Texas Rangers 2019 Thread

[ViperHorn]

We were there yesterday. The Rangers did their best to try to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

FW you might want to tap the brakes on the Astros being the best team in baseball. They, like the Rangers, have one solid pitcher and a bunch of "hopes". Granted the Astros solid pitcher is on a higher level, but both teams yesterday showed very poor outfield play.

Gallo had his first ever sac fly. He is trying.

 

[FWHORN]

FW you might want to tap the brakes on the Astros being the best team in baseball.

I agree that the Astros have some flaws and their starting rotation is not as strong as it has been in past once get past Verlander and Cole but frankly the Red Sox and Yankees are flawed as well and if Houston isn't the best team in baseball right now I am not sure who is.

 

[ViperHorn]

I don't think anyone has gone a step beyond so far this season. If you look at the standings it would be Tampa Bay in the AL.

 

[FWHORN]

I hate the Oakland A's, I hate everything about the Oakland A's, I hate their butt ugly stadium, I hate their butt ugly colors, I hate everything about them and their absolute ownership of all things Texas Rangers for the last decade plus.

 

[FWHORN]

Reality has arrived. 5 straight losses and sub .500 record.

 

[FWHORN]

Rangers with two straight blow outs of Mariners to get back above .500 and guarantee no worse than a .500 first month of the season.

 

[ViperHorn]

It appears that if the Rangers can get 7 innings of MLB level pitching and Woodward keeps pumping something up the offense's collective a$$, they have a chance. It will fall apart sometime during the season, but at least it makes for interesting watching now as every win makes the 70+ losses projection look like an under.

 

[HornHuskerDad]

Posting 15 one day and 14 the next is good - but I'd like to see them consistently post 5-6 a game to get a better record. Not that I'm griping about the blowout wins...

 

[FWHORN]

but at least it makes for interesting watching now as every win makes the 70+ losses projection look like an under.

I think you mean 70 plus wins and the over

 

[ViperHorn]

I think you mean 70 plus wins and the over

Ok

 

[ViperHorn]

In today's DMN Evan Grant answered a question on how would he would handle expansion - reorganization. Here is his reply:

____________________________________________________________________________________
I would go with Vegas as the 32nd team. Portland just isn't a big league town (yes I realize they have an NBA team, but they are just a west coast version of OKC).

 

[FWHORN]

Rangers sit at 17-17 and add yet more days this season at .500 or better.

Great article on why rebuild may not be as rough as we thought:

The Rangers could be competitive again sooner than you’d think

 

[ViperHorn]

I gave up on them yesterday at Pittsburgh in the 6th when they fell behind 6-2. Saw the score flash by while watching the Braves/Dodger game last night. Found out this morning the big blow as Pense's grand salami in the 8th.

 

[ViperHorn]

Well, the Astros, pitching issues and all, are putting their boot on the AL West.

The only solace is there is a chance that the #2 AL West team could have a shot at the second WC slot as the first WC Slot is looking like the AL East as long as the Rays can continue to play at a high level.

 

[X Misn Tx]

Reality has arrived. 5 straight losses and sub .500 record.

Rangers with two straight blow outs of Mariners to get back above .500 and guarantee no worse than a .500 first month of the season.

lol this is sooo Rangers baseball

 

[ViperHorn]

lol this is sooo Rangers baseball

Agree. It would be nice to see how good Woodward is as a manager, but he appears to be a dead man walking after (or during) the 2020 season. He has done wonders with a team that has no pitching and possibly only 2 consistent bats - Andrus and Pense (and at his age, he could lose it overnight). Hopefully, JD will be let go before Woodward.

 

[FWHORN]

46 games in and Rangers are back to .500 and dont look now but Gallo is hitting .293 and has 15 HR's and 35 RBI to lead the team. The Rangers just dont have the pitching to get even into wild card contention this year but they are showing a lot with this lineup to suggest that if they spend the money to get some pitching next offseason they could contend in 2021 and beyond. I would move the over under on Ranger wins this year to 75 and if they play the rest of the season the way have the first almost third of the season, the over would be the better bet.

 

[HornHuskerDad]

^Gallo has got to be the big surprise of the season so far. Last year we all said it would be a great victory if he could get his average to the .240-.250 range and still hit for power - here he is inching up toward .300 and still hitting for power and driving in the runs. And he has become a very good outfielder Hard to dream that would happen in one season!

 

[ViperHorn]

^^ Center Field seems to be his natural position so give Woodward and staff their due for finally finding Gallo's natural position. The K's are still a big concern as he still K's too often with players in scoring position because every pitcher in MLB knows high or low inside is his weakness.

 

[FWHORN]

The K's are still a big concern as he still K's too often with players in scoring position

He is still good for at least one K a game but to be fair he also has over 30 walks in just 46 games and frankly he is always going to have a high K number but if that is our biggest complaint I can more than live with that as long as he is hitting well over .250 with an on base percentage over 1000.

Joey Gallo, king of baseball's Three True Outcomes era

 

[ViperHorn]

Gallo 2019 (42 games): 35 BB; 35 RBI's; 64K's (leads the league); Left 78 on base.

His .214 Carrer Batting Average is not what makes a stellar batter. If the Rangers had a competitive pitching staff, the K's and LoB's would be marginally acceptable. However, the Rangers pitching problems cannot cover for poor at bats. For every Walk or RBI, he is leaving 2 on base. To his credit, he seems to know the batting issues but converting knowledge to action is a long process. Opposing teams know how to pitch him when they need an out, and how to get into his head with the various shifts.

 

[X Misn Tx]

his OPS over 1.1 is very encouraging though.

 

[FWHORN]

Rangers have winning record on May 23 at 24-23 and sit in second place in the AL West. With a patchwork rotation and no actual defined closer, combined with a makeshift lineup and injuries that just keep piling up, to have a winning record is incredible and Woodward is making an early season case for manager of the year.

Calhoun is proving to be a great get from the Darvish trade (though he went to 10 day IL yesterday so hopefully that is just a minor bump) and Viper's gripes about Gallo aside (still legitimate but starting to nit pick) Gallo is having by far the best year of his career and the three veterans Pence, Santana and Forsythe are all more than pleasant surprises. The season is still a lot closer to going into the ditch then it is somehow hitting 80 plus wins but my Ranger optimism is pretty strong right now.

Of course then I remember Jon Daniels is still in charge and that is a bucket of cold water on my hopes.

 

[ViperHorn]

Of course then I remember Jon Daniels is still in charge and that is a bucket of cold water on my hopes.

Not positive for sure.

 

[FWHORN]

At 1/3rd point of season the Rangers sit at 27-27, a very surprising .500 mark that I don't think any but the most optimistic Ranger fans would have expected before the season began. Mike Minor has proved to be a more than solid starter and somehow Woodward has kept this team from collapsing even with some 4 and 5 game losing streaks that have happened. A win at home today and they will have a winning month of May.

 

[ViperHorn]

Minor is the star of the season so far with Pence the comeback story. Pence will be in Arlington after the trade deadline but will Minor?

 

[HornHuskerDad]

^Interesting thought. For the moment, let's assume that come the middle of July, the Rangers are in reasonable contention for a wild-card slot - do they sell or buy? No doubt this team needs starting pitchers, and the starters in the farm system are at least a couple of years away. Do they trade for a good starter and (a) make a run at the playoffs for 2019 and (b) position themselves to contend in 2020? Or does JD consider this year a pleasant aberration and sell to restock the farm system? Not an easy answer.

Thoughts?

 

[ViperHorn]

With the exception of Calhoun and some lower level kids, they do not have any one who would bring a SP so JD will have to get creative.

 

[FWHORN]

Gallo left game yesterday and appears to have oblique injury and may be out for couple of weeks if not longer.

Rangers' Gallo exits with oblique injury, has MRI

Through June 1 the Rangers sit at 29-27 and astonishingly find themselves in the second wild card slot 1 game ahead of Oakland, Boston and Cleveland,

 

[HornHuskerDad]

^Well, phooey! Gallo is off to a terrific start this season, and if he can sustain his performance, may become one of the superstars of the game. I understand the cautious approach, but I hope he responds quickly to the treatment and can get back in the lineup soon.