Monday Morning Manager....On to Houston

"I don't know if the presidential candidates are running for the White House or Animal House."
— Bob Hope

1. He’s had a nice season, so far, but not all star worth in spite of his win total.

2. Salty should catch everyday. With Hank Blalock supposedly coming back to play first – and Salty catching most days – I’m not sure that calling up Max Ramirez and having him sit on the bench most days is a good way to handle his development. Why not call up Kevin Richardson? Richardson has been a good organizational soldier and deserves a few weeks in the and the opportunity to get what little playing time Salty and Hank’s back up will have.

3. Considering what little offense the Rangers haven’t gotten from 1st base nearly halfway through the season, if Hank can stay healthy and just hit .270 it will be a substantial contribution to the offense.

4. ZZZZZZZZZZZZ – who planned the Houston portion of this year’s series in the middle of the week when most of us working types can’t (or won’t) be able to go to the juice box to watch the series?

5. Right now neither major league team has a record that is going to assure their fans October baseball – although each team has some promise for the future. The soothsayers at Baseball America and other publications of that ilk would have you believe the Rangers are probably better shape for the future based on their current minor league prospects. However, the proof is when those prospects are wearing major league uniforms, don’t forget that just a few years ago those same minor league publications were telling us that Houston had the next great NL rotation in their minor league system (Tim Redding, Wade Miller and Roy Oswalt) and look how that turned out.

1. Of course he's all-star material. He's probably going to be kept out if we get our 4 offensive stars to the all-star game, but he deserves a spot as much as any other starter in the league( 10 wins, sub 4 ERA).
2. Salty should get his shot at being the everyday starter with Max DHing when not catching. This is Salty's big chance, so if he proves he's not a better asset than Laird, then he's trade bait.
3. One thing is for sure, Blalock will be a huge boost from what we've gotten from first. I like the way the lineup looks with Blalock at first, MaxRAM at DH, and Bradley in right. The best offense in the American league looks like it's just getting better.
4. As a Rangers fan, the Lone Star series is always a big deal. Not overly excited about the boot, but this is a really good chance for the Rangers to get over the .500 hump and stay there for good and maybe even compete for a wild card spot.
5. The Stros have a lot of money tied up in aging (and maybe under-achieving) veterans. Pence is not the star everyone thought he might be, though still a solid player. With their lack of true depth in the minors, the Rangers are in much better shape, both currently in the bigs and minors, than the Astros.

1. In looking at the stats for AL pitchers, probably not. Duchscherer, Saunders, Lee, Santana, Floyd, and Halladay all have 8+ wins and have an ERA that is at least 0.50 better than Vicente's. Plus, when you factor in guys like Greinke (maybe Guillen) and Felix Hernandez (if Suzuki is not voted in) as the lone member of their respective teams, it doesnt look good for his chances.

2. Salty will probably get to catch 5-6 times a week in Laird's absence. Doesnt seem like Max will get that much work though with Milton's quad injury. Houston and Philly will be good tests for Salty to see if he can improve upon his stats for caught stealing.

3. Botts, Broussard, Shelton, and Cat have hit about .220 total with 9 HRs so far. Dont believe that Hank has ever had a year that resembled that so I would think that he will positively impact the offense.....A little worried about the defense though. Guys like Gabbard and Feldman (ground ball guys) need solid IF defense more than another bat. Hopefully, it will be a smooth transition for the Hammer.

4. It would have been nice for the series to take place on the weekend so that Rangers fans could have gone down there but when looking at the calendar and seeing the Astros playing the Yanks and Red Sox on the weekend, it is no wonder why they scheduled it that way. Rangers probably would have done it the same way for attendance. Win the series and win the boot.

5. Rangers are in better shape now....Hitting is better and the pitching is about the same. Their ERA is lower but teams in the NL always have lower ERA because of the DH. Seems like minor league system for the Rangers is in better shape than the Astros but just as many prospects work out as they fail or get traded away for big league talent......Feel more confident in Rangers organization and their chances than the Astros.

1. He's done better than I thought he would but is not an all-star.
2. They're already doing it. Play Saltalamchia and keep Ramierz in reserve. Try to get Ramierz a few ab's before he goes back down.
3. Last year before he got hurt I think Blaylock was leading the team with something over 300 anyway. When he went down this time he was hitting within a couple of point of 300. We ened that bat in the lineup.
4. Ho hum
5. Ho hum

1) Since the AL manager who won the League/World Series picks, it's up to him. I think Vicente Padilla certainly deserves it. Last year, even though he stunk, I still felt he was the pitcher we are seeing now. Lord, may he continue pitching as he has this season!

2) Put Salty at FIRST! If all the hype about Taylor Teagarden, Max Ramirez, etc. is true, I think Salty needs to be the long term solution at first, and with a little seasoning, fielding skills, etc...we have a Mark Texiera on our hands for a long, long time. A power-hitting, switch-hitting, hulk of a First baseman. Short-term, let Ramirez catch and let Salty spell him....but, I'd put Salty at first. To me, he's THE solution at first---not Hank!

3) If he can recapture what he did in part one of last season (before his latest series of injuries--UGH!), where he didn't swing for the "Hit the Sign, win a Suit" sign every situation----then he'd be productive because over the first part of last season, Hank was our best hitter--hitting to the situation, going to left field, making contact with a runner on third with less than two outs. I don't think Hank is going to be that hitter though, as he will be eager to reclaim his "power" reputation, which makes him a far worse hitter than using all fields.

4) Interleague play, in general, dilutes the All-Star game, and the Houston series is alright, but it ain't what it was the first year or two when it was more of a novelty. I guess overall I like interleague play, but it has worn off in terms of it being a novelty, which it is.

5) I don't keep up with the Astros, but with Tejeda, Lee, Berkman, and other players with some miles on them, it seems to me the Rangers should be better in years to come due to their "kids". Of course, with our history of never developing quality starting pitching, it might be even-steven.

Let me correct the last comment #5.....I meant with the Rangers' "kids", then the Rangers are poised to be better in the long-term than the more aging Astros.

1. Don't think he will be, but I would be glad to see him rewarded for his focus so far this season.

2. I'm with EMC. Salty full time, with Kevin Richardson getting a cup of coffee.

3. Hank should be a power upgrade to the lineup when he returns. To be honest, I can see him having more impact on the Rangers pitching than the offense (in a trade for a starting pitcher). The Rangers will have a tough decision on his option for 2009 - right now I'm not sure they should pick it up.

4. Yes, somehow I am able to contain my excitement regarding the Silver Boot series.

5. I give the Astros the nod today, but give me the Rangers in the future.

1. Padilla has had a heckuva year, but I would rather see Milton Bradley in the All-Star game before him. However, if both could get in that would be pretty sweet - but I doubt both will.

2. This is Salty's big chance, the one I've been preaching about him getting to get for some time now - it's up to him to take advantage of it. As for the backup, I agree with EMC - Kevin Richardson would probably make a better backup than Max Ramirez, because Ramirez's presence complicates the 1B/DH situation too much.

3. It'll be nice to have him back I guess, but Hank is trade bait at this point. Chris Davis is tearing AAA apart, and if it weren't for Hank, he probably would have been called up by now. I still think moving Hank to first base was probably the dumbest move the Rangers have made this season - not only is he now blocking Davis, but they've probably decreased his trade value greatly as well.

4. The Silver Boot is a nice little novelty to have, in my opinion - but it doesn't matter a heckuva lot whether we win or lose. IMO, there's way too many interleague games - two series with Houston, and then one with a different random team each year would be quite enough.

5. The Astros traded away pretty much everything they had in their farm system last year for Miguel Tejada and Jose Valverde - they're now the Texas Rangers, circa 2004-5. Great offense, no pitching whatsoever. If we're patient with our young talent, we should be much better for much longer than the Astros in couple years.

http://lonestarincalifornia.wordpress.com/

1.) No, While he has had a nice first half he is maybe borderline but not quite there.
2.) Now is the best time to find out if Salty is the real deal or not. If he is this will boost his confidence and make it eaiser to look for trades of Laird when he returns. If he is not then trade Salty. Not sure if bringing up a kid who has no AAA at bats to get the occasional start is a good thing for hs development and that is what the minors are for, Development. Bring up Richardson.
3.) It will be nice to have Hank back assuming he is actually back and can stay healthy. His offense has to be better than what the Rangers have gotten from the position all year, it certianly can't be worse, can it?
4.) I can not express how little I care about the Silver boot and this trumped up rivalry. I would much rather see 3more games each with the Yankees or the Red Sox.
5.) Lately everyone has been raving about the depth in the Rangers farm system. Until some of that actually develops and shows up in Arlington actually producing I will remain skeptical. It all looks great on paper but we have been on Hype watch before. I want to see production before I am sold. The Astros minor league system is a shambles so in that vein the Rangers are probably in better shape but we'll see.

I'm certainly NOT one to say "I told you so," BUT, I warned the Ranger faithful here on this very blog that the illustrious Jason Botts AND Ben Broussard weren't worth their wait in salt.........and they weren't.

Does anyone on here also believe that we have a GOOD catching situation with, yes, Gerald Laird, and particularly a catcher that: throws runners out almost Pudge-like, keeps runners close, blocks balls in dirt effectively, hits for average (when his manager doesn't tell him to "not worry" about his hitting), he bunts runners to second or third, he steals bases, he takes the extra base going from first to third.....and on and on. WHY MUST WE KEEP PUSHING to trade Gerald? For crying out loud, he's competent as a backstop, he hits, sacrifices, runs, throws.....and we'd just be leaving this most valuable position with some rookie like Taylor Teagarden, for example, right at a time when the Rangers look like they could compete. I believe this folly; stupid and I don't understand the push to trade Gerald.

I prefer keeping QUALITY players, not just bringing up a prospect to be bringing up a prospect. Salty has a tremendous upside, was the crown jewel of the Braves' farm system (a farm system which can actually claim a winning tradition), and Salty could solve the first base position for years to come--not merely fill in until someone on the farm is ready (read: Jason Botts, Ben Broussard, Chris Shelton, Frank Catalanatto, and now Hank Blalock). Salty would solve first, AND leave a competent catcher who does a myriad of things at his position.

I see no reason to trade Gerald, a competent player at a vital position, and put Blalock at first. Hank, at first, is NOT the long-term solution folks. Salty, with a top-notch coach could teach him the position, a la Steve Smith with Mark Texiera, and made Mark one of the best at his position--not to mention Salty is young, has a tremendous upside, is a power hitter and switch-hitter. Teach him the position and he'll be there for years....I believe STARRING there.....until Liverpool Tom starts going on the cheap and refuses to pay him, that is.

Keep Gerald at Catcher and put Salty at first base, and commit to him there. Throwing out the "Let's trade Gerald" when he is the most competent catcher likely in the league (given all the tools he has and the things he brings), is just beyond me.

I would think that there is someone out there in cyberspace who shares my view and realizes the value Gerald brings. Our track record of "dumping guys" at the All-Star break isn't an overwhelming success anyway, Eric Gagne notwithstanding.

I'll just answer #5.
The Rangers have a number of guys on their roster right now who I would call foundation type players, guys who may not necessarily be superstars but who are the kind that play hard and who you can build a competitive lineup around and plan for a future with. Kinsler and Hamilton we hope to have for the foreseeable future. Michael Young has been the face of the franchise the past few seasons and as long as he stays healthy and keeps pounding out hits he'll probably have a spot on the team for at least the next few years, whether at SS, 3B, DH, or maybe even LF. Don't know what uniform Milton Bradley will be wearing 2 months from now but a lot of Ranger players and coaches (not to mention fans) seem pretty excited about te idea of him swinging the bat here for another few seasons. David Murphy and Brandon Boggs both look like they'll have major league careers for years to come, either as starters or as valuable 4th outfielders. Pick any of our top 3 or 4 catchers in the bigs or minors and you probably won't go wrong having any of them as your backstop the rest of this decade.

The Astros have some good pieces in their lineup, but their farm system is about as bare as any in the league, and right now they boast a starting infield of Geoff Blum (35), Miguel Tejada (34), Kaz Matsui (32), and Lance Berkman (32), with Ty Wigginton (30) and Mark Loretta (36) as their primary infield backups. In the outfield they start Carlos Lee (32 and still pretty good), Michael Bourn (25 and hasn't shown he can get on base consistently), and Hunter Pence (25 and making his breakout rookie season look like a mirage).

The Rangers have a better rotation now, and probably will for several years if their prospects pan out. Houston has Roy Oswalt, easily a better pitcher than any Texas has had in the last decade, but everyone in their rotation except for Wandy Rodriguez is 30 or older, and aside from Oswalt and possibly Brandon Backe, I would want any of them anywhere near a major league starting rotation. Texas, on the other hand, doesn't have a genuine ace but they have two pretty solid veterans (Millwood and Padilla) under contract for next year, and two 25 year olds (Feldman and Gabbard) and a 22 year old (Hurley) who have shown they can hold their own in this league. And a couple years from now the more talented prospects coming up behind them may have supplanted 2 or 3 members of the current rotation.
So all things considered, I feel a lot better about the Rangers, both currently and in the near future.

1. Yes, but his exclusion wouldn't be a crime. His ERA is a little high and his peripheral numbers aren't that great either.

2. I'd like to see Salty catch 4 games a week and DH one other. Max catches the rest of the time and gets the occasional start at DH or 1b.

3. He's a better hitter than Cat or Shelton so I'd have to think he improves it.

4 Cheesy, region specific trophy aside, I do look forward to these series with the Astros every year.

5. Yes. Largely emptying an already bare farm system in a "win now" move to aquire an aging Miguel Tejeda is the kind of move that has kept the Rangers mired in mediocrity for the last several years. Hopefully that ideology has seen it's last days in Arlington. The Rangers should have a steady influx of talent coming up from the minor leagues for the next several years. Can't say the same thing for the Astros.

For those of you who wonder about Richardson v. Ramirez. Ramirez has such a tremendous upside as a hitter in the leagues he's been in so far. Sometimes you catch a break and a kid comes in and does the job and Wally Pipp (my apologies to Lou Gehrig for the compariaspn to Ramirez) is out of a job. Witness Brandon Boggs and Vasquez for the Rangers...most of the time you just end up sending the kid back down. Richardson is a soldier . He may be here in the system next year or he may not. Probably doesn't make much difference to the Rangers.

TR...I must have missed an announcement on the release of SWtephen Marquardt from Spokane. Doo you know if he went anyplace?

1. It would be great to see him there, and in fact I would love to see him there but I seriously doubt it will happen. Hamilton is definately going, but generally speaking .500 teams don't get much representation.

2. Play Salty as much as possible. See if he can handle being an everyday player. I agree with bingosinatra though. He should be at first base with Hank manning 3rd when he comes back.

3. He was doing pretty well when he went down. I see no reason why he would not keep it up. I do agree with others about Davis. He needs to be up here. Let's see what he can do. Put Hank back at 3rd. Vasquez is doing great now, but I don't really see him keeping that up for a full season.

4. I think interleague play is completely overrated. Don't care one iota about the Silver Boot.

5. I think the Rangers are in much better shape than the Astros. I think they are the better team now and I think what we have on the horizon is better too.

Quick followup from one of last weeks questions...if you were at the game last Tuesday night you know that Texeira got booed big time when he came up. I was kind of suprised. I thought it would be about 50-50. I was wrong.

1-I think he should and I wouldn't be surprised if he was and I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't. If he's not selected he should get Honorable Mention, right?
2-With Laird injured, Salty has to be the main guy. This is a good opportunity for him and us Salty skeptics to see what he's got. If he's successful, the Rangers will have a problem on their hands when Laird comes back. I do not agree with bringing up Ramirez. He should be allowed to progress the right way, coming through AAA. I'd like to see him and Davis reunited in OKC and brought up together. I agree with the idea of giving Richardson the back up job.
3-
4-The more trophies we've got the better, right?
5-I really don't know much about the Astros except they're aging and I can't see them gaining any ground from where they are now. There aren't many organizations that look better than the Rangers right now, but then again, I'm biased.