waynelin Blog Posts

My Projected Lineup for the 2009 Season

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:39:44 PST

With Spring Training nearing and the competition getting fierce early on, here are my starting lineup projection in order of depth with a brief analysis:

1B: Chris Davis--Showed he can play at the corner spots. Offense is a plus for him.

Frank Catalanotto--Decent defensively at that position. Needs to improve footwork.

Hank Blalock: Doesn't play much first and you'll see him there very seldomly.

2B: Ian Kinsler--Offense and defense; he's the complete package. If he stays healthy, he could be a MVP candidate.

German Duran--He's good defensively but looked uncomfortable at the plate at times.

Joaquin Arias--He'll get little playing time until he can get his feet wet. He played for Duran last season season after Kinsler got hurt and did okay.

Continue reading "My Projected Lineup for the 2009 Season"

Alex Rodriguez admission was the right thing to do cant blame the Rangers for the PEDs

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 11:05:29 PST

It's easy to blame the Rangers organization for Alex Rodriguez's use of PEDs in his years as a Ranger, but where does the blame lie? Many argue that the Rangers are the ones to blame with their string of ball players who were accused of using steroids or other PEDs. However, I have to argue that the one to blame is truly the player. If you listen carefully, A-Rod said, "When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I felt the weight of the world on top of me, and I needed to perform and perform at a high level everyday." His admittance of that fact puts the blame solely on his shoulders. When you sign a 10-year, $252 million contract, you should expect some amount of pressure. As humans, we are given free will. We have a choice to make whatever decisions we please. Using PEDs was not forced on him; that was evident in his comment.

Continue reading "Alex Rodriguez admission was the right thing to do cant blame the Rangers for the PEDs"

What the Andruw Jones move does for the Texas Rangers

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:53:22 PST

The Texas Rangers recently signed Andruw Jones to a minor league contract. If he makes the squad, the Texas Rangers will pay him $500,000 and a up to $1 million in bonuses. Why is this important? Because Jones is still a viable player that can be traded for a smaller price if he doesn't make the Rangers roster this spring. That and it doesn't break the Rangers bank. Jones also provides a fail-safe if Josh Hamilton goes down with an injury. Marlon Byrd, who recently re-signed with the Rangers, was a fill in player for Hamilton in Center field at times, but really found his niche in Left Field. Already a logjam in the outfield, the Rangers can only hope that Andruw Jones can become the terror at the plate he used to be in Atlanta. After leaving Atlanta for the Dodgers, Jones never regained his offensive form and after a series of injuries, faltered many aspects of his game.

Continue reading "What the Andruw Jones move does for the Texas Rangers"

Surprise Falcons 8-5 on cusp of playoffs but not to be this season

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:44:35 PST

The Atlanta Falcons have to be the surprise team of the 2008 season and Mike Smith deserves to be Coach of the Year whether the Falcons make the playoffs or not. However, their reality will come crashing down on them in the final three games of the season.

Atlanta will play Tampa Bay this week and then play Minnesota and St. Louis to close out the season. The Falcons have already played Tampa Bay once this season and lost 9-24. Atlanta's youth and inexperience will unravel with the remaining schedule. The Dallas Cowboys are right behind the Falcons in the playoff hunt, but I project the Falcons to lost two of the next three.

That's not to take anything away from the incredible season they've had. Matt Ryan should be in the running for Rookie of the Year. With the NFC being so good this season a 10-6 or 9-7 team may not make it. I attribute the youth and inexperience of the Falcons to be the contributing factor. They haven't made the playoffs since 2004 and the current squad has only a handful of players on both sides of the ball that were on that team, one of the reasons for the 8-5 record thus far.

Continue reading "Surprise Falcons 8-5 on cusp of playoffs but not to be this season"

Rangers make early move in the Winter Meetings deal Gerald Laird for two pitchers

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 11:59:35 PST

The names Guillermo Moscoso and Carlos Melo aren't names you're familiar with, but you may in a couple short seasons. The Rangers and Tigers made the trade as expected would happen with a surplus of catchers to trade at will. This move is a good move for both clubs. Guillermo Moscoso and Carlos Melo have strong upside and their bodies were built to be pitchers. Moscoso has the potential to be a young Pedro Martinez and he may be the first one of the two to make the 40-man roster. Melo, on the other hand, has good upside; his fastball can reach up to 100 MPH, but his control is an issue.

This move doesn't mean the Rangers are done dealing at the Winter Meetings. The Meetings end on Thursday and the Rangers may have more catchers to deal. Taylor Teagarden looks set, but Max Ramirez and Jarrod Saltalamacchia are still valuable assets on the trade market. Boston, Kansas City, and Atlanta (the team Saltalamacchia came from) have expressed interest in trading for him, but are unwilling to deal any starting arms. Many things can happen in a short time, especially at the Winter Meetings.

Continue reading "Rangers make early move in the Winter Meetings deal Gerald Laird for two pitchers"

With free agency underway Rangers target certain pitchers

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 10:59:14 PST

Free Agency opened up on Friday, but has started off slowly fo the Rangers. Milton Bradley and Jamey Wright will test the free agency waters, but it will be Milton Bradley iwho is commanding the most attention of all the Ranger free agents. Bradley is looking for a multiyear contract, but will be hard pressed to get it with his history of injuries. The Royals and the A's are looking for switch hitting designated hitters, but the A's would seem to be more in position to offer him a multiyear contract.

With Wright, his age is a concern. He will be 37-years old to start the season and though he pitched the most innings out of all the Rangers relievers in '08, his durability will be in question.

On the flip side of things, the Rangers obviously will look at pitching to fill their needs. The Rangers have particular interest in ageless wonder Randy Johnson and Ben Sheets, but the prospect of either one of them coming to Arlington will determine how much the Rangers want to depend of the minor league pitching system. What we do know is the Rangers have plenty of pitching prospects in the minor leagues. Sheets seems to be the leading contender to come to Texas, and contrary to popular belief, pitchers are not weary of coming to Texas because of the heat and humidity. That concept is an old wives tale.

Continue reading "With free agency underway Rangers target certain pitchers"

Texas Rangers go into Winter Meetings with Leverage to Produce a Contender in 2009

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 09:22:39 PST

The obvious and ideal situation for the Rangers in the offseason is to find quality arms in the starting rotation. While that seems easy, there are limitation to what can be done in developing this process. The Rangers go into the Winter Meetings with leverage. They have a surplus of catching prospects that showed their depth and mettle this past season.

A trade with a catching prospect, coupled with a minor league slugger or two, the Rangers could be primed to land a quality pitcher. However, if that doesnt fall through, not to worry. Mike Maddux was hired as the pitching coach for the Rangers. He comes form the Milwaukee Brewers, who finished second in the National League in team ERA. The Rangers finished last in the American League in that category in '08. It won't be a rebuilding job of sorts, but it will be a challenge. Assuming the Rangers don't land a free agent pitcher or acquire one through a trade, the Rangers have a plentiful amoutn of pitchers in the minor league system.

Continue reading "Texas Rangers go into Winter Meetings with Leverage to Produce a Contender in 2009"

Rangers improved from 2007 but not enough to get into post season

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:06:40 PDT

The Rangers finish out the 2008 season four games under .500, slightly off my prediction of finishing at .500. The Rangers have already made changes going into next season, the first casualties being bench coach Art Howe, who was responsible for the defense, which finished last, and third base coach Matt Walbeck. Both will not return to the organization next season, however, the Rangers will be looking for experience at bench coach. Don Baylor's name has been brought up in the mix, but it is too early to tell.

The main coach they will be looking for is pitching coach. When the Rangers let Mark Conner go at the beginning of August, the Rangers slightly improved in their pitching game, but it wasn't enough to carry them into the post season. The Rangers will have plenty to do this offseason with searching for coaches, working on better defense, and evaluating pitching. What they don't need to worry about is offense. The offense finished first in average, runs, RBIs, and total hits.

Continue reading "Rangers improved from 2007 but not enough to get into post season"

Mike Smith the right choice

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:24:57 PDT

Plenty of speculation had been made as to whether or not Mike Smith was the right man for the job. The Falcons were in a bind last season when Bobby Petrino left three-quarters of the way through the season. While Petrino left the Falcons in bad shape, the team stayed together.

In comes the search for a coach. With many high profile names on the market like Bill Parcells, George Seifert and Mike Tice, the Falcons ended their search shortly after the season ended with hiring on Mike Smith from Jacksonville. His name won't obviously ring any bells, but his results should. He was a coach on the defense with the 2000 Baltimore Ravens that won the Super Bowl. The Ravens defense that season finished first in the league in total defense. He later became the Defensive Coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who had, previous to his hire, been in the bottom 10 of the league in total defense from 2000-2002.

Continue reading "Mike Smith the right choice"

Rangers close out their final homestand in style

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:18:12 PDT

The Texas Rangers closed out their baseball season at home with a 14-4 victory over the Oakland A's. The final game of the season saw Hank Blalock drive in four runs and smash a homerun. Matt Harrison pitched six strong innings and he becomes the first rookie starting pitcher for the Rangers to win nine games. He boosted his chances for a starting position going into next season.

Josh Hamilton also had a good day getting two basehits and netting two more RBIs to extend his lead in the RBI race. His average now stands at .304. The Rangers battled this season under early pressures that Ron Washington would lose his job, but the Rangers responded in a big way winning seven straight series in late April - early May.

Despite losing Ian Kinsler and David Murphy to season-ending injuries, the Rangers relied on depth from their farm team and has looked good and very promising for the future. Though the Rangers are done at home, they still have a series at the Angels before they close out the season. While many, including myself, had hopes they would finish .500 or above to end the season, the Rangers have built a cornerstone to go off of. Their defense was tightened up in the second half of the season, and their pitching improved from 14th in the league in all major categories to 10th.

Continue reading "Rangers close out their final homestand in style"