Category Archives: texas rangers

2018 MLB Draft: All-Name Team

The 2018 MLB Amateur Draft took place this week. Over 1,200 young men were selected and a few of them could be all-time greats.

The Detroit Tigers started the draft off by selecting one of the best college pitchers in the draft, Casey Mize. Detroit desperately needs pitching now and Mize is expected to be fast-tracked through the minors as he was one of the most MLB-ready pitchers in this year’s draft pool. I expect Mize will be in the Majors by late-2019 or early-2020.

We love making all-name team lists for upcoming seasons and drafts, so covering the MLB Draft is a no-brainer. There is some solid names on this year’s list.

My name is Bobby Roberts, so I am often jealous of people with unique names. The most unique thing about my name is that I was not born ‘Robert Roberts’, Bobby is my given name. I don’t know too many grown men named Bobby.

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2018 MLB Season Preview: Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers manager Jeff Banister won the AL West in his first two seasons at the helm. They fell behind a few teams in their division and now find themselves near the bottom of the preseason predictions.

They have some explosive bats on offense and has gotten by with their pitching. Their bullpen has actually been very good have bailed out the back-end of their rotation many times a year ago. They will need to be great this season as the back-end of the rotation is bowling shoe ugly.

Can Mike Minor and Tim Lincecum end up being two of the smartest signings last offseason?

Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Texas Rangers.

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2017 MLB Season Preview: Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers manager Jeff Banister has won the AL West in both of his first two seasons at the helm. They have been a tour de force on offense and has gotten by with their pitching. Their bullpen has actually been one of the best in the Majors and have bailed out the back-end of their rotation many times a year ago.

The Mariners made a few huge moves this offseason and the Astros young roster is expected to improve even more this year. Did the Rangers do enough this offseason to hold off both teams in the AL West?

Can Carlos Gomez be the Comeback Player of the Year?

Here is the 2017 MLB season preview for the Texas Rangers.

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Three Players Elected Into Baseball Hall of Fame

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America revealed the results of their Hall of Fame vote this afternoon. Three former MLB players earned induction into this year’s Hall of Fame class.

Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez received more than the 75% threshold to earn induction. Bagwell and Raines have been on the ballot for quite awhile, but Pudge earned his election on his first time on the ballot.

There were plenty of players that fell short of the 75% threshold and one player surprised most people by falling short of receiving 5% of the vote to stay on the ballot.

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2016 MLB Season Preview: Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers went from worst to first in the AL West last season. Jeff Banister had one hell of a first season as manager in Arlington, Texas.

The Rangers are a team built to have a decent championship window. The Rangers are built around a mix of young players like Elvis Andrus and Yu Darvish, and veterans like Adrian Beltre and Cole Hamels to shoulder the load during a long season. The Astros also have a long window since their team is mostly built from their impressive farm system. The Rangers and Astros will be battling for the division for many years to come.

Can the Rangers repeat as AL West champions?

Here is the 2016 MLB season preview for the Texas Rangers.

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Best Bets: Early 2016 World Series Futures

Pitchers and catchers are due to report in baseball within the next two weeks. Online Sportsbooks haven’t put out over/under win totals yet, but they are due relatively soon.

Until win totals are released, World Series championship futures are fun to speculate.

If you can wait nine months for a payout, there’s plenty of value to be found.

The Cubs are by far the overall favorites to win the 2016 World Series with a +450 payout. The next in line are the Dodgers (+1200) and Mets (+1200).

We look at the overall value and pick some teams that could be worth the long wait for a payout.

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2015 MLB Team Preview: Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers hoped to make it out of Spring Training without too many injuries. They were already given bad news this offseason when they heard top prospect Jurickson Profar would miss another season after needing another surgery on his left shoulder. The worst news was yet to come.

The Rangers found out their ace Yu Darvish would be on the shelf for the season after getting a second opinion that he needed Tommy John surgery. He was shutdown back in August after injuring his elbow. They thought he could avoid Tommy John surgery with extra rest this offseason.

The Rangers had postseason aspirations last season, but lost 95 games due to all the injuries to key players. Can they get back to the postseason in 2015?

Here is the 2015 MLB season preview for the Texas Rangers.

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2014 MLB Team Preview: Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers couldn’t make it out of Spring Training unscathed. Geovany Soto and super prospect Jurickson Profar are expected to be out at least three months with injuries. They aren’t a deep team, so these injuries will be felt early.

Texas made some big moves by acquiring Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo to compete with the Joneses in the AL West. Oakland and Los Angeles will be pests and stay in the race all season.

Ian Kinsler was a big piece in Texas’s resurgence. Prince Fielder will be a nice source of offense, but will his weight become an issue late in the season?

Will the Rangers starting rotation be good enough to make the postseason?

Here is the 2014 MLB season preview for the Texas Rangers.

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Texas Rangers Acquire Matt Garza from Chicago Cubs

The Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs finally put together a deal for pitcher Matt Garza. The Cubs are sending Garza to Texas for 3B prospect Mike Olt, minor league pitcher C.J Edwards, starter Justin Grimm and the infamous, player to be named later.

The trade has been on and off for over a week and as a Cubs fan, I’m just glad the Matt Garza trade drama is over. He’s been included in trade rumors soon after he began his first season on the North Side.

Mike Olt has shown power in the minors and is much more MLB-ready than recent #2 overall pick in the 2013 MLB Draft, Kris Bryant. Olt does have position flexibility, since he’s been working on his outfield defense. That was the only way he would have been called up to the Rangers, since Adrian Beltre blocked him at third base. So, if things work out as planned and Bryant is brought up in 2016, it shouldn’t be a problem to get these two guys in the lineup regularly.

C.J. Edwards has been lights out in A-ball this season. He has a K/9 over 11.00 and a K/BB ratio hovering around 4.00. He is projected to be a middle of the rotation guy or better.

Good luck to Mr. Garza in Arlington.

(I’m horrible at Photoshop, so I’ve embraced MS Paint. It’s funny, so expect more awesome photos that look like they’re edited by a four-year old.)

Rangers’ Yu Darvish Blows Perfect Game in the Last Out

Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish nearly made history in their second game of the season.

Darvish was lights out against the Houston Astros on Tuesday night. He took a perfect game into the ninth inning.

The game was in Houston and with the Astros looking like a possible 100+ loss season, the crowd was loaded with Rangers fans. The fans were biting their nails in anticipation of seeing history take place in front of their eyes.

Astros shortstop Marwin Gonzalez swung at the first pitch he saw and lined it through the legs of Darvish for a single.

Darvish was pulled after the hit. He finished with 14 strikeouts in 8 1/3rd innings in the 7-0 win over the Astros.

Top MLB Prospects Who Will Appear in 2013

Major League Baseball teams have put more focus on the draft over the last decade and it’s paying off. The minors are filled with the most talent its seen in the last two decades.

With the early success of Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, Angels outfielder Mike Trout and White Sox pitcher Chris Sale, fans are expecting their teams to push their top prospects to the Majors as soon as possible.

You have already noticed a few teams caving in to the pressure and have their top prospects starting the season on the roster. Cardinals pitcher Shelby Miller and Twins outfielder Aaron Hicks will start the season, but you could argue that they are filling a glaring need.

Here is a list of MLB prospects you will see called-up in the 2013 season. Continue reading →

Twitter: MLB.com Top 100 Prospects

Are you the kind of fan who tracks their favorite MLB team’s minor league prospects from the draft all the way through their MLB debut?

If you are that kind of fan, we list all the Twitter accounts for the Top 100 prospects listed by MLB.com. A few prospects listed do not have a confirmed Twitter account, but that could be from an English translation issue.

An extra benefit from following the top MLB prospects could affect your fantasy baseball team. If you’re looking for an advantage, especially if you’re in a dynasty or keeper league, you’ll find a few nuggets from their Twitter accounts. I assume if one of them finally got called up, they would announce their excitement on Twitter.

Here are all the Twitter accounts (those who have them) from MLB.com’s Top 100 Prospects. Continue reading →