Blalock, Borbon Key Huge Walk-Off Win; Financial Crisis Looming?
Hank Blalock follows through on his 415-foot walk-off blast to straightaway center field against the Angels on Wednesday, July 1st.Upon learning that dynamic 23-year-old center fielder Julio Borbon would be consigned to the bench for a second time in as many days -- and that he would likely not log another start before Josh Hamilton's impending return from the 15-day disabled list -- before Wednesday evening's imperative series finale against the first-place Angels, the instinctive reaction amongst the ever-growing legion of obsessive Texas Rangers fans seemed to largely be one of incredulity.
The promotion and subsequent perceived neglect of several notable young players by Rangers management in recent years has bred something closely resembling suspicion in the minds of some fans -- suspicion which, without fail, activates in situations such as these. Promoting the best under-25 outfielder in your organization to the majors and then neglecting to play him even for a brief period of time invariably stirs some dissension (regardless of the circumstances), and it is indeed fair to ask exactly why the Rangers summoned Borbon from the RedHawks if he wasn't going to start in the outfield the majority of the time.
But then there are moments like the one which unfolded during the bottom of the sixth inning, one which had to have left an indelible positive mark on Borbon's baseball consciousness, that begin to put things into perspective. If not for the decision to give him that first taste of the big league stage, we never would have witnessed Borbon deliver a pinch-hit RBI single in the stead of injured right fielder Nelson Cruz (sore lower back) that simultaneously doubled the Rangers' lead and electrified a 27,142-fan contingent as Julio leveraged some of his God-given speed en route to swiping an extra base on the play, then punctuated the achievement of his first major league hit with a single clap of his white-gloved hands.
How could we even think to deprive him of that moment? Moreover, how selfish would we have been if we had?
Three action-packed frames later, after closer Frank Francisco yielded a stunning three-run blast from the lumber of the Angels' Juan Rivera and potentially reopened the debate as to whether or not he's healthy enough to pitch in such a high-leverage role, Borbon could be seen on the outskirts of a writhing pile of Rangers who had converged upon the night's uncontested hero -- Hank Blalock, the Rangers' oft-maligned designated hitter who was fortunate enough to receive an 86 mph slider down the heart of the plate from right-hander Justin Speier, with the decision to pitch to Blalock potentially going down as one of the great single-game blunders in the managerial tenure of Mike Scioscia:
[Direct link available here.]
Blalock's park-adjusted wOBA had slipped beneath the .330 mark before his monster 3-for-5, two-homer effort, underscoring his overall ineffectiveness as the Rangers' designated hitter, but if we've learned one thing about this game over the years, it's that fortunes can be reversed in an instant. His single-game WPA (Win Probability Added) of .530 was his best since April 25th, 2006 (a game in which Blalock smacked a walk-off RBI single that plated Mark Teixeira from second base, ironically coming off Athletics right-hander Chad Gaudin), in essence meaning that his offensive contributions have not been so vital to the outcome of a single game in nearly 3 1/2 years, so the assertion that Wednesday night was a career night for Blalock is not remotely far-fetched.
For Borbon, it was a night he's not likely to forget for the rest of his life.
RANGERS FINANCIAL CRISIS LOOMING?
As speculation continues to swirl that the financial misfortunes of team owner Tom Hicks will inhibit the ballclub's ability to take on payroll as the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline looms less than a month away, multiple prominent figures in the organizational hierarchy have declined to comment on an XM Radio report -- relayed by Rangerfans.com's Joe Siegler -- in which it was stated that Major League Baseball had resorted to funding the cash-strapped Rangers so that they could meet their payroll obligations.
While team sources -- via D Magazine's Evan Grant -- indicated that this was not the case, that the Rangers had indeed paid their employees for the most recent pay period and that standard operating procedures remained intact, there has reportedly been a contingency plan in place for several weeks under which the Rangers would have been permitted to borrow cash from the league, which wouldn't have placed the team under the control of MLB -- an absolute worse-case scenario if there ever was one -- but would have presumably granted the league influence over how the ballclub elected to allocate its financial resources.
The severity of Hicks' financial problems were further underscored by the dissolution of Hicks Sports Marketing Group, the de facto advertising arm of Hicks Sports Group, over which former Rangers team president Jim Lites presided until the expiration of his contract on Tuesday. Billed as a "streamlining" move with the seemingly impending transfer of majority ownership of the Rangers, Hicks' other Metroplex sports team, the Dallas Stars, was also affected by the entity's dissolution, and has reportedly been subjected to a significant budget reduction, although Hicks insists that both teams have latitude to complete transactions so long as they "make sense for the general managers" and ensure profitability.
A more extensive editorial on the situation is obviously in order, but this much is certainly clear: Despite improved revenues across the board -- via ticket, merchandise and concession sales, parking, etc. -- resulting from improved attendance and improved television ratings, the Rangers inexplicably remain deprived of any sort of financial flexibility with which they could conceivably improve their post-season chances via baseball's trade marketplace.
The implications of these developments are incredibly disturbing, to the point that even if veteran right-hander Kevin Millwood might actually merit placement on the American League All-Star team, one has to wonder if the probable payout of All-Star bonuses to Millwood, second baseman Ian Kinsler and center fielder Josh Hamilton would further exacerbate the financial crunch to the point where the organization would have to resort to laying off more diligent, hard-working employees in the vein of John Lombardo.
Quick Hits: Vicente Padilla (sore right shoulder) has been scratched from his scheduled Saturday evening start against the Rays and tentatively pushed back to next Tuesday, preceded by a bullpen session on Saturday; the move is reportedly precautionary and not related to the prior right deltoid muscle strain which disabled him for 14 games; Tommy Hunter, Derek Holland, Scott Feldman and Kevin Millwood are scheduled to start on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, respectively.
Right-hander Dustin Nippert (strained right rhomboid muscle) tossed five innings of one-run baseball for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday evening and will make one more 90-to-100-pitch minor league rehab start before the Rangers decide whether to employ Nippert as a starter or reliever; he does not currently reside on the 40-man roster, and it's not inconceivable that Jason Grilli's active roster spot could be in peril once Texas activates Nippert ... Center fielder Josh Hamilton (abdominal surgery) went 1-for-7 with a single and two strikeouts in his medical rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday evening.
Quick Hits: High-A Bakersfield right-hander Ryan Tatusko came within two outs of notching the ballclub's first no-hitter since 1994 on Wednesday evening, and ultimately completed a one-hit shutout; according to Baseball Time in Arlington's and TexasLeaguers.com's Trip Somers, the 24-year-old Tatusko wields a low-90s heater and what has the appearance of a "good, hard curveball."
11 Comments | in Analysis, Game Recaps, The Season
Reader Comments (11)
Why would Grilli be the odd man out when Nippert returns? Just option Mathis and let Nippert be the longman.
The signing of draftees is what really worries me about Hicks financial mess. I expect them to sign Scheppers and Purke, but thier may be a few lower round guys that don't sign due to money.
That Tutusko aritcle is a great read. Definately recommend it.
Joey - I keep hearing everyone complain about the Rangers' financial problems and how it will limit the team's ability to handle any additional salary bump, what free-agent would you want Texas to target...assuming there were no financial constraints?
Norm has talked about this non-stop and I have yet to hear one trade-target mentioned as a guy that Texas would have targeted had their finances been in order. Hell, Pittsburgh had to include cash in the deal that sent Hinske to the Yanks...so there obviously are few - if any - teams willing to take on additional salary.
Rob - Because Nippert is being returning from teh 60-day DL, he has to be re-added to the 40 man roster. Someone needs to be waived or placed on the 60-day DL in order to free up a spot for Nippert. Except for Matt Harrison, I can't think of anyone who is a candidate for the 60 day DL. If they have to waive someone, I think that Mathis and Bannister are slightly more likely to be removed from the 40 than Grilli since Grilli can elect free agency if he passes through waivers.
Jesse - I concur on the Tatusko write-up. That is great stuff!
Joey - What effect do you believe that Hick's financial situation will have on the Rangers' signing of Latin American prospects and draftees this year?
David: I forgot about the 40. Mathis has been pitching well as a longman. He also did much better in AAA than Mendoza this year. I think Bannister and Mendoza are on the bubble.
I had completely forgotten that Mendoza is still on the 40. I agree that the Dozer and Bannister seem like the best candidates to be rum through waivers.
Love the walkaoff video, JM!
Regarding the 40-man situation: I honestly forgot that Mathis had never previously been outrighted (could have sworn that he had been), so DFAing him to make room for Nippert is obviously a plausible option, but I also don't know whether the Rangers' evaluation of Mathis outshines that of Grilli, or whether the Rangers are concerned that Mathis would stand a better chance of being pilfered than Grilli.
Perhaps the safe assumption to make is that Arias/Mendoza will be cut and Mathis will be optioned to clear room, but if Nippert doesn't make progress in improving his control (and let's reiterate that he's 28 years old, so that's anything but a given), I don't know that he'll be here in several months anyway. Million-dollar arms are valuable commodities, but are not commensurate with effectiveness.
On the international situation: From the outset, the company line has been that the money for the international budget was allocated well in advance and that none of the issues relating to Hicks Sports Group's debt problems will affect how the Rangers go about approaching the market (and along those same lines, we've seen the Rangers both loosely and tightly connected with multiple prospective Latin American bonus babies over the last few months, which I strongly doubt is a facade), and I've seen little evidence to suggest that the case is otherwise.
However, if HSG's financial situation has really deteriorated to the point that a plan where the club would be effectively bailed out by the league was formulated, it wouldn't really surprise me if the Rangers were forced to let some second-tier guys walk away. Still think Purke/Scheppers and any front-line LA prospects should be virtual locks, however.
Why dosen't Hicks sell the Stars and his soccer team, and get the Rangers in good shape?
We have already begun to see, in general, the retrenchment of salaries and long-term commitments to MLB players. When the MLB television contract is renegotiated in summer 2012, teams and players will experience another readjustment downward in salaries and revenues. (The current contract with FOX expires in 2013.)
It will be interesting to see who advocates that cities should become part owners of franchises. The era of direct government involvement (subsidy) in private enterprise will likely extend to professional sports. The extent to which this avenue will be pushed, given the economic ties current owners have with state and municipal investment funds, will be telling.
I think the big loss in revenue is lack of corporate sponsorship/advertising that has outweighed any gains from tickets/merchandise etc.