Official Rangers off season thread

[Murphy3]

I concur.. Elvis probably needs to have a shot at leading off. Let's see if he can sustain what he did at the start of last season.

[mavspwnage]

Originally Posted by Murphy3

I concur.. Elvis probably needs to have a shot at leading off. Let's see if he can sustain what he did at the start of last season.

My opening day lineup would be this:

Andrus (SS)
Young (DH)
Hamilton (LF)
Beltre (3B)
Cruz (RF)
Kinsler (2B)
Moreland (1B)
Treanor (C) - assuming CJ Wilson is the opening day starter, which he should be
Borbon (CF)

Beltre and Cruz could switch places.

[alexamenos]

Originally Posted by Murphy3

I concur.. Elvis probably needs to have a shot at leading off. Let's see if he can sustain what he did at the start of last season.

....and what he did in the playoffs.

[jthig32]

There's no reason to have Young hitting second and Kinsler hitting sixth in any dream lineup. They should be flipped.

[mavspwnage]

I officially mailed in my season mini plan renewal today. Got to choose whatever 20 games I wanted. Thank you, Rangers!

[Murphy3]

Kinsler needs to be higher in the lineup. You don't want your better hitters getting fewer at bats. I used to love what the Rangers would do with Brian Downing. The guy had no speed, but the Rangers still hit him leadoff simply because he could get on base. The guy retired from the Rangers at the age of 41.. he posted an OBP of .407 that season.

[Male30Dan]

Rumors still swirling about Thome but nothing concrete. The more I read about this the more I think a move would have to take place to make it work (a trade with Moreland leaving for SP or possibly a Murphy trade to get a similar player that hits RH with good lefty splits).

Not sure, but he would definitely help us so it would be a good problem to have.

[Male30Dan]

Now we are being linked to Manny Ramirez as well...

If you could decide for the Rangers, who would you be splitting time with Young at DH with and why? Options are:

1) Vlad in a role that pretty much pushes Moreland to AAA or in a platoon role at 1B due to Young playing 1B everytime Vlad plays DH. Vlad can play 0 games in the field.

2) Thome in a role that pretty much pushes Moreland to AAA or in a platoon role at 1B due to Young playing 1B everytime Thome plays DH. Thome can play 0 games in the field.

3) Manny in a role that pretty much pushes Moreland to AAA or in a platoon role at 1B due to Young playing 1B everytime Manny plays DH. Manny can play 0 games in the field.

4) Murphy in a role that pretty much pushes Moreland to AAA or in a platoon role at 1B due to Young playing 1B everytime Murphy plays DH; however, Murphy can play LF/RF and allow Hamilton/Cruz to have a day off in the field.

My preference? Bring in Vlad if he approves a limited role. If he costs too much, wants 2 years, or refuses a limited role, bring in Thome. Say no to Manny.

How does this work? Well, first note that Young will play some games at 2B, 3B, and, yes, in all likelihood, SS (as much as his defense there hurts the head to imagine, he likely will do just that).

If you expect he will play a nice round figure of 20 games between the 3 positions (someone is sure to get hurt to make that a realistic total, even if all games are at 1 position) you are talking about 20 games (or roughly 80 ABs) where Vlad/Thome/Manny can be the DH without pushing Moreland out of the game (assuming pitching matchups work out - i.e. Thome works only with a RHP, etc).

If the plan is to only push for 300 or so ABs from this year's platoon partner with Young at DH, that means that Moreland could reaslistically still get another 60 or so games in for right at 80 total. Those might not be starter numbers, but when combined with last year it should tell us if we have something there for the future or not (something like 300 ABs, or more than twice what he had last year).

So, how does this all work out? See below for my recommendation (obviously this is all best case scenario regarding health and some likely won't play 152 games):

Main Group (200 ABs or more):

Andrus: 152 games, all at SS (roughly 600 ABs)
Kinsler: 152 games, all at 2B (roughly 600 ABs)
Hamilton: 152 games, 110 at LF/27 at CF/15 at DH (roughly 600 ABs)
Beltre: 152 games, all at 3B (roughly 600 ABs)
Cruz: 152 games, 137 at RF/15 at DH (roughly 600 ABs)
Thome/Vlad: 75 games, all at DH and preferably all/most against RHP (roughly 300 ABs)
Young: 152 games, 82 games at 1B/50 games at DH/20 games between SS/3B/2B (roughly 600 ABs)
Moreland: 80 games, all at 1B (roughly 300 ABs)
Torrealba: 120 games, all at C (roughly 420 ABs)
Borbon: 125 games, all at CF (roughly 430 ABs)
Murphy: 84 games, 52 at LF/25 at RF/7 at DH (roughly 300 ABs)

Limited Group (199 or less ABs):

Treanor: 42 games, all at C (roughly 150 ABs)
Blanco: 10 games, 5 at 2B/5 at SS (roughly 35 ABs)
Gentry: 10 games, all at CF (roughly 35 ABs)

Breakdown:

C: Torrealba (120), Treanor (42) = 162
1B: Young (82), Moreland (80) = 162
2B: Kinsler (152), Blanco (5), Young (5) = 162
3B: Beltre (152), Young (10) = 162
SS: Andrus (152), Blanco (5), Young (5) = 162
LF: Hamilton (110), Murphy (52) = 162
CF: Borbon (125), Hamilton (27), Gentry (10) = 162
RF: Cruz (137), Murphy (25) = 162
DH: Vlad/Thome (75), Young (50), Hamilton (15), Cruz (15), Murphy (7) = 162

Sure, I would love to get more CF time out of Hamilton, give more LF time to Murphy, and have more of a backup role for Borbon, but that is likely not to happen. Anyway, this is how I could see all of this working out if everyone stays healthy (very, very unlikely with this group). If Hamilton/Cruz get injured you could ramp up Murphy's game total to get closer to his average of 400+ at bats per year (at least over the past 3 years). Assuming injuries take up more than 20 games for the trio of Beltre/Andrus/Kinsler, you could ramp up Blanco's game total (or play more games with Young at those positions and less games with him at 1B, meaning more Moreland and, ultimately, more Vlad/Thome). Assuming an injury to Borbon that doesn't force more CF time to Josh, you could ramp up Gentry's game total. Etc...

[dalmations202]

Originally Posted by Male29Dan

Now we are being linked to Manny Ramirez as well...

If you could decide for the Rangers, who would you be splitting time with Young at DH with and why? Options are:

1) Vlad in a role that pretty much pushes Moreland to AAA or in a platoon role at 1B due to Young playing 1B everytime Vlad plays DH. Vlad can play 0 games in the field.

2) Thome in a role that pretty much pushes Moreland to AAA or in a platoon role at 1B due to Young playing 1B everytime Thome plays DH. Thome can play 0 games in the field.

3) Manny in a role that pretty much pushes Moreland to AAA or in a platoon role at 1B due to Young playing 1B everytime Manny plays DH. Manny can play 0 games in the field.

4) Murphy in a role that pretty much pushes Moreland to AAA or in a platoon role at 1B due to Young playing 1B everytime Murphy plays DH; however, Murphy can play LF/RF and allow Hamilton/Cruz to have a day off in the field.

My preference? Bring in Vlad if he approves a limited role. If he costs too much, wants 2 years, or refuses a limited role, bring in Thome. Say no to Manny.

How does this work? Well, first note that Young will play some games at 2B, 3B, and, yes, in all likelihood, SS (as much as his defense there hurts the head to imagine, he likely will do just that).

If you expect he will play a nice round figure of 20 games between the 3 positions (someone is sure to get hurt to make that a realistic total, even if all games are at 1 position) you are talking about 20 games (or roughly 80 ABs) where Vlad/Thome/Manny can be the DH without pushing Moreland out of the game (assuming pitching matchups work out - i.e. Thome works only with a RHP, etc).

If the plan is to only push for 300 or so ABs from this year's platoon partner with Young at DH, that means that Moreland could reaslistically still get another 60 or so games in for right at 80 total. Those might not be starter numbers, but when combined with last year it should tell us if we have something there for the future or not (something like 300 ABs, or more than twice what he had last year).

So, how does this all work out? See below for my recommendation (obviously this is all best case scenario regarding health and some likely won't play 152 games):

Main Group (200 ABs or more):

Andrus: 152 games, all at SS (roughly 600 ABs)
Kinsler: 152 games, all at 2B (roughly 600 ABs)
Hamilton: 152 games, 110 at LF/27 at CF/15 at DH (roughly 600 ABs)
Beltre: 152 games, all at 3B (roughly 600 ABs)
Cruz: 152 games, 137 at RF/15 at DH (roughly 600 ABs)
Thome/Vlad: 75 games, all at DH and preferably all/most against RHP (roughly 300 ABs)
Young: 152 games, 82 games at 1B/50 games at DH/20 games between SS/3B/2B (roughly 600 ABs)
Moreland: 80 games, all at 1B (roughly 300 ABs)
Torrealba: 120 games, all at C (roughly 420 ABs)
Borbon: 125 games, all at CF (roughly 430 ABs)
Murphy: 84 games, 52 at LF/25 at RF/7 at DH (roughly 300 ABs)

Limited Group (199 or less ABs):

Treanor: 42 games, all at C (roughly 150 ABs)
Blanco: 10 games, 5 at 2B/5 at SS (roughly 35 ABs)
Gentry: 10 games, all at CF (roughly 35 ABs)

Breakdown:

C: Torrealba (120), Treanor (42) = 162
1B: Young (82), Moreland (80) = 162
2B: Kinsler (152), Blanco (5), Young (5) = 162
3B: Beltre (152), Young (10) = 162
SS: Andrus (152), Blanco (5), Young (5) = 162
LF: Hamilton (110), Murphy (52) = 162
CF: Borbon (125), Hamilton (27), Gentry (10) = 162
RF: Cruz (137), Murphy (25) = 162
DH: Vlad/Thome (75), Young (50), Hamilton (15), Cruz (15), Murphy (7) = 162

Sure, I would love to get more CF time out of Hamilton, give more LF time to Murphy, and have more of a backup role for Borbon, but that is likely not to happen. Anyway, this is how I could see all of this working out if everyone stays healthy (very, very unlikely with this group). If Hamilton/Cruz get injured you could ramp up Murphy's game total to get closer to his average of 400+ at bats per year (at least over the past 3 years). Assuming injuries take up more than 20 games for the trio of Beltre/Andrus/Kinsler, you could ramp up Blanco's game total (or play more games with Young at those positions and less games with him at 1B, meaning more Moreland and, ultimately, more Vlad/Thome). Assuming an injury to Borbon that doesn't force more CF time to Josh, you could ramp up Gentry's game total. Etc...

I like it, but Murphy needs more bats than Bourbon(sp?). Vlad only half the games -- not likely, Wash won't do it. Mike needs a bigger break, maybe only 140 games. In fact -- the default should be 140 for all of them so they don't break down so much. 24 games off isn't that many, IMO after coming off a year going to the Series. I think it would make them much stronger come playoff time.

[Male30Dan]

Originally Posted by dalmations202

I like it, but Murphy needs more bats than Bourbon(sp?). Vlad only half the games -- not likely, Wash won't do it. Mike needs a bigger break, maybe only 140 games. In fact -- the default should be 140 for all of them so they don't break down so much. 24 games off isn't that many, IMO after coming off a year going to the Series. I think it would make them much stronger come playoff time.

Well I didn't catch that I had one too many guys on offense as it is so send Gentry or Blanco packing. That makes it even harder to give guys breaks, but of course there will be injuries and call ups along the way. Also keep in mind that if you limit Borbon's playing time it can't be for Murphy unless you are playing Hamilton more games at CF to get Murphy in LF. Murphy is not at all a CF candidate.

[dalmations202]

Originally Posted by Male29Dan

Well I didn't catch that I had one too many guys on offense as it is so send Gentry or Blanco packing. That makes it even harder to give guys breaks, but of course there will be injuries and call ups along the way. Also keep in mind that if you limit Borbon's playing time it can't be for Murphy unless you are playing Hamilton more games at CF to get Murphy in LF. Murphy is not at all a CF candidate.

Murphy -- has played CF.

5 Seasons CF 42 29 255.1 75 75 0 0 0 1.000 -6 -5 -28 -23 2.64 1.79 .989 2.71 2.68

In 5 seasons he has played there 42 games and has a fld% of 1.000.

He played there 10 games last year.

I am not sure how you get him over the 84 you already have though. If you try to limit Hambone and Cruz to 140, then you should be able to get some there as well though.

I think you could give him 10-15 in Center, even though it wouldn't be your best defensive lineup.

I consider it much like playing MYoung at SS or 3rd -- not your best defensive lineup, but hopefully the offense helps overcome the defensive deficiency.

[Male30Dan]

Originally Posted by dalmations202

Murphy -- has played CF.

5 Seasons CF 42 29 255.1 75 75 0 0 0 1.000 -6 -5 -28 -23 2.64 1.79 .989 2.71 2.68

In 5 seasons he has played there 42 games and has a fld% of 1.000.

He played there 10 games last year.

I am not sure how you get him over the 84 you already have though. If you try to limit Hambone and Cruz to 140, then you should be able to get some there as well though.

I think you could give him 10-15 in Center, even though it wouldn't be your best defensive lineup.

I consider it much like playing MYoung at SS or 3rd -- not your best defensive lineup, but hopefully the offense helps overcome the defensive deficiency.

While I am definitely not purely a numbers guy (as has been pointed out many, many times), Murphy has been, in a small sample size over the past few years, significantly worse in CF than the other positions. Granted that is a small sample size, and granted he is actually a plus defender from the COF positions, but I just don't think he is desired to be an option there to the decision makers on the team.

[Male30Dan]

Well, you can now remove Thome from the available list apparently...

Link

I personally preferred Vlad anyway, but he just has to accept a 1 year deal and, as The Rock used to say, must know his role.

[Murphy3]

If Hamilton and Cruz are healthy all year, you want them WAY above 140 games played.

[Male30Dan]

Originally Posted by Murphy3

If Hamilton and Cruz are healthy all year, you want them WAY above 140 games played.

Yeah, agreed. I think that realistically speaking you'll be very lucky to get either of them for 140 games (along with Kinsler for that matter), even if every single game they aren't injured has them in the lineup, but we shall see.

[Male30Dan]

Panic move by LA - traded Napoli/Rivera for Wells... So many things to joke about there (roughly -4 WAR, WAY more spent for Wells than could have been spent on Beltre or Crawford, etc...) but I will just say that GM of the year is already decided... AA wrapped it up today.

[chumdawg]

.

[Male30Dan]

Well shit... Francisco traded for Napoli... That ends the thought of Feliz to the rotation in all likelihood.

I think this is us filling a need (RH bat to play some 1st, Catch, and DH) and provides some insurance, but damn, it sure would have been nice to keep Francisco, plug someone like Vlad into the lineup in that role (he may have come around eventually to the idea of limited PT given his dwindling options for non-playoff contenders), and continued to have the opportunity to roll Feliz out there as a starter.

Oh well, it wasn't like it was a high probability it would happen anyway. Just sucks that we could have kept Frankie and brought on someone to put up better production than what Napoli will likely produce minus Frankie...

Don't get me wrong, Napoli has definite value and isn't too old but he provides nothing defensively and has poor splits. Just not thrilled with the turn around given what could have been.

[muzak]

Seems like a good trade to me. I never thought Feliz as a starter was a very good idea. He doesn't have great secondary pitches and it wouldn't take long for teams to get their timing down on his fastball. With Ogando flourishing as the set-up guy, Frankie is expendable.

[Male30Dan]

Originally Posted by muzak

Seems like a good trade to me. I never thought Feliz as a starter was a very good idea. He doesn't have great secondary pitches and it wouldn't take long for teams to get their timing down on his fastball. With Ogando flourishing as the set-up guy, Frankie is expendable.

He is expendable, but why send him out when you could have kept him and signed a guy to pull the same weight. I get his numbers against lefties are very nice. I get that this is throwing even more salt in the wounds of Angels' fans. I get that Ogando/Scheppers/Kirkman will help me forget all about Frankie. My most frustrating piece is just the fact that now Feliz is entrenched in the closers role in all likelihood. No way a team that performed this well is going to get a new closer and setup man in the same offseason.

Again, oh well. Napoli likely platoons with Moreland and gets all ABs against LHPs while also getting some starts at C. Looks like Young might be traded or truly ONLY get ABs from DH and spot starts when guys in the INFIELD need a break (if OFs need a break but want to hit Young will either be off replace Moreland at 1B, further reducing his role). Either send Moreland to AAA to get consistent ABs or let him be a full-time platoon guy. Don't platoon his RH platoon.

[jthig32]

I love it, because now you have a ton of flexibility to pinch hit for your poor hitting catchers. Murphy's going to get a ton of pinch hit at bats now.

Vlad would not have outproduced Napoli enough to offset the loss of flexibility and the extra money he would have required.

I guess I get being annoyed if you really want Feliz in the rotation this seasons, but I certainly never felt that like that had any sort of chance.

And what Dan laid out for Young has been what I've been expecting all along.

[Five-ofan]

I absolutely love this trade(and Im a big FF fan so i hate to see him go). Napoli had a solid season last year despite having a really unfortunate BABIP. Also as simple as it is to say plug MY or Vlad or whatever random DH option you want at first/DH, we have no reason to believe any of them can play first. Vlad definitely can't and I for one think Young would be terrible there. Napoli is a poor catcher but hes fine at first. I also think that Napoli is a good bet to be a better hitter against lefties than either Young or Vlad next year. As Thiggy mentioned, the other huge benefit of this move is that it allows you to pinch hit/pinch run for catchers with impunity without having to actually carry a third catcher.

I also think theres a fairly good chance Young isnt here by opening day and Im completely ok with that.

[Male30Dan]

Originally Posted by Five-ofan

I absolutely love this trade(and Im a big FF fan so i hate to see him go). Napoli had a solid season last year despite having a really unfortunate BABIP. Also as simple as it is to say plug MY or Vlad or whatever random DH option you want at first/DH, we have no reason to believe any of them can play first. Vlad definitely can't and I for one think Young would be terrible there. Napoli is a poor catcher but hes fine at first. I also think that Napoli is a good bet to be a better hitter against lefties than either Young or Vlad next year. As Thiggy mentioned, the other huge benefit of this move is that it allows you to pinch hit/pinch run for catchers with impunity without having to actually carry a third catcher.

I also think theres a fairly good chance Young isnt here by opening day and Im completely ok with that.

If Young isn't here, is Napoli your Full Time DH or do you roll with Vlad back in the lineup with Napoli's at bats being when you give Vlad a rest or when you face lefties and Moreland sits (plus maybe a handful of games at C)?

[Five-ofan]

Originally Posted by Male29Dan

If Young isn't here, is Napoli your Full Time DH or do you roll with Vlad back in the lineup with Napoli's at bats being when you give Vlad a rest or when you face lefties and Moreland sits (plus maybe a handful of games at C)?

I wouldnt have a full time dh. It would be a combination of platooning murph and napoli while using the dh spot to keep josh, nelly, ian and beltre fresh. Id think something along the lines of 15 games in center, 100 in left and 35 at dh for josh, 130 in right and 20 at dh for nelly. 135 at second and 20 at dh for ian(doubtful hes this healthy but i can dream) 145 at third and ten at dh for beltre. 60 in left, 30 in right and 20 at dh for murphy, 55 at dh, 25 at first and 15 at catcher for napoli and adjust for the little wiggle room i left depending on health

[Male30Dan]

We dang sure won't be facing 95 starting LHPs this year, so does Napoli get that many starts against majority RHPs? He is a career .238/.329/.467 guy against RHPs (.289/.393/.538 against LHPs).

Also, it appears we are taking away another power bat (Vlad for example) from the lineup just to try to work around an injury-prone team. That is unfortunate. You could likewise say it's smart as trying to get a full 145-155 games out of Hamilton, Cruz, and Kinsler would be tremendous, but it is likewise unfortunate that it is required.

I see the flexibility - don't get me wrong. I see that this gives Murphy more PT, which is a good thing against RHPs (.288/.354/.487) but not as good against LHPs (.264/.307/.383). Of course you lose more production offensively from infield swapping, as putting Blanco in for Young hurts the offense a great deal (though obviously improving the defense).

I don't know - no solution is ideal I guess from those on the table so I guess we should wait and see how it all unfolds rather than judging things when more movement is on the horizon.

Personally, given the trade for Napoli, I say you trade Young for pitching (not sure what you can get for him from Colorado), sign Vlad, AND find a way to pull Cameron away from Boston to face LHPs. It would obviously be nice to have a more capable UIF offensively, but securing Cameron would be hard enough.

Then you have the following against LHPs:

SS - Andrus
2B - Kinsler
LF - Hamilton
3B - Beltre
RF - Cruz
DH - Vlad
1B - Napoli
CF - Cameron
C - Torrealba

...and the following lineup against RHPs:

SS - Andrus
2B - Kinsler
LF - Hamilton
3B - Beltre
RF - Cruz
DH - Vlad
1B - Moreland
C - Torrealba
CF - Borbon

[Five-ofan]

Originally Posted by Male29Dan

We dang sure won't be facing 95 starting LHPs this year, so does Napoli get that many starts against majority RHPs? He is a career .238/.329/.467 guy against RHPs (.289/.393/.538 against LHPs).

Also, it appears we are taking away another power bat (Vlad for example) from the lineup just to try to work around an injury-prone team. That is unfortunate. You could likewise say it's smart as trying to get a full 145-155 games out of Hamilton, Cruz, and Kinsler would be tremendous, but it is likewise unfortunate that it is required.

I see the flexibility - don't get me wrong. I see that this gives Murphy more PT, which is a good thing against RHPs (.288/.354/.487) but not as good against LHPs (.264/.307/.383). Of course you lose more production offensively from infield swapping, as putting Blanco in for Young hurts the offense a great deal (though obviously improving the defense).

I don't know - no solution is ideal I guess from those on the table so I guess we should wait and see how it all unfolds rather than judging things when more movement is on the horizon.

Personally, given the trade for Napoli, I say you trade Young for pitching (not sure what you can get for him from Colorado), sign Vlad, AND find a way to pull Cameron away from Boston to face LHPs. It would obviously be nice to have a more capable UIF offensively, but securing Cameron would be hard enough.

Then you have the following against LHPs:

SS - Andrus
2B - Kinsler
LF - Hamilton
3B - Beltre
RF - Cruz
DH - Vlad
1B - Napoli
CF - Cameron
C - Torrealba

...and the following lineup against RHPs:

SS - Andrus
2B - Kinsler
LF - Hamilton
3B - Beltre
RF - Cruz
DH - Vlad
1B - Moreland
C - Torrealba
CF - Borbon

Napoli is a signifigantly better hitter against lefties than Vlad and murphy is as good against righties as vlad so I dont really see the need for vlad at this point. I love Vlad and Ill wish him the best wherever he goes but I dont think hes a good fit right now. I honestly dont see a need to platoon Moreland but i would make sure that the 20 or so games he gets off are against lefties.

Young also struggled mightily against righties last year so its not like its a given that he eats up righties this year either. I know weve been down this road and we just disagree(which I understand your point) but I will be pleasantly shocked if we get anything more than 285/330/430 out of Young next year and I will be seriously disappointed if we get anything less than 260/345/480 out of Napoli next year(given the assumption he is used correctly) so I dont really see a big reason to worry about young.

[Male30Dan]

The reason I want Vlad is to get more power in the lineup. It is as simple as that. I definitely think that giving Murphy more playing time can be a good thing and I realize that Napoli is a great LH splits guy (hell, that's why we went and got him).

Also, numerous articles have come out guaranteeing that Young will be the opening day DH so I don't guess he is going anywhere. If we aren't signing Vlad in a reduced role and we aren't moving Young it appears that, barring trades for pitching, we are "ready to go to war" as our Mavs brain trust loves to say.

So be it...

[mkat]

i think more power would be a good thing to add to this lineup, but i'm not sure Vlad brings it. Especially if he continues his play from the last half of 2010/playoffs. There are other guys out there who bring power that can be had for cheaper.

[dalmations202]

Originally Posted by mkat

i think more power would be a good thing to add to this lineup, but i'm not sure Vlad brings it. Especially if he continues his play from the last half of 2010/playoffs. There are other guys out there who bring power that can be had for cheaper.

Give me some names please of guys who bring power (more than Vlad) and can be had for cheaper. Especially if you can find a guy who bats close to .300.

[mkat]

Originally Posted by dalmations202

Give me some names please of guys who bring power (more than Vlad) and can be had for cheaper. Especially if you can find a guy who bats close to .300.

I don't a) think Vlad will be hitting .300 next year, b) come back for 'cheap' (define that, please), or c) hit for as much power as we're hoping for.

As for possible other names, Russell Branyan sounds interesting to me. Maybe Jose Guillen? I dunno. I'm just throwing names out based on Vlad's second half of 2010. I think you're more likely to get that Vlad than first half 2010 where he and Cruz carried the team.

[Male30Dan]

Originally Posted by mkat

I don't a) think Vlad will be hitting .300 next year, b) come back for 'cheap' (define that, please), or c) hit for as much power as we're hoping for.

As for possible other names, Russell Branyan sounds interesting to me. Maybe Jose Guillen? I dunno. I'm just throwing names out based on Vlad's second half of 2010. I think you're more likely to get that Vlad than first half 2010 where he and Cruz carried the team.

I question why you feel that way. I definitely don't. I think Vlad simply got too much burn. If you bring him back in a reduced role with regular rest I think you get the first half Vlad all year long. The first half vlad in his x amount of at bats along with all LH at bats of Napoli would be a helluva DH rotation if Young could be moved. Even with Young staying this is doable if you feel the platooned Vlad gives you more THIS year than what you would get out of Moreland (Mitch would start in AAA).

Young would get his 600+ ABs between DH, 1B, and spot starts around the infield. Napoli would get his 300+ ABs between 1B and C (likely some DH too). Vlad would get his 350+ ABs SOLELY at DH.

You lose some flexibility this way (and limit Murphy a bit more) but you provide hopefully consistent power from Vlad when in the lineup given his rest.

After this year, with another year of refinement from Moreland, you could then look at him as a permanent option at first (likely platooned with someone - possibly Napoli) or move in another direction if he has a mediocre year. Young could then be traded, cut, or kept on as the DH, depending on what other DH options are out there next year.

Basically - this gives us the best production for THIS YEAR (in my opinion) while not mortgaging the future. I absolutely think we should sign Vlad. He just has to be OK with a reduced role. If he never will be, so be it - move on. If you play him like we played him last year, he will tire out again. Rest him though and you have yourself another Thome in that he likely hits 20+ dingers in a half season of ABs.

[Five-ofan]

Originally Posted by Male29Dan

I question why you feel that way. I definitely don't. I think Vlad simply got too much burn. If you bring him back in a reduced role with regular rest I think you get the first half Vlad all year long. The first half vlad in his x amount of at bats along with all LH at bats of Napoli would be a helluva DH rotation if Young could be moved. Even with Young staying this is doable if you feel the platooned Vlad gives you more THIS year than what you would get out of Moreland (Mitch would start in AAA).

Young would get his 600+ ABs between DH, 1B, and spot starts around the infield. Napoli would get his 300+ ABs between 1B and C (likely some DH too). Vlad would get his 350+ ABs SOLELY at DH.

You lose some flexibility this way (and limit Murphy a bit more) but you provide hopefully consistent power from Vlad when in the lineup given his rest.

After this year, with another year of refinement from Moreland, you could then look at him as a permanent option at first (likely platooned with someone - possibly Napoli) or move in another direction if he has a mediocre year. Young could then be traded, cut, or kept on as the DH, depending on what other DH options are out there next year.

Basically - this gives us the best production for THIS YEAR (in my opinion) while not mortgaging the future. I absolutely think we should sign Vlad. He just has to be OK with a reduced role. If he never will be, so be it - move on. If you play him like we played him last year, he will tire out again. Rest him though and you have yourself another Thome in that he likely hits 20+ dingers in a half season of ABs.

Michael Young is not an everyday first basemen and hes not any better at hitting righties than Napoli.

[mkat]

i think he's made it clear he's not cool with a reduced role. i mean, they offered him 1yr/8mil around christmas and he said no. now maybe he gets desperate enough to sign later on...that's a possibility.

[Male30Dan]

Originally Posted by mkat

i think he's made it clear he's not cool with a reduced role. i mean, they offered him 1yr/8mil around christmas and he said no. now maybe he gets desperate enough to sign later on...that's a possibility.

He would only dream of getting 1/8 at this point. Pickins are slim. He will be lucky to pull in 1/5 now and if his options are 1/5 with Texas or 1/5 with Baltimore (but more PT with the Orioles) I personally think he would be stupid to not sign in Texas given his drop off a year ago and given his chance to win here. Maybe he is stupid (err - stubborn) and maybe it doesn't matter because Texas simply doesn't want him.

Either way, he isn't pulling in a 2/20 contract or something crazy like that. He waited too long to sign and he lost all of his power - unless he plans on sitting a year he is taking a paycut.

[mavspwnage]

Originally Posted by mkat

i think he's made it clear he's not cool with a reduced role. i mean, they offered him 1yr/8mil around christmas and he said no. now maybe he gets desperate enough to sign later on...that's a possibility.

I'm disappointed that you have the Rangers' playoff record wrong. What was the 9th game we lost?

[mkat]

Originally Posted by mavspwnage

I'm disappointed that you have the Rangers' playoff record wrong. What was the 9th game we lost?

oh scoreboard! -__-

my bad.

[Five-ofan]

Sorry i cant qoute on my phone but if moreland is in triple a young and napoli are the only two guys on the roster who can play first. I love the napoli acquisition but only if hes used correctly and that roster has no chance of using him correctly

[Male30Dan]

Originally Posted by Five-ofan

Sorry i cant qoute on my phone but if moreland is in triple a young and napoli are the only two guys on the roster who can play first. I love the napoli acquisition but only if hes used correctly and that roster has no chance of using him correctly

Exactly - Young AND Napoli... Your post above though was acting like I was suggesting Young be an everyday 1B (which he absolutely could do by the way) and I didn't say that. I was proposing using him and Napoli together there with Napoli definitely getting all of the LH ABs.

None of it matters anyway... Vlad just signed a 1-year contract for EIGHT million dollars. Very surprising considering all of the media spin on what he would likely get. I guess Baltimore really wanted to make this splash because they were competing with............wait for it...........wait for it............themselves.

Link...

[Five-ofan]

Originally Posted by Male29Dan

Exactly - Young AND Napoli... Your post above though was acting like I was suggesting Young be an everyday 1B (which he absolutely could do by the way) and I didn't say that. I was proposing using him and Napoli together there with Napoli definitely getting all of the LH ABs.

None of it matters anyway... Vlad just signed a 1-year contract for EIGHT million dollars. Very surprising considering all of the media spin on what he would likely get. I guess Baltimore really wanted to make this splash because they were competing with............wait for it...........wait for it............themselves.

Link...

Why do you think Young can play first well? Young hasnt played any defensive position well since 2002 and his only positive defensive characteristic is his arm. Playing first largely makes that irrelevant. I think theres a legitament chance hed be Adam Dunn level bad at first which means that you really cant play him there at all.

As for Young playing first primarily against righties, Mitch Moreland is a signifigantly better hitter against right handed pitching than Michael Young. 270/314/425 with a 319 woba and a 93 wrc+ were Young's numbers against righties last year. His career line is better with a 302/346/446 line against righties for a .344 woba against righties but thats carried by a 337 babip. Basically if young doesnt hit 340 or so on balls in play against righties, his bat is below league average against righties. He was very good against righties in 2009 but was also terrible in 2008.

[Male30Dan]

Originally Posted by Five-ofan

Why do you think Young can play first well? Young hasnt played any defensive position well since 2002 and his only positive defensive characteristic is his arm. Playing first largely makes that irrelevant. I think theres a legitament chance hed be Adam Dunn level bad at first which means that you really cant play him there at all.

As for Young playing first primarily against righties, Mitch Moreland is a signifigantly better hitter against right handed pitching than Michael Young. 270/314/425 with a 319 woba and a 93 wrc+ were Young's numbers against righties last year. His career line is better with a 302/346/446 line against righties for a .344 woba against righties but thats carried by a 337 babip. Basically if young doesnt hit 340 or so on balls in play against righties, his bat is below league average against righties. He was very good against righties in 2009 but was also terrible in 2008.

I'm sorry, I didn't understand any of that. Your nerd was too loud.



In all seriousness - Young has shown in the past that he can be rather respectable against RHPs (as you pointed out, see 2009). Regarding defense, his problem is RANGE. RANGE. His RANGE wouldn't be nearly as exposed at 1B as it would anywhere else in the field. He is fine with his glove and if in front of the ball he can make the catch. He wouldn't be a gold glove caliber guy there but he wouldn't kill you either, as he has at 3B for the past couple of years.