Yu Darvish

[sneaky_flute]

Most projections had them between 84 and 86 wins.  

Projection systems are fun to consider but they're not exactly intuitive. Most of them are meaningless, especially things like Vegas odds. According to Fangraphs, only one team in MLB is expected to win more than 90 games. 

[Cdaniel]

If only they still had that bullpen. Robbie Ross may have to pitch in the rotation. Tanner Scheppers we know already is. Nathan is gone, Feliz has looked awful, They are effectively worse defensively at several positions as well (1B, LF, C, 2B), at the same time they likely upgraded defensively in RF. Also, don't look now but if Choo were an Angels player people would be jumping off bridges based on his ST performance.

Rangers have a lot going on, props to them if they can play through all of it.

Feliz got sent down today Edited March 25, 2014 by Cdaniel

[Inside Pitch]

Projection systems are fun to consider but they're not exactly intuitive. Most of them are meaningless, especially things like Vegas odds. According to Fangraphs, only one team in MLB is expected to win more than 90 games. 

 

Vegas odds aren't projections.   Projections are at best educated guesses, that may not be much but it's better than blind guesses.

[Blarg]

What do mean sent down?

[sneaky_flute]

If only they still had that bullpen.   Robbie Ross may have to pitch in the rotation.  Tanner Scheppers we know already is.  Nathan is gone, Feliz has looked awful,    They are effectively worse defensively at several positions as well (1B, LF, C, 2B), at the same time they likely upgraded defensively in RF.   Also, don't look now but if Choo were an Angels player people would be jumping off bridges based on his ST performance.

 

Rangers have a lot going on, props to them if they can play through all of it.

None of those positions saw defensive downgrades unless you're talking about now after all the injuries. As far as the bullpen goes, they have Soria to take Nathan's place and several pitchers who are returning. 

[Cdaniel]

What do mean sent down?

To the minors. He didn't make the 25 I guess. I'll look for a link

[Cdaniel]

Neftali Feliz has gone from the front-runner for the Texas Rangers' closer job to starting the season at Triple-A Round Rock.

The Rangers optioned the reliever to the minors on Tuesday. Last week, the club announced that Joakim Soria would be the closer and that Feliz would be competing for a spot in the bullpen.

Feliz, 25, struggled with his velocity and command during spring training after reports were positive from his winter ball experience. His fastball sat in the 92-93 mph range, rather than the upper 90s, where it was in winter ball.

He posted a 4.50 ERA in nine Cactus League appearances. Opponents hit .310 against him.

[Inside Pitch]

None of those positions saw defensive downgrades unless you're talking about now after all the injuries. As far as the bullpen goes, they have Soria to take Nathan's place and several pitchers who are returning. 

 

You can't pretend the injuries haven't happened.  You got to play the roster you have, not the one you were hoping to have.

 

You may want to compare the defensive metrics for guys like Gentry, Kinsler, Moreland, to their respective replacements, they are all downgrades.    As already stated Scheppers is moving to the rotation and Ross may be joining him -- that amounts to nearly 140 relief innings that would need to be replaced..  Soria is replacing Nathan, so that means someone else has to pick up his 23 innings and sorry but anyone expecting Neal Cotts to repeat his 1.11 ERA from last year might be in for a very rude awakening.  Unless I'm mistaken, long man Ross Wolf is gone too -- another 45+ innings.

 

That's a lot of innings that will need replacing potentially. 

Edited March 25, 2014 by Inside Pitch

[Angel Oracle]

Babe Ruth curse, move over.

The Nolan Ryan curse has hit Arlington.

[OregonLAA]

The pitching is in shambles and Fielder is going downhill quickly. Beltre is getting older and the injuries are going to hurt. But ya they'll win 110 games....whatever you say

[sneaky_flute]

You're right. Fielder is going downhill after one ok year while the Angels are completely free of old, declining players. 

[Mark68]

The pitching is in shambles and Fielder is going downhill quickly. Beltre is getting older and the injuries are going to hurt. But ya they'll win 110 games....whatever you say

Yeah, the pitching is a mess right now, but I wouldn't exactly say that Fielder is going downhill quickly based on one year. Maybe it was the first year of his decline, maybe it was an anomaly based on the personal issues he was dealing with last year, who knows?

 

But one year does not a decline make.

 

Even if he is on a decline, he is now in a ballpark better suited to his skillset, so that decline could be masked for a couple of years.

 

If I were the Rangers, though, I would sit Choo against every lefthanded starter. In a couple of years, they might have to do that with Fielder, also.

[Rochambeau]

If only the Angels had a left handed starter or two or three.

[ukyah]

i think the current soria is a downgrade from nathan, but maybe he's all the way back and i just haven't seen it yet. i think the rangers are too smart to just fall off a cliff, but i also think that they missed their current window for a title. they were the best team in baseball for probably three years, but they couldn't close it out. i feel that the AL west is up for grabs this year.

[sneaky_flute]

I could see a brief rebuilding period in 3 or 4 years, but the only thing that would close their current window is if all the injured players just never recover.

[OregonLAA]

You're right. Fielder is going downhill after one ok year while the Angels are completely free of old, declining players.

What do the Angels have to do with any of this?

[rick99gtp]

Their ceiling was 90 wins before the injuries? That's cute. 

 

Either way, the Rangers aren't going to win the West.

Edited March 26, 2014 by rick99gtp

[sneaky_flute]

What a bold prediction now that they have half their roster on the DL. 

[Season Over]

This discussion is cool and all, but we both lost to freaking Oakland last year.

[Brent Maguire]

90 wins is their ceiling, sure. That doesn't mean they'll get close to it.

The Angels could win 95 games if everything goes well for them. It doesn't mean they'll get there.

Realistically with these injures, the Rangers are a 84-87 win team. I'd be shocked if they won more than that.

[NrM]

[LAAMike]

I read that the Rangers and Scott Baker are close to a deal.  Maybe a Seattle reject can hold the fort until the replacements arrive.

[Blarg]

I read that the Rangers and Scott Baker are close to a deal.  Maybe a Seattle reject can hold the fort until the replacements arrive.

 

It is no longer a fort, it has been downgraded to a lean to with leaks.

[ItzTacosYerrp]

I see a lot of DFW brags in here. I am one too.

How do you guys deal with the games starting at 9:10???

Still watch every game but it kinda stinks

[ItzTacosYerrp]

Bros***** brb turning off autocorrect