Things I’d like to see in 2015:
A trade for Cliff Lee. If Texas really did go down the road with Philadelphia on Cole Hamels, and if money really was the primary sticking point, then it’s probably fair to assume there was some level of consensus on Rangers prospects that (1) the Phillies like and (2) the Rangers were willing to consider putting in a deal. That’s valuable information. Scale back the Hamels package — take the best player in the deal off the table, for example — and go from there. This can wait until July.
A key non-roster acquisition in the next three weeks. Jeff Banister appears to be committed to using his bench more than Ron Washington did. Maybe that convinces a player who wouldn’t have chosen an non-guaranteed opportunity in Texas the last several years to take one now. Not that there are lots of candidates still floating out there — but I’d like to see the bench boosted one more time.
On that subject, Mitch Moreland and Kyle Blanks putting together the first .800+ OPS season by Texas designated hitters since 2011.
Blanks doing enough to make the Josh Donaldson trade look even worse for Oakland.
Juan Gonzalez. It’s been 10 years since he played and I don’t think I’ve seen him since. He was Josh Hamilton before Josh Hamilton. Some former teammate of Juando needs to convince him to show up before one home game this year. Just one.
More and more beasts landing in the National League. With the Dodgers and Nationals and Cubs spending like they are, and the Padres trading for everyone, it’s kinda cool to see some high-end talent moving away from the AL. Seems like it’s been forever since that’s happened.
Delino DeShields Jr. having as strong a camp as Michael Choice did a year ago (.369/.406/.708 and standout defense), and a better season.
Non-roster invite Engel Beltre walking up to non-roster invite Geovany Soto in White Sox camp and asking him to stop smoothing the dirt after every double-pump throw back to the pitcher, to which Soto responds: “Do I know you?”
Three of Lewis Brinson, Ryan Cordell, Ronald Guzman, Jairo Beras, and Travis Demeritte putting up pinball numbers against Cal League pitching. That sort of thing happens in High Desert. Artificial to a point, maybe, but doesn’t hurt trade value, or confidence.
(Speaking of Brinson and trade value, I wrote this back in June 2012, on the day he was drafted: “If it sounds by the tone of this report that I’m already cooking up a 2015 trade that involves Lewis Brinson and Yovani Gallardo, I’m not.” Brinson didn’t go in the trade, obviously, but trading for Gallardo in 2015 happened, and that’s just a little freaky.)
Some starting pitcher, maybe Yohander Mendez, opening eyes by keeping the ball down and not getting pinballed in High Desert.
Birdman, Boyhood, Whiplash, Cake, Still Alice, American Sniper, The Imitation Game. Realistically, maybe three of those.
The new Star Wars movie at least meeting expectations.
Martin Perez joining the club in July.
Joey Gallo joining the club in August.
In a pennant race.
Keone Kela wearing the pink backpack over the final six weeks, and maybe more after that.
Derek Holland, who led the American League in shutouts in 2011: That guy.
Jurickson Profar, who led baseball in prospect hype in 2012: That guy.
Jellyfish reuniting.
(That’s the least likely thing on this list.)
Hamilton meeting his season goals (which, as always, are focused on his own statistics), but his team missing the bigger ones.
Robinson Chirinos and Carlos Corporan suppressing any urge to rush Jorge Alfaro.
Kyuji Fujikawa closing out a shutout that Yu Darvish started for the first time since the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
Darvish and Adrian Beltre, maybe 10 months from now, replacing their current contracts with newer, shinier ones.
OK: One of them.
Prince Fielder, at even 15 percent less than the 100 percent that he’s said to be at now. Good Prince changes everything.
Getting past Ballghazi Week so we can get to Kyler’s Monday decision on which school he’ll disappoint four months later when he decides to go pro as a second baseman en route to developing into a lockdown center fielder.
Matt Harrison between the lines.
Roogie.
Weeks before sending three legitimate prospects to the Phillies, Texas obliterating its international bonus pool on July 2, adding further to the pipeline that will have been boosted a few weeks earlier in the draft.
The number four pick in the country, at Fall Instructs.
On the long weekend of October 1-2-3-4.
When I’ll be watching the season-ending series at home against the Angels from the Brookside Sports Bar in Surprise, with the primary objective of those four games getting Darvish, Holland, Gallardo, and Lee and the bullpen properly lined up for the following week.
Cool?
Dallas attorney Jamey Newberg has been commenting on Rangers from the big club down through the entire farm system since 1998.
Scott Lucas was born in Arlington, Texas, to Richard and Becky Lucas. He lived mostly in Arlington before moving to Austin, where he graduated from The University of Texas. Scott works for Austin Valuation Consultants, Ltd., and has published several boring articles about real estate appraisal and environmental contamination. He makes a swell margarita and refuses to run longer than ten kilometres.
Eleanor grew up watching the AAA Mudhens in Toledo, Ohio. A loyal Ranger fan since 1979, she works "behind the scenes" at the Newberg Report.
