Rangers Notebook: Rangers Will Be In Playoff Conversation
By Jared Sandler | @SandlerJ
I want you to hold me accountable for this, but I honestly believe the Rangers will be in the playoff conversation on September 1st.
Yeah, some of you might not think that is that bold considering 5 teams get in now, but it wasn't more than a few weeks ago people tossed out the possibility of 100 losses.
Why do I think this? They have positional depth, a versatile lineup with power and speed, and a rotation that, though fragile right now, should only improve with health.
Their biggest weakness is the bullpen, but that's generally regarded as the easiest part of a team to fix in-season.
Externally, the AL West isn't very strong which, even if it doesn't mean winning the division, helps because they still have 48 games against divisional foes, including all but three of their final 30 games.
But, more than anything else--and, feel free to rip me for this because it isn't quantifiable--I really vibe how this team competes. They've won nine of their last ten one-run or two-run games and go back and check out the tough games they've lost and I guarantee they've made a push or two in the latter innings. It just seems like they continue to comeback on teams, even if they don't end up winning.
Plus, I'm a big fan of what little work we've seen from Jeff Banister. His embrace of both baseball people and analytics is immensely important and that will continue to help this team.
Finally, I spoke to one of baseball's most respected national baseball writers and he told me that the "leadership, communication and energy of the players was as strong as any other team I've been around all year."
He told me this before the winning streak, right after the team's Friday night loss to the Indians in mid-May, making them 15-21. He also told me he had already spent at least a few days around every team in the league.
Playing Pepper (Random Rangers thoughts)
*Here's Josh Hamilton's first AB in Arlington.
*And here's Josh Hamilton's most recent AB in Arlington.
*What did I like most about Chi Chi? He got ground balls. He competed in and out of some walk-induced jams. He didn't look thrilled when Banister took the ball. Love the competitiveness.
*Prince Fielder having some fun.
*The Rangers have interest in this guy, per T.R. Sullivan
*While I know Major League Baseball's schedule-makers didn't consider this, the Rangers and Indians' game on Tuesday marked the 22-year anniversary of their matchup in which Carlos Martinez's fly ball to the outfield bounced off of Jose Canseco's head and over the fence. Interestingly, Martinez's son, Teodoro, was in the Rangers' system for the two previous seasons before getting released.
Quote of the Week
"What he's doing right now is unbelievable. He's making it look easy. He's kind of put us on his shoulders and carried us through this." -Mitch Moreland on Prince Fielder
Tweet of the Week
[tweet https://twitter.com/swish41/status/605153750538293248]
Stat of the Week: 46
...the amount of hits collected by Prince Fielder in May, most in that particular month by a player in franchise history. Fielder fell four short of Josh Hamilton's franchise record of 49 for any month when he did it in June 2010.
Stock Up/Stock Down
Here's a weekly look at performances of Rangers players
UP: Robinson Chirinos
The Rangers catcher wrapped up the month of May going 10-for-his-last-32 (.313), mashing three home runs and driving in eight runs over a ten-game span. He also reached base at a .389 clip with four walks. After his Friday night two-hit effort, Chirinos ended a game with a batting average over .200 for the first time since mid-April.
DOWN: Colby Lewis
Statistically speaking, Colby has struggled over his last two starts, allowing 15 runs (14 earned) on 19 hits over 9.1 innings. He's struck out just two in that span, too.
Elsewhere In Baseball...
*The Stephen Strasburg saga in D.C. is really interesting. He's got Cy Young talent and stuff, but, from what people tell me close to the organization, he's very fragile mentally and does not have a high pain tolerance.
*In case you want to know what FanGraphs thinks will happen the rest of the way, here are their latest projections.
...What's interesting to me is that they have the winners of the AL West and AL East winning just 85 and 84 games, respectively.
*The Cardinals held a pre-game ceremony, honoring the one-year anniversary of the late Oscar Taveras' debut. So sad.
Good Reads
*NFL.com covered the "Ohio River Offense" recently.
*ESPN's Buster Olney explains why Alex Rodriguez should be considered for the Marlins' next managerial job.
*Cool story about how the Cleveland Indians decided to support the daughter of their teammate, Mike Aviles, who is battling leukemia.
*Paul White, acclaimed baseball writer, covers his own retirement and it is a very good read.
Good Listens
*Here's what Jeff Banister told Chi Chi Gonzalez on the mound, prior to removing him from his Major League Debut after 5.2 shutout innings.
*Here's the Hello, Win Column! podcast with former MLB'er Mike Bacsik and me:
We discuss the Rangers' bullpen, Adrian Beltre, and Dan Jennings as a Major League manager.
*Ben and Skin talked to Rangers short stop, Elvis Andrus.
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