Monday Morning Manager...Catching a Draft

Can the Rangers commit to bringing in a pitcher as a starter and another as a reliever instead of changing their roles as performance dictates? Tejeda was brought here as a starter and then he was moved into the bullpen and then back into the rotation with very good success in the last half of 2006 and the first month of last season. Then a demotion to AAA and then AAA bullpen, and then back to AAA starting rotation. Then he is brought up as a reliever. You can't blame poor performance on anyone but the player, but when the team is constantly changing the players role, it makes the player less likely to succeed.
1-Take the best player available.
2-Only if Nolan Ryan is looking over his shoulder and breathing down his neck. JD has proven that he doesn't know much about pitchers. He needs all the help he can get.
3- Why didn't we re-sign Ron Mahay when we had the chance? Kam Loe is the only guy that I would half-way trust to call up. What are they doing with Nippert? There's another guy who has his roles changed? Loe is too.
4-At first, I thought I would use it only on close foul balls and homeruns, but since the last road trip and the bad balls, strikes called, I'm re-thinking that. There's really too much to discuss about that and I don't care to get into the intricacies of it here.
5-No. Boggs figures prominently in the future of this team. He's been a clutch hitter. Byrd is a good extra player who can be used all over the outfield and as a pinch hitter.

1) Pitching is hard to predict so go with the best player available
2) Talking to other teams would show the fans that the organization thinks we can win this year. As a fan, I would love to see the team make a trade as long as we don't have to give up too much.
3) I would like to see Daimond on the mound as soon as he's ready. From what I've read, it doesn't seem that far away.
4) Yes, for all plays in the outfield where umps rarely have good views. Anyone remember that Texiera double that caught chalk? I would like to see the reply system used in college football or hockey where the call is made and relayed to the umps in a timely manner.
5) Boggs could use a little more time to develop. Is it time to give Nellie Cruz a final shot?

1. The draft is considered sub-par and at the 11th position the Rangers need to grab the best player available. Hopefully that player is a pitcher, but in the 1st round you need to really make sure that you grab the best player available. Hopefully they will take Eric Hosmer. He's a Scott Boras client but it could be downright scary thinking of what he might add to our rotation.

2. No. The pitching market is so thin right now and the price would be insane. Stick to the plan on developing young players. We still have a chance to win this season but there aren't going to be any premium pitchers out there, and the ones that are would cost a fortune of young top notch talent.

3. Not at the moment.

4. It's becoming more of a necessity for home run calls. Bring it on because its better to get the call right and have it take a little longer.

5. No Byrd hasn't earned any additional playing time. Boggs makes the adjustments and comes in and plays a day or two and comes out firing. Byrd is to focused on not playing everyday and not focusing on what he needs to do to gain more playing time

1. Best player. Doesn't matter if they are college or high school either. Take the best player. Also, don't worry about signing bonus. Take the best player even if you have to deal with Boras.
2. If the right deal is there. The better question might be should we be looking for a starter or relief?
3. Don't really see. Diamond in another two months maybe?
4. Only foul balls and homerun calls.
5. No stay with the young guys. Winning this year would be great, but don't forget the big picture.

1. Best available.

2. Only in preliminary terms if at all. I don't want to trade any good, young players away this early and I don't want the Rangers to pay the price it would take to get a CC Sabathia in terms of young talent. When he hits free agency this winter different story.

3. I'd like to see Warner Madrigal get a shot at some point this season and he's already on the 40.

4. I'd like to see it for home runs, fair/foul calls and whenever the umpiring crew on the field asks for help from someone in the booth. Bud Selig can save his "pace of the game" argument. It interrupts the flow of the game when the umpires on the field huddle up to make an incorrect call. If they're going to stop the game and have a discussion, the least they can do is get the call right.

5. I'd still like to see him and Murphy in a straght platoon. I think those 2 combined can make one above average corner outfielder.

1. Always take the best player available, period, end of discussion.

2. The Texas Rangers as an organization should always be looking for pitching every day of the season and every day of the off season because they apparently don’t seem to trust their own drafting and development (which has been a huge flaw in their front office philosophy in my opinion – and one that needs to be fixed if they still feel that way)

But to answer your question Mr. Sullivan: I believe JD should stick with “the plan” for building for the future – if indeed that plan still exists – then my answer is no. Jockeying for second place in early June is not reason enough to start worrying about making trades for pitchers.

3. I’m not sure why Robinson Tejeda, who was pitching very successfully as a starter in OKC (in May 24 IP 1.11 ERA 6BB 24 K) and who has never pitched well as a reliever -was brought up and put in the bullpen. Seems like situation that is set up for him and the team to fail.

4. No instant replay – games are long enough – can you imagine how much longer they’d be if there were rules implemented adding instant replay? A better idea might be to have a better system for evaluating umpires and holding them accountable for their decisions.

5. With the way this team is put together and managed that is hard to say – I would continue to play the OF that gives you the best offense, since none of the current OF (now that Frank Catalanotto moved to 1B) are a liability on defense.

http://emcmlb.blogspot.com/

1. I would very much like to see the team add a college starting pitcher like Hunt or Friedrich. However, best talent must be chosen. In the first round of 2001 we picked Teixeira fifth - the pitchers taken 3rd and 6th were Dewon Brazelton and Josh Karp.

2. JD should absolutely be talking to other teams about pitching. He should be talking to teams that want to give us premium prospects for Padilla. It's time to sell high on that proverbial stock. Acquiring starting pitching would simply be too expensive, as sky correctly noted above.

3. Nah, we'd likely just add anyone available to the carousel from Arlington to OKC anyway.

4. I like it for calls on homeruns and fair/foul calls. Definitely not for balls/strikes, though.

5. Nah, keep Boggs in there. Keep Bradley as the full-time DH. Byrd backs up all three OF positions.

6. Yes, I did think it was strange that baseball man brought in Tejeda with the bases loaded and no outs in the seventh inning on Sunday.

1. Take the player who is most likely to be a superstar, regardless of position.
2. Talking is always good. Dealing isn't always.
3. Diamond but can't do anything about that
4. Only for plays regarding the ball going out of play (Foul balls, homeruns, fan interference, etc.) not for in-game plays or strike zones.
5. As long as Murph & Hamilton stay out there.

Draft the best availbale PITCHER, always. 2. I agree about trading for piching but not at the major league level. Now is the time to trade Padilla and Ponson for more yound talent while their value is at their highest. I would look to trade Bradley and if he ever gets healty, Blalock. 3. The sesaon is still young I'm sure we will see Diamond and Madrigal at some point. 4. Never, it's a game played by humans let it be umped by humans. 5. Not really , lets give Boggs more playin time. JW Tyler

1: BPA

2: Not because we are in contention at June, but if there is a deal too good to resist, yes. But there is never a give away when it comes to pitching.

3: Mayhay? Nah, the team played over it's head in may. There's a solid foundation for the future already playing for the Rangers, no need to rush anyone along.

4: Absolutely not, this is baseball, not football. IR gets brought up every year when there's a group of bad calls. The Ump's do a good job and baseball is not a game that is extremely hard to call when it comes to outs and home runs.

5: Byrd needs playing time, but if it ain't broke.....

1. Best player available.
2. Yes, to trade our veterans for high upside pitching prospects.
3. Looks like they'll all get a chance this year.
4. Yes. Home runs and foul balls.
5. Byrd's most important job is to play center from time-to-time to rest Hamilton.

1. Best man availibe - and forget college vs. high school. If Eric Hosmer falls to #11, we should take him, and if he's not there, then I want Ethan Martin out of Toccoa HS, GA. And whatever the Rangers do, they should not take Andrew Cashner.

2. Only if we're shooting for a high-end pitching prospect of some kind (someone with true #1 or #2 starter potential). But as far as trading for someone like Ben Sheets or CC Sabathia, no.

3. Well, with all the recent bullpen meltdowns, we need a fresh arm badly. Sooner or later, I will want to see Warner Madrigal, who might turn out to be a late inning guy, but his recent performances in AAA indicate he's not quite ready yet.

4. As far as determining fair/foul home runs I think it'll be useful. Maybe also for a close call at home plate in late/extra innings. But that's as far as it should be taken.

5. Only against left-handers. David Murphy should not be playing against lefties. I'm pretty convinced though that whatever Marlon Byrd can do for this team, Brandon Boggs can do it just as well, if not better - I think it's pretty much been proven that Byrd's 2007 season was an aberration.

http://lonestarincalifornia.wordpress.com/