Given the 'doomsday' tone of my last post, I have to say, I am pleasantly surprised (read: ecstatic) to be writing about a Twins sweep of the Rangers over this past weekend. Matt Fox gave the Twins a solid start in his MLB debut, Pavano gave the Twins the kind of performance we've come to expect from him this year and Nick Blackburn continued his solid return to the rotation with 7 innings of 2-run ball. The bullpen showed signs of their recent overuse, but the Twins emerged from the weekend with a 3-game sweep of the 1st place Texas Rangers which was key considering the White Sox also swept their weekend road series with the Red Sox.
I'll keep it short because eh, it's Labor Day weekend and I don't feel like going into too much 'in-depth analysis' but what could have easily been disaster was averted and the Twins organization continued to showcase it's depth, beating a good team with some gutsy pitching performances and some unlikely, yet heroic, performances (Matt Tolbert, I'm looking at you).
The Twins now open a 3-game set with the Kansas City Royals which they should not take lightly, the Royals always seem to be a pest come this time of year, tripping up contending AL Central teams when they least expect it. The pitching match-ups are as follows:
Monday (2:10 ET start)
Sean O'Sullivan (5.50/1.30) vs. Kevin Slowey (4.39/1.27)
Tuesday (8:10 ET start)
Brian Bannister (5.95/1.58) vs. Francisco Liriano (3.27/1.25)
Wednesday (8:10 ET start)
Zack Greinke (3.87/1.22) vs. Brian Duensing (2.09/1.10)
Thursday
A much needed day off.
Showing posts with label Texas Rangers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Texas Rangers. Show all posts
Monday, September 6, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
What a 5 Game Lead Means...
The Twins had a rare nationally televised game last night, which meant that I was able to enjoy a relaxing Sunday evening with my wife watching my favorite team. They played it pretty close to the vest until the 5th inning when Danny Valencia absolutely killed a fastball from Jared Weaver, crushing into the 2nd deck in left field. Then with two outs in the same inning, O-Dogg tripled, Mauer and Kubes drew walks and after a lengthy battle with Weaver, Cuddyer lined a double into the gap in left center clearing the bases. The 4 runs was all they needed as Baker, Crain and Capps combined on the shutout.
Some of you out there might be nervous about a 5 game lead, some of you may be thinking it doesn't feel safe, especially considering the White Sox were 9 back at one point and in only a month were in the process of taking over the division lead. One thing to remember in baseball though is that it gets late, early... The Twins and White Sox both have 38 games left, the Twins opponents at this point have a .477 winning % and the White Sox opponents have a .492 winning %. Here is what a 5 game lead means: if the Twins were to finish the season playing .500 ball the rest of the way (19-19), the White Sox would have to play at a .631 clip to tie and at a .658 clip to overtake the Twins. If the Twins play to their current winning percentage the rest of the way (.581), which would equate to a 22-16 record, the White Sox would have to win 27 out of their next 38 games (.710 winning %) to tie the Twins for the division lead. When you take into account that 10 of the White Sox remaining 38 games are against the Red Sox and Yankees and then take into account that they have 3 remaining against the Twins, the picture looks even better.
Have solid division leads been blown in the last month of the season? Sure. Just look at the Mets over the last 5 years. The point is, it's going to be very difficult for the White Sox to catch the Twins at this point as long as the Twins continue to win division games and continue to beat the teams they should beat. The Twins are embarking on a fairly difficult roadtrip this week with 4 at Texas and then 3 at Seattle but are fortunately going to miss Felix Hernandez on the back end of the trip. Nick Blackburn makes his return to the starting lineup tonight and even though he's been pitching well at Triple-A, I'm not sold that the results tonight will be good. The Rangers have a loaded lineup and unless Blackburn can keep them off balance by changing speeds and inducing more than his fair share of ground-balls, it will be a tough night for the Twins.
One last thing before I close, I wanted to mention Lou Pinella who retired yesterday. If you haven't watched his press conference after the game last night, it's pretty compelling stuff. For me, it only solidified in my mind what a great person Lou is. I was listening to ESPN1000 here in Chicago while running errands yesterday and some caller said, "there's no crying in baseball." I think there is crying in baseball when it's been your life for 40 some years and that comes to end. He's a pretty sure bet for the Hall of Fame, he's one of only two managers in the history of baseball to have 1,700+ hits as a player and 1,700+ wins as a manager, and he was good for the game of baseball. I suspect we'll see him in some sort of broadcasting capacity in the near future since he seemed to have such a good time with it prior to coming to the Cubs. One thing is for sure, Lou was one of the great managers in baseball history and with Cox, LaRussa and Torre also nearing retirement, we are seeing the changing of the guard.
Matchups for the 4-game series @ the Ballpark in Arlington:
(8/23): Nick Blackburn v. Rich Harden
(8/24): Carl Pavano v. Colby Lewis
(8/25): Brian Duensing v. CJ Wilson
(8/26): Francisco Liriano v. Cliff Lee
Some of you out there might be nervous about a 5 game lead, some of you may be thinking it doesn't feel safe, especially considering the White Sox were 9 back at one point and in only a month were in the process of taking over the division lead. One thing to remember in baseball though is that it gets late, early... The Twins and White Sox both have 38 games left, the Twins opponents at this point have a .477 winning % and the White Sox opponents have a .492 winning %. Here is what a 5 game lead means: if the Twins were to finish the season playing .500 ball the rest of the way (19-19), the White Sox would have to play at a .631 clip to tie and at a .658 clip to overtake the Twins. If the Twins play to their current winning percentage the rest of the way (.581), which would equate to a 22-16 record, the White Sox would have to win 27 out of their next 38 games (.710 winning %) to tie the Twins for the division lead. When you take into account that 10 of the White Sox remaining 38 games are against the Red Sox and Yankees and then take into account that they have 3 remaining against the Twins, the picture looks even better.
Have solid division leads been blown in the last month of the season? Sure. Just look at the Mets over the last 5 years. The point is, it's going to be very difficult for the White Sox to catch the Twins at this point as long as the Twins continue to win division games and continue to beat the teams they should beat. The Twins are embarking on a fairly difficult roadtrip this week with 4 at Texas and then 3 at Seattle but are fortunately going to miss Felix Hernandez on the back end of the trip. Nick Blackburn makes his return to the starting lineup tonight and even though he's been pitching well at Triple-A, I'm not sold that the results tonight will be good. The Rangers have a loaded lineup and unless Blackburn can keep them off balance by changing speeds and inducing more than his fair share of ground-balls, it will be a tough night for the Twins.
One last thing before I close, I wanted to mention Lou Pinella who retired yesterday. If you haven't watched his press conference after the game last night, it's pretty compelling stuff. For me, it only solidified in my mind what a great person Lou is. I was listening to ESPN1000 here in Chicago while running errands yesterday and some caller said, "there's no crying in baseball." I think there is crying in baseball when it's been your life for 40 some years and that comes to end. He's a pretty sure bet for the Hall of Fame, he's one of only two managers in the history of baseball to have 1,700+ hits as a player and 1,700+ wins as a manager, and he was good for the game of baseball. I suspect we'll see him in some sort of broadcasting capacity in the near future since he seemed to have such a good time with it prior to coming to the Cubs. One thing is for sure, Lou was one of the great managers in baseball history and with Cox, LaRussa and Torre also nearing retirement, we are seeing the changing of the guard.
Matchups for the 4-game series @ the Ballpark in Arlington:
(8/23): Nick Blackburn v. Rich Harden
(8/24): Carl Pavano v. Colby Lewis
(8/25): Brian Duensing v. CJ Wilson
(8/26): Francisco Liriano v. Cliff Lee
Friday, February 12, 2010
2010 Year in Preview: AL West Wrapup
AK and I have now put together a Year in Preview for the Mariners, the Athletics, the Angels of Anaheim and the Rangers. Feel free to take a look back and edumacute yourself on how these teams are going to look different in 2010. And make sure you bookmark this post, because we're about to make some sure-to-be-wrong predictions about the AL West in 2010, and it'll be fun to come back and mock us in the comments when we've been proven to be idiots. By May.
So we're going to do three things to wrap up the AL West. First, I'm going to name the guy that I consider to be the top prospect in the AL West. Second, I'm going to give you PECOTA's projected standings for the AL West. Finally, AK and I are going to make predictions for the AL West in 2010. Enjoy.
Top Prospect Neftali Feliz. Who else? We peeped this prospect back in April of 09, and he didn't disappoint in 2009. He put up a 3.49 ERA over 77.1 IP as a 21 year old in AAA. His K/9 checked in at 8.7, his WHIP was 1.280 and his K/BB ratio was a respectable 2.50. Upon getting called up to the Show, he posted a 1.74 ERA over 31 IP, striking out 11.3(!) batters per name, walking only 2.3 batters per nine, with a 0.677 WHIP. In short, dude was straight filthy. It'll be interesting to see what role the Rangers use him in in 2010, but I think it's safe to expect a very good year from Mr. Feliz.
Yeah.
Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA Projected Standings:
Texas Rangers - 87-75 - 826 RS, 760 RA - .278/.350/.464
LA Angels - 80-82 - 767 RS, 775 RA - .272/.341/.443
Oakland Athletics - 80-82 - 726 RS, 773 RA - .263/.343/.417
Seattle Mariners - 77-85 - 713 RS, 752 RA - .272/.345/.406
This is a different projection than what I expected. For one, it has the Rangers winning the AL West handily, by 7 games. It also has the Rangers as the only team in the AL West with a winning record. But most notably is that it projects the Mariners, even with their defensive improvement and improvement in pitching, to come in last place. While their RA total is the least in the AL West, PECOTA obviously doesn't see a whole lotta runs coming the M's way.
In Which AK and I make fools of ourselves:
My predicted standings for the AL West for 2010:
Seattle Mariners - 86-76
Texas Rangers - 84-78
LA Angels - 79-83
Oakland Athletics - 71-91
I truly expect the Mariners to be a run-preventing machine. Their outfield defense could be historically good, and if Bedard can give them solid production then I think you could see the Mariners make the playoffs. I doubt that the Rangers can pull it off. I'm skeptical of their injury-prone offense, and there is a lot of risk in that pitching staff. I laid out my concerns regarding the Angels in my Year In Preview piece, and I stand by that. I don't see the Angels winning the division, and I'm skeptical about their long-term prospects. Finally, while I love Oakland more than Adam, I think the A's are one-year away from being able to make a Seattle-type leap. But they're a darkhorse, to be sure.
AK's predicted standings for the AL West for 2010:
1.) Texas Rangers - (90-72) - Here's what I envision: Josh Hamilton comes back and has another outstanding year, Guerrero regains his form and has a solid year, and some of the young guns that the Rangers have really hit their stride. I know two things, this team can score runs, and I think their pitching will improve from last year.
2.) Seattle Mariners - (88-74) - With a rotation that features Felix Hernandez, Cliff Lee and Erik Bedard as your 1-2-3, you're going to be in decent shape, especially if Bedard can pitch like his old self (which he certainly has the motivation to do). Seattle's problem will likely be scoring runs, which is going to cause them to lose some games their pitching might have won them. There's no power in the lineup, just a bunch of good-OBP, speedy guys. The defense will be solid though and I see Seattle as a contender.
3.) Los Angeles Angels - (82-80) - Here's my prediction, Kazmir gets hurt, Santana continues to struggle and those two things doom the Angels. Here's the reality, the Angels have been in a mostly weak division for the last several years and, in my opinion, that changed this off-season. While the Mariners and Rangers got better, the Angels lost pieces of the puzzle. I see them struggling.
4.) Oakland Athletics - (75-87) - I did the write on these guys and honestly, I just don't see enough consistent talent there to compete in this division. Their starting rotation will be ok, the bullpen will be good, but scoring runs is going to be the handicap for this team. With the recent news that the Athletics are willing to watch Jack Cust walk away, the lineup appears to lack any power. I think Oakland could be good in a couple years, as their talent develops, but this year they are playing too many youngsters to compete in a division this strong.
The NL Central will be next.
So we're going to do three things to wrap up the AL West. First, I'm going to name the guy that I consider to be the top prospect in the AL West. Second, I'm going to give you PECOTA's projected standings for the AL West. Finally, AK and I are going to make predictions for the AL West in 2010. Enjoy.
Top Prospect Neftali Feliz. Who else? We peeped this prospect back in April of 09, and he didn't disappoint in 2009. He put up a 3.49 ERA over 77.1 IP as a 21 year old in AAA. His K/9 checked in at 8.7, his WHIP was 1.280 and his K/BB ratio was a respectable 2.50. Upon getting called up to the Show, he posted a 1.74 ERA over 31 IP, striking out 11.3(!) batters per name, walking only 2.3 batters per nine, with a 0.677 WHIP. In short, dude was straight filthy. It'll be interesting to see what role the Rangers use him in in 2010, but I think it's safe to expect a very good year from Mr. Feliz.
Yeah.
Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA Projected Standings:
Texas Rangers - 87-75 - 826 RS, 760 RA - .278/.350/.464
LA Angels - 80-82 - 767 RS, 775 RA - .272/.341/.443
Oakland Athletics - 80-82 - 726 RS, 773 RA - .263/.343/.417
Seattle Mariners - 77-85 - 713 RS, 752 RA - .272/.345/.406
This is a different projection than what I expected. For one, it has the Rangers winning the AL West handily, by 7 games. It also has the Rangers as the only team in the AL West with a winning record. But most notably is that it projects the Mariners, even with their defensive improvement and improvement in pitching, to come in last place. While their RA total is the least in the AL West, PECOTA obviously doesn't see a whole lotta runs coming the M's way.
In Which AK and I make fools of ourselves:
My predicted standings for the AL West for 2010:
Seattle Mariners - 86-76
Texas Rangers - 84-78
LA Angels - 79-83
Oakland Athletics - 71-91
I truly expect the Mariners to be a run-preventing machine. Their outfield defense could be historically good, and if Bedard can give them solid production then I think you could see the Mariners make the playoffs. I doubt that the Rangers can pull it off. I'm skeptical of their injury-prone offense, and there is a lot of risk in that pitching staff. I laid out my concerns regarding the Angels in my Year In Preview piece, and I stand by that. I don't see the Angels winning the division, and I'm skeptical about their long-term prospects. Finally, while I love Oakland more than Adam, I think the A's are one-year away from being able to make a Seattle-type leap. But they're a darkhorse, to be sure.
AK's predicted standings for the AL West for 2010:
1.) Texas Rangers - (90-72) - Here's what I envision: Josh Hamilton comes back and has another outstanding year, Guerrero regains his form and has a solid year, and some of the young guns that the Rangers have really hit their stride. I know two things, this team can score runs, and I think their pitching will improve from last year.
2.) Seattle Mariners - (88-74) - With a rotation that features Felix Hernandez, Cliff Lee and Erik Bedard as your 1-2-3, you're going to be in decent shape, especially if Bedard can pitch like his old self (which he certainly has the motivation to do). Seattle's problem will likely be scoring runs, which is going to cause them to lose some games their pitching might have won them. There's no power in the lineup, just a bunch of good-OBP, speedy guys. The defense will be solid though and I see Seattle as a contender.
3.) Los Angeles Angels - (82-80) - Here's my prediction, Kazmir gets hurt, Santana continues to struggle and those two things doom the Angels. Here's the reality, the Angels have been in a mostly weak division for the last several years and, in my opinion, that changed this off-season. While the Mariners and Rangers got better, the Angels lost pieces of the puzzle. I see them struggling.
4.) Oakland Athletics - (75-87) - I did the write on these guys and honestly, I just don't see enough consistent talent there to compete in this division. Their starting rotation will be ok, the bullpen will be good, but scoring runs is going to be the handicap for this team. With the recent news that the Athletics are willing to watch Jack Cust walk away, the lineup appears to lack any power. I think Oakland could be good in a couple years, as their talent develops, but this year they are playing too many youngsters to compete in a division this strong.
The NL Central will be next.
Friday, February 5, 2010
2010 Year in Preview: Texas Rangers
Some might say that the Texas Rangers made some off-season moves and Rangers fans might say that the team looks good. I say that this is the same old, same old by a miserly owner who managed to get a couple of names instead of actual talent. That said, I still think the Rangers have an interesting team, let's dive in.
2009 Record: 87-75, 10GB Los Angeles Angels (2nd place, AL West)
Key Departures:
The Rangers were not very active in the trade market in the off-season, but did lose several players to free-agency. I would not consider any of the players lost to be high-impact players, aside from Kevin Millwood perhaps.
Kevin Millwood (SP) - The Rangers traded Millwood and $3MM in cash for Chris Ray, a relief pitcher. This was purely a salary dump move for the Rangers, and Ray, if he can regain the form he had earlier in his career, could be a competent reliever.
Ivan Rodriguez (C) - lost via free-agency to the Nationals, not a big loss here. The Rangers are hoping that Jerrod Saltalamacchia can stage a comeback at catcher, and if not him, then Taylor Teagarden would be their catcher.
Omar Vizquel (SS) - lost via free-agency to the White Sox. Vizquel is solidly on the back-end of his career. He still sports some pretty good fielding skills (0 errors last year in limited playing time), but at 42, Vizquel is probably heading into his final year.
Andruw Jones (OF) - lost via free-agency to the White Sox. Remember when Jones was good? Wow, that was a long time ago. Anyway, as a Twins fan, I hope his career continues to flounder.
Eddie Guardado (RP) - lost via free-agency to the Nationals. Since his dominating days with the Twins, Guardado has fallen on harder times. The fact that the Rangers didn't want to extend him probably says as much as the Nationals signing him.
Key Additions:
Here are the names, like I said in the opening, there is nothing special about any of these players.
Vladimir Guerrero (OF/DH) - free-agent from the Angels, this could end up being a good deal for the Rangers, Guerrero still has something left in the tank, though he a HUGE injury risk.
Rich Harden (SP) - Ok, the best of the bunch. Electric when he's rollin', but injury prone.
Chris Ray (RP) - came over in the Millwood trade.
Darren Oliver (RP) - free-agent from the Angels.
Clay Rapada (SP/RP) - free-agent from the Tigers.
Khalil Greene (IF) - free-agent from the Cardinals.
Colby Lewis (SP) - free-agent from Japan.
Talent En Route:
The Rangers are well-known around baseball for the depth of talent they have in their farm-system. According to Baseball America, they have the best farm-system in all of baseball. (source) Short of going through all of their high-level prospects, here are a couple of the most exciting ones.
Neftali Feliz (SP/RP) - Feliz is about as exciting as it gets. 21 years old, 98 mph fastball, and showed that he can handle major league bats last year (31IP, 39K, 1.74ERA). However, as with any young fire-baller, the Rangers will be very hesitant with him and it is unclear whether Feliz will get a chance as a starter this year (as he was in the minors) or if he'll be in a relief role. My bet would be on a combination of the two.
Martin Perez (SP) - 18 years old, a lefty, and throws a 92-96 fastball with a + curve and change-up. Perez is more-than-likely a September call-up, but yeah, look out, we could be talking the next Johan Santana...
Justin Smoak (1B) - "where there's Smoak, there's fire." Sorry I couldn't resist, I'm sure geniuses like Jon Miller will love to use that one when it's time. Smoak is going to be challenging Chris Davis this spring for the starting 1B job in Arlington. He bats for a decent, around .300 average, has had a consistently high OBP throughout the minors, and possesses power from both sides of the plate. It won't be long before this kid is a regular.
2011 Free Agency and Salary Outlook:
Besides a few one-year deals that the Rangers inked during this off-season (Guerrero, Oliver, Greene, Harden) the picture really won't change much in 2011. All of the aforementioned players will be arbitration eligible (besides Greene) as will Hamilton, though I would expect the Rangers to either sign him up for a longer-term deal or trade him. This year, the Rangers rank 19th in MLB for payroll, which is not likely to change much as most of their valuable pieces are locked up beyond this season.
The Future of the Rangers:
The AL West outta be pretty intriguing this coming year. Seattle made a ton of moves (as chronicled earlier), the Angels appeared to be somewhat weakened and the Rangers, who were right in the mix last year, appear headed in an upward direction this season. With all of the fantastic young talent that the Rangers have, plus an impending sale of the team to a group headed by HOFer Nolan Ryan, this team could be on the precipice of lasting competitiveness.
2009 Record: 87-75, 10GB Los Angeles Angels (2nd place, AL West)
Key Departures:
The Rangers were not very active in the trade market in the off-season, but did lose several players to free-agency. I would not consider any of the players lost to be high-impact players, aside from Kevin Millwood perhaps.
Kevin Millwood (SP) - The Rangers traded Millwood and $3MM in cash for Chris Ray, a relief pitcher. This was purely a salary dump move for the Rangers, and Ray, if he can regain the form he had earlier in his career, could be a competent reliever.
Ivan Rodriguez (C) - lost via free-agency to the Nationals, not a big loss here. The Rangers are hoping that Jerrod Saltalamacchia can stage a comeback at catcher, and if not him, then Taylor Teagarden would be their catcher.
Omar Vizquel (SS) - lost via free-agency to the White Sox. Vizquel is solidly on the back-end of his career. He still sports some pretty good fielding skills (0 errors last year in limited playing time), but at 42, Vizquel is probably heading into his final year.
Andruw Jones (OF) - lost via free-agency to the White Sox. Remember when Jones was good? Wow, that was a long time ago. Anyway, as a Twins fan, I hope his career continues to flounder.
Eddie Guardado (RP) - lost via free-agency to the Nationals. Since his dominating days with the Twins, Guardado has fallen on harder times. The fact that the Rangers didn't want to extend him probably says as much as the Nationals signing him.
Key Additions:
Here are the names, like I said in the opening, there is nothing special about any of these players.
Vladimir Guerrero (OF/DH) - free-agent from the Angels, this could end up being a good deal for the Rangers, Guerrero still has something left in the tank, though he a HUGE injury risk.
Rich Harden (SP) - Ok, the best of the bunch. Electric when he's rollin', but injury prone.
Chris Ray (RP) - came over in the Millwood trade.
Darren Oliver (RP) - free-agent from the Angels.
Clay Rapada (SP/RP) - free-agent from the Tigers.
Khalil Greene (IF) - free-agent from the Cardinals.
Colby Lewis (SP) - free-agent from Japan.
Talent En Route:
The Rangers are well-known around baseball for the depth of talent they have in their farm-system. According to Baseball America, they have the best farm-system in all of baseball. (source) Short of going through all of their high-level prospects, here are a couple of the most exciting ones.
Neftali Feliz (SP/RP) - Feliz is about as exciting as it gets. 21 years old, 98 mph fastball, and showed that he can handle major league bats last year (31IP, 39K, 1.74ERA). However, as with any young fire-baller, the Rangers will be very hesitant with him and it is unclear whether Feliz will get a chance as a starter this year (as he was in the minors) or if he'll be in a relief role. My bet would be on a combination of the two.
Martin Perez (SP) - 18 years old, a lefty, and throws a 92-96 fastball with a + curve and change-up. Perez is more-than-likely a September call-up, but yeah, look out, we could be talking the next Johan Santana...
Justin Smoak (1B) - "where there's Smoak, there's fire." Sorry I couldn't resist, I'm sure geniuses like Jon Miller will love to use that one when it's time. Smoak is going to be challenging Chris Davis this spring for the starting 1B job in Arlington. He bats for a decent, around .300 average, has had a consistently high OBP throughout the minors, and possesses power from both sides of the plate. It won't be long before this kid is a regular.
2011 Free Agency and Salary Outlook:
Besides a few one-year deals that the Rangers inked during this off-season (Guerrero, Oliver, Greene, Harden) the picture really won't change much in 2011. All of the aforementioned players will be arbitration eligible (besides Greene) as will Hamilton, though I would expect the Rangers to either sign him up for a longer-term deal or trade him. This year, the Rangers rank 19th in MLB for payroll, which is not likely to change much as most of their valuable pieces are locked up beyond this season.
The Future of the Rangers:
The AL West outta be pretty intriguing this coming year. Seattle made a ton of moves (as chronicled earlier), the Angels appeared to be somewhat weakened and the Rangers, who were right in the mix last year, appear headed in an upward direction this season. With all of the fantastic young talent that the Rangers have, plus an impending sale of the team to a group headed by HOFer Nolan Ryan, this team could be on the precipice of lasting competitiveness.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Neftalia
Neftali Feliz made his second start of the season on April 16th. Over 5 IP, Feliz let in 2 ER while walking 2, and giving up 3 hits. He struck out 5, which means his K/9 rate is exactly 9.
Check this nice little writeup on Feliz over at Bleacher Report. Maybe Feliz is about to follow Holland to the 'pen.
Check this nice little writeup on Feliz over at Bleacher Report. Maybe Feliz is about to follow Holland to the 'pen.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Peep this Prospect: Neftali Feliz
Meet Neftali Feliz. You don't know him yet, but you will.
21 years old, 6'3", 180 lbs, Feliz hails from the Dominican Republic and was traded to the Texas Rangers as a part of the original Mark Teixeira deal. The only thing is that Feliz might have more upside and long-term value than any other piece, Tex included, in that deal. Also note: Atlanta gave up Elvis Andrus, Texas current starting SS, in that same deal. Ouch.
Let's backtrack to 2007. As a 19 year old, Feliz spent time in short-season ball and rookie A ball. He pitched a total of 42 innings, striking out 55 and posting an ERA of 2.55 and a WHIP of 1.299. That's a K/9 rate of 11.7, and a K/BB rate of 2.29, mind you.
Accordingly, expectations were high for Feliz going into the 2008 season. It was to be his first full season of professional ball. It was expected that Feliz would be forced to make adjustments as he moved up the organizational chain and hitters got tougher. Yeah. So check out what he did in A ball:
82 IP, 106 Ks, 2.52 ERA, 1.012 WHIP, K/9 rate of 11.6, K/BB rate of 3.79.
So, facing better hitters, Feliz struck out more, put fewer on bases, and improved his K/BB ratio. Not half bad. Texas promoted him to AA ball midseason, and this was his line:
45 IP, 47 Ks, 2.98 ERA, 1.257 WHIP, K/9 rate of 9.3; K/BB rate of 2.04.
For a twenty year old in AA, those are some crazy good numbers. Texas started him out in AAA this year, and some expect him to be a full-time fixture in the rotation in 2010. Here is what Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein says about Feliz:
Here is a slow mo video of Feliz's delivery. It's free and easy, baby.
We are adding Feliz to the Wieters Watch, along with Price. He'll be loads of fun to watch in 2009. His first start:
4 IP, 4H, 6BB, 4Ks. No runs.
21 years old, 6'3", 180 lbs, Feliz hails from the Dominican Republic and was traded to the Texas Rangers as a part of the original Mark Teixeira deal. The only thing is that Feliz might have more upside and long-term value than any other piece, Tex included, in that deal. Also note: Atlanta gave up Elvis Andrus, Texas current starting SS, in that same deal. Ouch.
Let's backtrack to 2007. As a 19 year old, Feliz spent time in short-season ball and rookie A ball. He pitched a total of 42 innings, striking out 55 and posting an ERA of 2.55 and a WHIP of 1.299. That's a K/9 rate of 11.7, and a K/BB rate of 2.29, mind you.
Accordingly, expectations were high for Feliz going into the 2008 season. It was to be his first full season of professional ball. It was expected that Feliz would be forced to make adjustments as he moved up the organizational chain and hitters got tougher. Yeah. So check out what he did in A ball:
82 IP, 106 Ks, 2.52 ERA, 1.012 WHIP, K/9 rate of 11.6, K/BB rate of 3.79.
So, facing better hitters, Feliz struck out more, put fewer on bases, and improved his K/BB ratio. Not half bad. Texas promoted him to AA ball midseason, and this was his line:
45 IP, 47 Ks, 2.98 ERA, 1.257 WHIP, K/9 rate of 9.3; K/BB rate of 2.04.
For a twenty year old in AA, those are some crazy good numbers. Texas started him out in AAA this year, and some expect him to be a full-time fixture in the rotation in 2010. Here is what Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein says about Feliz:
The scouting report on Feliz is that he throws a low 80s, 10-4 slurve, and a rudimentary changeup to compliment his plus-plus fastball. 2009 will be a good time for him to develop that crucial third pitch.
His highly anticipated full-season debut in '08 exceeded all expectations; Feliz dominated all the way up to Double-A, and now stands on the brink of making it to the major leagues...Feliz has one of the best pure arms in the minors, sitting in the mid- to upper 90s with his fastball, frequently touching triple digits, and also featuring late movement.
Here is a slow mo video of Feliz's delivery. It's free and easy, baby.
We are adding Feliz to the Wieters Watch, along with Price. He'll be loads of fun to watch in 2009. His first start:
4 IP, 4H, 6BB, 4Ks. No runs.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Couldn't have drawn it up any better
As if on cue, MLB Network just went live to the Orioles-Rangers feed. Ian Kinsler needed a triple to get the cycle and whaddyaknow, he got it by hitting it into the right-center gap. Makes me wonder - was he trying to get the triple? Or just doing what he could with a belt high heater?
Regardless, first O-Dog, now Kinsler. Season's off to a good start...
Regardless, first O-Dog, now Kinsler. Season's off to a good start...
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