Mr Gigem said:

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Seager with 2 hits today

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Box score shows Seager went 2 for 2, Jung went 1 for 2. Game over, ended in a 1-1 tie.

Thought I'd compare our OD Lineup in 2023 to what we'll have in 2024.

Bolds are what I expect to be the same on 2024 OD.

Opening Day Lineup 2023
2B Semien
SS Seager (L)
1B Lowe (L)
CF Garcia
3B Jung
_C Heim (S)
RF Grossman (S)
DH Miller
LF Smith (L)
- PH Bubba Thompson

SP deGrom

I expect Seager and Jung to be in the Lineup Thursday. Too big a day.

Can you believe we started with Smith and Grossman in the OF, and Miller as DH?! What a terrible back end.

Josh Smith is a career .191 guy. He played 90G, .185, 6 HR
Grossman is a career .244 guy. He played 115G, .238, 10 HRs.
Brad Miller was a career .236 guy. He played 27G, .214, 1 HR

Those are the guys Carter and Langford are replacing.

OH>.. and deGrom gave up 5ER in like 3.2 IP that day.
OH Oh... we still won!

Dumb question. Is the Mr Gigem code available for all non opening day games? I am looking at Opening Night but dont see anywhere to enter a coupon/discount code...

It's active, but doesn't look like it's available for that particular series

DallasAg 94 said:

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Thought I'd compare our OD Lineup in 2023 to what we'll have in 2024.

Bolds are what I expect to be the same on 2024 OD.

Opening Day Lineup 2023
2B Semien
SS Seager (L)
1B Lowe (L)
CF Garcia
3B Jung
_C Heim (S)
RF Grossman (S)
DH Miller
LF Smith (L)
- PH Bubba Thompson

SP deGrom

I expect Seager and Jung to be in the Lineup Thursday. Too big a day.

Can you believe we started with Smith and Grossman in the OF, and Miller as DH?! What a terrible back end.

Josh Smith is a career .191 guy. He played 90G, .185, 6 HR
Grossman is a career .244 guy. He played 115G, .238, 10 HRs.
Brad Miller was a career .236 guy. He played 27G, .214, 1 HR

Those are the guys Carter and Langford are replacing.

OH>.. and deGrom gave up 5ER in like 3.2 IP that day.
OH Oh... we still won!

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Don't get why the rangers are so high on smith. I don't see it, but hopefully he proves me wrong. Guy strikes out way too often.

I don't think they are high on him, I just think they like the fact that he plays three infield positions at a high level. Like discussed previously, I personally would rather have a guy who could hit like Foscue take up that last player on the bench role, especially when we already have a player who's better a better back-up in Duran, but to each their own. It's really just a roster construction preference. I would not be surprised if Smith was traded or released by the deadline this year.

I heard this said last week, but if something were to happen and we were to be without some combination of Jung, Seager, Semien and Lowe for say 2-3 or even 4 weeks, what would you rather have on your bench to take their spots and at-bats? Duran is a no brainer, but after that? Do you want .191 Josh Smith playing short for Seager, or would you rather have a guy who could hit .250 (idk what he would bat at the MLB level but this feels middle/middle) with a few taters and doubles. Foscue makes this conversation difficult because he is so poor defensively and he really can't and shouldn't play the left side of the infield. If he were just an average defender it would be a no brainer, but he's downright bad at times. I personally would rather have a guy who can hit, but again it's just a roster construction preference.

Waiting patiently for the final ST cuts.

Last week on the rare occurrence when TX21 broadcast a TV game, the broadcast indicated that as they were breaking ST from Az, they had let Jankowski know that he was not making the team, but they had him traveling back with him and staying with the team.

At some point after breaking camp, they decided to keep him on the team instead of Taveras. Looking back, Taveras was sent to the 10IL and to Frisco for rehab on an Oblique issue.

I suspect the final roster has been set and players notified, but making it official and public have not been disclosed.

Part of the problem with Smith is that he isn't getting enough consistent reps to get going Offensively.

Jankowski is valuable because he has played all 3 OF spots over many years in MLB. Playing OF requires some prep with nuances and angles, but by and large you have a big open field that you are mainly reading the ball.

With IF, you have positioning , coverages, and relays that all require special prep. Double plays, pickoffs, holding runners...

He is still young and doesn't bring the experience to the IF that Jankowski does in the OF.

He can also play some outfield. We've seen Boch prefers a more old NL style roster with versatility. We kept 3 catchers on the roster for the whole postseason (albeit one being our primary DH as well).

I'll admit I didn't agree with keeping Janikowski last year. Seemed like an older version of homegrown Bubba Thompson who if I recall correctly also made the roster. How wrong I was.

Reading Newberg this morning some rumblings via twitter that Barrera will make the team but nothing from the local guys so seems unlikely.

Also pointed out that even if he gets all his incentives Lorenzen will still make less than Martin Perez. Nice move by CY there.

Currently 32:
Pitching (13)
SP (5): Eovaldi, Dunning, Gray, Heaney, Bradford, Lorenzen, Mahle, Scherzer
RP (8): Leclerc, Robertson, Yates, Sborz,
RP: Anderson, Burke, Church, Hernandez, Latz, Yerry Rodriguez
Minors:Corniell, Kelly, Kent
IL60: Coleman, deGrom

Position (13)
Catcher (1+1=2): Heim, Knizner
Minors: Huff

Infield (4+1=5): Jung, Seager, Semien, Duran, Barrero, Foscue Smith, Lowe
-Minors: Ornelas

OF (3+1=4): Carter, Garcia, Jankowski, Taveras
-Minors Harris

DH/Util (1+1=2):

6 players need to be moved.

Moves remaining:
Subtractions
- Scherzer to the IL.
- Mahle to the IL, likely 60
- Jonathan Hernancez likely to IL
- Lowe will be moved to IL
- RP (2 of the following likely go to minors: of Church, Latz, Yerry Rodriguez)

That will be 7 players reduced.

Will Lorenzen be active Day1 or put on a not-ready-to-play status, whatever that is?!

Additions
Langford to 40/Active. Likely Mahle to 60IL?

Determine Jung & Seager. I think both are Active. That means only 1 or 2 of (Barrero, Foscue Smith) remains.

Others/NRI that would require a spot on the 40 (Scherzer to 60 could open that up):

Decisions on Leiter, Urena, and Walsh <- These are the 3 I'm looking to hear about.

I agree about Bochy and the NL style. i think his approach was pretty clear in 2023 and I liked how he managed the roster. It was frustrating, for sure. The Slump just seemed like a tryout for players. He clearly was testing roles and developing trust in how he thought players might do in situations when required.

I don't see Barerra making it. He is an "athelete" and spent most of ST with the Rangers in the OF, which I thought was odd. Maybe he is the choice over Smith and getting some OF answers your comments about Smith available for OF (which I agree he does).

Crazy about Lorenzen and makes it clear why he was so frustrated.

Having said that, Lorenzen was looking for a multi-year deal, which makes sense. He has a young family and I'm sure looking to set roots. However, he has 69GS, 342G, and a 4.11 ERA. There are some legit concerns about his durability, which the Rangers don't really care because we have 3 SPs coming back.

Perez has been through the circuit of FA and I'm sure was willing to sign to get assurances for the season, more so than a long-term deal. With 243 GS and a 4.44 ERA, he has mostly been a SP.

Perez will have made $63M after 2024. Lorenzen is sitting at $28M+2024. Mainly because Perez was a SP most of his career.

I don't think Anderson makes the team. Bradford will, Anderson to AAA. My 2 cents

I can't remember who I heard say the following, but I think it's a very valid point.

Bauer may be innocent, and he surely deserves another chance. But this is a team that won their first world championship in team history. The Ranger players should have the opportunity to bask in the glory of that, and not spend the very next season answering nothing but questions about Trevor Bauer, what they think about him, if they believe he was innocent, etc. It's tough enough to repeat without adding that level of distraction.

FYI for those running it back in fantasy baseball, draft takes place in about an hour.

Saw something about there being multiple women with videos (recorded by him) that were part of the deposition and the videos didn't paint him in the best light, to put it mildly.

No team is going to touch him.

I agree with your sentiment.

Any other player and a club should be able to mute the media after a week or two. Hamilton. Ohtani (we'll see). The problem is Bauer has a history of drawing attention to himself even if it rubs others like sandpaper. There are things that are unspoken rules that I think he doesn't honor and likely enjoys stirring the pot. As a fan, I like it. As a teammate, it is a distraction. I've said I'm a big fan of Vicente Padilla. I like that he will challenge a hitter that tries to show him up. Teixeira didn't like him because when Padilla would throw at a hitter, Teixeira knew he was going to get something.

Thing is, Bauer has always been considered to have a chip on his shoulder and not liked by his teammates. His HS teammates mocked him and made fun of him. Gerrit Cole was a teammate of his at UCLA and I think everything from their exchanges publicly illustrates Cole doesn't like him.

I think the hope a team has is that he has been humbled by the circumstances and a better teammate.

I just don't think he has it in himself to keep his mouth shut.

I like Bauer and think he is a great SP and will contribute to any team that signs him. I'd like the Rangers signing him, but I think he lacks the "team first" mentality that CYoung and Bochy have implemented.

Bochy is a no-nonsense guy. Straight to the point. He could have played it up, but is like "we expected this so no surprise."

It likely fits with his relationship to players. I'd have liked for him to toy with him, but he knows the player only wants to hear am I making it or not.

That's been my thought as well.

investorAg83 said:

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There is a reason no team…at all…has signed him for league minimum. There has to be more that MLB teams know about that's keeping them from signing him because the arm is still there.

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Supposedly there is more on Bauer out there and no team wants to deal with it

This is complex for those that have a fetish.

For me, hitting a woman is off limits. Period.

In the case of Bauer, he has punched a woman in the face, and while he wasn't charged, the legal issue wasn't whether he hit her or not... it was whether she consented. People have fetishes and "chocking-out" someone while having sex with them can be legal... it doesn't play well in the media.

You knew you were playing with danger with Hamliton. It wasn't illegal to take shots off a chic at a bar, but you knew the fallout was going to be a distraction.

Same thing. Bauer hasn't shown any contrition. He seemingly likes the ladies that like a little physicallity. I'm sure plenty of players do. Add to that, most teammates don't like him in the clubhouse and it is a double issue.

With Chapman (et al)...teams have shown beating a woman is something they can navigate. Whether a football player on video knocking out his girl, or all the RPs that have come back to MLB... that is manageable and even worth considering, if he helps you win... as long as his teammates get along socially.

I don't see that with Bauer. He not only beats women, and is not contrite about their consent... he seems to be a horrible teammate.

Yeah I think the biggest thing with Bauer is people that know him really, really don't like him. You can chalk up whatever comes up to fetishes and crazy exes and whatever, but absolutely no one comes up to his defense as being a good teammate or stand up dude. Radio silence.

He has talent and no one is signing him. That is really hard to pull off in MLB. You have to be an exceptional sort of dick to pull that off.

I'm an admitted Bauer… supporter I guess. He's got a really entertaining YouTube page and has go in-depth on some of his pitching knowledge. He's got a very bright mind for pitching. But having said that, I did watch a couple videos that he had posted about the incident and he said she had woke up that morning sending snapchats to a friend in his bed with him still passed out showing absolutely no evidence of any physical assault or damage done to her face or anything.

Take it for what it's worth but I'm pretty positive he said that those snapchats were acquired as evidence in his defense.

MrCoachEricTaylor said:

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I'm an admitted Bauer… supporter I guess. He's got a really entertaining YouTube page and has go in-depth on some of his pitching knowledge. He's got a very bright mind for pitching. But having said that, I did watch a couple videos that he had posted about the incident and he said she had woke up that morning sending snapchats to a friend in his bed with him still passed out showing absolutely no evidence of any physical assault or damage done to her face or anything.

Take it for what it's worth but I'm pretty positive he said that those snapchats were acquired as evidence in his defense.

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That's all true. And aside from that, all accounts that I have seen are that his teammates in general can't stand him. Sounds like one of the most unlikeable dudes in the league. It appears that he was set up by this chick, but there are lots of other shady things that are connected to him.

Who knows what is true and what is not. But he has a lot of talent is is currently unemployed. That tells us a lot.

And when it's all said an done, fair or not, the circus around the "charges" were likely the straw that broke the camel's back. It sounds like he's an unlikeable teammate that was getting by on being pretty good. Once the outside distractions came in, he was no longer worth it.

Just playing devils advocate (and not saying we should sign him, by any means), but how would signing Bauer be any different than us bringing in Chapman last season?

As I mentioned, the abuse issue is only part of Bauer's problem.

Chapman was found to have had an altercation with his girlfriend and fired a gun. She accused him of choking her and he denied it. Other than that, I don't have any other details. AFAIK, Chapman is a good teammate?!

Bauer has done the following,

Feb 12, 2020
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/trevor-bauer-goes-on-a-glorious-rant-about-all-the-things-that-are-wrong-with-mlb-211641397.html
"Trevor Bauer goes on a glorious rant about all the things that are wrong with MLB"

Quote:

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"So Rob, if you're watching this video, you probably won't because you don't even have a pulse on the game that you're commissioner of. But if you're watching this video and you want to talk about some stuff, you want some recommendations, hit me up. I'm sure you can get in contact with me. I'm sure you'll probably be fining me or something like that."

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Feb 24, 2020
https://www.wvxu.org/media/2020-02-24/reds-trevor-bauer-tells-hbo-that-70-of-pitchers-doctor-ball-with-pine-tar
"Reds' Trevor Bauer Tells HBO That 70% Of Pitchers Doctor Ball With Pine Tar"

Quote:

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"probably like 70%" of all pitchers apply sticky pine tar to the ball.

"It affects every single pitch. And it's a bigger advantage than steroids ever were. If you know how to manipulate it, you can make the ball do drastically different things from pitch to pitch at the same velocity," Bauer tells reporter Bernard Goldberg.

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Quote:

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GOLDBERG: "You're not supposed to be givin' up these secrets. I mean your fellow baseball players aren't gonna be happy about this."

BAUER: "Yeah. Well, it needs to be talked about more because it affects every single pitch. And it's a bigger advantage than steroids ever were. If you know how to manipulate it, you can make the ball do drastically different things from pitch to pitch at the same velocity. And "

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Quote:

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GOLDBERG: "Trevor Bauer won't be apologizing for saying what he thinks any time soon ... he's also not going to apologize for who he has always been."

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Quote:

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As Goldberg puts it: "Trevor Bauer says he's good at two things throwing a baseball and (ticking) people off."

Or as Bauer explains: "I decided that as long as I can look in a mirror, and I like what I see looking back at me, as long as I can be proud of that, then I really don't care what other people think."

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Do you want someone in the clubhouse that will air you laundry?