Ranger Rap

BY: Richard W. Humphrey

The Texas Rangers have been in training camp for about a week. Pitchers and catchers reported last Tuesday, though most arrived earlier. Position players were required to arrive by last Friday, and last Sunday the Rangers held their first full squad workout. For Ranger fans, it is the start of a new year.

This Texas team should contend, but it is a far different team than the one fielded by General Manager Jon Daniels in recent years. Gone are Michael Young, the ex-officio team captain, Josh Hamilton and Mike Napoli, not to mention a healthy portion of the bullpen that was one of the team’s strongest points last year.

This year’s team will likely have a more execution oriented offense – one that utilizes the sacrifice bunt, stolen base, and hit-and-run to move runners and create scoring opportunities. On paper this team does not look to have the offensive firepower to hit 200 home runs.

It is also a team that will likely rely on its starting pitchers, as the Rangers are finally starting to see the results of their pitching emphasis coming to fruition at the Major League level. Four rotation spots are spoken for as traning camp begins, and all four made their Major League debuts as Texas Rangers. Matt Harrison and Yu Darvish, both 2012 All-Stars, will start the first and second games of the season in some order. Darvish looks poised to build on his rookie season and step up to be one of the true aces in the American League, a pitcher in the class of Justin Verlander, CC Sabathia, and Jered Weaver. Harrison has established himself as a solid, if not improving starting pitcher. This pair should win at least 35 games.

The enigmatic Derek Holland and Alexi Ogando complete the starting four currently in place. Holland was the team’s best pitcher over the second half of 2011 and along the way, turned in the finest post-season pitching performance in Ranger history, a gem in game four against the Cardinals in the World Series – 8-1/3rd innings, no runs and two hits. Last year, he stepped back, winning just 12 games, spending time on the disabled list, and struggling to get his ERA under five. Ogando returns to the rotation, where he made the American League All-Star team in 2011 after a one 0year hiatus in the bullpen.

Texas expects these four to be the core of a solid and possibly spectacular starting rotation, which will be the backbone of this year’s team. Colby Lewis is re-habbing from surgery, but is expected back in the rotation at some point this summer. In the mean time, Robbie Ross, Martin Perez and Justin Grimm are the internal candidates for the fifth starter job. Over the past week, two dark horse rookies have emerged as possible candidates – Nick Tepesch and Cody Buckel, both of whom split time at High A Myrtle Beach and AA Frisco last season.

The bullpen is more problematic. Joe Nathan is back as closer. Joakim Soria was signed this winter, but he like Lewis is recovering from arm surgery and will be available no earlier than late May or early June, most likely later. Josh Lindblom was acquired in the Michael Young trade. Jason Frasor was signed during the winter. The balance of the bullpen candidates are largely internal candidates that have had varying amounts of success and litttle Major League experience. The team badly needs for pitchers such as Tanner Scheppers and Michael Kirkman to step up early in the season to be an effective bullpen. The addition of Soria and most likely Neftali Feliz, who is also recovering from arm surgery, will likely make this an effective bullpen late in the season. Hopefully, the Rangers will still be in the race when they arrive.

Lance Berkman and A. J. Pierzynski have been signed as the two significant offensive replacements. Both have been significant offensive pieces in the past, but neither is young. Berkman especially is needed to bring some firepower to the middle of the lineup. He is a patient hitter that sees a lot of pitches and walks almost as much as he strikes out. He’s the type of offensive player that the Rangers have wanted since Ron Washington arrived to manage the team.

New hitting coach Dave Magadan is also a hitting instructor that teaches and preaches this type of approach at the plate. Magadan has his work cut out for him trying to bring back players that have been offensive threats in the past to being productive again after significant falloffs. Ian Kinsler and Geovany Soto, just to name two.

It’s a new year though. The Ranger offensive core is much different, but still very good. It’s a team that should be very competitive in a much improved division, as Texas will be battling the defending division champion Oakland A’s and the further re-tooled Los Angeles Angels. Even the Seattle Mariners can not be counted out.

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BY: Richard W. Humphrey

Ron Washington will not be replaced as the Rangers’ manager. Despite the epic collapse of this year’s team, he has led the Rangers to the last two World Series, and that will be good enough to retain his job. That is not to say that a heap of the blame for the collapse doesn’t fall on his shoulders. It does. The aspect of playing his regulars too much was discussed in the previous post, but there are now legitimate questions about his management style.

He has always been laissez-faire in his approach to the managing the players. He does little to rein in the veterans. He backs them to the hilt no matter what happens on the field. At times this year, some of the players appeared to be taking advantage of the last of consequences. It has been likened to allowing the inmates to run the asylum. Perhaps Washington’s approach has worn off and discipline has dissipated. He said at the last Tuesday’s wrap up press conference when he took responsibility for playing the veterans too much and literally wearing out the team, that there is a continuing learning process for him as manager. Hopefully, he can re-gain control, and perhaps the anticipated personnel turnover will make this aspect of his job easier.

However, the Ranger’s life cycle is to the point that veteran players will be moving on whether through trade or free agency, and younger players will be forthcoming from the farm system to take their place. There has always been a question as to Washington’s ability to develop young players. He’s back, but his seat could be warmer than it would initially appear.

However, the rest of the coaching staff is a question mark. In the past, the Rangers have usually invited back all the coaches even before season’s end, and that has not happened yet. Clearly the current staff is being evaluated. Clearly too, the major factor in the collapse was the offense, so the hottest seat among the coaches belongs to hitting instructor Scott Coolbaugh. Looking back, the Rangers had the acknowledged finest hitting coach in the game for 15 years in Rudy Jaramillo. He has not received as much credit for his contributions to the team’s success over the past three playoff seasons as deserved. He did much to develop players such as Michael Young into an All-Star caliber career.

Jaramillo left after the 2009 season with the team in financial straits and with a handsome offer from the Cubs that Texas couldn’t match. Clint Hurdle was next, and he was the right man at the right time. Ian Kinsler had perhaps his best Major League season, Josh Hamilton won the American League MVP award, and the Rangers went to the World Series for the first time in history. Unfortunately, Hurdle moved on to manage the Pirates.

It’s been a black hole since. Thad Bosley, a Washington cronie from the past was named to the position after Hurdle departed. He was a disaster lasting about a third of the season, before being replaced by Coolbaugh. The 2011 team again went to the World Series, so Coolbaugh was back, but this team’s offense was down considerably from last year. Ian Kinsler had his second consecutive off season. Young and Mike Napoli were two more that notably slipped from their 2011 offensive numbers. Over the final days of the season, the offense not only did not execute, but hitters, most notably Josh Hamilton, looked terrible at the plate.

Over the final 10 regular season games and the Wild Card play-in game, the Rangers scored 45 runs, an average of barely four per game, about a run per game less than the season’s average. Just one more win in those 11 games, four wins instead of three, would have put the Rangers into the first round of the playoffs. The offense was the biggest culprit for the ineptitude.

Coolbaugh may not be the only one on the hot seat. Gary Pettis is the outfield and base running instructor. There seemed to be more base running gaffs this year. For sure, Texas led the league in runners picked off bases. There has been much written about Nelson Cruz’s miss of the fly ball that would have wrapped up last year’s World Series had he caught it. In retrospect, Cruz was not positioned properly to make that catch. Pettis is responsible for positioning the outfielders, but somehow, he has escaped criticism for the play not being made.

Defensively, the Rangers set a club record for fewest errors made in a season this year. Kinsler however made a boatload.- 18 this year, up from 11 in 2011 and seven in 2010. It was more noticeable over the final weeks of the year. Third base coach Dave Anderson is the infield coach. He could be on the hot seat too, especially with questionable calls as the third base coach.

When spring training convenes next February, Ron Washington will again be leading the troops. The rest of the staff may have a different look, as the Rangers try to fix the problems that made 2012 a great season with a disappointing ending.

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BY: Richard W. Humphrey

First of all, apologies to fans for taking a month off between posts. Other obligations got in the way, but please expect more frequent posts going forward.

Today’s post is the first in a series to examine two questions: What went wrong with the Rangers leading to the season ending collapse and what do the Rangers do going forward?

This past Tuesday, the Rangers held their year-end press conference at which manager Ron Washington essentially fell on the sword over playing his regulars too much. Clearly, the Rangers looked out of gas in the final weeks of the season. There were mental mistakes on the base paths as well as in the field, a clear sign of mental fatigue. There were physical mistakes afield on routine plays and lack luster at bats, clear signs of physical fatigue.

Kevin Goldstein is noted in the baseball industry as a premier talent evaluator, particularly of minor league systems. He is now a member of the Houston Astros front office team, but last June when he was still with “Baseball Prospectus” he held a Sunday afternoon session for Ranger fans. Jon Daniels spoke at that gathering at which time he said that fans should not expect any spectacular moves at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline; I. E., no Cliff Lees. He indicated the Rangers’ focus would be on shoring up the bench.

As the trade deadline approached though, most speculartion had the Rangers involved in first Cole Hamels until he was re-signed by the Phillies, and then Zach Greinke, who Milwaukee ultimately traded to the Angels. Texas did finally make a deal for Ryan Dempster, arguably the next best starting pitcher after Greinke rumored to be available.

Daniels also bolstered the catching situation with the acquisition of Geovany Soto. Clearly, Yorvit Torrealba was a negative and Mike Napoli was slowed much of the season by injuries. Soto was a good acquistition, though it is questionable if he fits in the Rangers’ plans going forward.

But Daniels did nothing to shore up the bench. Two seasons ago after acquiring Cliff Lee in early July, Daniels strengthened the Rangers’ bench with outfielder Jeff Francoeur, and infielders Jorge Cantu and Cristian Guzman. Francoeur in particular was a helpful addition.

When Daniels failed to land veteran bench help this past summer, the team summoned Mike Olt from AA Frisco, where he had become the Rangers’ premier power hitting prospct at the upper levels of the farm system. Daniels said at the time that Olt was a better player than any veterans he found available at the trade deadline. Later when the rosters expanded, Daniels added middle infielder Jurickson Profar, also from AA Frisco. Profar is considered by many to be the best minor league prospect in all of baseball, but one of the top five for sure.

Profar and Olt then were the two major acquistions to shore up the Rangers bench at season’s end, but neither had much impact. Olt was slowed in September with plantar faciaitis; but the main problem was Washington simply refused to play them.

In looking over Washington’s six year reign as manager, he has never been good at developing young players. Indeed, there are some who thought that Washington was the wrong man for the job in 2007 when he took over because of he is not good with young players. Most of the young players that have come to the Majors from the Rangers’ farm system and contributed since Washington’s arrival are pitchers, and much of the credit for pitchers has to go to pitching coach Mike Maddux.

Elvis Andrus is the only position player that has graduated from the Rangers’ farm system and performed at an elite level. Mitch Moreland and Craig Gentry are the only other position players that have contributed. On the other hand, at least two position players have moved on and become productive elsewhere. Chris Davis hit 33 home runs for Baltimore this season, while Jarrod Saltalamacchia has become a serviceable starting catcher with the Red Sox. Both players had ample playing time to develop here and did not, so it’s not a matter of giving up too soon. It may however be a matter of not being able to bring young players along to become productive at the Major League level.

Certainly Washington’s job in September was not to develop Olt and Profar; it was to win a pennant. However, the two are not mutually exclusive. They were the bench players Daniels provided, and they should have played more, both for their own development and to keep veterans playing at the top of their game with appropriate rest. Undoubtedly, there was disappointment if not disillusionment with the young players and their playing time. Ranger fans now know that tired veterans did not get the pennant won.

The question of playing the young players came up frequently down the stretch. Washington was asked numerous times about the situation on local sports talk shows, including ESPN’s Ben & Skin as well as the Ticket’s Norm Hitzges. They particularly asked in relation to Michael Young, who turned in the worst offensive season of his career.

Randy Galloway has indicated that there were September conferences between Daniels and Washington on the topic of playing time. Washington was not unaware of the problem in other words. If Daniels campaigned for more playing time for Olt and Profar, Washington apparently did not heed the advice. It all makes you wonder if there is a growing disconnect between the manager and general manager, and how this will affect the team going forward.

The biggest question the Rangers will initially address this off season is Josh Hamilton’s contract. Irrespective though of how that situation is resolved, the Rangers are going to look much different next season, and that is likely to include more young players to develop. Hopefully, the disconnect will also get resolved.

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BY: Richard W. Humphrey

Ranger starting pitcher Roy Oswalt is fast becoming public enemy number one for Ranger fans. He started Sunday afternnoon’s game against the Rays in St. Petersburg, the rubber match of a three game series. Matt Harrison was originally announced as Sunday’s starter, but he has not pitched well in his three most recent starts, so it was decided to push him back a couple of days. With an off day on Monday, he will now be starting game one of the three game series with the Indians on Tuesday. The move also serves to give at least one extra day of rest for the rest of the staff, certainly not a bad idea at this time of the year.

Sunday’s starting assignment was Oswalt’s first game appearance of any kind since August 23, when he started against the Minnesota Twins. It did not go well. He gave up four runs, three of which scored on a pair of long home runs, in just two innings. Oswalt didn’t return for the third, and it was later announced that had pain in the elbow of his right (throwing) arm.

After the game, Oswalt again complained of how he has been utilized, telling reporters that it’s difficult to stay sharp when the game action is so sporadic. He effectively blamed the Rangers for the injury. He is right about the sporadic use, but he has no one to blame for his situation than himself.

He signed in May as the Ranger pitching injuries began to mount. He said he had been throwing and keeping in shape, but his activity at home in Mississippi did not come close to simulating spring training. He made four minor league starts in which he was 1-1 with a 5.87 ERA against AA and AAA competition. He threw four innngs or less in three of those appearances, but pronounced himself ready to be activated, which the Rangers accommodated on June 23.

Over the course of his first six starts, he compiled a 6.40 ERA. The trend wasn’t good either as two of the three wins were the first two games he pitched in which the Ranger batters supported his pitching effort with 17 runs. In his sixth start, he gave up eight runs to the Angels in a 15-8 Ranger loss.

When the Rangers acquired Ryan Dempster from the Cubs at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, he was the starter that was relegated to the bullpen. He complained to beat writers then about the demotion then, but there was no question at the time that Oswalt was the worst pitcher in the rotation at the time and should be the one to go. The only one to question the move was Oswalt himself, who seems delusional about what is happening on the field.

Two things have become abundantly clear about Oswalt. His body language clearly lets everyone know that he is not happy being a part of the Texas Rangers, and at this point in time, he is simply not a very good pitcher. He easily cleared waivers in August making him eligible to be traded, but the Rangers found little interest in the market place. And in August, there is seemingly always interest from contending teams in cheap pitching help.

Fortunately for Texas, he has little inflence in the Ranger clubhouse. His sour, selfish attitude does not garner sympathy from the other players, who largely choose to ignore him. His attitude may be a cancer to his performance, but he is no cancer in the clubhouse.

After Oswalt departed Sunday, Martin Perez entered the game and proceeded to give up two more runs – both scoring on B. J. Upton solo home runs – over five innings.

With the rosters expanded in September, there seems to be little need for Oswalt. He has no place on the Rangers’ post season roster. He is obviously going to pitch only in throwaway situations. Texas might as well allocate those appearances to Perez or another minor league prospect. It is surprising that the Rangers haven’t released him already, as he is just taking up space in the clubhouse.

It is a shame this did not work out. Oswalt has been a terrific pitcher for more than a decade. Back issues slowed his 2011 season with the Phillies, but those appeared to be behind him when he signed with Texas. He had worked with pitching coach Mike Maddux at Round Rock many years ago before reaching the Major Leagues, so that appeared to be a good fit. Sometimes the best looking situations simply don’t pan out. This is one of them, and all parties involved would be better off if the split comes sooner rather than later.

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BY: Richard W. Humphrey

Jurickson Profar made his Major League debut Sunday in Cleveland, and it was spectacular. He became the first Ranger player ever to hit a home run in his first Major League at bat when he led off the third inning with a long one, at least 10-12 rows beyond the fence. That scored the first run of the game and opened the gates to a four run inning. In his second at bat, he doubled and finished the day 2-4 with a run scored and RBI. Texas won 8-3.

After the game, Fox Sports’ John Rhadigan gave Ranger players an assist by interviewing Profar to set him up for the pie in the face treatment. The pie in the face these days is really a towell smeared with shaving cream, but in Profar’s case, it was the crowning event in a really good day.

Manager Ron Washington’s original lineup Sunday had Ian Kinsler at second base. However in pre-game workouts, Kinsler reported tightness in his lower back and was scratched. That opened the door for Profar’s debut, and the youngster made the most of it. At 19 years, 195 days, he became the second youngest player to hit a home run in Major League history.

Profar was added to the active roster a day earlier when Major League rosters expanded. There had been heavy media speculation in the past couple of weeks that Profar would be called up perhaps even before September 1. A weekend earlier, Michael Young took three days of paternity leave as the Rangers faced Minnesota at home. There was perhaps even disappointment then among many fans that Luis Hernandez was called up from AAA Round Rock instead of Profar to take Young’s place on the roster.

Hernandez appeared in two of three games during his stay, but interestingly, he was designated for assignment afterward. That immediately removed him from the Rangers’40-man roster, neatly creating room for Profar to be added less than a week later.

When the season began, most rankings of minor league prospects had Washington’s Bryce Harper and Los Angeles’ Mike Trout as the top two or three prospects in all of baseball. Once they graduated to the Majors, Profar was prominent among the top minor prospects, with more than one respectable rating service having him squarely as the best.

Profar is in his third year of professional baseball. This summer, he hit .281 with 14 home runs and 82 RBIs at AA Frisco, where he also stole 16 bases in 20 attempts. He jumped over the high A minor league level to play at Frisco, after toiling in 2011 for low A Hickory. Indeed he reached the Major Leagues at warp speed having played just 398 minor league games. At Frisco, he was the youngest player in the Texas League, and now he is the youngest player in the Major Leagues.

If Profar blossoms into the player experts expect him to be, he presents a dlightful dilemma for the Rangers, who are set with one of the best keystone combinations in baseball – Elvis Andrus at shortstop and Kinsler at second base. Kinsler is probably not going anywhere. He is a fan favorite, indeed one fo the bright faces of the franchise. Most of all, he signed a new long term contract extension earlier this year. There is speculation that he could move to the outfield to create an opening.

Andrus is more problematical. He will be eligible for free agency after the 2014 season. There are many that believe he will be with another team thereafter, if not sooner. He certainly helped fuel the speculation when he switched his agency to Scott Boras. Boras’s clients rarely re-sign with the team that developed them once they become free agents. (See Prince Fielder, see Barry Zito, see Mark Teixeira, etc., etc.)

Perhaps more realistically though, there is a question for the Rangers if keeping Andrus is the best deployment of their salary capacity. This past winter, free agent shortstop Jose Reyes signed a long term contract with the Marlins that averages more than $15 million per year in salary. Andrus would seemingly command a comparable contract. Do the Rangers really want to commit that much payroll to shortstop, when they have Profar in the fold? Profar will be playing for far less than $15 million per year, such that by going with Profar and letting Andrus walk, the Rangers will have a sizeable chunk of payroll capacity to utilize for other team needs.

Still, Andrus is such a good shortstop that it will be a sad day in Ranger history when he departs, if he does.

As for Profar’s immediate future with the Rangers, there are many unknowns. Most clubs shorten their pitching staffs for the playoffs and often look for a player with speed for their bench. Profar could be a candidate for the post season roster. However, Ranger fans should not expect a regular routine of work.

It has been suggested that he could easily start three games a week, one at short and two at second base, with Kinsler and Andrus getting a complete day off and Kinsler DHing once a week. Sounds good on paper, but it’s a pipe dream. The Rangers are trying to win a pennant, and while many of us believe they will, the road to October baseball may not be an easy one. Oakland has won 10 games in a row and closed the gap to three games, despite the Rangers winning their last three series. In Ron Washington’s view, and this is the view Ranger fans should share, he wants to and will be playing the best lineup he can put on the field to win every game he can. That most likely does not include regular playing time for a talented 19 year-old.

DAVID MURPHY UPDATE: David Murphy woke up Monday morning ranked third in the American League in batting average at .322. He has put on a serious offensive surge since the All-Star break. In his last 17 games alone, he is hitting .458 with three home runs and 15 RBIs. His batting average has been high enough to rank among the top 10 hitters in the league for weeks now, but he did not have enough plate appearances to qualify. On Sunday in Cleveland, he came to to bat five times to give him just enough – 412 appearances. He also ranks fourth in the league in on-base percentage. For much of the year, Murphy has been overshadowed by Josh Hamilton with his 37 home runs and league leading 113 RBIs and Adrian Beltre, who managed a three home run game and a cycle two days apart; but Murphy has quietly become an important player in the Rangers’ offense.

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BY: Richard W, Humphrey

Major League rosters expand in September, and indeed baseball takes on on different tenor for the final month of the season. There is usually no shortage of bullpen arms and offensive bench hands to pinch run and hit with the enlarged rosters, so substitutions are often fast and furious. Texas added six players, and went into play in Cleveland with 30 active players on the roster.

Five of the six have seen action in a Ranger uniform earlier this year. They are pitchers Martin Perez, Yoshinori Tateyama, and Tanner Scheppers; and position players Brandon Snyder and Leonys Martin. Martin is an outfielder, while Snyder is primarily a corner infielder, though he is also an emergency catcher.

The player that will make his Major League debut when he first appears in a Ranger uniform is Jurickson Profar. With Mike Trout and Bryce Harper in the Majors, Profar is considered by many to be the best minor league prospect in baseball. He is just 19 and was the youngest player in the Texas League this summer. He has been groomed as a shortstop, but also saw signficant playing time at second base this season at AA Frisco. When teams assemble playoff rosters, they can shorten their pitching staffs with frequent travel days and utilze the roster savings for offensive specialists. Profar has good speed, so could be a candidate for the playoff rosters despite not having appeared in a game before September. Profar was not on the Rangers’ 40-man roster, so to make room minor league reliever Miguel de los Santos was designated for assignment.

In other procedural moves, reliever Robbie Ross was placed on the disabled list. This accomodated the recall of Tanner Scheppers from the minors. He was optioned to AAA Round Rock earlier this week, which requires a 10 day stay in the minor leagues, but the injury to Ross allows him to return earlier. Texas also recalled pitcher Tyler Tufts from Frisco and immediately placed him on the disabled list. Playoff rosters are supposedly limited to players on the roster on August 31, but the elgibility rules allow for the replacement of an injured player. This move effectively provides the Rangers flexibility to add a player to the playoff roster that did not appear in a game prior to September 1.

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BY: Richard W. Humphrey

It’s been 10 days since Mike Olt was called up to the Rangers from AA Frisco, and Saturday night in Arlington, he had his most impactful at bat of his very young career. He stroked a two out ninth inning single that drove home Nelson Cruz with the final run in a 2-1 Ranger win over Detroit. It was just his 10th at bat in the Majors and second pinch hit at bat in his professional career; and long after he retires from baseball, Saturday’s game will be a vivid memory.

Prior to the series, the Rangers’ best chance to win a game was Friday night when Scott Feldman faced Max Scherzer. Feldman was the Rangers’ hottest pitcher coming into the game with a six-game winning streak. The Tigers’ best chance for a win was Saturday’s game started by Justin Verlander. The Rangers’ 6-2 loss on Friday night raised the spector of a Tigers’ sweep in this series, which added even more to the import of a Texas win on Saturday.

Verlander was magnificent. Ranger starter Derek Holland has struggled most of the season, and this game started like most of his games. Austin Jackson led off with a home run. Omar Infante followed with a single. The game could have gotten away from the Rangers right there. Holland however, pulled it together to strike out two batters and coax a ground out to quell the threat. From there Holland was magnificent, lasting until there were two outs in the eighth, while giving up just one more hit. He ended the night with nine strikeouts and one walk. He essentially matched Verlander pitch for pitch to keep the Rangers in the game and set up Olt’s ninth inning heroics.

Olt has started just four games since he arrived. Counting Saturday’s pinch hit, he has 10 official at-bats, two sacrifice flies, and three walks for a total of 15 plate appearances. So far, he is being utilized in much the same role as Brandon Snyder. It is surprising that the Rangers aren’t playing him more. There are certainly benefits for Olt’s baseball education in his being in the Major Leagues. However, it is surprising that Texas saw fit to promote Olt and demote Snyder if they did not plan on more playing time for Olt. A top prospect such as Olt needs to play.

It was thought that Michael Young might be the one losing playing time in favor of Olt. So far that hasn’t happened. Young has played every game since Olt arrived. Saturday night, Young was 0-3 ending a 10-game hitting streak. During the streak, Young hit .357 with 15 hits in 42 at bats. That’s for sure a good way to stay in the lineup. Young’s season batting average is now up to .273.

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BY: Richard W. Humphrey

Perhaps lost in the euphoria of Wednesday night’s exciting game was the announcement afterward that the Rangers have called up Mike Olt from AA Frisco. Olt was originally drafted out of the University of Connecticut in 2010 with the 49th overall pick in the draft. He is a third baseman and right-handed hitter. 2012 is his first season at the AA level, where he was hitting .288 with 28 home runs and 82 RBI’s. He has developed into one of the Rangers top three minor league prospects and is clearly the best power hitting prospect at the upper levels of the Rangers’ farm system. He was certainly one of the most sought after prospects by other teams as Jon Daniels looked to fortify the Rangers before the trade deadline.

Daniels said after Wednesday’s game that his goal in making trade s last month was to strengthen the Rangers’ bench. When a trade for a bat did not materialize, Daniels opted for Olt, saying “He deserves it.”

The move is still curious as it makes no sense to have Olt in Arlington to sit on the bench. He needs to be playing. Perhaps not every day, but on most days. He is an outstanding defensive third baseman, and the Rangers of course already have a middle of the batting order, Gold Glove third baseman (Adrian Beltre) signed to a long term contract.

The question is then where will the playing time for Olt come, as he will most assuredly see more action than the man he replaced on the roster – Brandon Snyder. Adrain Beltre has looked gimpy at times recently, so perhaps Olt sees some time at third base with Beltre DHing. Olt has also been worked at first base and the outfield this year.

The bottom line is that the player most likely to see his playing time reduced is Michael Young. This is obviously a difficult situation for the Rangers. Young is a fan favorite, a hard worker, a great example for younger players, and a team leader. He has been the face of this franchise for years.

However, four months into the season, he looks to be a markedly less productive hitter. The Rangers have put on the brave face saying he’ll come around, but he isn’t coming around. Last year he hit .338. So far this year, he’s hitting .268. Last year, he walked 47 times, which is a small total in itself. So far this year with approximately two-thirds of the season gone, he has just 18. Last year, he had 58 hits for extra bases; this year just 22. Last year, he drove in 106 runs. This year he’s got 42. So in summation, that’s a materially reduced batting average; an even more materially reduced on base percentage, with far less power and far fewer runs driven in.

It’s a PR nightmare, but if this team is to realize its potential, it is going to be difficult to carry Michael Young’s weak bat going forward. The Rangers have looked lifeless during the homestand that concludes tonight. They are in need of a spark. It’s doubtful that Mike Olt is the total answer, but hopefully, he is part of the answer.

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BY: Richard W. Humphrey

Geovany Soto was pulled from Monday night’s game in the fifth inning and began shaking hands with his Cubs’ teammates in the dugout. It was obvious, he had been traded, and the only question was where. Late Monday evening, the news leaked that Soto was headed to Arlington. The trade involved cash, so had to be approved by MLB. It was Tuesday morning and is now official.

The Rangers had made their intentions known that they wanted a top of the line starting pitcher and to upgrade their bench in trade talks this July. The Dallas Morning News’ Evan Grant consistently contended that they were interested in upgrading the catching situation, and he proved to be correct.

The Rangers sent AA starting pitcher Jacob Brigham to the Cubs in return. There could be another player to be named later or cash considerations to complete the trade. Brigham was 5-5 with a 4.26 ERA in 21 starts at AA Frisco this season, though he is 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in his last three starts. He is known for having a very good arm with erratic control.

Yorvit Torrealba was designated for assignment to make room on the roster for Soto.

Soto is a former Rookie of the Year and National League All-Star, and is considered a very good defensive catcher. He is making $4.3 million this year; hence the cash considerations coming from the Cubs to offset a portion of his salary. He is contractually under control for next year as an arbitration eligible player. Essentially, the last two months of 2012 and hopefully some playoff games will serve as a tryout for Soto. If the Rangers are pleased with what they see, they can go to arbitration with him. If they aren’t, they can non-tender and let him go.

The Ranger tandem of Mike Napoli and Yorvit Torrealba has not been good defensively. Napoli has been charged with eight passed balls, while Torrealba has been charged with four more. Soto in 51 games has been charged with one.

To date the Ranger tandem has 11 caught stealings in 71 opponent attempts, a 15.5% ratio. Certainly, there are factors in this statistic other than a catcher’s throwing ability, most notably the pitcher involved; and the Rangers do have some pitchers that are easy to run on. However, Soto is 14-37, a 37.8% rate.

Soto is hitting just .195 with six home runs and 14 RBI’s in 51 games, a sharp variance from his career batting average of .254. However, Soto was on the disabled list from mid-May until mid-June with a knee problem and has hit much better at .241 since being reactivated.

Mike Napoli is eligible for free agency after this season, and it isn’t likely that the Rangers will pay the figure he will command. He is making more than $9.0 million this season after his spectacular 2011 offensive season, but has not lived up to those numbers. He is hitting just .228 with 17 home runs and 38 RBI’s.

Certainly, there is a learning curve for Soto – new pitchers to learn on his team and new oppennt hitters to learn from coming to a new league. However. he picked up 21 games in the standings – from 17.5 games out of first place with the Cubs to 3.5 games in the lead with Texas – which hopefully will rejuvenate him.

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BY: Richard W. Humphrey

Texas shut out the White Sox 2-0 Sunday evening to avert a sweep of the series and complete the week with a 3-3 record. Scott Feldman pitched two stellar games to earn the wins in two of three winning efforts. He tossed 15 innings on the week, allowing just a run on a solo home run to his former teammate Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and he walked no one, while striking out 10. In the “what have you done for me lately” category, he is the Rangers’ hottest pitcher.

The offensive woes continue. The Rangers have scored the fewest runs (71) of any team in baseball this month and are on pace for the team’s lowest runs scored per game for any month in 20 years. For the weekend series with the White Sox, they scored just nine runs total, were 1-31 with runners in scoring position, and left 27 runners on base.

Josh Hamilton failed to get a hit in the series going 0-6 with a pair of walks. Manager Ron Washington gave him the day off Saturday in hopes of rejuvenating him. He is hitting .141 for the month of July after batting .223 in June. He has struck out 56 times since the end of May. When Washington made out Sunday’s lineup, he dropped Hamilton from his customary number three spot to fifth.

Hopes of landing a difference making top of the rotation starter were dashed Friday evening when the Angels completed a trade with Milwaukee for Zach Greinke. Milwaukee had been seeking a shortstop in exchange for Greinke, and the Angels sent Jean Segura, LA’s top prospect who was already in the Major Leagues. Two other minor league pitchers, both rated in the Angels’ top 10 prospects were also included.

The Rangers also got disturbing news on Neftali Feliz, who was scratched Sunday from a minor league re-hab start with elbow discomfort. The severity of the problem won’t be known until the Rangers’ team physician makes an examination, but it for sure is a set back and could mean Feliz will not pitch for the Rangers again this season.

The Angels arrive for four games this week. They trail the Rangers by five games and have actually slipped behind Oakland into third place. For both teams, these games are twice as impactful as a normal game, as a win is not only a win, but puts a loss on a chief competitor. For example, if the Rangers win Monday, their lead over LA goes to six games. If they lose, the lead is down to four. That’s a two-game swing in the standings for one game played on the field.

Greinke pitched Sunday, so won’t appear in this series. The Angels lead off with Ervin Santana in game one of the series, followed by Jerod Weaver, Dan Haren and C. J. Wilson. Texas counters with Roy Oswalt, Derek Holland, Yu Darvish and Matt Harrison.

The trade deadline is now less than 24 hours away. The Rangers added Cliff Lee two years ago, and relievers Mike Adams and Koji Uehara last year. They undoubtedly will pull the trigger on some sort of deal by Tuesday afternoon. They are likely pursuing another top starter, though the possibilities look doubtful. One thought is to get a bullpen arm to free up Alexi Ogando for the rotation. Ogando threw 44 pitches in a relief appearance Friday against the White Sox, the most he’s thrown in a game this year, apparently in an effort to stretch him out to be able to go at least five innings as a starter. Jonathan Broxton has been rumored as an available bullpen arm.

The Rangers’ bigger need may be to obtain a right handed bat. This offense needs a spark, and an outsider may be able to provide it. In any event, it should be an interesting day leading up to the 3:00 PM Central trade deadline on Tuesday.

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