winning series is a whole lot more fun than losing them. The starting pitching has looked good.

2. Tough call. They both looked good in their last starts, but I'll say Feldman. He looks like a totally different pitcher with this new arm angle. Mid 90's fastball, a good sinker and excellent command. I'd like to see Rupe get sent out so Murray could stay in the pen, but I'm sure they'll want him to stay in a rotation.

3. Doesn't matter much. They're both spares.

4. Boggs.

5. Saltalamacchia. With Laird's caught stealing % trending toward medocrity this season it's hard to justify a lot of playing time for a guy with a .248/.300/.379 career line, but I'm sure Gerald still finds it ridiculous that there's competition for the job.

1. Looks like the players are playing as if their manager's job is on the line. Gret to see the young pitching turn into an advantage, not a disaster like we're used to.
2. Let's go with the lefty. Feldman could use just a bit more time in the minors to make sure he's ready to go 7 innings or more. He kind of fell apart after Hamilton dropped the flyball.
3. Neither are or at least should not be in our long term plans. Go ahead and bring up Davis and give him a shot to prove he's our future at 1st base.
4. I still don't understand why Boggs was brought up before the incredibly hot 4A. I think Cruz has at least earned another shot.
5. I like the way they're doing things now. I agree with Washington, the situation will eventually play itself out.

1. I'm hoping it means they're finally clicking and starting to play good baseball.

2. Scott Feldman. I'd like to see A.J. get more time in OKC. Next year, perhaps he can figure into the rotation.

3. Jason Botts. Oh wait, he's not an option? I guess Chris Shelton then. He's younger and is a proven hitter. I can't help it. I still can't like Ben Broussard.

4. Brandon Boggs. I like Cat, but if this team is committed to rebuilding, get the young guys out there.

5. I like both of them behind the plate. I say keep platooning (I honestly like the two on-two off plan) until someone makes a decent offer for Laird. Then, it's Saltalamacchia time.

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1. My take on the winning spurt by the Rangers is... VIVA YOUTH! By attrition, the team is being forced to play youngsters and stay with them. There is nowhere else to go for bodies to add to the roster. This is a good thing.

For too many years this franchise has been afraid to give youth a chance. When it falters in the slightest, the youngster is pulled and demoted - especially in the case of pitchers. This is why the franchise has never been able to develop its own pitchers IMHO. Few rookies excel from day one and don't experience struggles as the league looks for and finds holes in their game. We must give these guys time to make adjustments.

I have enjoyed baseball this past week. That doesn't mean that all is well, though - RW should still be shown the door.

2. Neither guy pitched enough innings last year to hold up for a full season. I'm glad to see them up here getting experience, though.
3. Yep - Botts should be. The two options given are wasting roster spots, but I guess once we cut Botts somebody has to play first.
4. Cut the bad contract and play the young guy. Bradley needs to be a full-time DH to keep his bat in the lineup.
5. The player who is not part of the future should be traded to make room for the guy who is.

1-They beat the Twins and Royals 2 out of 3 each at home. Those are games they SHOULD win. They beat the A's 2 out of 3 there. They SHOULD win those games. The Rangers have good players. There isn't any reason why they should lose against those teams. It's good to see Millwood and Padilla setting the standard for the other pitchers hopefully they'll continue to pitch well. It's too bad Jennings got injured but, the rotation looks better without him. The hits WRISP is much improved. Can they do it against the good teams? Ron Washington got himself a few more days on the job. I'll give him some breathing room and maybe the trend will continue but, if they fall back to playing like they did in April, fire him.
2-That's a tough one. I would have to go with Murray simply because he has more experience as a starter. Let Feldman get a few wins at AAA.
3-Broussard has done a lot to lose the job that was given to him. Give it to Shelton. Trading for him is still a mystery to me. Let him pinch hit with the bases loaded in a blowout game.
4-Go with the young guy. Boggs has a lot more to offer than Cat. He can DH against righties and pinch hit late in the game.
5-Another tough one. I suppose they'll try to trade Laird later in the season so they have to keep his value up so you can't let him sit. Besides, he hasn't done anything to lose his job but, you can't let Salt sit either. The way they are playing them now as a platoon is probably the best way to go.

1. Progress is being made. We still need to sweep a series, but winning series against division rivals is always a good thing. The players seem to be having fun, winning is fun and contagious.

2. Feldman has looked good in his starts and yesterday was just bad fate. He played incredible and it was a shame that the ball got lost in the sun. The game could have looked a lot different.

3. Is there another option? I thought that Salty should have been moved to first, but since they have to choose between the two then Ill go with Shelton.

4. Go with Brandon Boggs. I love watching this guy play and he provides speed on the bases and a young athleticism that the Cat just doesn't have.

5. Millwood and Padilla like pitching to Laird, but I'm a Salty fan and would much rather see Salty play everyday.

1. Oh are they still playing?? Go Stars
2. Murray
3. Neither
4. Boggs
5. Salty

Out with the old, in with the new. If we are seriously rebuilding, then we have to demolish the old building first. Laird, Cat, Broussard, Shelton and Feldman are all losers, they gotta go.

1) We beat 3 teams in rebuilding mode which is nice, but ask this question when we win series against Boston and Detroit instead of getting beat by combined run totals of 24-67

2) I think Feldman should be the starter with Murray coming out of the pen.

3) Chris Shelton while we look for, or wait for, another 1B.

4) Boggs has proven he can play, so let him.

5) Keep on platooning them until one emerges as a true starter.

1. I'm glad to see something getting done. They are paid way too much money to play that bad. Ron still needs to be shown the door.
2. I like Feldman, Murray could do with a bit more time in AAA.
3. Not Broussard, he has shown that he is not the right man for the job, ever. Shelton is simply a band-aid fix for now.
4. Boggs. Go with the young talent. Lets put Cat out to pasture.
5. Salty is the future, no doubt about it.

1. The pitching is still pretty good. At least good enough to win most games. I think we will hit better as the year goes on. No reason we should look as bad as we do at times.

2. Feldman (although Mendoza needs to pitch when he's ready).

3. Chris Davis, for the next 10 years, end of story!!

4. Boggs, just not sure where Cat fits in. Would of been nice to have the #16 draft pick last year instead of Cat.

5. Salty. The question is what to do in 2009 when Laird, Salty, Teagarden and Max Ramirez are all ready to be big leaguers. Answer that question for me.

How is Feldman a loser? He's 25 years old and has looked filthy on the 2 occasions they've let him start.

1. Ever since management made the move to bring up Boggs, Shelton (although yet to impress), Murray and even Feldman the Rangers have seemed to "get it right" for a change. Now, who can make those moves? Is it Washington's decision or is the likely annual suspect–Jon Daniels? I'm going with the latter. Daniels seems to have finally decided to announce rebuilding and Washington has supported it by letting the present go and playing younger players. Therefore, how is it Washington's fault for a poor opening day roster? Yes, I've "flip-flopped" and now think, in light of the recent success with the insurgence of youth, that John Daniels is to blame for the Rangers' horrible start and not Washington.

2. Murray. Send Feldman to AAA to see if he can continue to be successful and consistent. Murray has already taken that step.

3. Shelton, no question. Give him a little time to get his power going. He has it, but it's currently dormant. Rudy, awaken it! His average won't be anything exceptional but hopefully he can show his power and give the Rangers some nice RBIs until Chris Davis appears. Which by the way, when will Davis move up to AAA?

4. Boggs. Boggs is better than Cat in all dimensions (hitting, fielding, base running, etc.). When will he lead off?

5. Current plan works only for trade value before the All-Star Break. Then, shed Laird and insert Salty.

what about Adrian Gonzalez?

Ccourtney, I'm not sure what you're referring to. But if it's the All-Star roster of players born in Mexico, Adrian Gonzalez does not fit. He was born in San Diego.

1)That was crisp. Now just keep it going .

2)Feldman's sinker looked really nice yesterday. Let him keep going, but don't give him too long of a leash. (Jason Jennings)

3)Shelton, only because he at least takes a pitch before popping up with men in scoring position. Bring up Davis.

4)Without a doubt, Boggs has a 500% better chance in being in the Ranger's future than Cat does.

5)Laird. He's swinging a pretty good bat of late, is always a threat to steal against, and he handles the pitchers well. By no means should Salty be strictly a backup, but Laird has done nothing to lose his job.

1. Deja vu all over again...last year the same type of bad start (terrible defense and starting pitching, nobody hitting with RISP)...Blalock goes down, Vazquez plays everyday somewhere in the infield, 2 call-ups from OKC-- one rookie infielder (good defense with surprising power) and one fast hot hitting outfielder. Presto-chango the strarting pitching improves because the defense is dramatically better and the pull hitting blackhole in the middle of the lineup is replaced by a line drive to all fields hitter. What's that tell ya?
2. Love the lefty as a starter but Feldman showed incredible poise and excellent control in both starts--let him keep going.
3. Ditch Broussard and call up Gold--really like the RBI history and potential...why not as we wait on Davis?
4. Let Boggs play until Bradley and Byrd are healthy--good defense, speed and some contribution with the bat are more valuable than a singles bat and no D.
5. Let them both play--I like what I've seen so far

1. That was a nice little streak but the goal should be to keep winning series. Sweeps are nice but a streak of series wins over a period of time will take car of the W/L record.
2. Feldman
3. Shelton -- Maybe Cat He cant't do any worse on the bag and can definitely hit better.
4. Boggs
5. That is hard. Laird has been hitting better of late but some of the pitchers look like they really enjoy having Salty behind the plate. Salty does look way better behind the plate than he did when he got here.

One last question---why all the moaning over Botts? He's not Hafner nor will he ever be anything close to that production. When you're 6'5" and 250lbs. but can't hit with power and play subpar defense maybe your sport should be football. If a team is gonna win the position players have got to be capable of playing above average defense. The better the D the less runs you need to score to win.

1. The Rangers are playing better baseball right now, but it's worth noting that the teams we've played lately have not been that good - Twins, Royals, A's. None of those teams are really any better than us, so it shouldn't be too suprising that we've found ways to beat them. What would have been suprising would have been loosing a bunch of games to them. Looking forward, we've got to play the Indians and the Rays later this month - I'll be more interested to see how we do against those clubs.

2. Murray. I think he has more potential as a starter than Feldman. I'd actually rather prefer to see them both get a couple more starts instead of Sidney Ponson, but that won't happen.

3. Shelton and Catalanotto should platoon at first. Shelton is a good commodity to have on the roster, because he can be the emergency catcher on days Saltalamacchia DH's, so keeping him for now is a good idea. Ben Broussard needs to be cut (and Ron Washington can go with him).

4. Boggs. He looks like he's major-league ready, so there's absolutely no reason why he shouldn't get the playing time. Marlon Byrd needs to be dealt or cut, and Catalanotto should be playing first base,as I said above.

5. Salty. Laird admittedly has hit better of late, but he should have been dealt a long time ago, and Salty's development should take presidence over Laird's trade value. If you're not gonna give Salty the majority of the AB's behind the plate, then he should not have been called up, it's really that simple.

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1. Just play good, sound, baseball.

2. Don't care and do not have the insight to know

3. Neither, Cat and (Boggs, Gold, Davis) anyone but BB

4. Boggs until he proves otherwise

5. Platoon until it sorts out. Have been a fan of JL and felt that Salty was deficient defensively. Have to say that Salty has looked good, since coming up, and should end up with the starting job.

1 wonder why it took so long were they told some may be out of a job
2 SCOTT FLEDMAN MORE EXPERIENCE
3 CHRIS SHELDON
4 BRANDON BOGGS IT LOOKS LIKE I AM GOING FOR YOUTH BUT I THINK THESE ARE THE BEST PLAYERS ALSO
5 GERALD LAIRD HE HAS NEVER DONE ANYTHING TO LOSE HIS STARTING POSITION BUT GET GOT HURT 2 YRS AGO

TR -

Just read the mailbag, and it looks like you had a pretty tough week there. Just want to let you know that we do appreciate your hard work.

Briant, don't let him off the hook that easy. He is straight company man. "The Rangers learned a hard painful lesson on the loss of Danks and Young." Give me a break, they learned so much that they went out and dealt Gallarraga and Volquez. Now Ham is a player, but the guy they got from Detroit got cut, so Daniels continues his string of getting nothing for young pitchers. With TR's ardent look at our past, then why didn't he pass it along to Daniels, names like, Nen, Righetti, Darling, Terrell, and Henke. There are no freaking shortcuts, but Washington isn't the manager for a young team. Isn't it interesting that Duran and Boggs get called up and we start playing better? Play anyone at first other than Broussard who should be at AAA or cut. He is terrible. I would rather see Catalanotto at first than Broussard. Why call up Salt if he is going to platoon? I thought it was so important that he refine his catching skills in the minors. Well he really mastered them in 1 month down there, it showed in his first game. Last night he DH'd, wow what a concept. You don't call up a rookie switch hitter and put him on the bench. Just further proof that this "organization" and "manager doesn't have a clue. Salt plays somewhere, the guy can hit, something we haven't done a lot of. And another thing, Chris Davis is tearing it up in Frisco and he needs more time? Time for what, this team is 7 under, 7.5 out, bring him up if you aren't going to play Salt over there on the days he isn't catching. How come Vazquez can play multiple positions but Salt can't? It is Baseball, it won't erode or interfere with Salts progress by letting him play some first base, especially if he is going to ride the pine. Ridiculous. I bet he really loves the differences in the Braves and Rangers organization.

"Chris Davis is tearing it up in Frisco and he needs more time? Time for what, this team is 7 under, 7.5 out," - He's not here because he's not ready. It's about Davis' development, not how many games the Rangers are out of first place by.

Davis has walked 8 times vs. 34 strikeouts in the Texas League. Does that sound like a guy who is ready to face the most sophisticated pitchers on the planet or a guy who might benefit from some time facing better pitching at Oklahoma, making a more natural progression toward the big leagues?

Your complete lack of anything resembling logic is amazing. Hey, the major league club isn't going anywhere, so let's completely screw up the development path laid out for our #1 power hitting prospect. Pure drivel. For someone who says "there are no shortcuts" you sure to seem to want to take a lot of them when it comes to developing young players.

Another case in point about basic logic. Comparing the defensive versatility of a verteran utility infielder to a young catcher. Saltalamacchia has played catcher exclusively in the minor leagues while at a very young age, Vasquez was tagged as a utility player who's ability to play multiple positions was going to key to his landing a major league job. See the difference?

Or, another brilliant repetition about how Robin Yount was still a teenager when he was given an everday SS job so why not Elvis Andrus? Well, by the same logic, Ryan Howard didn't get significant playing time in the big leagues until he was 25 years old, so we should leave Chris Davis in the minors for 3 more years. Sound like a good plan?

I'm totally stoked to see Duran and Boggs contributing, but they both played full seasons at Double-A and then got about a month of Triple-A experience before being thrown into the fire. They're succeding because they've been put in a position to do so. They also both have about 400 more minor league at-bats under their belt than Chris Davis does.

Now hefe you should know better than to try and talk logic and reason with our unloveable resident lunatic.

1. Great point on this question dtaylor, I couldn't agree more. Maybe its time the organization considers what Hank really brings to the table. Younger, more athletic guys will give you better defense in the outfield every time. See Boggs play in left last night, as well as the magnificent grabs by Murphy, as examples of this. Ham does it on a nightly basis. Hmm, I wonder why we are a winning team when Vazquez starts? Not saying he's an all-star, but there has to be something to that.
2. Gonna go with Murray on this one simply because he's a lefty and we can use those guys, if effective, in our ballpark. Feldman has looked good, so give him a few more starts at AAA, as this starting thing is new for him, and if Murray fails give Feldman gets the next shot. Either way, their both young and it won't hurt anything since they both can go to the pen too.
3. Nate Gold should be given a shot. What more does he need to prove? C'mon give him a shot! I know he's not any worse than Broussard. Let him platoon with Shelton if need be.
4. By all means, go with Boggs! He may not be Willie Mays but Cat isn't either and he's thirtysomething years old! Go young!
5. Let them platoon until it's time to trade one of them. My hunch is it will be Laird. He's got a great percentage at throwing out would be base stealers(2nd only to Pudge in team history) but we've seen what his bat is like, average at best. With all the guys behind both of them in the minors, trade Laird while he's still hitting around .260 and go with an improved Salty behind the plate. He seems to handle pithchers better, which to me is more important than a strong arm behind the plate. His bat has much more upside than Lairds, so if his catching mechanics improve we'll have a more complete player. I still think he should be a first baseman , but that seems to be beyond us now.

I HAVE A HARD TIME WITH THESE ARMCHAIR MANAGERS MOST PROBABLEY NEVER PLAYED PAST T-BALL YOU CANNOT JUST PLAY A PERSON AT ANOTHER POSITION (SALTY AT FIRST BASE WITHOUT WORKING THERE PLAYERS CANNOT JUST MOVE TO ANOTHER POSITION BECAUSE THERE ARE CERTAIN THING YOU HAVE TO LEARN EVERY POSITION IS DIFFERENT

Salt looked pretty good at first base last year. But now he can't play there. My point is this, you don't call the guy up to sit the bench. He has to play somewhere, DH, C, 1B i don't care. The guy can hit. Hey hefe, if it goes any further south, you can be the Rangers "organization" will have Davis up here in a heartbeat. Especially if it is going to put the butts in the seats. What is the goal, what is the plan. Are we trying to win this year? Yes they are, and it ain't happening. Play the young guys. Botts, should be the first baseman if Salt isn't playing there. Broussard should be DFA, traded or gone! Duran was struggling in AAA, so why was he called up hefe? He seems to be making the adjustments, because he is a player. I believe Pudge was brought up from AA. I heard from MR. GRIEVE that AA is the most competitive league, so why is it necessary to go to AAA?

The struggling Duran was called up because a right handed hitter who could play the OF was needed when Marlon Byrd went on the DL and Duran was already on the 40 man roster. When Blalock went down, that shifted Duran back to the infield and Boggs, also already on the 40, was called up for OF depth.

If "opening day right fielder" Kevin Mench had been on the 40 man roster he might have gotten the call over Duran.

Pudge was brought up from Tulsa because of an injury to Geno Petralli and the fact that he was major league ready defensively at a defensive position.

I'm not aware of the Grieve quote you're referencing or the context in which it was made. If you're trying to insinuate that the level of play at AAA is lower than that at AA, then I'd point you to Eric Hurley's numbers at Frisco vs. what he's done at Oklahoma. If you mean that the pitching at AAA is not as good as at AA then I wouldn't be surprised because you write foolish things all the time. Note how often teams call pitchers up from AAA vs. how often from AA.

Why is it necessary to go to AAA? It's not necessary, but it is a good idea, especially for a kid as young as Davis who isn't on the 40 man roster because he doesn't have to be yet. He also still has work to do on his selectivity issues. Like I said before, Duran, who'll be 24 soon and Brandon Boggs, who's 25, both have about 400 more minor league at bats than Davis who just turned 22.

As far as when Davis is ready to advance from Frisco, I'd leave that up to Scott Servais rather than you, who have proven time and time again that you know nothing about player development or roster management.

Again, I'm waiting for the coherent, logical reason why Andrus and Davis should be called up now. I'm guessing I'll just have to keep waiting.

I'm with you on the DFA of Broussard. If Cat and Shelton are playing first then there's no reason to keep him around.

Also, with regard to AAA, check out Hank Blalock's numbers in the big leagues before and after he spent some time at AAA. Mike Lamb is another good example of rushing a kid up base on what they've done at AA and lower.

They're getting Salty in the lineup, and he's played 1st. I bet if you asked him, he wouldn't care where they plugged him in, as long as he's in the lineup. I'm tired of the continuous lineup changes. Let's stick with some guys, and ride it out, good or bad. Cat has proved he can't play, so has Broussard. Stick with someone else consistently.

1. We've seen this before, don't count on it turning around just yet.
2. Let's stick with both. 5th starter platoon!!! Odd man out comes out of the pen if needed. We've seen stranger things!
3. Anyone but Broussard. Shelton, if that's our only other choice.
4. Boggs. Cat should never play everyday.
5. Platoon for now, but keep giving Salty chances in the lineup through 1B, DH, and pinch hitting. Laird needs to produce to generate more trade interest.

1) Even a broken clock is right twice a day
2) Both - we need to see if either can pitch in the bigs
3) Neither - Broussard should have been DFA before Botts - Shelton is next on the chopping block
4) Boggs - Cat should be cut loose. He won't be around in 2010.
5) Salty is not a good enough hitter to be a 1B (except maybe on the Rangers). He needs to catch every day in the majors or the minors.

10 Things Ranger Fans Need to Keep in Mind

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