wbt5845 said:

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Burke really good through his first 2. 29 pitches, 21 strikes, one weak infield hit

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Burke hasn't allowed a run through 4 innings. I can get used to this

DallasAg 94 said:

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Solak bringing the big lumber.

Picking up where he left off in Nashville.

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Breathing down odor's neck

6 scoreless innings for Brock Burke in his big league debut. Nice. He is right at 100 pitches, so he'll be done for the night.

Burke pitched well, but doesn't have much other than his fastball. Would get shelled on any given night with that stuff.

This has to be the 15th time this year that they have recycled the

" odor is doing everything we ask, the results will come, he's an integral part of what we're trying to do" story.

Emily Jones isn't fooling anyone.

Huell Babineaux said:

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Burke pitched well, but doesn't have much other than his fastball. Would get shelled on any given night with that stuff.

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Maybe that's all he needs tonight.

I heard an interesting interview with him on the radio, talking about how the minor league ball is smaller than the major league ball, but that they recently changed Triple A to use the major league ball. He's been pitching for Nashville, using the major league ball, so he's used to it already.

Is that really true? I can't imagine the minor leaguers using a smaller ball.

Interesting. Just saw this article. Seems like the balls are the same size, but the laces are smaller on the MLB ball, and bigger on the Minor league ball, making it feel smaller in the hand?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.baseballamerica.com/stories/milb-2019-preview-new-year-new-baseballs/%3Famphtml

MLB and AAA are using the same ball. AA and below are using a different ball. Both MLB and AAA are hitting HR's at a record pace.

With Solak, I think he is at least an adequate second baseman, but I haven't seen him play much at all. From what I read the move to the OF was more about giving him more opportunities to make the big league roster as he was hitting well in AAA. Maybe they can try him at 3B as well.

DallasAg 94 said:

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Grapesoda2525 said:

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DallasAg 94 said:

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Solak bringing the big lumber.

Picking up where he left off in Nashville.

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Breathing down odor's neck

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We'll see...

The fact they had him playing LF at AAA for the past couple weeks tells me they don't think he'll be a MLB 2B.

Like Calhoun, they brought him in hoping he'd stick as a 2B'er, but at the end of the day... 2B is a pretty hard position to play at the MLB level.

If you felt uneasy with Nellie in RF, then you are equally uneasy with Calhoun in LF.

I hope Solak is breathing down Odor's back and that the Rangers have visions of him playing 2B... but I'm going to watch this play out.

Mathis @ C
Santana @1B
Solak @ 2B
IKF @ 3B
Calhoun @ LF
Mazara @ RF

That would be about as bad a defense as you could put together in MLB.

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Albert Pujols sees your bad defense and nods his head

I like these youngsters. Allard, Clase, Heineman, Burke, and now Solak. I think some vets are going to be feeling the heat next spring. Add Gallo and Calhoun and we are building a good team.

Fuzzy Dunlop said:

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I like these youngsters. Allard, Clase, Heineman, Burke, and now Solak. I think some vets are going to be feeling the heat next spring. Add Gallo and Calhoun and we are building a good team.

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Need more pieces and need some of our position players who have been down on the farm forever to finally emerge.

Keep in mind this season has ALWAYS been about development of youth. I'm willing to say we have seen guys emerge at positions of need.

I really wanna see Trevino step forward as our catcher of the future. e're then just a CF and another SP away from being pretty damn good.

Solak is a 2B. That's it. If he continues to develop and play well, Odor won't be here much longer.

You do realize he only played in 30 games at AAA Nashville this season? Per your stats he played 22 of them at 2B. I believe the last week or so he moved to OF to get some experience there.

If you pull up his MiLB page it lists his position as 2B. http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?player_id=669256#/career/R/hitting/2019/ALL

DallasAg 94 said:

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PDEMDHC said:

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Solak is a 2B. That's it. If he continues to develop and play well, Odor won't be here much longer.

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I think you are going to be really disappointed. I'm not buying the "We moved him to LF in order to get him in the lineup and get more ABs.

2B-AAA
Andy Ibanez (26) - 33 G @ 2B, 45 @3B, 18 @ SS, .301, 17 HR, 6 SB. I think he is a 3B.

Nolan Fontana (28) - 30 G @ 2B, .167, 3 HR, 0 SB. Career in MLB: 12 G, 5 GS. Is this the guy that is playing 2B ahead of Solak, forcing him to move to LF?

Nick Solak (24): 22 G @ 2B

Chase d'Arnaud (32): 17 G @ 2B, .164, 6 HR, 4 SB, now in KCR organization.

Solak is 24.222d - 2 G in MLB, 1 @ 2B, 2 Hits
Odor is 25.199d - 784 G in MLB, 766 G @ 2B, 8 @ DH, 700 H

Right about a year younger than Odor and he can't lock down the 2B position at AAA, and you are going to tell me you plug him into the MLB lineup at 2B?

I hope Solak can plug into the 2020 roster @2B and give us .275, 25 HR and be serviceable at defense... but I think if his Louisville coach, the Tampa organization and the Rangers organization have all played him in the OF... he is likely an OF. He has 325 games in MiLB at 2B, less than half what Odor has in MLB, despite being only 1 yr younger.

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I just can't imagine the Rangers mindset with odor still being "ride or die". Odor is flirting with the Mendoza line AGAIN. He's resided there for the majority of this season.

If they aren't currently considering replacements or alternatives than this rebuild will be tougher than we all thought.

Last comment and I'm done. I'll let you debate Odor with the others. Giving Solak time in the OF prior to being called up in no way indicates that they think he can't get it done at 2B. If he can play more than one position he is obviously more versatile and gives him a better chance to stick in the MLB. He's hit at the AAA level, if he hits anywhere close to that in the MLB and can play multiple positions he'll stick in the MLB. He might make it at just 2B, we'll see. It's pretty obvious that Woodward likes guys who can play multiple positions. If nothing else, he might take Forsythe's spot in 2020 as Forsythe seems to be fading in the second half of the season and he is on a one year deal (they won't cut Forsythe though, he was with Woodward in the Dodger organization).

DallasAg 94 said:

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KT 90 said:

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You do realize he only played in 30 games at AAA Nashville this season? Per your stats he played 22 of them at 2B. I believe the last week or so he moved to OF to get some experience there.

If you pull up his MiLB page it lists his position as 2B. http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?player_id=669256#/career/R/hitting/2019/ALL

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The general consensus here is that Odor just isn't very good and is easily replaced. It should be a no-brainer to replace Odor.

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I don't speak for other posters on here, but I think the mindset of most ranger fans is " Odor has already had his shot". He hasn't played well since 2016. He doesn't play well enough to justify being out there 150 games a year.

If you polled the rangers fan base today, the question being " who do you want as our opening day second baseman?"

The choices are Odor, Solak, and Santana.

I have no idea who would win, but I would expect the results to be close. A LOT of ranger fans don't like the incumbent.

I hope they give Solak some time at 1B too. They're going to have a revolving door from Nashville to Arlington next year. Assuming no trades, Heineman, Guzman, Solak, and Ibanez will all be up and down playing a mixture of 1B, 2B, LF, RF, and DH. They'll have to do so while Calhoun, Santana, and Choo also get their PT. They will also use IKF and potentially Eli White for some of the 2B work. Andretty Cordero and Josh Jung are still probably a year away, but they could sneak into the 1B/DH conversation. It's quite the logjam. Not a hater on Forsythe, but he's not providing any value next year unless he's a full time 3B.

Jung played 3B and SS in college. No 1B at all.

Does Accident still post here? Does anyone have his contact info at the Rangers to ask a question?

duck79 said:

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Does Accident still post here? Does anyone have his contact info at the Rangers to ask a question?

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jchance@texasrangers.com

I tried the PM, no luck. Ha

Thanks KT.

He may very well end up being an MLB 3rd baseman. I've been following prospects for a long time. More often than not, when 3B prospects can hit and have questionable or mediocre defense...they end up at 1B. Teixeira, Chris Davis, Joey Gallo are a few recent examples within the Rangers farm system.

We already know what odor can do. Let's take a look at some others while the games are pretty meaningless.

Calhoun continues to make his case with a HR in 2nd.