With the FA market at SP kinda thin after the Yankee's purged the market, and with the announcement today that Peavy is not going to get moved this winter, I was curious on the overall value of Millwood for some of these teams that need a starter.

Contrary to public perception Millwood is no where near as bad as advertised.

Out of the 41 SP that pitched 160 or more innings last year in the AL he was 20th in FIP (4.02),  18th in BB/9, 21st in K/9, 18th in K/BB, 19th in HR/9, and of course 1st in BABIP.  Out of the 89in all of baseball he is 42nd in FIP, 34th in K/BB, 47th in K/9, 37th in K/BB, 44th in HR/9 and of course once agin 1st in BABIP.

Suprisingly to of the most comparable players to Millwood on those perphirals last year are Mark Buherle, Paul Maholm and Matt Garza.  Millwood will not have the same value as those 3, but he is no where as poor statistically as some may think.

I am in no way advocating that he is a stand alone ace of this staff, but if the Ranger's can acquire Sheets at a comparable value, Millwood would not be an impossible albotross to move. Millwood is a very average pitcher that is a #3 on a OK team or a #4 on a great staff.

His 11M due this year and the conditional 12M (upon completion of approx 175 ip next year) are no where the titanic blow that people fret about. In a league where Meche recieves 11.4M this year, even a slight discount 2 to 3M range would make Millwood a vaible option for several teams.

So, more importantly,  what would be an average return and location for Millwood?

Ok, BA just published the Ranger's top 10 to finsh off the AL League. It has been a poorly kept secret that the 2 system's are regarded as 1 and 1a in all of baseball.

Let's Vote... And please stuff the ballot's as much as you want becasue it is a meaningless Internet poll and  both clubs cheat  on polls anyways....

Oakland

Texas

It looks like the impending economic hardship has got all the owners spooked.

Ivan Rodriguez (37) - Type B, not offered arb

Gregg Zaun (38) - Type B, not offered arb

Jeff Kent (41) - Type B, not offered arb

Edgar Renteria (33) - Type A, not offered arb

Bobby Abreu (35) - Type A, not offered arb

Braden Looper (34) - Type B, not offered arb

Greg Maddux (43) - Type B, not offered arb

Brad Penny (31) - Type B, not offered arb

Andy Pettitte (37) - Type A, not offered arb

Eric Gagne (33) - Type B, not offered arb

Trevor Hoffman (41) - Type A, not offered arb

Jason Isringhausen (36) - Type B, not offered arb

Kerry Wood (32) - Type A, not offered arb

Joe Beimel (32) - Type B, not offered arb

Bob Howry (35) - Type A, not offered arb

Russ Springer (40) - Type A, not offered arb

Moises Alou (42) - Type B, not offered arb

Garret Anderson (37) - Type B, not offered arb

Adam Dunn (29) - Type A, not offered arb

Frank Thomas (41) - Type B, not offered arb

Randy Johnson (45) - Type B, not offered ar

bJohn Smoltz (42) - Type B, not offered arb

Luis Ayala (31) - Type B, not offered arb

Joe Beimel (32) - Type B, not offered arb

Alan Embree (39) - Type B, not offered arb

Bob Howry (35) - Type A, not offered arb

Russ Springer (40) - Type A, not offered arb

Pat Burrell (32) - Type A, not offered arb

Jamie Moyer (46) - Type A, not offered arb

Paul Lo Duca (37) - Type B, not offered arb

Luis Gonzalez (41) - Type B, not offered arb

Arthur Rhodes (39) - Type B, not offered arb

Rudy Seanez (40) - Type B, not offered arb

>

Q:  jason from fort smith, ar asks:
what is justin smoak's eta in arlington? what kind of production do you think he will ultimately give? 

Jim Callis: Smoak may be ready in little more than a year, and I guess the Rangers will make room by putting him at first base and shifting Chris Davis to DH, unless they want to see if Davis can handle third base again. Davis was rough at the hot corner. Smoak will hit for average with big power and Gold Glove defense. A steal at No. 11, and I would have taken him over Yonder Alonso (who went No. 7), though I do like Alonso.

Q:  Bertram from Taiwan asks:
How disappointed were the A's to get stuck with Jemile Weeks after Smoak went one pick before them? 

Jim Callis: The A's drafted Smoak out of high school, and he would have been a tremendous value at No. 12. Not sure the A's would publicly say they would have taken Smoak over Weeks, but I'm thinking they would have. I do think they were determined to take a college up-the-middle athlete unless someone fell to them, and Weeks was the best available.

 Q:  Victor from San Diego asks:
Smoak over Alonso, would you have taken him over Hosmer too? 

Jim Callis: No, I would have taken Hosmer.

Q:  HoustonTeams4Me from Houston asks:
Who would you say has the most power out of the first round hitter's (Alvarez,Hosmer,Smoak, etc.)?

Jim Callis: I'd go with Pedro Alvarez.

Q:  Daniel from NYC asks: from NYC asks:
With the plate discipline that Yonder Alonso has shown will he be the best overall hitter ( Power/ average) to emerge from this draft class? 

John Manuel: He could be; I don' think he has the combination of hitting for average and power that Alvarez, Smoak and, say, Eric Hosmer have, but he walked twice as much as he struck out at Miami the last 2 years, and still managed to hit 20-plus bombs this season. He's short to the ball, keeps the bat through the zone a long time and has a nice, high finish. He's going to hit, I think the Q is how many home runs. .300-.400.-.550 seems like it's possible for him to achieve fairly consistently.

Q:  Bob from Boston from Boston asks:
Can you rate the best teams including the draft and international signings over the last 2 years? 

John Manuel: Gotta go lightning round: Texas stands out here, by quite a bit. San Francisco also has to be considered with Big V (I know that's 06), last year's draft, this year's and Rafael Rodriguez.

Q:  Mike from Chicago asks:
Do you see the Rangers Tim Murphy as a Starter or out of the Bullpen <

John Manuel: He's athletic enough to stay a starter; I'm a fan, could see him being similar to Zito with a bit less curve and more FB and command (due to the athleticism). He needs to long toss with Brandon Crawford to build his arm strength!

:  Ross from CA asks:
Can you give me 5 players who have 40 HR power from this years draft? Is Roger Kieschnick one of them? 

John Manuel: I think those days are over, Ross. Roger Kieschnick has 30 homer power if he makes consistent contact; he's a streaky guy, a rhythm hitter whose timing can be upset. But he's really strong and has big raw power, probably top 5-10 of the draft — after Hosmer, Smoak, Alvarez (you can shake up those three in a hat), plus Brett Lawrie, A. Dykstra, G. Beckham, Skipworth and B. Wallace. Ike Davis and David Cooper are in the discussion as well.

Q:  Matt from Cardiff, UK asks:
How would the top 10 prospects for the 08 draft look now based on what you know now?

John Manuel: Another interesting one; looking at our top 10 going into the draft, the only change would for me would be removing Scheppers because of his shoulder injury. I was surprised that Yonder Alonso went ahead of Justin Smoak, and even more surprised he got more money than Smoak. But to me, Smoak's the better prospect because of the switch-hitting. He's not Mark Teixeira — his hit tool is probably a 50, and Tex has been borne out to be a 60 or 65 hitter. But Smoak's power is bigger than Alonso's.

Q:  Gustavo Gonzalez from Caracas Venezuela asks:
How big was the Houston's mistake on Draft. Choose Jason Castro Above Justin Smoak? 

John Manuel: Maybe, but Castro's position is a pretty big factor in making the case to take him over Smoak. Houston's franchise player is Lance Berkman, a hometown here, that makes it hard to take a 1B.

Lots and Lots of fun stuff here...I liked the "Can you rate the best teams including the draft and international signings over the last 2 years? John Manuel:  Texas stands out here, by quite a bit."

http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/draft/draft-dish/2008/267133.html

Interesting piece from the Biz of Baseball about salary structure and the teams that get the most out of the amount of money they spend. It is a welcome change from some of the constant complaining on how poorly Texas uses its payroll.

Full Article

It seems that there is a new world order in MLB these days. Some have contended, and it's looking more truthful by the day, that the drug testing policy has changed how GMs build there teams. Veteran free agents, that at one point were viewed as effective well past their prime, have been passed over in favor of developing talent internally.

With that change, young talent is in again. That bodes well for those clubs that have stunk up the standings in the past (that would be you, Tampa Bay) and are now parlaying good draft picks into the core of their teams. Low revenue-making clubs are also seeing the value of wrapping up this young talent by way of long-term contracts. Players such as Evan Longoria and Troy Tulowitzki have signed contracts that will keep them with their respective teams through their arbitration eligibility years and early free agency.

As the numbers show, it is now possible for teams with low payrolls to have a successful regular- and post-season. As reported earlier this week, the challenge is for these teams once deemed to be nothing more than doormats of the league to contend over multiple seasons. That is the challenge of the low- to mid-revenue making clubs going forward.

The easiest to digest piece of this article is actually  the pdf chart showing all of the salary break downs by division and leagues.

Excellent read if you got the time from one of best sites regarding the business side of baseball operations.

BEST DRAFT

1. Rangers
2. Royals
3. Giants
4. Twins
5. Red Sox

BEST POWER HITTER
1. Pedro Alvarez, 3b, Pirates (1)
2. Justin Smoak, 1b, Rangers (1)
3. Eric Hosmer, 1b, Royals (1)
4. Gordon Beckham, ss, White Sox (1)
5. Brett Lawrie, c/inf, Brewers (1)

BEST PRO DEBUT
High School Players
1. Jaff Decker, of, Padres (1s)
2. Mike Montgomery, lhp, Royals (1s)
3. Aaron Hicks, of, Twins (1)
4. Joe Wieland, rhp, Rangers (4)
5. Jarek Cunningham, 3b/ss, Pirates (18)

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/draft/draft-dish/2008/267079.html

Just theRanger Relevant Stuff...Well look at that, Rangers draft is rated #1.  Nice to see Weiland getting the spotlight though.The Rangers complete draft report card comes out with the rest of the AL West on Oct 27th.

International Signing Wrapup Chat

Q: Joseph Wall from Fort Worth, TX asks:
What is your opinion of Escobar, the LHP the Rangers signed? I read that he can already touch 92 mph and has good feel for a curve and change. That velocity seems pretty impressive to me for a lefty his age. Thanks for the chat.
A:

Ben Badler: A good lefty, good bloodlines and reasonably priced. The body is a little more mature than most Latin Americans his age, and he's usually working more in the high-80s. That is good velo for a lefty his age, and he shows the ability to spin his breaking ball already, which is obviously a good sign at that age.

Q: Elliot from Youngstown OH asks:
Abner Abreu was the slugging star of the GCL this summer, leading the league in SLG, HR, 2B, TB. His younger brother was supposed to be better. Is he and has he signed?
A:

Ben Badler: Yes, his younger brother Esdras signed with the Rangers. They sound like similar players, including both the raw power and the strong questions that Abner will have to answer about his plate discipline.

Not a lot of  Ranger's stuff.... Like to hear that Escobar can spin a breaking ball at his age, though...

http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/prospects/international-affairs/2008/267060.html

MLB.com is doing their  MLB team  minor league reviews with the Rangers being released today.

They cover the Rangers Players of the year with the preseason and current picks, and the some of the major movers in the minor league system. They also have a 2007 draft recap as well.

LINK

Interesting read that doesnt cover any where as much information you get here, but interesting to see the view of a relative outsider instead of  the our everday sources

Stats Inc. Baseball Index

                  All Ranks are just for AL only

Hamilton is 3rd in the AL with 9 SF, Kinsler tied for 10th with 7

Padilla, even with the missed time is tied for 3rd with 12 hit batters, and Rupe is tied for 6th with 10

Padilla is tied for 4th with 10 wild pitches

Padilla leads the AL in Balks with 3 (2 in 1 inning)

KInsler is 3rd in Fly/Pops Hit

Young is 9th in Grounders hit

Kinsler is tied fo 1st with being picked off 3 times

Brandon Boggs is7th, Vazquez 11th, in % of piches taken (Salty didnt make the pitches per game #)

Kinsler is 2nd in Runs/Times Reached Base

Kinsler is tied for 4th with 8 steals of 3rd.

Josh Hamilton is the 7th least likely guy to GIDP when its possible to GIDP, Boggs 10th, CD is tied for 20th

Kinlser is 1st with a .413 with runners in scoring position.

Bradley is 2nd in BA Late & Close, but  they don't really give a descriptor of that stat

Kinsler is 2nd in Leadoff OBA with a .377

Kinsler is tied for 3rd on extra bases taken as a  runner

David Murphy is 3rd with a .347 BA afte the 6th inning

Cat is6th in BA with 2 strikes at .261

MB is 4th (.480), Kinsler 6th (.459), and Hamilton 10th (.430), in BA of fist pitch in play

Hamilton is 2nd with 54, and Kinsler is tied fir 9th with 48, and MY tied for 18th with 45, in Multi hit games

Kevin Millwood is tied for 3rd with giving up 6 triples

Millwood is tied for 3rd with 24, Feldman tied for 6th with 20, of SB allowed

Feldman is tied for 7th (24), Padilla  13th (21) , and Rupe is tied for 14th with 20, in GIDP induced

Feldman and Rupe are tied for 3rd in GDPs Induced/GDP Situation

Padilla is 2nd with a Run Support per 9 IP of 6.25

CJ is 9th in Games finishes at 41

Krod is first with 63 save opportunities, the next closest in the AL is Nathan with 42

FX2 is 8th in First Batter Efficiency with a .140 Jack Benny is tied for 16th with a.179

FX2 is tied  for 3rd with 6 blown saves, Wight tied for 9th with 5, CJ fo 14th with 4...(Texas,LAA, and Seattle all have 3 on the list)

Wight is tied for 2nd with 6 Bullpen Wins

Wright is 3rd with 6 and FX2 tied for 4th with 5, in bullpen losses

Wright tied for 1st with 69 appearances

Rupe is tied for 1st (81) and Wright is 2nd (78.1) in relief innings

% CS off Catchers (with PCS) Laird  is 7th in AL, % CS off Catchers (no PCS, 3d in AL...What is PCS?

Boggs, Hamilton and Byd are all tied for 14th with 7 OF assists

Bradley 7th, Hamilton 13th in ISO Power

Hamilton tied for 1st (120), Kinsler 11th (105), MB tied for 12th (103), in Runs Created

MB 2nd, Hamilton 13th, in Secondary Average

Kinsler 3rd, Hamilton tied for 9th in Power/Speed Number

Unfortunately I cant reverse sort on this Database, so i cant find a lot of the pitching numbers I was looking for, including Inherited runner info, but this is a nice random sample of Ranger production this season.

Ohhh and just as an added bonus

                                Current Disabled List

I was going to Publish the complete injury history for the team, but it has 83 entries, and it was to depressing.

I figured it would be a good idea to make a single thread to dump all of the late minor league signings ...

So far it seems like the major stumbling blocks are with Alonso, Crowe, and Hosmer.

 Dykstra's hip might lead to problems aswell.

Looks like Melville and Posey has signed...

So out of the top 11, Alvarez, Hosmer, Matsuz,  Alonso, Crowe and Smoak are unsigned. Feilds, Dykstra and Cole, fill out the rest of the unsigned 1st rounders.

According to Will Carrol at BP

Well Milton and Everday Eddie lost a possible destination today

"The Yankees have reportedly acquired both Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte from the Pirates.
No word yet on the return, but Melky Cabrera is still in the game for the Bombers. The team's top prospect, Austin Jackson, might be involved for that kind of return"

Hopefully Horne doesnt get moved and can be acuired for Laird or Laird +