Friends, neighbors, and fans of the Texas Rangers need to be careful of who you are listening to with regard to this team. There is an extreme media bias in the DFW-Metroplex against baseball, the Rangers, and Arlington, Texas.
The absurdity of their all out push to blow up this team is beyond crazy, it is an agenda. The writers are still upset that the City of Dallas is without a baseball or football team. They want to rename the team, they are upset that a new stadium for the Rangers is going to be built, and therefore they want a story so they can bash success.
Blowing this team up by trading away the two best players on the team in Yu Darvish and Cole Hamels is insane. I have friends that continue to bash both of them for not delivering last year in Toronto too. All teams and all players slump, Hamels picked a bad time last September to go into that slump. Darvish was returning from Tommy John surgery and there was way too much expectation placed on him.
This year we have seen both return to form, but the lack of run support has been shocking, plus the bullpen has blown 17 save opportunities. The lack of hitting, driving in runs, and playing fundamental baseball are far bigger issues with the team than blowing it up. That might be coaching and upper management philosophy than anything else. I will expand on that in a later article.
Having dual aces on a staff is hard to find, and yes every single team in the league wants those two guys. Darvish goes into Friday’s start against the Rays with a record of 6-8, a 3.45 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. He is 1-6 with a 4.09 ERA in his past 10 starts, and he’s 13-13 with a 3.43 ERA in 37 starts since his return from missing 14 months while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Those are solid numbers for returning from Tommy John, and don’t blame that 1-6 record on him, that is lack of scoring by the Rangers. He is 52-38 with a career ERA of 3.32 since coming to Texas with 943 career strikeouts and 771 innings pitched. Yes, he is a free agent after this season.
Would everyone agree that Nolan Ryan pitched well for the Rangers? In his 5 years with the team his record was 51-39, he pitched 840 innings, with an ERA of 3.43 while recording 939 strikeouts.
Those numbers are so similar it is scary! Yet, nobody called for the team to let Ryan go because he was in the twilight of his career.
Take a look at what Hamels has done. His is 26-14 since joining the Rangers with a 3.49 ERA, 314 strikeouts, and 348 innings pitched.
No, none of these guys are Clayton Kershaw, Zach Greinke, or David Price, but both Hamels and Darvish can be as good on any given night. They do not cost as much as those guys either, and even if Darvish goes to free agency he is not going to get Kershaw money because the numbers are not that close.
The reality is this, the bullpen has blown a bunch of games and must be a priority that may require the team to look for pitchers instead of throwers. Signing Napoli was a mistake over Mitch Moreland who was less expensive, hits for a better average, and plays better defense. Roughned Odor is a hot mess and needs better coaching. The same is true for Carlos Gomez.
If the Rangers are considering trades, they need to look at Jonathan Lucroy, Napoli, Gomez, and if the organization is not going to use Jurikson Profar than him too. Although at this moment I would rather have Profar at 2B than Odor until he gets his head right again.
The other mistake John Daniels made was signing Shin-Soo Choo for $100 million or more. He will never live up to that contract, he is a nice player but he is cannot be traded because his numbers do not justify his contract.
Fans need to remember that if you trade away Hamels and Darvish that will leave only Martin Perez under contract for 2018. Just how long do you want to wait until this is a contending team again?
Finally with regard to Yu, if you want to have any hope of landing Otani, the Japanese Babe Ruth, then you must keep Darvish because they want very much to be on the same team.
Sportswriters, do not like Daniels, and they do not like the Rangers, they want to sell stories, and these same sports guys will bash the team for letting them go when the team averages 50 wins for the next 5 years. Those of us that are real fans look forward to being able to go to a game in July and August without sitting through the fires of Hell to enjoy a baseball game in that new stadium. Players will be more likely to stay in Arlington without having to face the Texas heat. When the term we hear so much about “Fake News” is mentioned, just include all those sportswriters trying to blow up this team. They are trying to create news with inflammatory opinions to get fans engaged to help their programs.
The better answer to all of this would be to sign Darvish today to a long-term deal and give the team confidence that it is not about to be blown apart. That might be the push needed to motivate them toward good things and get a wild card spot. The farm system is 3-years away from anything resembling good pitching. However, there are some position players that might produce soon.
This team needs to hang on to the mix of youth and experience, and hold the fort unless a spectacular deal comes along. Frankly, to trade either Hamels or Darvish it would take a bigger deal than it took to get Hamels in the first place in my view.
Fans just keep reminding yourself, what is going to be better than Nolan Ryan type numbers, because that is exactly what you have with two pitchers that are here. Don’t blame the starting rotation for this teams troubles, it is the bullpen, and the poor approach to hitting. Be careful who you listen to, this team has more unrealized potential than they are showing, they need a few additions, and most of all better coaching. That is especially true of the hitting and pitching coaches. If you want to make an acquisition go find Rudy Jaramillo, and bring back Mike Maddox!
If you are a real fan, you will follow The Ranger Report for your hot sports opinions and in depth insights, because those of us who write for the love of the team and for fun do not have an agenda, we do it because we care!
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