4/17/24 1:10PM Rangers @ Tigers

[gehringer_2]

9 minutes ago, Toddwert said:

could be that is was a poor draft year and someone had to be the first pick

there are a couple of things with Spencer this year where I'd like to see him adjust. One is that everyone is pitching him away. He has excellent opposite side power, he needs to start tagging some of those pitches to right and get pitchers off that. He did that at one point last season, not sure why so reluctant to go the other way so far this year. The other is just be more aggressive in the strike zone, but I think in this series he has already started doing that a bit.

[bobrob2004]

AI doesn't like how the Tigers are playing. 

[casimir]

5 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

piss poor

Man, I can’t stand bad defense.  They’ve been better than I thought they on defense.  This was a tough one to take.

Todd Jones’ opinion of the glove being a counterweight was kind of interesting.  I don’t know if that’s what caused the Skubal toss to first to be so wide.  I’m also not sure Torkelson couldn’t have saved that out with better feetwork at the bag.  But in his defense, that throw was really unexpectedly off and slow.

I think Keith gets a bit of a reprieve as that final bounce did look bad.  I don’t know, maybe he could have come in a step and cut down that hop from mid to short hop which might have avoided that error.  Maybe he didn’t have enough time to do that, I’m not sure.  To his credit, he’s looked fine with what’s been hit to him so far this season.

[chasfh]

15 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

Skies are a little cloudy for Langford. 2 XBH (0 HR) in 55 AB not likely what a championship team wants  in a production position like LF. I'd call it 50/50 which of he or Meadows get sent down 1st. Langford has the "we are not going to admit we were wrong" aspect going for him, Parker has the great D going for him. Still will be neck and neck I think. 🐎🏇

Wyatt Langford raked at every level of the minors, and he has plus defense besides (grades out at 50 for fielding and arm), so the Rangers may have merely concluded that there’s nothing more he can learn at Round Rock and he’ll just have to work it out in Arlington. 

[chasfh]

14 hours ago, Sports_Freak said:

I can just see it now....the year 2100...people will still be blaming Al Avila for his draft choices from 85 years ago...🤣🤣

Naw, I think we’ll be over it by 2050, 2060 at the latest.

[chasfh]

14 hours ago, Toddwert said:

could be that is was a poor draft year and someone had to be the first pick

Plus, the other top projections in that draft were pitchers Asa Lacy and Max Meyer, and hitters Austin Martin and Zac Veen—any of whom would 100% have been Avila’s alternative to Tork, and none of whom are lighting it up either in the bigs or the bushes. Meyer is off to a decent start this year but his FIP is way higher than his stats. But any of those four would also have almost certainly been ruined in our system, especially the hitters. So considering all that, we probably still ended up with the best of the bunch, at least as of today.

[1984Echoes]

15 hours ago, bobrob2004 said:

AI doesn't like how the Tigers are playing. 

Is that supposed to be Alex Avila? (LH'ed hitter FYI).

Or...

Which Al are you talking about...?

[casimir]

5 minutes ago, 1984Echoes said:

Is that supposed to be Alex Avila? (LH'ed hitter FYI).

Or...

Which Al are you talking about...?

I assumed it was artificial intelligence.

[gehringer_2]

2 hours ago, chasfh said:

Wyatt Langford raked at every level of the minors, and he has plus defense besides (grades out at 50 for fielding and arm), so the Rangers may have merely concluded that there’s nothing more he can learn at Round Rock and he’ll just have to work it out in Arlington. 

technically true, but the sum total of that raking at every level was 61 AB above A ball. He now has 67 AB in the majors with an 83 OPS+ so that sample is just as determinative, in fact more determinative than his MiLB career so far. Considering that most rookies see their performance drop in the course of their first season as the league learns their weaknesses, I don't see Langford as having a uniquely positive predictor right now. He may meet the challenge, he may not, time will tell. But that doesn't change that TX bringing him up this fast was more stunt than solid justification. But that's fine, sport is in the end entertainment, and stuff like that is entertaining even if it turns out not to have been in the best interest of the player.

The ROY bonus pick setup will probably lead to more of this though.

Edited April 18, 2024 by gehringer_2

[SoCalTiger]

18 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

Skies are a little cloudy for Langford. 2 XBH (0 HR) in 55 AB not likely what a championship team wants  in a production position like LF. I'd call it 50/50 which of he or Meadows get sent down 1st. Langford has the "we are not going to admit we were wrong" aspect going for him, Parker has the great D going for him. Still will be neck and neck I think. 🐎🏇

Watching Langford circle Carpenters double two games ago like a blind squirrel highlighted the defensive concerns that were mentioned in his draft analysis. He was already playing deep and took a poor route and the ball fell short of the wall behind him. I guess thats why he is mostly a DH. Still impressive he is in the show so quickly but maybe not for long as you suggest.

I think Meadows will get a super long runway. Good thing about defensive players is they contribute when not hitting whereas bat only...seems at the moment we have either or on our team unfortunately apart from Riley. Hopefully more developing. 

[SoCalTiger]

17 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

especially that draft. As per BR, Spencer has out homered anyone else from that 1st (or 2nd) round by a factor of 2x+. Jordan Walker, who went 21st, and was called up last year, has 16 with StL. A couple of the pitchers are doing OK, but not much in the way of hitters from the top of the 2020 draft.

Which proves tanking sucks !

[chasfh]

29 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

technically true, but the sum total of that raking at every level was 61 AB above A ball. He now has 67 AB in the majors with an 83 OPS+ so that sample is just as determinative, in fact more determinative than his MiLB career so far. Considering that most rookies see their performance drop in the course of their first season as the league learns their weaknesses, I don't see Langford as having a uniquely positive predictor right now. He may meet the challenge, he may not, time will tell. But that doesn't change that TX bringing him up this fast was more stunt than solid justification. But that's fine, sport is in the end entertainment, and stuff like that is entertaining even if it turns out not to have been in the best interest of the player.

The ROY bonus pick setup will probably lead to more of this though.

I don't agree we can conclude it was a stunt promotion three weeks into the season.

[bobrob2004]

1 hour ago, 1984Echoes said:

Is that supposed to be Alex Avila? (LH'ed hitter FYI).

Or...

Which Al are you talking about...?

A.I. Artificial Intelligence.  I used Copilot to generate the image.