****AL West (Astros & Rangers) Genuine -- and Civil -- Discussion Thread****

41,192 Views | 413 Replies | Last: 6 mo ago by DallasAg 94
agproducer
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This is a thread for genuine talk about the AL West, Astros, Rangers, etc.

It's not one for smack talk. This is for actual baseball discussion.

It can be used for questions like, " Hey, Astros guy, what's your true take on your team's starting pitching and outlook?"

Or, "Hi Rangers fan, where do you think your team is strongest, and where do you want to see them improve?"

Or, "Hello, Astros fan, I haven't been to Minute Maid. Are there any must-visit places near the park, and where are the best seats?"

Let's keep it civil because regardless of your fandom -- it's good to have an actual baseball discussion.

Also, that way, we don't have posters going to the respective team threads to ask these questions.

An L of an Ag
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30 pages, 12 bans.
agproducer
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I'll start asking Rangers fans --

Who are some of the guys in your farm system you are most excited about? Who are players you think will be the ones to watch in the next couple years? I saw Evan Carter could be called up, and you have a lot of pitching on the farm.
JWinTX
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I'm all honesty, this is the thread we all should want to be on, just to reasonably ask questions or raise concerns without acting like we are in middle school again.
agproducer
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JWinTX said:

I'm all honesty, this is the thread we all should want to be on, just to reasonably ask questions or raise concerns without acting like we are in middle school again.
Exactly. There are fans on both sides who have good analysis to bring to the table.
texasaggie2015
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Any updates on Garcia?
tjack16
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I think this series next week for the Rangers in Toronto is likely a must split or win 3/4 type of series.

Also that Seattle/Texas 7 game stretch later is big. For us Astros fans, best case scenario is that series goes 4-3 in favor of the Rangers. Because we own the tie breaker over Texas but not Seattle


South Platte
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I prefer the trash talk forum to lean funny over vitriol, but it's going to be whatever the posters make it, especially when the teams play each other.

To be honest, this thread seems kinda gay.

Edit: This season is basically over, but having a 2024 MLB Season Discussion Thread would be good. I think the NFL board has one and it works pretty well.
Marvin
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I'll bite. How do the Ranger fans think the team will finish out the season? With games against the A's, Jays, Red Sox, Mariners, Angels, and Guardians, I would guess around 88-91 wins.

I love Texas Aggie sports, but I love Texas A&M more.
gigem1223
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agproducer said:

I'll start asking Rangers fans --

Who are some of the guys in your farm system you are most excited about? Who are players you think will be the ones to watch in the next couple years? I saw Evan Carter could be called up, and you have a lot of pitching on the farm.


Carter could be called up due to the Garcia injury. Likely gonna depend on the severity. He's a 5 tool player. I think I can speak for most that Langford is the kid everyone is excited about. Not saying he's gonna be Trout but he is very comparable. With how quickly he is moving up we could possibly see him in '24.

As far as pitching goes, we have a few bullpen guys that could contribute next season (God Please). Leiter maybe will n '24 if he stays on the recent trend he's on. Owen White, who has been up and down this year helping the bullpen, is another that could contribute to the rotation next year as well. Rocker/ Porter are still probably a couple years away but probably have the best chances at being TORPs.
gigem1223
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Marvin said:

I'll bite. How do the Ranger fans think the team will finish out the season? With games against the A's, Jays, Red Sox, Mariners, Angels, and Guardians, I would guess around 88-91 wins.




As a fan, I want to believe but with the entire pitching staff blowing up recently, I don't see how they turn it around. The A's are coming at the right time. Ask me after the Jays series.
W
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the Rangers won the first series vs. Toronto 2 games to 1

so Texas only needs a split to win the all-important tiebreaker

Gausman is scheduled to pitch on Saturday, so the Rangers won't see him until the series finale
agproducer
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gigem1223 said:

agproducer said:

I'll start asking Rangers fans --

Who are some of the guys in your farm system you are most excited about? Who are players you think will be the ones to watch in the next couple years? I saw Evan Carter could be called up, and you have a lot of pitching on the farm.


Carter could be called up due to the Garcia injury. Likely gonna depend on the severity. He's a 5 tool player. I think I can speak for most that Langford is the kid everyone is excited about. Not saying he's gonna be Trout but he is very comparable. With how quickly he is moving up we could possibly see him in '24.

As far as pitching goes, we have a few bullpen guys that could contribute next season (God Please). Leiter maybe will n '24 if he stays on the recent trend he's on. Owen White, who has been up and down this year helping the bullpen, is another that could contribute to the rotation next year as well. Rocker/ Porter are still probably a couple years away but probably have the best chances at being TORPs.
That's a pretty quick rise for Carter. Am I seeing that right? He has about 30 ABs in AAA?

You have to see what the kid has.

I hope Garcia isn't too badly injured. He can be an electric player, and even when I watch him against the Astros (and he kills us), he is fun to watch. He kind of reminds me of Vlad, Sr.
W
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regarding the Mariners...

wonder if they might go old school and use a 4-man rotation for the final 2 weeks of the season

it would be tough with so few off days, but might be necessary if they are in jeopardy of missing the playoffs
Sex Panther
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bmac_aggie18
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Astros fans..with the farm running thin through all the trades the past few years, do you think y'all extend Tucker for more runs? Or start trading the contracts to go on a rebuild?
Serious Lee
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after what it took to get where they are, i dont see them getting in any hurry to sell off and rebuild. gotta ride this out as long as they can, and that involves resigning tuck.
Adonis P. Goodwood
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South Platte said:

To be honest, this thread seems kinda gay.

You should fit right in then
AgSportsFan89
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bmac_aggie18 said:

Astros fans..with the farm running thin through all the trades the past few years, do you think y'all extend Tucker for more runs? Or start trading the contracts to go on a rebuild?


Although the farm is thin in some positions, corner outfield is a position of strength for the organization. One of the reasons they were willing to move Clifford and Gilbert for JV was they projected them as corner OF which they already feel has a lot of depth.

Resigning Tucker seems highly unlikely at this point since he appears to be looking for a mega contract, which is not something Crane does. But you never know. Tucker is very consistent and a terrific all around player, he could be the exception.

Even if they don't, I doubt there will be a significant rebuild in the next 3 years or so. Despite continuously being considered a weak farm system, we keep turning out solid rookies (Pena last season, Brown, France, Diaz this season). I wouldn't be shocked if that trend continues.
PoppaB05
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The Astros Farm hasn't been highly regarded since Whitley and Tucker were the headliners, yet we keep turning out Diaz, McCormick, Peña, France, Brown….
I think that while the farm can't just keep cranking them out indefinitely, our development and scouting system is vastly underrated. Chas and Yordan have 2 of the 3 spots locked down (Dusty's hate for Chas notwithstanding) in the outfield for the foreseeable future and there are a couple guys a few years away we are high on. I don't think we have any chance of signing Tucker because he wants a 10 year mega deal and we have never been willing to do that for anyone under Crane.
PoppaB05
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And I'm actually glad some people want a thread like this, I enjoy it when both teams are good and that rarely happens.

Rangers fans, you guys have gone all in on offseason signings the last few years with pretty good success, do you think that continues another year?
BCSWguru
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They obviously need relief help. Are there suddenly semi-reliable pen options out there after this year?
bmac_aggie18
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Yeah man the farm really has extended your run a lot longer than I think most probably expected. Ours just hasn't been able to turn out Pitching much at all (BP this year is a perfect example) but might be looking different if White, Rocker, and Leiter can make some progress
gigem1223
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BCSWguru said:

They obviously need relief help. Are there suddenly semi-reliable pen options out there after this year?


There's a handful talented options that likely get their chance in '24.
TAMUworkingAG
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Rangers are done, they use position players for pitching and just lost their best hitter possibly. Astros dominated Rangers, Mariners dominated Astros, whoever has best pitching at seasons end wins title between Astros and Mariners. I'm huge Astros fan and our pitching just isn't as good as in the past, I watch every Astros game and I hate to say it but we do not have the pitching this year and just lost one of our best relief pitchers at the worst time. Mariners schedule much easier than Astros too for remaining games. Not looking good to me
texasaggie2015
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TAMUworkingAG said:

and just lost one of our best relief pitchers at the worst time.
You have lost all credibility with that sentence, my friend. Stanek wasn't going to pitch much- if any- in the postseason. Just like last year.
Fuzzy Dunlop
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Just now finding this thread. I'm not a trash talker so I like the actual baseball discussion.

It seems like no one wants to step up and win the division.

Assuming your team doesn't win the division but makes the wild card, which team do you want to play and which team are you most worried about facing in the wild card.

I'm most worried about Minnesota. We haven't matched up well against them and they have our number. I think we match up well with Baltimore. They're pitching is ok but not great. We split the season series if I remember correctly.
Double Talkin' Jive...
PoppaB05
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I would rather face Texas or Minnesota. Want no part of Seattle or Rays in first round
jkag89
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PoppaB05 said:

I would rather face Texas or Minnesota. Want no part of Seattle or Rays in first round
Considering the Astros woes against the AL Central this season, the Twins might not be any easier of an opponent. Maybe the O's will be the best bet.
fullback44
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Hate to say it but as an Astros fan.. neither the Astros or the Rangers are getting very far in the playoffs if they make it .. both have plenty of issues on each team… just don't see it happening, these teams have holes all over in them !
PoppaB05
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I think the AL in general is just down this year. Somebody will get hot in the postseason. Just no idea who. Every AL team is flawed
Farmer1906
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fullback44 said:

Hate to say it but as an Astros fan.. neither the Astros or the Rangers are getting very far in the playoffs if they make it .. both have plenty of issues on each team… just don't see it happening, these teams have holes all over in them !


You think the other teams done have issues? Outside of the Braves everyone has some serious warts.
Fuzzy Dunlop
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It's like a game of hot potato. No one wants the division.
Double Talkin' Jive...
Big Bucks
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Best words I can think of are "cripple fight."
Ciboag96
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What's worse, having no choice put to play your trash bullpen or having no choice but to play your trash bullpen while also keeping a ROY candidate with >20 dongers on ice 67% of the time?

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