Nooooooooo!!!!

“Nooooooooo,” Washington replied when asked if he is considering moving Young down a spot in the lineup after the off day. “This is the way our lineup runs and I’m going to keep running with it. You have got to make adjustments in this game and he will make them. This [slump] has just lasted a little longer than others.I have a feeling he’ll come out of it, just when we need it most.”

I can't totally fault Wash for feeling this way about MY's chances of bouncing back. But I wish he would do something about Young batting 5th in the order until he does bounce back. Assuming he does bounce back.

Michael's fWAR is now -0.6. His wRC+ is 70. It just keeps going down. And the media is starting to pick up on this. Just google Michael Young and look at the news feed. Even Evan Grant is seeing that Young is doing really bad.

When the quintessential Michael Young apologist mentions he has a problem...that's when you know it's a big deal.

MY dragging down the offense isn't a slam on Young, it's a criticism of Wash for turning a blind eye and ignoring what's happening. At some point, results have to be counted for more than expectations and we're almost halfway through the season with nothing to hint at him supposedly coming around.

In all likelihood it's Father Time, putting a 5 pound weight on that bat, and the bat speed is lagging. But that doesn't bode to get better over the season, it gets worse. He's not going to make Father Time go away.

Get a clue, Wash - - if you want to keep playing him, at least don't use him like a manager who doesn't know what he's going to get. Get informed, see what you're you're getting (not what you wish for in your fantasies), rest him, move him down in the lineup, and get him out of the way from hindering your players who can make things happen.

This hasn't been discussed enough here and I think it's an entirely valid argument.....

The possibility that the players themselves would be in an uproar if Young was benched or treated as such after everything they know he's done for the franchise.

These guys go to war for each other and I don't think it would be taken well if Wash would do what we all want. No manager in the league would get away with it.

That's the harsh reality of the situation. It's a lot more complicated than we've discussed so far.

The possibility that the players themselves would be in an uproar if Young was benched or treated as such after everything they know he's done for the franchise.

These guys go to war for each other and I don't think it would be taken well if Wash would do what we all want. No manager in the league would get away with it.

That's the harsh reality of the situation. It's a lot more complicated than we've discussed so far.

Yes, I was at LSB too this morning lol.

I'm not going to say that I don't think it would be an issue. I don't know if it would be or not. Nobody knows. All I will say is that I HOPE that the players would understand. This is something that in all likelyhood NEEDS to happen. We can't keep using our worst player like this. When it comes to playing time, being good at baseball should hold signifigance over being a "good clubhouse guy" or whatever you want to call it. IMO, you don't want this whole operation turning from a meritocracy to a popularity contest.

Is Face declining or in a slump? No one really knows the answer to this, maybe not even Face. The facts are that at this point in time he is dragging the team down with his slump, or decline. He needs to be moved down in the order period, point blank. I am not, however, going to sit here and say he needs to be relegated to the bench like I have seen some people on this site suggest. Like him or not, he does deserve a chance to come around this year. Next is a different story all together. If this is a season long thing then he needs to be looked at thoroughly during spring training, and if no indication is given that he has turned it around then, at that point he needs to be a platoon player. Fact is he is one of the best rangers in this franchises history and I believe one day should have his number up next to pudge. He deserves a chance to at least play his way out of it and earn the 5th spot back, not be given that spot out of entitlement for previous performance. It could just be a season where he can't get things going. Jeter struggled 2 seasons ago , granted not to the point Face has up to this point, posting a 94 wRC+ and a wOBA of .320 . To this point this season he has a wRC+ of 117 and a wOBA of .350. Now I'm not advocating that Face will put up similar numbers to years past, but he maybe able to be 85%-90% of that player. He deserves this season to figure it out, but in the meanwhile he needs to ne pushed down in the order. Anyone saying he should or will be benched for extended time does not appreciate what he has done as a whole.

I have no doubt if he was moved down the lineup that his teammates would understand. I also believe he would take it like a man and go on about his business professionally. He went through the bad times and I think he would do whatever was necessary to give his team the best chance to win. This group as a whole would understand that imo and I would expect zero backlash whatsoever.

Yeah, but I would think it would definately NOT be an issue if he were to merely drop Young from 5 to 7, behind All Stars Napoli and Cruz, with the caveat that if he starts hitting better and it makes sense for the team he can move back up. Even if Young was steamed about the move, I can't imagine the clubhouse being willing to get worked up over 2 spots in the batting order when he's CLEARLY not performing.

*Everyone else in clubhouse goes bonkers when Young is moved to 7th spot and I am moved to 5th*

Well thanks for the support, guys!

I agree with Wash that MY shouldn't be benched immediately. It's possible that this is just a slump, and he could snap out of it. I doubt that's the case, but it's possible.

That said, I don't see why he couldn't snap out of the slump while hitting 8th or 9th. Wash has shown great faith in him. MY and the other players couldn't fault Wash for moving him down. Also, Nap and Cruz aren't rookies. They've earned the right to hit ahead of another struggling vet.

But if MY doesn't snap out of it by the AS break, I say give Olt a chance. This year is too important for the fans to put the ego of any individual player ahead of the team. This is the best team the Rangers have fielded in 40 years, and they have a great shot at the 1st championship. It won't help MY's legacy if he messes that up.

Let's say that the Rangers acquire a new DH or promote Olt and bench MY. Do the other players say, "Let's show the Rangers. We'll just give up on the season and the opportunity win a WS in protest. We'll also risk millions in FA $ to make a moral point." I don't think so. The clubhouse turmoil argument is a classic MSM storyline. It sounds great, but it's a lot of bunk. These guys are pros who want big individual contracts and who want a WS championship. I'm tired of hearing that benching MY will result in a team-wide meltdown. It won't.

He won't get benched.

No and he doesn't deserved to be. He deserves this season to figure things out. If its the same next year he needs to accept his decline and move over. Move him down to a lower leverage spot in the order where he can make better use of his skill set and not have to protect Beltre. I personally think 8 is a good spot. He can split up the lefties of Murphy and Moreland when he is healthy, and be in front of gentry who is nice to have on base when the lineup rolls over.

What does he deserve? Why does he deserve this season? What determines this...the time he has with Texas? What about the fans? What do they deserve? I'm not talking about the trendy bandwagoners; I'm talking about the lifers...the fans who have plunked down their hard-earned cash since Jim Mason played shortstop (or earlier, lol.)

Wash had no problem last year moving Cruz down the lineup. Not enough service time with the club? This is a performanced-based line of work. Slumping for a week? Hang in there big fella. A month? Time for a change.

I doubt players as a rule are all that sentimental. (except in media interviews) I suspect they care more about winning a WS than MY's sentimental tenure at the heart of the batting order, and they know MY isn't getting it done lately. More than others, that is.

At some point, preferably sooner than later, somebody from on high has to pressure Wash to move MY down in the batting order and have him play less in general. I hope MY responds with one last Indian Summer and starts hitting gappers like crazy. I doubt it'll happen, but I hope it will.

If you're willing to let him play the entire year like this and then through the playoffs, you're much more generous than I am. This is such an important year for the Rangers. If we make it back to the playoffs, I want the 9 best hitters in the organization in the lineup every night. And if we're in an NL park, I want the 8 best position players in the lineup. Is MY one of the 9 best hitters in the organization? I have serious doubts. Martin or Olt could be better than him at this stage in his career. It's worth finding out. If they fail, you can always throw MY back in there and he can continue pounding ball after ball into the dirt.

Fans don't DESERVE jack!

I'm tired of hearing that benching MY will result in a team-wide meltdown. It won't.

Nope, the meltdown happened anyway, and now some people are saying that the team lost chemistry because Wash DIDN'T bench PADMY.

This thread is awesome, btw.

From Baseball Reference, he finished the regular season with a -2.4 WAR. I wonder how that ranks among everyday players all-time...

Second table on this page:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/TEX/2012-batting.shtml