Rangers notes. 40 comments


A few Rangers odds and ends over the weekend:

In the movie “Manchester By The Sea” the opening credits list two actors: C. J. Wilson and Josh Hamilton. Very weird.

An item in yesterday’s Dallas Morning News: I’m not convinced Profar won’t end up at second if Daniels decides Rougned Odor’s poor defense makes him a better outfield—or trade—candidate.

According to the Fielding Bible, Andrus is ranked 20th among major league shortstops and Odor is 35 among second basemen. One doesn’t need the Fielding Bible to be reminded that defense up the middle was the Rangers’ Achilles heel the last two playoffs.

Shin-Soo Choo said he does not want to DH. The numbers back that up. Choo, overall in his career, is a .280 hitter with a .381 OBP. But as a DH, he is  is a .241 hitter with an OBP of .344. Or, to put it another way: Choo has been a Ranger for three seasons. Two of them have been the DH Choo and one has been the non DH Choo. In 2014 his line was .242/.340 and in 2016 an almost identical .242/.357. But in 2015, thanks to a ridiculous second half after a lost beginning, Choo went .276/.375. Conclusion? If we want to see 2015 Choo again, keep him in the outfield. If we want to see 2014 and 2016 Choo, DH him.

For the second season in a row, the Rangers signed a Mets first-baseman to a minor league contract. Last year it was Ike Davis. This year, James Loney, a guy who is neither an upgrade offensively nor defensively over Moreland.