Concerning Roy Oswalt & The Bunt
Roy Oswalt deals against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Saturday, April 17th.Two quick things: (a) Given the extent to which the Rangers have been forced to lean upon their bullpen as of late (as evidenced here), it strikes me that Texas needs to supplant Guillermo Moscoso with somebody that can be trusted to pitch more than once per week, and soon; and (b) what better way to begin a Saturday morning than with one of the great underrated late-90s posse cuts?
● I'm not sure if the "go big or don't go at all" trade mantra which I repeatedly hammered home during last summer's Roy Halladay-to-Texas uproar applies quite so well this year (particularly because the Rangers' aggregate production at catcher and center field is still terrible and could be greatly improved with something less than a superstar-level talent), but the first big fish -- the Astros' Roy Oswalt -- has sent the summer trade market into motion by demanding out of Houston, and his willingness to waive his no-trade clause to reinforce his intrastate opponent has understandably ignited some Oswalt-to-Texas trade speculation already.
Oswalt isn't quite on the level of Halladay, but is a very good 3.5- to 4-win pitcher and would likely add at least one win to the Rangers' post-July 31st record -- an especially valuable thing for a team positioned where Texas is on the marginal win curve. Aside from the $20 million-plus still contractually owed to Oswalt, however, there's the fact that Houston will be seeking a significant bounty (M. Perez/M. Harrison/M. Moreland might be in the right area code), as well as Drayton McLane's abundant disdain for the notion of dealing star-level talent to the Rangers, whom he perceives as competition; rumors swirled years ago concerning a deal which would have sent Oswalt to Baltimore -- and then to Texas -- that McLane refused to green-light. I don't expect we're done talking about this, but I also don't expect an Oswalt-to-Texas deal to manifest anytime soon.
● If there was ever a time when Ron Washington's every move wasn't magnified and every hint of "small ball" tendencies on the part of his team wasn't subject to ridicule, that time has long since passed. That much is abundantly clear. And so when Josh Hamilton laid down a fourth-inning sacrifice bunt entirely of his own volition which advanced Vladimir Guerrero along to third base in a deadlocked 1-1 contest, the floodgates of criticism opened, and perhaps rightly so; in any event, Guerrero was plated on a tie-breaking double, Texas won and Washington was absolved of any direct responsibility for the bunt, with Hamilton later intimating that he would like to further incorporate the bunting "threat" into his game.
Here's the thing: Given the unpropitious lefty-lefty matchup and the fact that Hamilton was working with the element of surprise, you could at least make the case that Hamilton's decision to bunt wasn't quite so egregious as, say, squandering the .420-plus OBP talents of Elvis Andrus on a bunt. It still wasn't a very good decision, though, and that leads me to wonder about two things which I cannot answer definitively: (a) whether Hamilton's decision to bunt was influenced by Washington's espousal of the bunt in general, and (b) as Jason Parks hints around on the "Up And In" podcast with Kevin Goldstein, whether the more saber-friendly people in the Rangers' front office have voiced their concerns to Washington about these tendencies at any point.
Quick Hits: It's great to see Michael Young (.318/.379/.434; .360 wOBA) finally hitting, but those two balls grounded past him in the eighth inning served as a harsh reminder of his "liability" status; any hope that he would ever be even mediocre defensively -- much less league average -- at third base has pretty much come and gone ... As mentioned above, Jason "El Magico" Parks and Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus have debuted the "Up And In" podcast, and it's definitely worth your time ... Welcome back, Greggo?
21 Comments | in Analysis, Game Recaps
Reader Comments (21)
Doubting Oswalt's first choice is AL. Or second. Or third.
Ed Wade is incompetent. I'm a casual Astro fan and this guy inspires zero confidence.
Wash is here. Ryan was on with Cal and Bill on MLB-XM yesterday. Highly, very highly, values managers ability to manage clubhouse and keep players focused on field.
Mike Young. oy! To be fair minded, those plays looked like a guy still not properly "set up" at 3rd, which might be excused if he can show some improvement. Also, he absolutely needs to focus next off-season on core strength of lower half and quickness. He does that and he will improve. Given his track record of rising to the challenge, I expect him to.
Young's problems at third are compounded by the fact that there is no one in the American League who looks worse while "extending" for a ball. (I can't bring myself to call it a dive. It's more of a flop.) He at least needs to work at looking a bit cooler while he's flailing out there.
Hamilton's 180 batting average may have had something to do with his decission.
Hamilton's bunt also doesn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy about his confidence level.
Hamilton's 180 batting average against lefthanders may have had something to do with his decission.
BTW..... Young was TOLD to guard the line against XBH..... IMO, there was NOTHING wrong with that call or either of those plays, although things DID get quite interesting at the moment....
Oswalt: Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Houston will start by asking for Dutch Holland and teven that's too much.
He makes like $15 million dollars. I now he's a quality pitcher but why lose Holland/SCheppers eetc. - these guys have decent careers ahead of them.
Texas may make the playoffs - they might get lucky and draw the Twins in the playoffs and who knows, they might beat them. But they aren't going to beat the Yankees or the Rays. The Rangers have problems - the Rays and Yankees have far fewer.
Please please please Mr. Daniels, don't trade away the things the Astros will ask for. Please please please.
Well it may still not be clear to the ardent Wash supporters on this board, but it is crystal clear to the Rangers players themselves.
Right, wrong, or indifferent Wash ha sthe Rangers playing small ball this year.
Now for the sake of peace let us not argue about Wash anymore.
However, does anyone support playing small ball at the MLB level? If so why. Serious responses; no flames - please.
Since Ron allows very few into his inner circle of trust, I am now for putting Harrison in the pen. This will accomplish two things: it will provide Ron with another lefty so that he doesn't wear out Oliver and maybe Ron will start working with a 7 man pen instead of only his trusted 6.
I agree with tball. But, Ron espouses bunting and has it in everyones mind. Andrus bunted a few games ago with 2 strikes and Josh gave up an AB last night. I hope Vlad stays away from Ron whenhe is talking bunting.
Last nigth MY was right on top of the line in the 8th. Is his lateral movement to his right so bad that he has to play right on the line or was he told to do so?
Small ball: only in a tight game, team not hitting well and late innings - not ANYONE in the top 7 in the batting order.
Small ball = small brain.
The only thing that would stop the Rangers(if they indeed want Oswalt) would be Hicks and his mess that he has created here. There is no way that MLB will approve the Rangers adding that payroll. The Rangers cannnot add payroll, Damn Tom Hicks. This team is what it is until the sale is final. We can offer more than anyone, but we cant afford to pay anyone.
I liked the Hamilton bunt. Here's why:
(1) It was well done, and it worked.
(2) He's slumping versus lefties, and Lilly's a good one.
(3) It's on tape, and teams may respect that ability with a runner on first. For this reason, he should flash it once in a while.
(4) He's got gears to beat it out.
(5) It's a long season, and a 'shake-up' here and there is good for the vibe.
(6) One might venture that Josh wants to show teammates he's no bigger than the rest of them, and one might also argue that represents sound leadership. (I love that after the game Josh said he'd been practicing it. I'll take that from my star outfielder...a guy who knows he's not paid to bunt.)
(7) Wash recognized #6, and didn't call him out. Perhaps that's a manager who realizes that a big part of managing a game is managing the guys who play it.
RE small ball: That's wastefully over-simplified, James. Stats of match-ups, game situations, the element of surprise, getting in the other team's collective head, mixing it up (run-n-hit, straight steal, hit-n-run, bluff bunt, swinging bunt, moving the runner with a straight sacrifice... ) should almost always ALL be possibilities... ...Just no single one done so much as to let the opponent's defense get comfortable.
Already there seems big doubt in our opponents' OF coaches on whether to play them shallow or deep. That's good (Just last night, from the sounds of it, it led to 2 doubles instead of an out and a single).
Which strategy we go with, and when, should be governed in principle by a statistical grasp of the situation, but not too predictably so.
With his athletic ability and speed, if Hamilton is going to work the bunt into his game, he should at least try the old drag bunt and try to get a base hit.
MY reminds me of me when I was in my mid 30's trying to play 3rd base in a slow pitch softball league. Eaten alive.
Maybe I'm not making myself clear. I'm not talking about bunting for a hit (which I think Borbon should try about 30% more often and occasionally I wouldn't mind seeing Andrus bunt for a hit.) I'm talking abot sacrificing. And, no, I'm not talking about stealing. I hope they seal 1000 bases.
FG: The fact that you don't care whether he goes to Boston or New York is proof to me that you are clearly one of those fans that jumps on the bandwagon of the team of the moment or the team that can always be counted on to do well. There is nothing more annoying in this world (besides mismatched socks) than a fan like you.
I am old, and my memory grows dim, but I do recall that there was much wailing and nashing of teeth in recent seasons that the offence relied too much on the long ball, and that there should be more small ball. Either way, the rest of the team clearly enjoyed and supported Hamilton's bunt, and to me that is far more important than the saber admonition that he wasted 0.001 runs. (Or whatever)
Learning to bunt well in April and May can be very important in October.
Knee jerk reaction from tonight's game; Justin Smoak is now a hinderance to this team. We have the AL West by the balls and can ill afford to a) continue playing this kid, and b) continue playing this kid and risk destroying whatever confidence is left.
JD an co. HAVE to begin the process in scouring the trade market, etc... and plug someone, anyone, in that can hit .250. At this point, I'd gladly take a guy hitting .250. Wasn't there some talk early in the off season about Jermaine Dye playing some 1B? Where is he now... did he sign with a team? If not, sign him up and give him 2 weeks at AA/AAA and then plug him right into 1B. No more hand holding of 1st Davis and now Smoak.
No doubt Smoak AND Davis are legitimate threats... just not YET.
If Dye could come in here and play a respectable 1B and mash a little, it would give this team a dimension it hasn't seen yet.
Smoak looks uncomfortable at the plate and he had 3Ks tonight... I believe he's REgressing.
I want nothing more for Smoak or Davis or any of our young guys to be great... but right now, its going to cost a wins here ands there and before you know it, the Angles..... (well, lets just leave at that).
One more note Oswalt -Were you suggsting M. Perez/, M. Harrison/M. Moreland AS THE PACKAGE we'd send to the Stros? They'd better throw in Berkman too. No way to trade your best pitching prospect, a SP, and a very good player in Moreland... no Fing way!
Astros so bad right now and they need to FILL their farm teams with some semblence of bright prspects... you know, like Beavin, Kiker, and Main, etc...
Micheal Young didn't have much range when he played SS...So to expect him to have amazing range at 3rd base is unrealistic...As long as he plays adequate he brings enough to the table otherwise to ba a solid player for this team...We've got bigger fish to fry than to worry about Young...Like two guys that can hit their weight in CF and behind the plate...Joey still looking for that 0-2 and 1-2 hitting comparison between Rangers and teh rest of the league...CJ gave up 3 0-2 hits in the 1st inning
@Pablo
Dye was bad the second half of last year and he would likely be a very below average first baseman.
We do have a few options:
1. Stick with Smoak
2. Bring Davis back
3. bring Garko back and play him every day
4. give Mitch Moreland or Chad Tracy a shot for a few weeks.
Any of these options would seem better than Dye.