Fuzzy Dunlop said:

---

I suspect and hope Jung is the answer, too. Will we see Huff at C this year? I know he came up and played well last year but I'm not sure last season is a good measuring stick.

---

I keep seeing mentions that he may start the season in the minors, so apparently that is the route they are going with him. He may be like Jung, possible mid-season callup.

I thought Huff looked good last year, but I may be too focused on the hitting and maybe he needs to develop more behind the plate. I wouldn't mind seeing a Trevino/Huff rotation behind the plate to start the season.

Now we also have the guy from the A's we just acquired. He played a little at the end of 2020 as well in the MLB.

We werent willing to go full rebuild while trying to sell tickets to new stadium.

Now we have no choice.

I wonder if this means we are leaning in taking the local SS in the draft.

Been out of contact all weekend. Get back from picking up lunch and my wife is pissed about Elvis. Thanks Rangers!!

Really though I guess this signals the tear down and rebuild. Can we get a bag od balls for Odor? Thry might be more useful

Elvis had to go, as does Odor. No sense paying either one another dollar.

We did get some real value for Andrus and got a lot of money of the roster. A lot more than I thought we would.

The money was a wash, no? Davis contract + cash the Rangers will send Oak evened it out. But they did get some value

DannyDuberstein said:

---

The money was a wash, no? Davis contract + cash the Rangers will send Oak evened it out. But they did get some value

---

I think we lose the money end a bit - KD makes more than Elvis and we sent money - but we only got KD for one year. They're stuck with Elvis for three (2024 is player option).

First glance at prospects had me thinking that catcher was pretty good. With Jose Trevino, Sam Huff, David Garcia and now Jonah Heim, we're getting kinda deep in catching prospects.

Dallasag02 said:

---

This is going to be a historically bad Ranger team, and for the Rangers that's saying something.

---

Exactly....

Just hope for some good news on the prospects because the team at the major league level is going to suck hard.

I can't wait until we can flip the roster and get a few more of these guys out of here.

So what's the time period for this rebuild? Development of talent has been poor the last 12 years.

It took 1972-1996 for this franchise to get to the playoffs. It wasn't till 2010 that they won a playoff series.

To quote Junior Soprano:
"I'm Sitting Here Like Patience On A Monument Waiting For Discipline To Be Handed Down"

When was the last time we had a true rebuild?

2009-2011: The World Series window
2012-2013: Signed Yu Darvish and extended the playoff window
2014-2016: Traded for Fielder and signed Choo extending the playoff window

In 2017 we finally started trading away key pieces and it looked like we were primed for a rebuild, but I think the combination of Beltre's final year in 2018, Minor showing flashes of being a frontline guy and a new stadium we needed to sell tickets for starting in 2019 had us hold off on the complete rebuild. When Lynn flourished in 2019 I think a shrewd team would have sold off it's valuable assets then, but new stadium opening gave them the opportunity to market a "pitcher's team" with the Minor/Lynn/Klubel combo... Obviously that faltered right out of the gate.

With attendance capacity still being a question mark heading into 2020 and the impending labor issues, now is the time to keep your powder dry and rebuild. Unfortunately we're getting started 2-3 years after we should have so we've got a ways to go.

They havent had a true rebuild for a long time, and it was back when you could get draft compensation for these scrap heap guys that could have 1 decent season and then sign elsewhere. That said, they have had some bad seasons with high picks along the way, and at no tome have showed much ability to competently draft and develop.

Dallasag02 said:

---

Their success has been almost 100% in the international market. The Rangers are awful at drafting domestic talent. Seems like the rules changing on that front really hurt this particular front office.

---

It's a combination of things.

1) international rule changes really hurt us bad

2) brain drain - other organizations poached Thad Levine and AJ preller. Both guys who have been presiding over playoff teams and rebuilds while our front office has done nothing.

3) the lack of our front offices ability to sell at the trade deadline. We should have dumped several guys for prospects each of the last few years but it's a combination of bad luck, players not highly valued by other teams, and the teams we are trying to trade too would rather horde prospects than trade with us.

4) we still haven't developed a pitcher like cliff lee or roger Clemens caliber in our franchise history.

5) the farm is not pushing our ****ty major league players out. Guys just don't seem to be developing.

Some interesting reaction from the Oakland side of things.

Rangers fans seem to like the A's prospects Elvis brought back.

Quote:

---

I do think the Shin-Soo Choo deal made ownership gun shy about that sort of big dollar long term deal.

But the Rangers not being good the past few years isn't because ownership didn't spend. It's because the farm didn't produce and the expensive players didn't perform.
Adam J. Morris (@lonestarball) February 6, 2021

---

Shin shoo choo is a great guy off the field, but the rangers wayyy overpaid him for the production they got out of him.

As for 3rd base, I read today that Odor is going to get a shot there. We all know about the frustrations the past couple of seasons, but maybe things will come around for him. Certainly has some pop.

I may be in the minority here, but I think Solak could end up being a solid 2nd baseman.

No way. Odor does not have the defensive skills or arm strength to play 3B

WestTexasAg said:

---

As for 3rd base, I read today that Odor is going to get a shot there. We all know about the frustrations the past couple of seasons, but maybe things will come around for him. Certainly has some pop.

I may be in the minority here, but I think Solak could end up being a solid 2nd baseman.

---

It's so embarrassing how they keep trying over and over again to force this guy to play like a major leaguer when he's clearly not one.

New baseballs for 2021 (tweaked might be a better word than new...). It was hard enough to a ball out in Arlington with the roof closed last year, now it'll be a little tougher.

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-to-alter-baseballs-for-2021?partnerId=zh-20210209-156906-MLB&qid=1026&bt_ee=34N01FoxIC9wltV4CFrCfcXWrBgEI4BWP705MDypYorq1dQzAR6i5ccHWi%2FqyiDr&bt_ts=1612874386629

Ummm. The guy has hit 30 home runs three times in his career. 99% of guys that make it to show don't do that even once.

Grapesoda has a hard on for Odor. Refuses to look at the economic reality of why he has to be played. Instead wallows in some fantasy that Odor gets playing time just because he punched Bautista.

I've always been of the opinion that hitting all those home runs was the worst thing that ever happened to Odor, developmentally speaking. He looked early on like he was going to be a 15-20 HR/year guy who would hit for a decent average (.260-.290). The player I see now goes up to the plate every AB swinging for the fences.
I'm not sure he'll ever pull out of it...at least with the Rangers, he may need the "change of scenery" thing to figure it out.

rbtexan said:

---

I've always been of the opinion that hitting all those home runs was the worst thing that ever happened to Odor, developmentally speaking. He looked early on like he was going to be a 15-20 HR/year guy who would hit for a decent average (.260-.290). The player I see now goes up to the plate every AB swinging for the fences.
I'm not sure he'll ever pull out of it...at least with the Rangers, he may need the "change of scenery" thing to figure it out.

---

To the contrary - I have to believe his approach at the plate is exactly what the Rangers want him doing.

wbt5845 said:

---

rbtexan said:

---

I've always been of the opinion that hitting all those home runs was the worst thing that ever happened to Odor, developmentally speaking. He looked early on like he was going to be a 15-20 HR/year guy who would hit for a decent average (.260-.290). The player I see now goes up to the plate every AB swinging for the fences.
I'm not sure he'll ever pull out of it...at least with the Rangers, he may need the "change of scenery" thing to figure it out.

---

To the contrary - I have to believe his approach at the plate is exactly what the Rangers want him doing.

---

I'm a bit confused by this response. I never opined as to who was responsible for his approach. I'm suggesting it's the wrong approach regardless, and that he should've tried to be a line-drive, all fields hitter instead of the dead-pull, swing for the fences guy he has become.

If it was his choice, he did himself a disservice. Likewise, if it was the Ranger's initiative, that was their bad.
Totally my opinion only.

Yeah, it could be the worst thing to happen to him and be what the Rangers wanted him to do at the same time.

TXAggie2011 said:

---

Yeah, it could be the worst thing to happen to him and be what the Rangers wanted him to do at the same time.

---

I think Banister may have been ok with it, but I don't necessarily think the new regime (Woodword) is. But I don't know if they can coach it out of him at this point. He did start trying to go the other way at times last year, so there is that.

rbtexan said:

---

I've always been of the opinion that hitting all those home runs was the worst thing that ever happened to Odor, developmentally speaking. He looked early on like he was going to be a 15-20 HR/year guy who would hit for a decent average (.260-.290). The player I see now goes up to the plate every AB swinging for the fences.
I'm not sure he'll ever pull out of it...at least with the Rangers, he may need the "change of scenery" thing to figure it out.

---

It's that meathead Jeff banister who messed him up.

The banister hitting philosophy was terrible. They pretty much thought that swinging for the fences was always ok and don't worry about striking out. The philosophy is that lots of base hits and walks get wasted by not coming around to score, but I'd rather watch a team with high batting averages and high on base percentage anyday.

Banister truly was a terrible leader for us.

DallasAg 94 said:

---

Tis true.

The belief implemented in the organization at all levels was the boom or bust mentality. But, it wasn't just the Rangers. It swept through MLB.

The statistics showed that more Runs were scored if hitters continued to swing for HRs, instead of taking what the pitcher gave them. "Going the other way."

It is why the shift was so pronounced by almost every team.

You could bunt for a base hit with no 3B'er... or you could swing for the fences. The ball was juiced so hitting HRs was increasing.

Makes for terrible baseball, but if you look at who has produced the most Runs... for the Rangers it has been Odor and it isn't even close. Even when he bats 6th or 7th.

---

If you're going to play that style you have to be smart about it. The rays were able to pull it off. They stacked guys who could hit the big bombs but also had other qualities like great fielding, drew lots of walks, or limited the strike outs.

Banny just threw odor out there and celebrated the homers while ignoring the strikeouts like a massive idiot.

I know this is the Rangers thread, but I imagine this will not go over well