Andruw Jones Opining, Vol. 2
Joey MatschulatThe story that absolutely refused to die will apparently merit further observation through at least Monday, as outfielder Andruw Jones prepares to make a desperate, last-ditch effort to obtain an Opening Day roster spot:
"I'm here and I want to be here with these guys," Jones said. "But we'll see what happens. I'll keep working with [hitting instructor] Rudy Jaramillo and maybe if things don't work out here, other clubs will see the effect he's had on my swing. This gives me more chance to work with him."
General manager Jon Daniels has reportedly informed Andruw that the best he can possibly hope for is a reserve role on the active roster, presumably behind fourth outfielder Marlon Byrd. Meanwhile, Nelson Cruz has apparently emerged as the outright victor for the starting job in right field (thus abating any lingering trepidation I might have harbored that his job security wasn't 100 percent firm), and with neither a Hank Blalock trade nor Andruw's acceptance of a minor league assignment to Triple-A Oklahoma City -- where he would be isolated from Jaramillo's acclaimed one-on-one instruction -- appearing at all likely, how can his departure really be anything but nigh?
As silly as it may sound, the Rangers really do deserve full credit for handling a potentially contentious situation so well and accurately evaluating their in-house outfield talent relative to Andruw. In his "Five Questions: Texas Rangers" season preview over at The Hardball Times earlier this week, Scott Lucas rightly stated that "all signings are high risk if handled improperly."
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. The "no-risk" signing is a misnomer; that is to say, it doesn't actually exist, because even the most innocuous-looking acquisition can become problematic if it leads to a one-year player vastly overstaying his welcome and blocking a more enticing alternative because of talent misevaluation on the part of the organization. There is always risk involved, and because Texas very clearly managed the risk associated with Andruw properly through the miracle that is informed decision-making, we're not going to see a quandary develop where Cruz is again deprived of regular playing time and we're ultimately left wondering about what might have been.
Reader Comments (3)
Yah, Nelson Cruz must be given the entire year to prove himself. If he has a cold April, Texas must stick with him and see if he can pull himself out of a slump. If he starts poorly and they start sitting him, he has no value for Texas or in the trade market.
I wonder if Andruw would make the team if not for Cat?
If Texas has 13 position players (12 man pitching staff), it would look like:
1. Teagarden
2. Salty
3. Davis
4. Kinsler
5. Andrus
6. Young
7. Murphy
8. Hamilton
9. Cruz
10. Blalock
11. Byrd
12. Vizquel
13. Cat
So I don't see how there's a place for Andruw unless they waive Cat or someone gets hurt.
The real positive that COULD have come out of this signing was a better line-up against lefties, since the Rangers are STILL too left-handed. Losing Bradley only exacerbated the issue. Of course, Cruz helped quite a bit when he showed up, but it would have been nice to have some semblance of the old Andruw playing a plus-CF defense and walloping balls over the fence 20-25 times. Now, the Rangers need Kins, Young, Byrd, and Cruz to have good years against lefties, and hope that Murphy and Davis aren't completely over-matched. I personally think we'll be fine against southpaws if Hambone can just hold his own, Kinsler stays healthy all year, Young's below average year turns out to have been due to his finger fractures, and Cruz turns into the monster I think he is going to be. Byrd will be a good man to have in the line-up, also.
I wonder: would a tough start by Davis, especially against lefties, and maybe an injury somewhere on top of that, result in Justin Smoak showing up in Arlington in mid-May? Hopefully, Davis will be just terrific again, and maybe Boggs might continue to push for a roster slot that will allow Wash some good options against the likes of Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia.
If the pitching and defense is as adequately improved as we all hope, and the offense is all that's holding the Rangers back from contending, I think you'll see Cat shipped out by mid-May and either Smoak or Boggs called up.
Very well said Joey.