Some of the younger teams/players (including the ACL and international leave) have really started to go recently.

Somebody on here was asking for a Bradford update the other day. Doesn't sound like it is happening anytime soon:

No. Don't believe he's on a mound yet

— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) June 16, 2024

For those interested in Olympic Swimming... otherwise disregard.

In the 400 IM, today:
UoKentucky swimmer Levi Sandidge finished 9th, just missing the Finals. Great kid, when I knew him. From Richardson, I believe he has set the UoK 400IM Record (and 1650 SCY). Great family. We used to car pool with them.

I also know the swimmer who finished 65, as well. More his dad, than the kid.

Johnston was a DNS. He swam the 400Fr yesterday finishing 3rd in the Finals. He'll likely swim the 800Fr tomorrow and I suspect was a healthy scratch today to focus on the 800Fr. That and the 1500Fr are likely his 2 best bets. He took a Red Shirt this year to focus on swimming and I believe he may have focused on Fr and not included Fly in his training.

Tomorrow in the 800Fr LCM:
Heat 3.4 Trey Dickey - A&M Swimmer from Richardson. I believe he is looking at Open Water Qualifying, as well.
Heat 3.6 Gio Linscheer - UofFlorida Swimmer from Richardson. Great kid. He was named after his uncle. His father and uncle were both swimmers for UoF and both Olympians.
Heat 6.8 Levi Sandidge - See above.
Heat 7.5 David Johnston - Sip who swam for RACE

Emiliano Teodo is on one tonight. My goodness. 6K through 3ip and he’s looked even better. FB: 98-100, SL: slimy dirtbag. pic.twitter.com/IATps5iy1B

— Tepid Participation (@TepidP) June 16, 2024

Teodo is one of two pitchers in our system that genuinely excite me right now, and who someone who could absolutely help this team this year. I don't think I'd give him a call until you get Scherzer, Mahle, and Bradford back (even though this could be a WHILE from the sound of it), but he absolutely has the stuff and the fortitude to do it at the MLB level. He's got the best pitch in the system (slider) and can reach back and get triple digits when he wants it. He probably deserves some top 100 prospect shout after what he's done this year.

Looking at the wider picture, if you live in the DFW area, get out to Frisco and watch the Rough Riders. They are a whopping 43-20, 9-1 in their last 10 and absolutely DOING IT. They don't necessarily bomb the ball offesively, but they pitch the hell outta the baseball, get on base and drive in runs.

While mowing yesterday "What I Like About You" by the Romantics rolled across my phone. Does anyone remember the Rangers using that in an ad campaign in the late 80s? I think it was the Rangers but I might be completely wrong.

Tksymm7 said:

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Teodo is one of two pitchers in our system that genuinely excite me right now, and who someone who could absolutely help this team this year. I don't think I'd give him a call until you get Scherzer, Mahle, and Bradford back (even though this could be a WHILE from the sound of it), but he absolutely has the stuff and the fortitude to do it at the MLB level. He's got the best pitch in the system (slider) and can reach back and get triple digits when he wants it. He probably deserves some top 100 prospect shout after what he's done this year.

Looking at the wider picture, if you live in the DFW area, get out to Frisco and watch the Rough Riders. They are a whopping 43-20, 9-1 in their last 10 and absolutely DOING IT. They don't necessarily bomb the ball offesively, but they pitch the hell outta the baseball, get on base and drive in runs.

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FWIW a few things about Teodo.

Fantastic arm and stuff. 70 grade fastball and 60 grade slider, and an improving changeup. Definitely has the arsenal to be a starter, which is honestly what the Rangers need more long term.

Concerns that I have is, he's a TJ waiting to happen. He's listed and 6'1, 165 and that's probably generous. He's not a big guy, and he throws really hard with big spin rates...that's a recipe for arm trouble. Also, from what I understand, the Rangers are torn about continuing to develop him as a starter or just moving him to the BP. If he's going to remain a starter, the best thing to do would be to move him up to AAA and leave him there for the rest of the season. I don't think a promotion to the Rangers to pitch in the bullpen helps with his development as a starter at all, and more likely impedes it.

This is just my opinion, but I think a big part of the Rangers' problems with developing starting pitchers over the years has been their tendency to not actually let them develop. Teodo is one of the few guys I've seen them actually let progress gradually instead of bumping him up one or two levels at the first sign of success. Personally I'd rather see him continue to have success this season in the minors and then give him a shot at winning a job next year, when we likely will have a couple of guys off the books and off the rotation. JMO

Completely valid on the TJ concerns and the SP v. RP role for him. If they want him to be a starter I have absolutely zero problem with just promoting him to AAA and letting him continue the journey there and letting him try and win a spot in the spring or after.

The overall issues with developing starting pitching are two fold, imo, with what you mentioned about not letting guys properly develop, and then just kinda whiffing on some guys (which can feed back into letting guys develop). Leiter was a whiff at the No. 2 overall pick mostly because of his own doing. Not the Rangers fault necessarily, but on top of him just not getting it done, calling him up this year for three starts to get absolutely smoked was a huge mistake that could cost them value. They should've let him continue to go at AAA. Brock Porter is in the same boat, but the hope for me is that they let him cook longer at the High A and AA levels after seeing what has happened to Leiter.

Cody Bradford is probably a good example of letting a guy mature at the right pace even though he naturally has the ability to locate his pitches, unlike Porter and Leiter thus far.

ETA: now that I've thought about it, I would prefer him to go the starting pitcher route.

When you talk about "letting them develop..." I'm not sure what that means.

You only get 4 yrs on a College player (19+) before you have to add them to your 40.
A player signed at 18 or younger gets 5 yrs.

Cole Winn and Owen White were signed in 2018, which means they were eligible for Rule V in Dec 2023.
Ragans was drafted in 2016, which required him to be carried on the 40 after the 2021.

ET was signed (from what I can tell) 3 weeks before his 19th Birthday.

Quote:

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January 28, 2020
Texas Rangers signed free agent RHP Emiliano Teodo to a minor league contract.

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I believe that means he needs to be added to the 40 by Dec 2024 when the Rule V draft occurs or risk losing him.

Sprinkle a TJ surgery in there and it makes it very difficult to just hold onto Ps... especially when you have guys like deGrom or Prince Fielder that are 60IL guys that take up a 40 after the season.

An 18 year old out of HS has to make your 40 by age 23.

And with kids who now "red-shirt" as we call it (go to PK5 and then K at 6, or hold back in 7th grade) and graduate at 19... you now have HS kids graduating at 19 and you are only getting 4 years.

16 yo kids out of DR/LATAM... are 21. Think Martin Perez.

What I mean is let them spend a season at each level. Which is exactly what they've done with Teodo, who was 19 when he signed. A very strong argument can be made that Leiter would've been better served to start in high A as opposed to AA. Sometimes you can over-challenge a player and stunt their development by pitting them against competition that is above their skill set at that point in their career. Classic example I can think of from is David Clyde (long time ago, but still).

There's a tendency to want to bump a player up a level the moment you see them start to "get it". Walcott is starting to hit & figure out the pitching at the level he's at. Great. Leave him there and let him rake, you can move him up late in the season or next. Don't rush a guy just because of where he was drafted, or the fear that he's going to age out of your organization. Promoting/rushing players out of concern of losing them to Rule 5 is just idiotic IMO.

Yes, i think sending Leiter straight to AA was a big mistake. His college #s were good but the signs of possible control issues were already there. He walked a lot of guys in college; it's just that he was good enough to get away with it. High A could have done him a lot of good to focus on that his first season

The guys that cover the Rangers love to point out how young a player is for the league he's playing in. The Rangers seem to have this situation often, but I haven't really seen many situations where it's benefitted them.

Outside of Carter making it to the MLB roster (due to a late injury) at 20, it seems like it doesn't make much of a difference. Most of the guys that we see get called up are around the age you would expect them to be called up. They just move the lower levels faster and then stall.

Spot on with the Leiter example of throwing him in AA when he really should've just gone to High A. I hope they start Kumar Rocker with High A Hickory when he comes back in July. Even though he is a bit rushed due to his age, just let him work and gain confidence in being a pro pitcher at Hickory this year, and let him begin next year at AA and go from there.

Needless to say, the Rangers absolutely, positively need to figure out how to get guys like Teodo and Winston Santos to the MLB on a consistent schedule that allows them to be the best versions of themselves when they get to the MLB.

rbtexan said:

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What I mean is let them spend a season at each level. Which is exactly what they've done with Teodo, who was 19 when he signed. A very strong argument can be made that Leiter would've been better served to start in high A as opposed to AA. Sometimes you can over-challenge a player and stunt their development by pitting them against competition that is above their skill set at that point in their career. Classic example I can think of from is David Clyde (long time ago, but still).

There's a tendency to want to bump a player up a level the moment you see them start to "get it". Walcott is starting to hit & figure out the pitching at the level he's at. Great. Leave him there and let him rake, you can move him up late in the season or next. Don't rush a guy just because of where he was drafted, or the fear that he's going to age out of your organization.

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I know what you were trying to say... I just don't know that it works.

In terms of Rule V... ET was 18 when he signed. 3 weeks shy.
Leiter, IMO, is an outlier in the sense that I think there was external pressure to move him along, in order to get agreement to draft/sign him. It did him no favors.

I don't disagree about promoting too soon and the Rangers have a terrible record developing Ps for sure.

Quote:

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Promoting/rushing players out of concern of losing them to Rule 5 is just idiotic IMO.

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It is... until it isn't. Every team accounts for it. It isn't just rushing them... it is protecting them... and deciding whom you protect and whom you expose. With White, Winn, Leiter, and Ragans, among others... you've gotta decide who to keep.

If my current count is correct, we have 39 players currently on the 40 (47) that will likely have to be parsed down (Garabito and who else?!) to protect guys like Teodo. You may not want to rush Teodo, but knowing whether he is worth protecting will need to be made soon.

Here are the Ps under control:

Quote:

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deGrom, Eovaldi (vOpt), Gray, Robertson (opt), Mahle, Dunning
Hernandez, Burke, Sborz, Bradford, Yerry, Latz, Coleman, Anderson
Kelly, Leiter, Tinoco, White, Winn, Garabito, Corniell, Church

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Bolded are options to dump...

And let's be honest here too, if you are having to think about the Rule V draft and exposing a player or not, chances are pretty dang high that guy won't be much of a major league ball player, if any.

I don't think it is just a Rangers thing... I think it is something to point out when it is something to point out.

Martin Perez was the 2nd youngest player in the NWL (Spokane)... 2nd to King Felix.
'12 (21): 6GS, 5.45 ERA
'13 (22): 20GS, 3.62.

Odor
'14 (20): 114G, .259 BA, 9 HR
'15 (21): 120G, .261 BA, 16 HR
'16 (22): 150G, .271 BA, 33 HR, 14 SB

Profar
'12 (19): 9G
'13 (85G), 234, 6 HR
'14 Injured lifting weights
He was more advanced than Odor until his injury

Pudge did ok.

You heard much about it when Preller opened up the Rangers academy and we signed a bunch of DR players - Mazara, et al... They were 15-16 year olds that advanced quickly because they didn't have to go to school and all they did was play baseball. Then, at 20-21, they were Rule V guys and needed to be protected.

Not saying it was a good thing, just explaining.

I think with the reduction in Minor League teams... reduction in Rds of the draft... more players will go College and players will be more rushed.

Skenes, et al, are coming out of college and teams are challenging the players.

Tksymm7 said:

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And let's be honest here too, if you are having to think about the Rule V draft and exposing a player or not, chances are pretty dang high that guy won't be much of a major league ball player, if any.

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So, which is it? Bring the players along slowly and patiently... or move them along?!

I'd bet over 50% of MLB starters (P & Position) were carried on the 40 to protect against Rule V until they were ready.

DallasAg 94 said:

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Tksymm7 said:

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And let's be honest here too, if you are having to think about the Rule V draft and exposing a player or not, chances are pretty dang high that guy won't be much of a major league ball player, if any.

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So, which is it? Bring the players along slowly and patiently... or move them along?!

I'd bet over 50% of MLB starters (P & Position) were carried on the 40 to protect against Rule V until they were ready.

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The number of impact players lost to the Rule 5 draft is almost non-existent. If they aren't ready by the time they're R5 eligible, and if you can't find a spot for them, what does it really matter?

It's an over-emphasized deadline that frankly doesn't impact star prospects, only fringe ones - or former star prospects who haven't lived up to or maximized their talent.

This is very accurate

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7SXTchJDyv/

Mr Gigem said:

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This is very accurate

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7SXTchJDyv/

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Saw that last week and immediately thought of this group/me.

ETA: it's a pretty funny video if anyone can find it.

The video is linked in my post

In case the other link didn't work: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7SXTchJDyv/?igsh=MWNrcTg1NDd5b2FrYg==

Mr Gigem said:

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The video is linked in my post

In case the other link didn't work: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7SXTchJDyv/?igsh=MWNrcTg1NDd5b2FrYg==

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Sure enough. Just saw the screenshot and not the link.

1st All-Star Voting results:

Rangers highlights:

SECOND BASEMEN
1. Jose Altuve, Astros: 620,724
2. Marcus Semien, Rangers: 539,223

SHORTSTOPS
1. Gunnar Henderson, Orioles: 740,436
2. Bobby Witt Jr., Royals: 541,261
3. Anthony Volpe, Yankees: 339,150
4. Corey Seager, Rangers: 295,300

https://www.mlb.com/news/all-star-ballot-update-june-17-2024

Altuve?

I really despise that cheating little *****

Josh Jung is in 5th place for AL DH with only 4 games played. Voters are recognizing his impact on the Rangers W/L record.

DESIGNATED HITTERS
1. Yordan Alvarez, Astros: 475,158
2. Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees: 408,610
3. David Fry, Guardians: 379,845
4. Ryan O'Hearn, Orioles: 290,091
5. Josh Jung, Rangers: 208,187

I've got about 80 of those.

C'mon guys, it's the Mets.

I'd advise you switch over to the Ags

Yes. Watching both.

Ags injured list starting to look like the Rangers lol

Tksymm7 said:

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Ags injured list starting to look like the Rangers lol

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How? We got 5 runs on the scoreboard

Looks like this rangers team just stinks.

Not a great sports night