LEADING OFF
Last week, I had a conversation with Chris Woodward that was fascinating and really illuminated where this organization is and what their expectation is from their players. You might recall this quote from Chris Woodward on Rougned Odor featured in last week’s entry:
“I just need to see, and I think as an organization, we need to know there’s a deep understanding of how he’s going to get out of this. He needs to understand that. And I need to hear from him what it is he needs to fix at this point. Because what’s going on right now is not getting it done. It’s not working. I have not given up on him. Obviously, I keep playing him. I believe in him more than any player on our roster because I love who the kid is and what he represents. But at some point he has to dig in a little bit deeper.” - Chris Woodward on Rougned Odor
No one is the organization is upset at Rougie’s work ethic or questions his desire. For struggling players, no longer is just working hard enough. The expectation is that these players develop a curiosity of how to get better. The expectation is that these guys not only work hard, but pursue information. The expectation is that these guys dig deep and utilize the growing collection of resources and information at their disposal to answer questions as general as 'how do I get out of this slump?' To more specific questions like 'why am I struggling on sliders down-and-inside from right handed pitchers?' And probably questions even more nuanced than that.
It isn’t just about exercising this curiosity when things are going bad. The hope is that these players are constantly searching for ways to get better beyond just taking reps in the cage. Hitting is now longer just a physical and mental exercise, but now that players have more information and resources at their disposal than ever before, hitting is a constant research project. Close up one hole, now it’s time to close up another. It might be a chase with no true ending to it, but it’s a chase that will only improve the player.
As a broadcaster, I always want to get better. There’s never an endpoint to that, though. Even Eric Nadel, one of the greatest broadcasters of all-time in his 41st year with the Rangers, will tell you he still seeks out ways to improve. There’s a sea of possibilities for broadcasters. We aren’t confined to a linear path with a finish line. Neither are the players. They never have been. The difference now, however, is that they have endless amounts of information and departments devoted to helping them translate that information as they seek to swim in that wide open sea.
Whether it’s the struggling Rougned Odor or the MVP candidate, Joey Gallo, the Rangers hope all of their players are constantly pursuing the next way they can improve their hitting and not just be happy with “their numbers,” even if their numbers might send them to an All-Star game.
DRAFT STUFF
*Go to the A/V section for my conversation with Baylor Head Coach, Steve Rodriguez, who talked about a couple of Bears drafted by the Rangers—Davis Wendzel and Cody Bradford—as well as a Big 12 rival, Josh Jung.
*One hitting commonality between the organization’s first two picks, Josh Jung and Davis Wendzel, as well as several of their other position player picks—and maybe an indication of a philosophical priority—is that they are said to have great command of the zone and pitch recognition skills. While these guys might never hit balls 500 feet, the idea is that you can add power to these guys whereas the pitch recognition and savviness in the box is a much harder skill to learn.
*In the 11th round, Texas selected right-handed pitcher Nicholas Lockhart out of Woodgrove High School in Virginia. Lockhart had multiple FBS offers as a defensive end in football, but committed to Virginia Tech for baseball.
*Ben Anderson, a 13th round selection, is the twin brother of Atlanta Braves prospect Ian Anderson, who is currently rated as the 27th-best prospect in MLB by Baseball America.
*Right-handed pitcher Adam Berghorst was selected by the club in the 14th round. The 6-foot-7, 260-pound Berghorst has committed to Michigan State University to play both football and baseball. He was rated a 3-star defensive end by Rivals.com.
*The club’s 16th round selection right-handed pitcher Triston Polley out of Indiana State graduated from Brownsburg High School in Indiana, the same high school as current Texas right-hander Lance Lynn.
*The pick of catcher Raphael Pelletier out of Mascouche, Quebec in the 25th round was dedicated to the memory of longtime baseball writer Gerry Fraley.
*39th round selection, Adrian Rodriguez, who graduated from an online school—Florida Virtual Academy—was found playing playing in an adult men’s league in Yonkers, NY by Takeshi Sakurayama, the same scout who signed Joe Palumbo who, due to eligibility issues, spent his senior year in a men’s league in Long Island instead of for his school team.
(ST)RANGER THINGS
*Pete Fairbanks introduced himself to the big leagues in a big way. The tall righty has had TJ twice and somehow now throws around 100 mph. despite throwing 90-92 when drafted in 2015. I think this guy is here to stay. His fastball and power-slider combo paired very nicely. He’ll definitely help with the bullpen depth.
*Joe Palumbo made his big league debut Saturday. He looked strong through three innings then ran into trouble in the fourth. He ultimate allowed 4 runs over 4 innings with 6 K and 0 BB. The challenge for Palumbo was that his curveball, normally a very good pitch for him, wasn’t very effective. A curveball is a feel pitch and Mike Bacsik, who was watching with me, said that his best guess was that the nerves and adrenaline of a debut was likely diminishing the ability for Palumbo to properly throw his curve. Nonetheless, we saw that effective fastball and it was a nice way for Palumbo to say hello to the bigs.
*My guess is Palumbo starts on Friday and not Drew Smyly. Smyly has been bothered by a bum ankle and that will likely land him on the IL, which would allow Palumbo to come up just days after getting optioned. Smyly simply hasn’t performed well this year. In addition to getting that ankle right, hopefully some time on the IL well help him catch his breath and come back a more productive option.
*With Isiah Kiner-Falefa going on the IL with a sprained right middle finger, the Rangers traded for Tim Federowicz in exchange for either a Player To Be Named Later or Cash Considerations from the Indians. Federowicz was playing for Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate. He is a journeyman catcher who is known for his defense. With Jose Trevino on the IL, the Rangers didn’t have a second healthy catcher on their 40-man roster so instead of purchasing the contract of either Adam Moore or Jett Bandy, they elected to acquire Federowicz.
*Willie Calhoun said he feels great and begins a rehab assignment tonight in Arizona. He might spend some time in Frisco before hopefully returning to the team this weekend.
*Shin-Soo Choo hit the 200th home run of his career on Tuesday night. The Rangers acquired Choo prior to the 2014 season and he battled through injuries and poor production, partially because of those injuries, in his inaugural Rangers campaign. That, coupled with his big contract, created a gray cloud of Choo but if you look at the numbers, Choo has been very good with the Rangers. He might actually be the team’s most under appreciated Ranger of the decade. Who else would you consider for this decade? What about for all-time?
*Kyle Dowdy was placed on the IL last Tuesday with a right elbow impingement. Since the Rangers can’t demote Dowdy without losing him due to his rule 5 status, this will not only allow him to recover from his injury, but he will get the opportunity to pitch in Double-A, Triple-A, or both as a part of a rehab assignment.
STRATEGY NOTE OF THE WEEK
Jon Daniels shared two really interesting thoughts on the draft during his weekly appearance with Ben & Skin. First, he noted that sometimes we forget the value of a good everyday player. Everyone wants to draft a star, especially in the first round, but if at number eight overall the Rangers got someone akin to Elvis Andrus for the next 12-15 year, we’d determine that pick an unequivocal success. Elvis isn’t a star. He’s a good everyday player. Those guys play huge roles on World Series teams.
JD also discussed the idea of permitting teams to trade picks, which is not allowed with the exception of competitive balance picks. This isn’t on the verge of happening but I, like JD, would love to see it!
MAILBAG
@JasonRyanRadio: What’s more likely to happen; Canseco finds Sasquatch on his money grab *cough* expedition or the Rangers keep a healthy rotation worthy of a playoff run?
Ha…Definitely a healthy rotation. I think it is also more likely that sasquatch is out there than Jose’s ability to find it. My concern is the bullpen depth and how much they can survive with just four guys who, so far, have proven reliable.
@JoeSiegler:Do you think the change in trading deadline conditions will have any major effect in how teams approach July 31st?
I guess we’ll see, but the thought is that it will force teams to make more immediate assessments and could encourage more activity. It also makes the process easier to explain and understand for the fans which is definitely good.
@RangersJedi: What’s your favorite bobblehead giveaway for this year?
The Gary Matthews Jr. “The Catch” bobblehead will always represent an awesome memory for me. I was at the game so I saw it in person, but more importantly, I went with my dad who actually caught a foul ball that game and gave it to me. I still have the ball. It was the first ball I ever got at a game.
@Adrianknows_: If Odor is still struggling by the time Willie is ready to come back, do you think Odor gets sent down?
I think it is a very strong possibility. There’s also a chance they just bench Odor or stop giving him everyday at-bats until his production suggests otherwise.
MOMENT OF THE WEEK
Shawn Kelley almost didn’t even get drafted but he had a big moment late in his college career that put him on the map. Watch the video at the bottom of the post.
KT’S “HOLY WOW” GREAT PLAY OF THE WEEK
“Just being drafted in general is a dream come true. Getting to play college ball and being good enough to be drafted in the first round is pretty special. Also, [being drafted> by the Rangers and staying in Texas, that’s pretty special. We are really excited.”- Josh Jung, the 3B from Texas Tech selected eighth overall by the Rangers.
“I was definitely nervous before the game. Pregame bullpen, I was getting a little ahead of myself. Towards the end, I slowed things down. But once I got on the mound, it was all about competing. I felt like I was supposed to be there, and I felt good the whole game.”- Joe Palumbo on his big league debut
“Guess what's next? You're probably getting a statue and then you're coming to Cooperstown, Big Fella, and I'll be there to see you inducted!"- George Brett on Adrian Beltre
"It's easy when we have the same first name. I just pretend they're cheering for me."- Adrian Sampson on warming up while Beltre's ceremony was going on before he ultimately delivered his first career complete game.
"It sure did. I'm not gonna lie. There's no place for that in this game. Just disrespectful...when he takes his time like that I'll let him know." - Adrian Sampson on whether Mark Canha taking his time rounding the bases on his solo HR upset him.
STATS OF THE WEEK
*Jesse Chavez has 21.2 consecutive scoreless innings over 17 appearances. Opponents are batting just .162 against him during that stretch and he has 20 Ks compared to 5 BBs.
12-RANGERS
10-Astros
9-Mariners, DBacks
AROUND THE LEAGUE
*As the son of South African parents, I’m excited that Tayler Scott, a 2018 Rangers farmhand, made his MLB debut for the Mariners over the weekend. He was added to the roster when Mitch Haniger was placed on the IL with a…ruptured testicle. Ow.
*Chris Sale became just the 2nd pitcher ever to throw an immaculate inning twice in a season (Lefty Grove, 1928).
*There are two big free agents who stand out long the rest this upcoming off-season. Gerrit Cole, who leads MLB with 13.82 K/9, is one of them. In his most recent start, Cole recorded 14 strikeouts and 29 swings-and-misses, which is the 12th highest total in the statcast era. The other is Anthony Rendon, who is maybe the superstar who gets the least amount of pub. After back-to-back seasons with a .900+ OPS, Rendon has been awesome in 2019 posting a slash of .319/.423/.638 (1.061).
*Christian Yelich hit his 24th home run and Mike Moustakas hit his 20th in the Brewers’ 66th game on Sunday. They are the third LHB teammates to reach 20+ HR in as many or fewer games, joining Lou Gehrig & Babe Ruth (NYY, 1927 and 1930) and Raul Ibanez & Ryan Howard (Phi, 2009), via STATS.
*There are three players who have 200+ HR with multiple teams: Rafael Palmeiro, Manny Ramirez, and Ken Griffey Jr. Albert Pujols is currently sitting on 199 HR with the Angels so his next will gain him entrance into that group.
MINOR LEAGUES
*Sam Huff dominated the South Atlantic League. In short order, he received a promotion to High-A Down East in the Carolina League and the 21-year old catcher continues to produce.With the Wood Ducks, Huff is slashing .321/.383/.538 (.921)
*Jason Bahr, a 24-year old RHP acquired from the Giants last year, continued his strong year for High-A Down East on Tuesday night with 5 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 6 K, and 2 BB. Overall, Bahr has posted a 1.90 ERA over 52.0 IP. He’s struck out 51 and opponents are batting just .183 against him. Bahr might be pitching at a Double-A park near you sometime soon.
*Matt Bush was being activated Saturday and assigned to Double-A Frisco. Bush had surgery in September to repair a partially torn ligament in his right elbow. In his return to the hill, he delivered a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout. His fastball was consistently hitting 95 MPH.
A/V DEPARTMENT
*Rangers’ Senior Director of Amateur Scouting, Kipp Fagg, answered some questions about the organization’s top pick, Josh Jung. Watch the video at the top of the post.
*Jon Daniels discussed Nomar Mazara’s improvement with Ben & Skin on his weekly Monday appearance: