It’s all in the wrist. 207 comments


Rangers uniforms played against Rangers uniforms yesterday. Even though that’s nothing, least it’s something. Here’s something from July 12, 2014, in the middle of the dark days. Enjoy:

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“That Garrett Richards throw a good game, you got to tip your cap to Garrett Richards.”

“Hector Santiago is a major league pitcher. And major league pitchers pitch. That’s what major league pitchers do. And tonight he out-pitched us. All you can do is tip your cap and move on.”

“That guy on the mound over there pitched one heck of a game, unfortunately, it was against us. Doesn’t matter that he’s only in third grade, you tip your cap to him and go get them tomorrow.”

Game after game after game it’s the same thing.

I wonder if Ron Washington’s wrist ever gets tired from all that cap tipping he does after yet another major league pitcher throws yet another gem against these Rangers. (Never mind the fact that before we tipped our cap to Hector Santiago, he was getting his cap handed to him by every other team—he hadn’t won a game in a year.

And speaking of caps, I’d like to blast a couple into the butts of some Rangers hitters.

Tonight’s game brings up so many questions.

Question: How long is Leonys Martin going to be allowed to develop into the major league star the front office thinks he is going to develop into?

I keep hearing he has all the tools to be a quality major league hitter. Against left handed pitchers who wear different teams’ caps, Martin is batting .212 in his career, with a woeful .258 OBP. That is a lot of woe. And, get this, he has hit two home runs. Not this year. Two home runs in his entire four-year career against left handed pitchers. His tools mostly seem to be butter knives.

Question: Don’t the Rangers have major league hitters facing all those major league pitchers Washington keeps tipping his cap to?

Sure, there are a lot of rookies this year, and guys who are getting their first chances to play regularly. But Choo, Andrus, Rios, Beltre, and Peña are established major leaguers (not to mention Martin, who has been long enough now). You’re telling me not one of those guys can get a hit with runners in scoring position? And this isn’t just tonight or this nightmarish month. This has been going on for three seasons now. With three different hitting coaches. This isn’t just a fluke. This is an institutional cancer. Something is wrong.

Question: Why do the Rangers even need a third base coach?