MLB 2013!!

[snoopy369]

I don't understand the Rangers at all, to be honest. They're like the guy in our fantasy league that drafts 6 MIs every year. Why?

[SlowwHand]

They'll either move Kinsler to 1st or trade Profar. I told you that months ago, but you said I was full of ****.

[snoopy369]

So they'll take a competent defensive 2b and put him at 1b, where he goes from being "very good bat at 2b" to being "sort of vaguely ok bat at 1b"? That makes no sense. It's like my fantasy-league-mate who plays a SS at util spot - even if it's a good SS, he's not a very goot UTIL.

Either way I was right they didn't do it to start the season

[SlowwHand]

Profar will be better than Kinsler.

[Imran Siddiqui]

So they'll take a competent defensive 2b and put him at 1b, where he goes from being "very good bat at 2b" to being "sort of vaguely ok bat at 1b"? That makes no sense. It's like my fantasy-league-mate who plays a SS at util spot - even if it's a good SS, he's not a very goot UTIL.

Either way I was right they didn't do it to start the season

And that's the strange part about it. They lessen both Kinsler's and Profar's value by moving them to positions where their defensive skills matter less.

They'll likely have to deal Profar considering the money they've put into both Kinsler and, now, Andrus. Those are big contracts to take on and Kinsler will be 35 at the end of his.

However, Profar could get the Rangers the OF help they desperately need.

[snoopy369]

What, Mike Trout or Bryce Harper?

[SlowwHand]

The OF isn't so bad. Cruz is decent. Murphy is decent, Gentry in CF is very fast and is decent. As far as that goes, Rangers might move Kinsler to the OF, rather than 1B.
I like how it's set up. They have more options than they've ever had and more than most teams.

Let's talk about Josh Hamilton. I saw film of him striking out swinging wildly at a pitch from the last game. He struck out his first 2 AB today.
I said that I was glad he left. Nothing has changed.

[snoopy369]

The OF is not very good for a team that wants to win a pennant with mediocre pitching (which is probably being generous after your top starter). Say what you want about Hamilton, he hits a lot of home runs. 3 true outcomes guys are useful if they have enough of the 2 outcomes, and he did (not that he's really a TTO guy, but that seems to be what you're suggesting).

[SlowwHand]

Yes, it's early, but he has a batting average of .067. Gentry .333, Cruz .562 and both come with no baggage.
You can have your opinion, but because I don't agree doesn't make me wrong. I don't care if he ends up hitting .400 for the year, I was tired of his attitude.

[Imran Siddiqui]

What snoopy said. I mean the Rangers are in a division with the Angels and A's. They're going to need a better OF than simply "decent", esp with the bat. Hamilton's 2010 was likely an outlier, but he's a consistent 130+ OPS+ guy and around 3.6/3.7 WAR (his defense brings down his offense some) - that's much better than anyone currently in the OF in Texas.

[SlowwHand]

Ditto to you Imran. Put your expert opinions on the line next year.
BTW, Harrison isn't really the No. 1 pitcher on the staff, even though he started the first game, Darvish is; but that doesn't matter because his effort was already the motivation for an ignorant ass comment.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Yes, it's early, but he has a batting average of .067. Gentry .333, Cruz .562 and both come with no baggage.
You can have your opinion, but because I don't agree doesn't make me wrong. I don't care if he ends up hitting .400 for the year, I was tired of his attitude.

Can we compare last year's numbers (and not use numbers that really don't matter that much in assessing the complete player)?

[SlowwHand]

No. Why use last year's numbers? I lived with his attitude and wild swings last year enough, coupled with his lethargic attempts to play CF while pouting if he was put in left.
I don't care if you like him or not. It matters zero to me.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Wild swings as he was the 2nd best hitter on the Rangers last year .

Have fun missing the playoffs as you rid yourself of your headache

[snoopy369]

I have no objection if you want to be rid of him, but to pretend losing him is not going to affect the team's performance on the field is shortsighted. Cruz/Gentry/nobody of value is a pretty mediocre outfield, and you really do need a good hitting outfield if you want to compete in the AL.

After Beltre, you don't have a lot of power or OBP on the team. Kinsler is very good for a 2b but he shouldn't be your second best hitter. Even if Cruz outperforms his personal highs, you still don't have enough around those three. AJ Pierzynski is your 4th best hitter for heaven's sake.

And I meant Darvish as the one star-level SP. Harrison is good but not great, and the rest are average at best. That's an okay pitching staff, but it's not going to be the strength of a world series champion.

Think of this like the blank ink test. Would a team with that pitching staff and an average hitting lineup win a championship? No. Would a team with that lineup and an average pitching staff win a championship? No. So where does that leave you?