Why is Leonys not getting any consideration as an everyday outfielder moving forward? Is he being thought of as strictly a trade piece? He looks to me to have the ability to be a quality big league outfielder. Look at what his counterpart Cespedes has done w/out any seasoning.

because ron washington

On this team, with this manager, you have to already be established to get any consideration. If you don't immediately succeed, you get shuffled away to oblivion.

On teams like the Orioles and A's, young players are "groomed" and those teams have the ability to get behind young players and inflate their attitudes and highlight their abilities where the Rangers appear to deflate the young guys.

It all comes down to the manager.

Cespedes was major league ready. Leonys still hasn't made that jump from AAA to the majors physically/mentally yet. They might both be from Cuba, but they are not the same player. Martin won't be the kind of player that Cespedes is. and that is okay.

how can a player become major league ready if the manager won't play him?

Cespedes played 3 AAA games in his career and they were part of his rehab stint. He didn't need go go to AAA to be seasoned like Martin. He was a major league ready talent. It's something that you cannot be taught to just show up and hit pitching like has done. Martin obviously needs more time, because in his limited PAs (58 this year) he has not looked good vs Major League pitching.

What makes you think he isn't? I think Martin and Gentry will both be on the Opening Day roster and have the spring to take the starting gig from the other guy.

I know Wash hasn't played youngsters lately but he has before Chris Davis, Julio Borbon, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Elvis all got a lot of playing time as rookies

@Revsader
It's hard to perform against big league pitching when you're a young player and your ab's are so sporadic. His swing looks big league ready. I thought the only question with him was his defense? I feel like that's something that could be dramatically improved w/ offseason work.

@everyone else
Don't you think that playing our young talent will be something that JD and Nolan address w/ Wash?

RW played Brendan Boggs, but he was a favorite.

Playing time must be earned, especially when a team is in a pennant race. It is very difficult to both compete for playoff berths and develope youth simultaneously. The Ron Washington hate aside, Martin has done little with the limited opportunities he's had. When you have 2 mashers in the corners and your 3rd & 4th outfileders both hit .300, I'm not sure where Martin would have fit in.

Whether he fits in in 2013 remains to be seen and the team has to resolve the Hamilton issue. But having confidence in Martin to produce big things next year is largely a "hope" strategy. He may be ready, he may be another Julio Borbon.

Scoob is right. Martin and Gentry will be on the Opening Day roster, and they should be our CF platoon, batting 9th. Martin vs. righties; Gentry vs. lefties.

@Rich P
He may be a Julio Borbon. He may be a Josh Reddick. Have to give him a chance next year.

@eric reining
Gentry is a 4th outfielder/pinch runner. Nothing more

^

What's the difference between a 4th outfielder and a guy who only plays against lefties? That's only 50-60 starts a year we're talking about, the type of output you expect from a 4th outfielder.

"Gentry is a 4th outfielder/pinch runner. Nothing more"

Wash, is that you?

Martin has nothing left to prove in AAA. He had a triple slash line of 359 .422 .610. JD spent 15 Mill on this guy because he saw something in him. If Wash doesnt give him a chance next year then he needs to go IMO.

He had to play Borbon and Chris Davis he had no other choice, and sometimes it sounds like Wash hates Elvis not just tough love. Dont you think it seems strange how guys like Salty, Pedro Strop, Davis and Smoak (only recently) have blossemed once leaving the Rangers? Hell even guys like Cody Eppley and Joaquin freaking Arias found a nitche on major league clubs.

@Ed Looney
"On this team, with this manager, you have to already be established to get any consideration. If you don't immediately succeed, you get shuffled away to oblivion."

how does this statement explain Holland? He hasnt had much success. He strugled greatly at first, but he is still in the rotation and is being "groomed."

The A's and O's had no other choice but to play their prospects, they had nothing to lose. I am in the camp that wanted to see more of Profar, Leonys, and Olt, but I do give Wash the benefit of the doubt. The Rangers have had their greatest success under this manager.

@Marco

Not to play devil's advocate, because I do agree that some guys we've let go of have had pretty decent success elsewhere, but Justin Smoak was atrocious until the last few weeks of the season, Pedro Strop badly regressed at the end of the season, and Chris Davis maintained egregious BB and K rates of 6.6% and 30.1%, respectively, suggesting it's going to be a slippery slope in the future. 2012 could be considered a lucky season for him that is likely unsustainable.

Transitioning talented young players into an everyday Major League lineup is a glaring weakness in Ron Washington's managerial abilities.

Washington did play Chris Davis, Justin Smoak, and Jarod Saltalamacchia, but this was in early 2010 before the Rangers were expected to content for a title; back then, everyone thought the Rangers were a year away. Now that Washington is working under the expectation of "World Series or bust", he has retreated into the low risk tactic of trusting proven experienced players. Low risk, low reward; high risk, high reward.

To sustain the long run of 15 and maybe 30 years that Jon Daniels strives for, a team has to constantly develop new talent. Every year, some players will retire, leave as a free agent, sustain a career-changing injury, or simply lose their talent. An ongoing successful team will have new players ready to step up to the Major League.

Right now, Washington does not fit into the 15-year / 30-year vision. He cannot be entrusted with young players.

How much has Washington impeded, maybe even damaged, the development of Olt, Profar, Martin, Bourbon?

"The Rangers have enjoyed their greatest success under this manager."

This is the weakest possible argument for keeping Washington. Barry Switzer took the Cowboys to a Super Bowl - did that make him a great NFL head coach? Avery Johnson took the Mavs to the NBA Finals - did that make him a great NBA head coach? I don't think so.

Wash might or might not be great "in the clubhouse," and all that - this is a claim none of us will ever be able to prove or disprove - but it has become obvious that he is a terrible tactical manager in high-leverage situations, and when it comes to grooming young talent he defaults to "sink or swim."

I was totally deflated when JD told his news conference that Wash is coming back next season. Maybe I'll take up knitting.

Wash might or might not be great "in the clubhouse," and all that - this is a claim none of us will ever be able to prove or disprove[.]

I know this is the most common argument for why people think we should keep Ron Washington. My only thought is: if the players didn't take kindly to Wash, don't you think the GM/ownership would have known about it by now, and, perhaps more easily recognized, don't you think it would have reflected in the team's play over the course of the 162-game season?

Remember, the Rangers were the best team in the American League up until the last week-to-two-weeks of the season. And Elvis Andrus and David Murphy have already come out and said the team got tired down the stretch. If they didn't like Ron Washington, you would think it would have showed up in April, May, June, July and August, a lot like what happened in Boston this season.

Food for thought.

@texas_forest

I think it was Wash that has played Andrus as a rookie until now....not exactly impeding or damaging is it?

As for as Davis, Salty or Smoak weren't they traded by everyones hero JD or was that actually Wash pulling the trigger on those trades.

Borbon, give me a break dude. He started a couple years and couldn't hold on to the job. He'll be lucky to be in the organization this time next year.

@wingsofjoy

Why would a Manager play him when he's putting up such sparkling numbers

174/235/370/605

@Roy
Many players struggle with inconsistent playing time like he received... His AAA stats with consistent AB's show that he should be capable in majors with a larger sample size than 46 sporadic AB's. I say let him and Gentry platoon CF next year.