Wednesday Morning Rangers Notes: The Scattershooting Edition
Was poor communication to blame for the apparent disconnect between recently departed hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo and Ian Kinsler?Two quick things: first, I haven't been terribly lucid over the last few days, so thanks for bearing with me (although some actually seem to prefer reading my more unintelligible musings), and second ... well, commissioner Bud Selig is going to have a hard time sticking by his "no expansion of instant replay" posture when his umpires are botching the most simplistic of calls during the most important of games:
● The Chicago Cubs will announce the signing of hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo to a three-year, $2.42 million contract on Wednesday, signifying an average annual pay bump of more than $150,000 over his final-year salary of $650,000 in Texas (Bruce Levine, ESPN.com)
[The Rangers permitted the Cubs to begin communicating with Jaramillo as late as last Thursday, with Rudy's previous reluctance to depart his home state assuredly being put to rest by one of the fattest contracts ever doled out to any non-managerial baseball coach. Texas was clearly never motivated to try to match that offer, and for good reason; in a bit of a non-sequitured postscript, Jaramillo's agent reputedly demanded a five-year, $5 million contract at the outset of negotiations two years ago. He's drawing closer to the seven-digit-per-year mark, if nothing else.
Four days ago, my good friend Jamey Newberg referenced a radio interview in which Jaramillo explained that Ian Kinsler -- one of several eminent examples of promising young hitters going backwards on Rudy's watch -- was guilty as charged of "trying to overdo things" in 2009, with the outcome being a dismal plate approach that Kinsler couldn't figure out how to repair. I'm not sure whether that should be construed as a veiled shot fired towards Kinsler or a friendly parting observation, but it was striking irrespective of Jaramillo's intentions.
One more thing on Kinsler: before he can get back on the right track, he's going to have to drop the flippant attitude towards his detractors. Yes, he enjoyed a great and wonderful 2009 campaign, amassing 4.6 wins above replacement, and yes, he's clearly one of the best second basemen in baseball, but there are warning signs that we can't afford to overlook. Contrary to popular belief, a good season and a concerning season are not mutually exclusive things.]
● Prospective owner Jim Crane visited Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on Tuesday and convened with multiple high-ranking officials, including general manager Jon Daniels and team president Nolan RyanT.R. Sullivan, MLB.com)
[But I thought Ryan wasn't going to be allowed to partic ... eh, whatever. The whole "controversy" over Ryan not being privy to the meetings with Crane, Dennis Gilbert and Chuck Greenberg always felt contrived and overblown; seriously, even if Ryan wasn't involved in the formal meetings (and I'm not entirely sure that he would have much to add during this due diligence phase of the sale anyway), what was going to prevent Gilbert or Crane from placing a phone call to Ryan and procuring the information that they wanted one way or another?]
● Left-hander Derek Holland, director of Pacific Rim scouting Jim Colborn and recently promoted scouting director A.J. Preller convened with amateur Japanese left-hander Yusei Kikuchi for approximately 30 minutes on Monday; the 18-year-old hurler is apparently still 50-50 between entering Nippon Professional Baseball and heading stateside for the majors (Jeff Wilson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram; Patrick Newman, NPB Tracker)
[Obligatory Kikuchi refresher, if you should need it. The thing about the hearsay that the Rangers might be the front-runner to sign him is that, well, if you consider that there's still only a 50-50 chance that he's going to opt for the majors and that no fewer than eight major league teams dispatched personnel to Japan to meet with Kikuchi, that might only equate to a 15-20 percent chance of successfully nabbing him. NPB's amateur draft takes place on October 29th.]
● Arlington mayor Robert Cluck partially credits the city's lofty 2009 sales tax collections to the success of the Rangers, with future development around Rangers Ballpark in Arlington being oriented more towards entertainment than the retail-focused -- and apparently dead -- Glorypark project (Susan Schrock, Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
[It's a step in the right direction for those who strongly feel that the atmosphere around the Ballpark is lacking, but the author is pretty vague about what "entertainment" entails. I suppose shoving beer and wings down your gullet is pretty damn entertaining around these parts.]
● "Tanner Scheppers [of the Arizona Fall League's Surprise Rafters] was even more impressive than [Andrew] Cashner, sitting at 95-98 mph with a vicious curveball with hard, late two-plane break [this past weekend]. He appeared to be amped up for the short outing; I doubt he'd sit at that velocity as a starter, but even 92-95 mph with that breaking ball would get hitters out multiple times per game. His arm works well, and his potential to be a front-line starter is really just a question of the state of his shoulder." (Keith Law, ESPN.com)
[On Monday morning, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus suggested that Scheppers "just might be the Rangers' shut-down closer of the future." There we go with the labels again. It occurs to me that the Neftali Feliz "starting vs. relieving" debate might not be resolved before Scheppers -- who reportedly hit 99 mph this past weekend -- launches one of his own, particularly if he keeps stepping on the throats of the competition and dominates through early 2010.]
Quick Hits: Have you noticed the deafening silence on the Josh Lewin front lately? ... According to Carlos J. Lugo of Baseball Prospectus, a chance exists that Jarrod Saltalamacchia will play for Toros del Este in the Dominican Winter League this year, a circuit which he terrorized to the tune of .364/.506/.848 last winter; Neftali Feliz seems poised to claim a starting assignment with the same club ... According to the intrepid Scott Lucas, Saltalamacchia and Dustin Nippert fell short of the two-year, 141-day cutoff for "Super Two" arbitration eligibility by four days and one day, respectively.
9 Comments | in Analysis, Prospects, Rumors, The Off-Season
Reader Comments (9)
That is one expensive day for Dustin. As for everything else, when are the winter meetings?
No need for replay in baseball. The need is for these guys to be held accountable. I saw 1 as a missed call, the play at 2nd, it happens. The two at 3rd base, ridiculous. The crew chief is out of position, that's right the crew chief. On the Swisher play he's lined up with the outfielder, can't even see Swisher (and doesn't appear to be trying to) in his periphery. On the other play, his view is blocked by Jeter, he never even tries to get the proper perspective. McLellan mailed it in. He can do that because, there's no repercussion, no accountability, and unlike players, umpires don't get sent down for poor performance. Fortunately those plays ended up non factors except to that contingent who see replay as the answer. Respectfully, I disagree. Accountability and consequence are the immediate solutions. Rant off. Thanks.
Regarding: "One more thing on Kinsler: before he can get back on the right track, he's going to have to drop the flippant attitude towards his detractors..." - it's not just his detractors, it's the fans, players, etc...
Kinsler is like Patrick Crayton; solid contributor but feels he is entitled, for whatever reason. Kinsler frustrates me...
Which of the three prospective owners has the deepest pockets; Crane, Dennis Gilbert or Chuck Greenberg? Also, which one is the baseball purist vs. business man first, baseball 2nd (or 3rd, 4th, etc...)?
Brilliant marketing strategy in brigning Holland to Japan and presenting on the Japanese golfer's US success... my only question is where are we getting the money to sign this guy?
JD deserves credit not only on Sheppers but also Daniel Gonzalez; that was simply a brilliant trade. How many systems can boast so many young pitchers sitting in the mid to upper 90's?
Salty needs Winter Ball... and if anyone has a chance at excelling under the tutelage of a new pitching coach with a stren philosphy/message of working counts, it's Salty.
Not so sure Feliz needs to be working through the winter... we don't want to wear out that golden arm, right?
Meant to say "Hitting Coach"... not "Pitching Coach".. my bad!
Correction,
McCleland's view is blocked by Posada, not Jeter
All Yankees look alike to me
"There we go with the labels again. "
Why do all these people want to put Feliz and now Scheppers into the bullpen? When I look at FA signing the really, really big bucks almost always go to ace starting pitchers. Oh sure quote me A-Rod & Tex, but year in and year out starting pitchers dominante the dollars overall.
Also, am I incorrect in thinking that a starting pitcher throws about twice as many innings as a relief pitcher?
Lastly, pitchers with 95 - 100 mph fastballs and several off speed pitchers sure sound like top of the rotation guys to me.
So, the way I see it the market, total innings, and capabilities all favor feliz and Scheppers being starting pitchers. BTW, from what I read JD sees Feliz geting a shot at the starting rotation in 2010.
What am I missing here?
"Arlington mayor Robert Cluck partially credits the city's lofty 2009 sales tax collections to the success of the Rangers". Arlington also has quite a racket going with the abandoned business parking lots surrounding the area. An old man and his wife park their van in the shade all day behind the Denny's off Hwy 360 and immediately call for the tow trucks when diners unwittingly leaves their vehicle in the overflow parking areas before heading into Six Flags. I personally decided when paying the $244 to get my son's car out of the impound lot that I had spent my last nickel in Arlington, except to go see the Rangers. Cluck can partially contribute that $244 toward Salty's next contract, and I'll spend the $3,000 or so per yr I usually drop in his town somewhere/anywhere else.
Jon -- In 2008, K-Rod's record setting season for saves, he threw 68 innings. Cliff Lee won the Cy Young that year tossing 223.1. You could say a heavily used reliever who pitches the whole year would make it to around 70 innings and a starter to 200.
I really think you hit the nail on the head with Kinsler: he has a "flippant attitude towards detractors." It's frustrating. I love him; his defense is great, and his offense was pretty good this year, but it could use a significant amount of improvement. Why can't he see that? He needs to come out and say, "Yeah, I had a 30-30 season, but I have a lot of things to work on in the off-season," instead of acting like he's gonna punch anyone who criticizes his offense. He may idolize Michael Young, but that doesn't mean that he automatically inherits MY's stats. He needs to grow up and develop some humility and work on NOT POPPING UP SO MUCH!