Outside the Texas Rangers

Evan Grant does a weekly Q&A with readers of the Dallas Morning News.

Since I don't get "readers" or "Q's," I decided I'd steal his and give my own answers.

I didn't read what he had to say before answering, just copied the questions. His answers can be found here

Without further wait, someone else's email:

Q: I was at the Good Friday game, and down the third base line, I noticed Manny Ramirez and Papi [David Ortiz] didn't come out to the lineup introductions until well into the Rangers' introductions. Then the Sox lineup clearly was calling into the dugout laughing, and when Manny then Papi finally came out, they were having a good laugh. Any scoop on what was going on [poor Terry Francona seemed to just be shaking his head, used to it]
Michael, Texarkana, Texas

Michael - I wasn’t there so I didn’t see the exchange you are talking about. However, in most cases players are late coming onto the field for two reasons: Bathroom breaks, injections.
We know Ian Kinsler missed not only introductions, but the entire game Saturday with “a bit of diarrhea.”

But Ortiz and Manny? I can only hope that baseball players haven’t turned into women that have to accompany each other to the bathroom.

So I’m going to suppose they were getting shot up with something. Something that takes about 24 hours to kick in, most likely in Ortiz’ case.

Q: With the large number of picks the Rangers have for this year's draft, how is the draft shaping up (weak or strong)? What names are you hearing the Rangers circling around?
Heath Cheek

Heath – If I told you who the team was after would it interest you more in Delaware Blue Hen baseball (where Kevin Mench was drafted from)? Would you make the roadie to Kansas to scout Cowley County College (about 37 guys)?

The bottom line is, anyone I tell you about is just repeating information that I heard from someone else.

And more than likely, you just want to know so that you can latch on to a name then complain about it later when the team didn’t pick him. The ol’ “I told you so.”

But I’ll do my best to answer: as usual, there’s some top-flight talent, but it’s considered a pretty weak class comparatively. So you might say the team picked the wrong year to start hoarding picks.

However, few had Ian Kinsler pegged as a big leaguer when he was drafted. He looks pretty good, huh?

So look for the team to target two areas more specifically than players. The system is rated pretty low, having either graduated (Kinsler) or flunked-out (Edinson Volquez) most of the big names. After John Mayberry, Jr. and Eric Hurley, it’s pretty barren right now.

But those areas? Pitching and hitting. I’d be really surprised if any of those early 7 picks didn’t address one of those needs.

If you want to think draft, I’d say go order a cold one (Killians is especially good from the faucet) and ponder where you’re at in life if you’re spending the first week of the baseball season already focusing on the draft.

Q: When are the Rangers willing to give up on the Brad Wilkerson experiment? I am sure he is a nice guy, but he simply looks overpowered by anyone with a decent fastball. Take for instance [Sunday] night, he was simply blown away on three straight fastballs. Last year he was given a mulligan simply because of his shoulder issues, but with three more strikeouts Sunday, do the Rangers plan on platooning him any less?
Craig

Ladies and Gentleman, Craig is the prime example of why you don’t make judgements during the first week of the season.

You let people go out, and hope that eventually they’ll find something close to their historical performance. Otherwise, it’s time to send that Young guy out of town. He sucks!

The bottom-line though, CRAIG, is that it’s not an experiment. Jose Canseco pitching – experiment. CJ Wilson’s gyroball – experiment. Hideki Irabu, closer – experiment. Doublemint gum – spearmint. Oops wrong list.

Wilkerson is a member of the team, and management isn’t going to give up on him any time soon. He’s going to be a major factor deciding if the team can stay in the hunt for the division all season long.

To give up on Wilkerson, or Young, or Sammy Sosa this early would say the team doesn’t think it can contend, and that Ron Washington and Jon Daniels don’t trust their decisions and the opinions of the entire baseball staff on the players this spring.

Q: The consensus is Rudy Jaramillo is one of the best hitting coaches in baseball. The Rangers consistently have relatively high batting averages to prove it.
What about clutch hitting? Is it my imagination, or have we consistently been below par in that category? Are there stats to measure it (batting average with runners in scoring position?) And if we are below par, is that a reflection on Rudy?
Jeff Nelson, Arlington

Jeff – I’m going to skip the joke about you having the same name as the major league pitcher, because it’s obvious you aren’t him.

Were you him, you’d be like every pitcher in the bigs knows about Michael Young, who is about the best proof that “clutch” exists. Some say it doesn’t.

But they have about the same clue as you. Anyone who faces a stressful situation, be it in sports or when talking to a girl they would like to date, has felt some kind of feeling in their stomach.

Some people are more adept and pushing that feeling down, and excelling despite it. Some excel because of it. And other’s end up answering other peoples mailbags.

Rudy can’t help a player in the clutch any more than I could help you resist the urge to ask a woman if her pants are a mirror when the moment comes and you are face-to-face.

Thanks for the question.

Q: Other than Eric Gagne not being on the roster, could you see this past week as an adequate summary of the challenges and potential that await this team ... and what has (and hasn't) happened ... as a fair barometer seeing as how it is so early?
Garbeau

Garbeau - The primary challenge faced by any team is winning games. Since the Rangers faced that 8 times as I type this, I’ll say yes.

But let’s judge by the smaller challenges that they face in winning those games:
Can Vinny Padilla be the number two starter? The bag has been mixed. In his most recent start he was very good against anyone not named Ortiz.

Can Brandon McCarthy and Robinson Tejeda provide stability in the back half of the rotation? McCarthy was average his first time out, good the next. Tejeda pitches tonight and looked completely dominant at times against Boston. The early returns are good.

Can the team replace the offense of Mark DeRosa and Gary Matthews, Jr.? That depends. There have been a couple games with good offensive output, some not so much. It’s too early to tell if Sammy will find his stroke and if Nelson Cruz can hit things that move in a direction other than straight. But Kenny Lofton and Frank Catalanotto are both much better than they showed during the first week.

So overall, the best summary is what we mentioned at the beginning: The team is 4-4. Borrowing from another Dallas-area sports figure, you are what you are.

They’re .500. The team has been average so far, but that’s not to say they won’t perform better or worse over the next 25 weeks of the season. I'd say more guys have performed below their projected output than above to get to average, so I'd bet on improvement.

Q: On Sunday, I felt a little like a dope when I ponied up for that pricey beer as I now know how skimpy Tom Hicks is on the Ranger's payroll. Last in the AL West and all. Liverpool soccer? Please. It makes my blood boil! Is this ball club doomed to be a perennial also-ran as long as Hick's owns it?
Jim

This blog is run at no cost other than the opportunity cost of my time. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be insightful, intriguing, inventive and illicit.

Did you feel like a dope when you ponied up for pricey beer when Alex Rodriguez was here and the team’s payroll was near the top of the league?

Money is not a substitute for judgement, unless you are willing to throw money at money. There are one or two teams that will do that.

But the people working for the team feel that now they have the resources necessary to rise above also-ran.

For the last time, I’ll say this: payroll does not equate quality. Waterworld was one of the most expensive movies ever, and it stunk.

I’d rather watch the much less costly “Momento” personally. Perhaps I’d rather BE Momento, as then I wouldn’t remember the payroll when I was there to enjoy the game.

But the crux of your question: You should not feel like a dope if you had a Shiner, it’s worth the money. However, if your money was spent on something produced in St. Louis, then yes, you are a dope.

Q: Does Joaquin Arias' thumb infection and shoulder injury mean he'll be spending most of the year in Frisco rather than in Arlington? Do you think the Rangers' plan to convert him to an outfielder or utility player in the Chone Figgins mode will pan out?
Bruce, Calif.

I think Michael Young’s bat will be the thing that keeps him on the farm (Oklahoma, actually) more than in Arlington this summer.

Chone Figgins got where he is more by being lucky than by any design. He hit well wherever they stuck him, and he didn’t hurt the Angels in the field.

But the bottom line with Arias, and most other minor leaguers not named Jason Botts: If they can hit, they’ll be in the majors. Period.

Whether it’s forcing himself into the outfield picture or another teams infield, or everywhere on the field, he will get there on the strength of his bat. He can’t improve on disipline, contact or power as long as he’s on the DL, so he’ll be in the minors most of the year.

Q: Love to see a comparison to other Ranger managers in their first year on the job (but only those who took over in the off-season) with what they had to work with and how their personality played a part.
And even more so, I'd like to see what other "new" first-year managers around the majors have done with other teams and how you would classify them (players manager, hard-nosed, old school) to see if that gives any impression to what Washington has in store. I don't think we can compare him to a Dusty Baker or Buddy Bell or Larry Bowa or anybody like that, because he wasn't a "star" as a player. Is he more like a Ron Gardenhire, a Jim Lefebvre, a Doug Rader, a Ned Yost?

Anonymous – Not asking for a whole lot are you? I’m not doing the research necessary to give you an answer.

www.baseball-reference.com, go there and quit being lazy.

As a manager, I’d classify Ron Washington as a hard-nosed, old school player’s manager.

For comparison sake though, I think he’s a lot like Jim Leyland. They’re both thin, and wear glasses. I don't know if Wash smokes, but he has a toothpick, which at worst is comparable.

Q: I have two questions, first why did the Rangers trade John Danks for Brandon McCarthy. I would have offered Thomas Diamond or Edinson Volquez. I just don't understand trading off your best prospect and hanging on to a guy that is going to start out in A ball this year (Volquez).
Secondly, in regards to pitchers Omar Beltre and Alexi Ogando who are stranded in the Dominican again because of "marriage gate", will they ever be eligible to play for the Rangers organization in the States? And if so, are they worth waiting for?
David, Abilene

David - I would have offered the White Sox some combination of Michael Schlact, Nate Gold and Drew Meyer.

But much like your offer, it wouldn’t have gotten the deal done.

The White Sox organization wouldn’t take a guy who’s going to start out in A-Ball this year instead of their best prospect.

You’re like the guy in my fantasy league who offered me Morgan Ensberg and Justin Durcheschersherserer for Jeremy Bonderman.

Just because it’s who YOU want to give, it’s not who THEY want to get. Ken Williams wouldn’t have taken either of those two, or both, for Brandon McCarthy.

The Rangers made the internal decision that they were willing to pay the price to get a young arm in McCarthy who they felt was better prepared to pitch 170 innings in the majors.

For asking such a stupid question, and being THAT guy in every fantasy league, I’m punishing you by ignoring the other part of your question, even though I have the definitive answer on both. Eat it, Dave.

Q: If Frank Francisco and Wes Littleton have returned to form (based upon early results), how long can/will the Rangers leave them in Oklahoma, and who gets traded/sent out to make room for them?
Andrew Roberts

Their form is only a portion of what determines their return to the majors. A guy already on the 25-man roster who’s performing is going to be allowed to keep going, and going, and going until he shows that it was a bad choice.

So they can stay down there until the end of the season (think Travis Hafner) as long as the guys are performing above them.

However, you have to expect that some injuries will happen and some guys will prove to be ineffective. I think the most likely candidates to NOT stay with the big club are Jamey Wright, Bruce Chen and Eric Gagne.

Thanks again for not emailing. Hopefully Bill Simmons will quit being lazy some time soon, and he'll post a mailbag I can rip off.

Some advance warning however, all Karate Kid jokes will be replaced with lines from PCU, and Jack Bauer will be revered more than Larry Bird and David Ortiz combined.

If nothing else, Mickey Spagnola alternates between stupid and intelligent questons, so I'll have an opportunity to both give insight and incite on the Dallas Cowboys soon.