The Rangers made some moves that they thought would solidify a very successful team that won 97 games in 2016. They added Mike Napoli, Andrew Cashner, and Tyson Ross to improve the depth of the roster that had reached a very thin level. Still having Hamels and Darvish made the possibility to have success possible, but neither was able to be super human for the Rangers this year. Darvish was traded, and Hamels has pitched effectively but has only made 17 starts and missed time with an oblique strain earlier. Are there any good items to provide a silver lining to the season?
1st Story: Did the Rangers selling at the deadline help them in the long run?
Willie Calhoun has a chance to be an impact player for the Rangers down the road.
The Rangers were able to get a decent return in the Darvish trade. Granted, Darvish is only a rental for the Dodgers, so the haul is minimal compared to the deal for Quintana that the Cubs made earlier in the season. However, it’s still a solid return. Willie Calhoun has been a very productive player so far in the PCL and will work well in the offensive playground that is Texas. Both A.J. Alexy and Brendon Davis are 19-year-old projects but have shown potential already and figure to have a shot to turn into very productive players in the future. Given that Darvish may or may not have been likely to sign with the Rangers, or that the Rangers would have been better served to focus their money elsewhere, this was a safe move at the time.
2nd Story: What does Tyson Ross’s move to the pen mean for his future?
This season. Archie Bradley has had an impressive season as a reliever after a couple of seasons with lackluster results as a starter. Tyson Ross was on his way to building an impressive career before the train kind of fell off the tracks in his return to baseball after missing almost the entire 2016 season. He made 30+ starts in 2014 and 2015 and reached 195 and 212 K’s respectively. So why the move to the pen?
In 10 starts, Ross made it to 46 IP, with an ERA of 7.04. In addition, to those less than impressive stats, Ross had 35 BB and 35 K’s. Something had to be done, and with other prospects knocking on the door to the majors, Ross was the most viable candidate. In addition, Gary Vasquez wrote that Shelby Miller would benefit from a move to the pen and backed it up. Baseball Reference gave Ross a similarity score of 975 to Miller. Not that the similarity score is indicative of success, but it provides more evidence that the move may be successful.
3rd Story: What is there to make about Joey Gallo’s first season?
Before Kris Bryant broke onto the scene, he and Joey Gallo were highly touted prospects, with their power being a huge positive aspect of both of their games. Gallo has been struggling to not strike out at least once a game. In 113 G, Gallo has struck out 152 SO. His style of play is reminiscent of sluggers who forsook average and tried to hit the ball as far as they can. Considering Gallo has a .561 SLG percentage, he’s definitely got enough power to hang in the show. The question will be what does he do to address the lack of times being on base. This is Gallo’s first full season in the majors, and he’s got a ton of time respond to the weaknesses in his game, but it may not always be with the Rangers if things aren’t corrected fast.
Previous entries in the “3 Stories” series: Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays
