Texas Rangers 2020 (and beyond?)

[chumdawg]

Wow, 52 seems very, very high.

[Murphy3]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

Wow, 52 seems very, very high.

I definitely agree.. Love Beltre but I'd have a hard time putting him that high. The reality was that he was only a good player throughout most of his career. Yes, he had a great 7 year stretch towards the end of his career.. I love Beltre. His WAR is extremely high.. this is obviously what gets him high on the list. However, he was rarely one of the best 2-3 players in the game at any point in his career. His greatness in large part is his long career. He played at a high level for 20 years. I guess it depends on what you value. A greater peak or more consistency over a long period of time..

[Zeus]

Originally Posted by Murphy3

I definitely agree.. Love Beltre but I'd have a hard time putting him that high. The reality was that he was only a good player throughout most of his career. Yes, he had a great 7 year stretch towards the end of his career.. I love Beltre. His WAR is extremely high.. this is obviously what gets him high on the list. However, he was rarely one of the best 2-3 players in the game at any point in his career. His greatness in large part is his long career. He played at a high level for 20 years. I guess it depends on what you value. A greater peak or more consistency over a long period of time..

WAR is a great way to contextualize value. Very few people are the top 2 or 3 in MLB for any extended period. Trout from 2012 to 2019 was clearly the best player in baseball. I don't have any issue with his position. He was a plus hitter and a plus-plus fielder. Sure fire first ballot hall of famer next year. If not for a blunder by Ron Washington in putting a competent defender in the bottom of the 11th for Nelson Cruz, he would have a ring. Ironically, Washington decided at the last minute not to put the defensive replacement in because he wanted Nelson Cruz to be able to run in from Right Field and celebrate the WS win. Having said that the fact that the Rangers just pulled off their first makes the pain of 2011 go away.

[Murphy3]

Originally Posted by Zeus

WAR is a great way to contextualize value. Very few people are the top 2 or 3 in MLB for any extended period. Trout from 2012 to 2019 was clearly the best player in baseball. I don't have any issue with his position. He was a plus hitter and a plus-plus fielder. Sure fire first ballot hall of famer next year. If not for a blunder by Ron Washington in putting a competent defender in the bottom of the 11th for Nelson Cruz, he would have a ring. Ironically, Washington decided at the last minute not to put the defensive replacement in because he wanted Nelson Cruz to be able to run in from Right Field and celebrate the WS win. Having said that the fact that the Rangers just pulled off their first makes the pain of 2011 go away.

I concur that there are very few players that are too 2-3 in the league over an extended period of time. In retrospect, I think you could extend that out to Beltre rarely being a top 5-7 player. I would have to go back and review year by year. Regardless, it doesn?t change my opinion. I wouldn?t have put Beltre that high because I don?t think he had a good enough of a 5-7 year peak. But that?s just me. Some people are going to place more value on his ability to play at a high level throughout the course of his career. That doesn?t make them wrong or me right. Their criteria is just a bit different than mine.

As for Ron Washington, that was an absolutely idiotic decision that he made for any absolutely idiotic reason. I can?t say I?ll ever forgive him for that.