The Surprise, Surprise: March 18
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The Leadoff
Rangers super OF prospect, Nomar Mazara, joined me on the latest edition of "Just Hangin'."
Rangers GM, Jon Daniels, joined the G-Bag Nation earlier today. Here's their conversation in case you missed it.
Stat of the Day
*There have now been eight occasions of a 15-seed beating a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Quotes of the Day
"Win the World Series. That's going to make it easier for me to determine how long I'm going to play. If I won the World Series it would be easy just to go home any time I want." -Rangers 3B Adrian Beltre on what still pushes him
"He probably has the best mechanics of anyone I've ever seen, other than, maybe, Greg Maddux." -Rangers pitching coach, Doug Brocail, on Yu Darvish.
Covering the Bases
*Doug Brocail said that Yu Darvish's progress is probably the "biggest surprise" of camp. He still believes mid-May is the earliest we'll see him in a Major League game, but acknowledged that he's advanced in what he's able to do and how long/how much he's able to do it.
Brocail also shared some interesting insight regarding Darvish and the consistency with his delivery. He said that, when overlaying video of Darvish's delivery before and after surgery, it is exactly the same. That's a big part of any pitcher maintaining health, especially someone like Darvish who is coming back from a major surgery.
*Michael McKenry went to Middle Tennessee State via T.R. Sullivan.
*Anthony Ranaudo, who is in the middle of reinventing his delivery from over-the-top to low-3/4, was scratched from his scheduled appearance due to back spasms.
*Ryan Cordell will be out at least a few days with a sprained right ankle. Turns out last night's exit was a re-aggravation of an injury sustained during batting practice earlier this week.
Game Notes RANGERS 1 Mariners 7
Rougned Odor played in a Cactus League game for the first time since straining his right oblique. He went 0-for-2 at the plate but made a few nice defensive plays at second (see below)
On the Bump
*Not a single pitcher in Major League camp threw with the scratched appearance of Anthony Ranaudo (see above).
*Pedro Payano gave the team 2.2 scoreless innings, so there's that, I guess...
At the Dish
*Ian Desmond continues to hit and does so to the opposite field, which is a great sign. His double to the right-centerfield gap scored the Rangers' first run.
*Joey Gallo struck out for the first time in 19 PA in his first trip to the dish. He ended the day with an 0-for-2 and two strikeouts. Let's not panic!
*17-year old Leody Taveras, a J2 signing from 2015, doubled in the eighth inning.
In the Field
*Odor made two nice plays in the field, ranging to both his right and his left. We focus a lot on how he can improve offensively, but the Rangers are expecting him to take a step forward defensively as well.
San Antonio
San Antonio
*Good for Lewis Brinson, collecting a walk-off homer for the Rangers. Most homers hit in San Antonio are cheap because of the dimensions, but not Brinson's. Watch out for him in 2017. Here is the HR.
*Sam Dyson gave up a HR, though it was cheap. With that said, he's given up more fly balls this Spring than normal. It's natural for certain guys to exceed expectations as well as fall short. The bar for Dyson is so high, I'm curious how he responds in 2016.
*Jake Diekman appears to be ready to go. He struck out a pair in his inning and has still yet to allow a run all Spring.
*Nice night for Phil Klein, who collected three scoreless innings of relief work.
The Walkoff
Former Stars captain, Brenden Morrow, was one of my favorite players because of the grit and toughness with which he played. For Rangers fans unfamiliar with the Metroplex hockey scene, think of him as the Michael Young of the Stars.
Yesterday, he retired after signing a one-day contract with the Stars and was honored at the American Airlines Center. Here's just a piece of the ceremonies.
Until tomorrow, Peace Be the Journey
