Saturday Morning Rangers Notes
Some early-morning musings after a depressing rain-abridged loss:
● I suppose that rekindling the philosophical leave-him-or-yank-him debate concerning Matt Harrison -- referring to the catastrophic eighth inning of Thursday afternoon's series finale in Cleveland -- might be an exercise in pointlessness, especially since we're already 36-plus hours removed from that game's decisive climax, but it's still relevant in the sense that effective rotation/bullpen handling is such a fundamentally important aspect of the manager's and pitching coach's on-the-job performance. Here, I don't know that there was necessarily a "right" answer as far as how the situation should have been approached, but I personally would have erred on the side of caution.
Harrison did, of course, enjoy the lefty-lefty platoon advantage in his abortive showdown against Shin-Soo Choo (who popped a hanging slider for the game-winning three-run shot moments thereafter), but my issue with permitting him to remain in the game stemmed from my innate distrust of Harrison -- the enhanced velocity/quicker delivery/cutter inclusion might all synergize and ultimately render him completely different from what we knew him to be in the past, but he's still not somebody I'm comfortable rolling with beyond the 100-pitch mark, much less the 110-pitch mark. I might well be obstinate and close-minded in this regard, and I understand the reasons why Ron Washington and Mike Maddux stuck with him, but I would have turned elsewhere at the outset of the frame.
On the subject of pitch counts, the Rangers' rotation-wide average of 106 pitches per start leads the entirety of baseball; while that's partially a function of elite-level earned run prevention by the starting rotation during this opening 10-game stretch of the regular season (and a small sample, to boot), I have to wonder if the push-for-one-more-inning philosophy so vigorously espoused by team president Nolan Ryan is going to result in staff pitch counts remaining in the metaphorical stratosphere over an extended period of time, and whether that, in turn, will culminate in heightened levels of pitcher attrition. Remember, the Rangers are still baseball's experimental guinea pig in this regard.
● On the Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) defensive scale, runs saved/allowed above average on the basis of a team's component defensive range explains approximately 80-90 percent of the variance in a team's UZR, whereas so-called "error [defensive] runs" have a far lesser impact on UZR. Worded more simplistically, great defensive range is quite a bit more important than error avoidance, and one could infer from the Rangers' already strong showing in the other preeminent defensive metric (plus/minus) that the defense is again shaping up to be a major asset in the season-long battle for run prevention.
That said, defensive statistics -- yes, even on a team-wide level -- are not exactly reputable or telling in nature with just 10 games of data, and while this team's composite defensive range might end up being great again, there are error-rooted defensive issues already sprouting up. Two costly back-to-back infield errors preceded Choo's game-winning homer on Thursday, and last night's lenient scorekeeping in Yankee Stadium obscures just how bad things were: Joaquin Arias, Michael Young and Chris Davis all committed mistakes in execution or judgment and should have collectively amassed four errors, but were instead only tagged with one.
The Davis miscue was excusable in that he was forced to (a) make a diving stop just to prevent the ball from squeaking into right field and then (b) make a split-second decision on whether to attempt the force out at second base or take the guranteed out at first base; unfortunately, he chose the former and fired the ball right into Robinson Cano's back, resulting in no outs. More disconcerting was the Joaquin Arias flub on a grounder hit virtually right at him, which he failed to even lay a glove on, and Michael Young's second error-inducing low throw in as many days. With Young already being something of a liability range-wise, he can hardly afford to cede ground in terms of what he is good at, that being his ability to properly execute the plays that he does get to make.
12 Comments | in Analysis, The Season
Reader Comments (12)
Lingering antipathy toward an object of disaffection does not in itself make one wrongheaded, it does however lead to over-analysis and needless angst when the subject in question strays from the narrative embedded in one's mind. Harrison is talented, he's 24 years old, he's at level 4 or so of a 10 point learning curve (my own take based on ML exp / development time / injury setback / other intangibles), he is maturing as a pitcher (recall his facial expressions and body language in his first stint), he is showing progression in all areas. You need not be quite so hard on yourself for being hard on him but you'd probably breathe easier if you focus your frustration somewhere more deserving. For which I offer you one Taylor Teagarden, the object of my own star crossed obsession.
Re; Washington-Harrisson @ Cle, my 1st take was that given his pitch count and the first two hitters, the pitcher was basically telling him he was done. Reading the post game comments RW clearly stated that Harrison still had something in the tank. I'm good with that. He gets paid to make that judgment. He isn't always going to win that call, but the fact that he had considered the circumstances and made his decision accordingly is all I can ask.
The defensive focus, JM? Unacceptable.
well, without taking it apart and putting it back together again, they are just playing too tight, I feel like they are better ball players than we are seeing, all those goofy mistakes....... shouldn't be happening. They are not clicking as a team...... just a bunch of players, all trying to make something happen. The yanks just go up and do their thing, not worring about the other guy.... we should do that, quit worring and have fun, quit pressing, it always causes you to mess up.....
This feeling/observaton is based on my own actual experience.... when I tried to carry the load, I failed, when I was having fun, "things" fell into place.
I can't help but come back to the topic of Mike Young. When do we get to see this guy lead? Last year a disproportionate number of his errors came in games in which the youngest pitchers were pitching -- games in which veterans need to make the plays behind them -- or in critical situations. I'm just not sure this guy can handle the pressure of being "the" guy, who is "the" team leader. I think he sets a great example in terms of conducting himself professionally, but I'm talking about being a leader in the winning department. They're not paying him that ridiculous salary just to stay out of drunken brawls on the weekends. You can pay a veteran a single million for that. Young needs to be a leader on the field, as well, for what he's being paid. Very disappointing so far -- again.
respetado amigo, queremos tener informacion acerca de donde serà colocado el cactcher colombiano JORGE ALFARO, y en que liga jugarà,le escribo desde su tierra natal Sincelejo-colombia, agradezco su informacion
I agree with AS on Harrison. AT his age and ML experience, he is primed for a big step forward. I am not expecting a #3 level of perfomane from him, but a solid #4-#5 is my expectations.
I'm most worried about 1B and catcher. The Rangers are getting little to nothing from these two positions and, given the absence of Kinsler, there are huge black holes lurking in the lineup. Sadly, Chris Davis is doing nothing to dispel the idea that he is the classic AAAA player. And when his defense suffers, as it has in the last two games, he has nothing to offer the team.
Same with Teagarden. It's obvious his stick is slow and not likely to come around. Despite what they may be saying publicly, I've got to believe that JD and Nolan are gonna do something...and I don't think it will involve bringing up Max Ramirez. I expect to see them deal some of the great minor league depth and get a catcher in here who will at least hit .250 and be above par defensively.
Catcher & 1B were isssues throughout 2009 and are now continuing into 2010.
They will string 1B along in order to give Smoak a shot.
They will address catcher at the break when (hopefully) some sellers will be selling catchers.
However, 3B is becoming a black hole. Poor hitting and now poor fielding. MY should not be declining this fast. Concerning, but still early in the season.
Senor Urzolaola: Muchas gracias por sus comentarios. Voy a publicar un artículo sobre Alfaro en un par de semanas. Le vi jugar a este primavera y estaba muy impresionado. Alfaro es un muy, muy buen jugador. Cuidate.
-Jason Parks
Que bueno,
BBTiA es un bibliotecha en espanol por informacion beisbol de los Rangers de Tejas.
Mucho respecto a el Maestro Parks.
Which of the 30 managers in baseball wouldn't have yanked Harrison in the 8th (100+ pitches going into the inning?) My guess is only Washington. And this is why I don't like the guy.
Max has started off hot at AAA, so maybe he'll get a chance to see what he can do soon. Regarding 1B, the team needs some solid production there if they have any chance this season.
I think that we might see Smoak in May if Davis doesn't show something by then. And if Smoak isn't ready either, I imagine they will try to make a big summer deal to bring someone in. That is if they are still in the race, that is.
You know what's missing from the SweetSpot Network links? A link to Sweet Spot.