The Rangers have given notice to prospect Willie Calhoun that he will be called up, as his brother and girlfriend announced on Twitter and Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News confirms in a tweet. Calhoun came to Texas as the headliner in the deadline blockbuster that sent ace Yu Darvish to the Dodgers.
Calhoun, 22, entered the season as a top-100 prospect leaguewide and has steadily raised his stock throughout the year. He’s carrying a .300/.355/.572 batting line with 31 home runs over 534 plate appearances at Triple-A in his first attempt at the highest level of the minors. While he doesn’t draw all that many walks, Calhoun has struck out only 61 times all season.
Predominantly a second baseman in the Los Angeles system, Calhoun has shifted to the outfield since arriving at Round Rock. It seems reasonably likely that he’ll line up there at the MLB level both now and into the future, though that’ll be determined by his play on the field.
It’s not immediately clear how Calhoun will be used over the next couple of weeks, but he could provide instant offense with his potent left-handed bat. As Grant explains, the Rangers have recently lots several key players to injury. While there’s plenty of depth around with rosters having expanded, none of the team’s fill-in options possess Calhoun’s potential as a hitter.
Despite selling at the deadline, the Rangers have held on in a messy race race for the second AL Wild Card that still features seven clubs (including Texas) within three and a half games of the berth. Beyond the need to create room on the 40-man roster, there’s little downside to calling upon Calhoun, who likely would’ve forced his way into the MLB picture in 2018 regardless.
At this stage of the season, of course, the youngster won’t have much opportunity to build up MLB service time (just 18 days, in fact). But he could well find himself in a position to force his way into the team’s plans for early next season — and might well be a strong possibility to appear on a postseason roster if the Rangers can sneak in.
He’ll be a very good offensive threat in the top of that lineup soon.
Potential breakout star? If he can sustain numbers like that at the big-league level, he could become one of the game’s best second basemen. There aren’t many who can hit for power and average right now.
His defense will drag him down. He needs to DH
He’s been really nice defensively in the OF since coming over to the Rangers.
The article says he was shifted from 2b to the outfield. What it failed to mention was that even there, he was not a good defender. It is why the Dodgers had no problem parting with him. He will likely end up being a DH.
The Dodgers sure could’ve used his bat say the last two weeks..
If he could play a position with a little defense he would never have been traded. He should be able to hit in the bigs but his defense will restrict him to DH or if Texas gets lucky a corner OF that you sub late in a game.
milb.com/multimedia/vpp.jsp?content_id=1812651183&…
Seems like he can though…
If Greg Luzinski could play LF for a team that won a WS, anybody can play LF.
He won’t play 2B for the Rangers. We already have a LH 2B (although I would trade Odor and put Profar there)
I think the Rangers and Profar will split ways. He is very unhappy about not being traded during the season because his two positions, SS & 2B are filled. He didn’t do well with the bat and Texas didn’t bring him to the majors in Sept. He’s gone.
Guess you can’t read? In the article he said his defense is horrid at second so he was moved to the outfield in the minors lol…besides that fact they already have mr. Knock out odor at second.
Questionable decision. The Rangers’ season is already over and they are giving a 40-man spot to a guy who is not Rule 5 eligible this year O_o
Well…..maybe they’ve already decided that they’re gonna keep him. Teams do that, right?
Even if that is the case (and I believe it is) there was still no incentive to call him up. His roster spot could have been used to protect one of their prospects who IS Rule 5 eligible this offseason or used to sign a free agent without having to DFA someone else. 40-man roster spots are valuable during the offseason when the 60-day DL is no longer a thing (they will have to give a spot to Prince Fielder all offseason, for example). Even if Calhoun entered Spring Training as a non-roster invitee I’m sure he would have broken camp with the big club if he looked good.
You’re assuming they have a want to protect many rule 5 guys. Your assumption is also flawed in that they don’t view an outside chance to obtain a second wild card. Once there hell anything can happen. Whether or not not they believe they have an opportunity to win the World Series there’s still the potential economic side that they’d be more than willing to consider.
They have 3 potential 60 day DL spots (Fielder, Alberto, and Chi Chi) they need back with 8 potential outgoing openings. Don’t make a general assumption upon a situation, because not every team fits in the same box. From this side of the fence this looks like a team that has some talent, a shot at the wild card, yet the future 40 man roster spots aren’t what you’d call in a state of significant roster crunch.
If not to protect Rule 5 guys they could have used Calhoun’s 40-man spot to make a Rule 5 pick of their own, or to sign a free agent without having to DFA someone else. And if they thought they had a good enough chance at the second Wild Card that was worth shooting for they would have not traded Yu Darvish in the first place.
That’s the thing not every team is inclined to make a rule 5 pick. I have a feeling they have a greater grasp of their MiLB system.
You’re essentially likening this to a team that’s in year one or two of a rebuild. They weren’t playing good baseball at the deadline, and they had been pretty much out of the race. But as we’ve seen in this race opportunities change as does no other team taking a firm grasp of the final spot. Whether or not they are in it now that’s up to personal interpretation. My point still is not every player, in their view, might be worth keeping. There are 40 man roster holders that you can easily make an argument are easily DFAd if a need arises. There’s absolutely no downside to promoting him. You have an opportunity to get his feet wet and introduce him to a major league race. 2 games back isn’t an insurmountable feat.
There’s no upside to promoting him. It’s not going to make him play any better next year (and I do think he would break camp with the Rangers next year even if he had been a bon-roster invitee). The downside is that 40-man spots are valuable during the offseason without the 60-day DL being a thing and they just used one up before they had to for really no reason. It’s not just about the Rule 5 draft. Major League free agent signings require 40-man roster spots as well.
If they felt that 2 games back was worth chasing they wouldn’t have traded Darvish in the first place. That is not a guy you trade if you are trying to win a championship.
It’s over if they don’t call him up. Why would the Rangers tell their fans they are giving up and have empty stands the rest of the season? Since they are in the wild card race, your reasoning is flawed.
It’s over regardless of whether or not they call him up Einstein! If it wasn’t, they wouldn’t have traded Darvish in the first place. You don’t trade your #1 starter if you have any intention of contending that year!
Not 100% true. They played the hand they were dealt because the possibility of Darvish leaving in the off-season with nothing in return for Texas was too high. They knew then they had a chance at the 2nd WC, maybe not the best chance of the teams playing for it, but still in the hunt even without Darvish.
It doesn’t matter if Darvish was going to leave after the season! The Cubs know that Jake Arrieta is going to leave after this season. Don’t see them trading him. You know why? Because they are trying to win a championship this year and that championship is more likely with Arrieta on the team. If the Rangers actually intended on winning anything this year they would have made their team stronger, not weaker by trading away their #1 starter and the guy who probably would have gotten the ball for them in the Wild Card game if it came to that! A championship is more valuable than any prospect and the Rangers were much better situated to win a championship this year with Darvish around. Trading him WAS punting on this season and anyone who says differently is simply in denial.
We had no chance this year anyway. Sure, it’s a punt; but it was a 4th and 12 to go punt.
So you admit that the Rangers weren’t going to win this year? That being the case, trading for pending free agent Miguel Gonzalez and bringing up Willie Calhoun (who was not Rule 5 eligible this winter) both make absolutely no sense.
They are still trying to win a Wild Card spot. Both moves make sense.
Tiquan Forbes (whom they traded for Gonzalez) Is a fringe prospect at best and gives them a upgrade over Nick Martinez in the rotation for the rest of the season. Willie Calhoun is an upgrade over Ryan Rua in LF for the rest of the season.
No, trading Yu Darvish (their #1 starter and the guy who probably would have gotten the ball for them in the Wild Card game if it came to that) makes ZERO sense for the Rangers if they are trying to win a wild card spot. Who does that? Certainly not a team that is trying to contend which the Rangers are not part of that consortium.
Westcoastryan blah blah blah. Take your negative attitude and go back to bed. Rangers are only two back and calling up Calhoun could provide some offense to help get them in position to get the second wild card. You must be an Angels troller scared of the Rangers making a move to pass your club.
Ignore this guy..perhaps he’s a A’s or Padres fan anyway.
the reality is Darvish wasn’t pitching all that well for Texas and after a great first game with LA, Yu has been been mediocre or horrible. His FA value is dropping and if he doesn’t improve, I don’t see anyone giving up big money for him. Texas decided to get something for Yu while they still could. Same for Jonathan Lucroy, who just wasn’t that good this season and Chorinos has been better. They’re still in the wild card race, no better no worse than without those two and maybe the prospects will pan out. But they saved millions by unloading both.
To have that prominent of a player on your team, as Darvish was, and a farm system as depleted as it is from trades in years past, you simply can’t just let him walk for nothing in return. I don’t see that as throwing in the towel. Are there chances worse to win it without him? Of course. But they aren’t just giving up because he’s gone.
Hey, as an A’s fan, don’t soil us by trading us WestCoastRyan. We already have a boatload of useless folks. He’s probably a Dodger troll.
You realize that there was a trade deadline right? They had to make a decision and they traded Darvish. They were under .500 and it looked hopeless. Now they’re in the thick of the WC race. Stop being so negative. Everything they’ve done makes sense
And how has Darvish done for the Dodgers? Maybe the Rangers FO knows a little bit more about baseball than you do. Just maybe.
The division was lost to Houston long before the Darvish trade and with so many teams in the hunt for a WC spot they took the unpopular route and traded a star. Big deal. At least they were being realistic
It’s not hard to understand. The team started playing better after the Darvish trade. So the Rangers traded for a cheap rotation upgrade that cost next to nothing. Now we have a few injuries (Beltre, Gomez, Napoli) and needed to call someone up.
Ok if that’s the case why the fxxk would they trade Yu Darvish!?!?!?!?
Such stupid logic. Why aren’t the Cubs getting something for Arrieta while they still can? The answer: because they are trying to win a championship this year and Arrieta makes it more likely. It’s the same way with Darvish. If the Rangers were serious about winning this year they would have kept him.
Sure you can let him walk for nothing in return. The Cubs have a depleted farm system and are letting Jake Arrieta walk after this season for no return. Why? Because a championship (which is more likely with Arrieta around) has more value than ANY prospect. And it’s the same way with Darvish. You admit that the Rangers’ chances of winning a championship are worse without him. If you are trying to contend this year you make your chances better this year, not worse!
Yes and by making that decision they were punting on this season.
So how come they are going for that Wild Card spot now? If they really wanted it they needed Darvish. It’s just like the A’s trading Yoenis Cespedes 3 years ago.
How do you know the Cubs won’t resign Arrieta?
How do you know the Rangers won’t re-sign Darvish?
Either way, it doesn’t matter. Trading a guy doesn’t bar you from signing him. So by your logic the Cubs should have traded Arrieta then re-signed him like the Yankees did with Aroldis Chapman last year.
If they were actually trying to win a Wild Card spot they never would have traded Darvish in the first place. End of story!
Ignore the trolls brother and they will go away. Anyone can be an armchair GM because they always seem to know more than the professionals that run the pro sports teams. Good luck to you.
Ignore these guys brother, and they will go away.
I ain’t going nowhere so settle in.
You can have a stadium full of fans through false hopes and empty promises. Just ask Pirates fans.
Season is over? Rangers are 2 games back
Traded Darvish. That’s why their season is over
Hey Mr. West coast.You need to be a general manager somewhere because you seem to know more than the professionals. You need to give it a try.
@PK If you were a GM and you had any intention of making the playoffs this year, would you trade your #1 starter? If you say yes, you are an idiot. If you say no, you just admitted that I am right.
Hey The. Did it ever occur to you that maybe the owner had a little bit to say in terms of this trade? It is exceedingly rare that the GM has the final say on trades, contracts and any other front office decisions that are made. In reality, none of us will ever know what is decided when it comes to Professional sports. These guys go to college now days to study sports management. and everything that goes along with it.
If you were a GM (or wboever ultimately calls the shots) and you had any intention of making the playoffs this year, would you trade your #1 starter? If you say yes, you are an idiot. If you say no, you just admitted that I am right.
I am not a GM,owner or work in a front office,so I can not say.I do not know,just like anyone else on here all of the facts that went into this decision. Stupid move? Maybe. But we only know very little about why they did what they did. We will never know,even a little bit, of why this happened. So, I, nor you or anyone else on here are experts in sports management. We should be happy because baseball is the best sport in the world and we do not need to call anyone dumb, stupid or anything else We need more respect than is shown on here. Yeah, we do not agree about everything that is done in baseball but who are we to think that we know more than the professionals even though we do not know all of the facts that go into any decision.
Trading Darvish WAS punting on the season. He’s not the type of guy you trade if you are trying to win a championship.
Willie Calhoun is going to be good but that trade was clearly a “win later” move for the Rangers. Not the type of move a contender makes.
Whoever said the owners or a GM were the smartest people on Earth. I do know that everything is done for a reason. Obviously we do not know all of the facts considered within this move and only the people that were involved can answer these questions. But I do know that neither me nor anyone else on here will ever here the entire reason for this move. It is fun to try to figure this out even though we will never know the whole story.. Just the people involved will ever know. So why belittle someone over their opinion? Some people just do not have a clue but does that give us the right to criticize them for that? It has always been more fun to debate the facts rather than argue and call people names.The bottom line? No one outside of a professional sports front office will ever know the whole story. Good luck to you brother, the West Coast Ryan.
West Coast, maybe the Texas organization knows something that we just do not know, nor will ever know.
Opinion? It is a FACT that contenders don’t trade Major League contributors! Smart ones anyway. I still don’t know how Billy Beane has a job after trading Yoenis Cespedes in the middle of a playoff race.
But Yu WASN’T contributing! He was awful in the month of July and except for his first two starts for LA, he’s been lousy for the Dodgers. Had Yu been pitching well, he would still be in DFW.
I don’t use Twitter but does this mean that whoever found this out actually has to follow Calhouns GF to see if she is talking about him? Kinda weird if that is the case.
Well it’s really not that uncommon for news of call ups to first come thru social media of family and friends these days
I don’t use Twitter, but isn’t the idea of social media hashtags that you can see/find posts on topics of interest to you without having to follow every possible account that may discuss the topic?
Willie Calhoun is another Bob Hamelin in the making. Calhoun is an abysmal fielder, as bad if not worse than “future HOFer” Rafael Devers
Calhoun may be better than Hamelin, but I’d be surprised if he is ever significantly more productive than onetime Dodger-without-a-position Delmon Young.
Why don’t we give the kid a chance before you say he can’t do this or that.
Why all the negativity?
Because they’re Dodgers fans.
I don’t know if he’s going to be a stud or a dud. Neither do you. Neither do the Rangers or Dodgers. until he proves himself to be one or the other.
Nicely stated was for Lance.
Nicely stated sir!
Calhoun is an interesting case. Saw him during the 2014 college season when he played for the Arizona Wildcats under HOF coach Andy Lopez.
He’s been a good hitter for a freshman (.247/.345/.301 in 146 AB) but had to leave the program after his first year due to academic and disciplinary issues. Went the junior college route and really exploded in his one year at Yavapai College (.432/.520/.952 in 227 AB). While Calhoun never looked like a 4th rounder at Pac-12 Arizona, he really made a case for himself at the lower level.
It’ll be interesting to see how the does against MLB pitching. Him being a defensive liability was the major factor holding him down in the Minors over the past years.
It’s been quite a journey for Calhoun but I hope he bears down and does well.
several assumptions. 1. That Darvish was the Rangers #1 starter. ( Cole Hamels probably was. Cole has a much better record). 2. Darvish is a guy Texas wanted to keep in the first place. The simply fact is Yu has not pitched like a #1 starter. He can look great at times and at other times, just doesn’t have it. He’s not consistent and he’s looking to get a salary like Price. Personally, I don’t think he’s worth it. Get something for him now. Tell me the Dodgers are better off with Yu right now? I would pay him only as a #3 right now. Since TJ, Yu is 15-17 with an ERA around 4. Yes, he gets a lot of strikeouts but his pitch count is always pretty high. I don’t know if Calhoun will become anything but at least next spring, Texas will have something to show for the deal.
Get that “much better record” the fxxk out of here Lance! Pitcher wins and losses are irrelevant! It almost made me tempted to not read the rest of your comment but I did anyway.
It doesn’t matter if the Rangers don’t think he’s worth the salary he’s going to get this offseason. They still controlled him for this season and he made a championship much more likely this season. By your logic the Cubs should have traded Jake Arrieta because they know he’s going to leave so they might as well get something for him now. But do you see them doing that? No. You know why? Cuz they wanna win a championship. If the Rangers are serious about winning a championship this year there was no excuse for trading Darvish. Obviously the trade sets them up much better for the fufure but if they were actually contending it wouldn’t matter because a championship is worth more than any prospect. If they had kept Darvish then maybe, just maybe, that championship would be what they had to show for the deal (or lack thereof) next Spring.
Dang dude! You are going overboard. All you are doing is repeating the same thing over and over. Calling everyone an idiot that does agree with you is classy. I thought site was supposed to prune comments like yours? Time to give this site the 2 stars it deserves.
“All you are doing is repeating the same thing over and over”
So is everyone else. Those are my responses to their comments.
He just wasn’t pitching that well then…or now. ISN’T THAT OBVIOUS? Darvish is not the star you think he is. The Rangers got something while the getting was good. If they thought Yu could pitch them to the playoffs, he would still be on the Rangers. If he were 6-0 for LA right now, you might have something. But all the Dodgers have right now is a guy with a losing record on a winning team and a 5.34 ERA. Don’t tell me W-L records don’t mean anything. Yes….there are some seasonal exceptions but it’s no accident the guys with the great W-L records are in the Hall of Fame. No starting pitcher is in cooperstown with a losing record.
W/L records mean jack SQUAT and no one with a fully developed brain will disagree with that assessment. If Darvish were 6-0 for LA right now all it would tell me is he got a lot of run support. The guys in the Hall all played for good teams, hence getting good run support, hence the good W/L records. The voting process is completely archaic and dependent on more than just performance. If you had only included Darvish’s ERA then you might actually have an argument but mentioning wins and losses completely ruins it for you. And I still don’t think the Rangers would have traded him if they were serious about winning this year.
ERA doesn’t always mean anything either because a pitcher will pitch differently with a large lead as opposed to being in a close, low scoring game. The guys in the HOF are there because THEY PITCHED GREAT! Their teams won because they kept them in games and gave them a chance to win every 4th or 5th day. Take away Yu’s first two starts with LA, his last five outings have been LOUSY. His ERA is close to 8.. His WHIP is over 1.5 for LA. HE’S NOT PITCHING WELL and the Dodgers lost because of his lousy pitching. Had he pitched well for Texas he would still be there! But he wasn’t pitching well. For the month of July, Yu was 0-3 with a 7.20 ERA. Why keep him when he’s going to be a FA and you can get a decent prospect for him? Maybe had he been 3-0, the Rangers would be a lot better and he would still be in DFW. I don’t blame Yu for Texas being mediocre….their bullpen is HORRIBLE. But Yu is NOT the ace you seem to think he is. He’s got a losing record because of Darvish’s poor pitching. He’s a tease……he has some amazing stuff—thus, all the K’s. But he seems to lose focus or get rattled and is prone to teams having a big inning. It’s not an accident.
No they will not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If a pitcher has a low ERA it means he pitched well, plain and simple. I can’t believe you would say wins and losses matter and ERA doesn’t! What a dumb bunny hahahahaha!
The guys in the HOF are there because they played for good teams. Most of them did play well but there were better players in the game at the same time who didn’t make the Hall because they played for worse teams. The voting process is very archaic. Mariano Rivera will likely get in before Hoffman, for example.
“Kept his team in the game” is relative. If you pitch for the 2016 Red Sox allowing 5 runs is keeping your team in the game while if you pitch for the 2014 Padres, allowing one run is not keeping your team in the game, but you don’t need me to tell you which one is better.
“Why keep him when he’s going to be a FA and you can get a decent prospect for him?” For the same reason the Cubs kept Jake Arrieta, because they are trying to win a championship and Arrieta makes it more likely. Same thing with Darvish.
There are tons of reasons why a pitcher can have a bad record. Pitching poorly is one. Having no run support is another. Darvish hasn’t been pitching well this year so he would fall under the former. See 2015 Shelby Miller for an example of the latter case. Wins are an effect of both the pitcher’s performance and the offense’s performance, not the cause of either. No one with half a brain looks at a pitcher’s record and judges them based on that.
You keep coming back and getting smacked back down with facts Lance. That’s three arguments you’ve failed at so far and more to come from you in the future I am sure.
WestCoastGuy….so you admit Darvish hasn’t pitched well this year. SO WHY KEEP HIM if he’s not pitching well and you can get something for him before he becomes a FA? Yes, he pitched great last night but that is Yu Darvish in a nutshell. He can wow you one night and just be mediocre or lousy the next three starts. Texas is no worse without him and judging by his performance in LA, they wouldn’t be any better than they are right now in the standings. But at least they have something for him in the future.
And let’s investigate Shelby’s 2015 season. In late June, he was 5-3 with an ERA under 2. From the last week of June till the end of the season, he was 1-14 with an ERA over 4! Are you telling me that 1-14 record was because of only poor run support or was it because he wasn’t pitching very well? The Braves were so impressed with that pitching performance, they traded Shelby the next year in a trade that so far has been good and could be great for ATA and horrible for the DBacks.
Wins count more to me than stats. I’ll be glad to take Bill Russell over any other center in NBA history because he has more rings than fingers. Michael Jordan wowed everyone with his stats but he’s more remembered for his championships. Without those rings, Jordan is just Dominique Wilkins. And I’ll also go for Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana and Tom Brady over Fran Tarkington, Dan Fouts and Dan Marino. Why? W’s.
How many times did your mom drop you on the head? You keep Darvish because of his TRACK RECORD! Do you really think he’s going to continue pitching like this? Cuz I don’t.
You just proved my point with Shelby Miller. If his ERA is under two through the first half of the season he should have zero losses if the offense is upholding their end of the bargain. He had a 3.84 ERA from the start of July until the end of the season. So while that is definitely a step back from his early season pace, that’s still pretty solid for a guy who pitches 200 innings and certainly deserving of more than just 1 win in that span. Yes, that is EXACTLY what I am telling you. It was all because of poor run support. The Braves traded him because the D’Backs colossally overpaid. Why would they do that if they cared about wins and losses? Answer: they don’t. No GM does. That same season, Colby Lewis had a 4.66 ERA but went 17-9 because the Rangers’ offense was so good that year. Are you seriously saying that Lewis had a better year than Miller that year? If you say yes, that tells me all I need to know. You just don’t understand and that’s ok. But I can assure you that no one here will take you seriously if you cite wins and losses as part of your argument that a given pitcher is good or bad.
Jordan has the fourth most points of any NBA player ever and of the 3 guys above him only one played the same position as him. Players on good teams naturally get more attention but that doesn’t make them better players. Jordan’s level of play is determined by how he performs, not how the other 4 guys on the court perform. Jabbar was easily a better center than Russell and if the Celtics had Jabbar instead they probably would have won even more championships. Bradshaw, Montana and Brady all also have stats that indicate they are the best at what they do, especially when it matters most so once again you prove my point. If you seriously think that the best way to build a team is by wins then you are an idiot. Every good team has at least one bad player. Every bad team has at least one good player. It happens.
Ok…..we’re just going to have to agree to disagree on this trade. Darvish’s track record is NOT good this year but if you think the Rangers made a bad deal fine. I don ‘t agree since Texas’s record this year is better since Yu was traded, but not by much. Plus, Yu has not made the Dodgers better.
But Colby Lewis is an interesting case in 2015 in my point about ERA not being that important. Colby made 32 starts and in 10 of those games, he was BAD or AWFUL. Bannister left him out there to take a pounding because he needed innings. In those 10 games, Lewis was 1-6 with 3 no decisions and an ERA of 9.. So good offense only helped him in one of those games. In the other 22 starts, Lewis was 16-3 with an ERA around 2.5. Texas was 17-16 when Lewis pitched but in several games, the bullpen blew it. Lewis did his job well and remember, he was the Rangers 4th or 5th starter that year. Forget the 4.66 ERA. if he’s being left out there in blowouts. In two of his three starts, Colby pitched very well and again, for a 4-5 starter, you can’t ask for more, can you?
No, I meant Darvish’s overall track record with the Rangers. This is a down year for him. It happens. You still don’t trade players like him when you are trying to contend.
Do you really want a starter who COMPLETELY lets the game get away from him a third of the time? Cuz I don’t. It doesn’t matter how Banister used him, he still pitched poorly in those starts. Yes, he was a fifth starter for the Rangers that year and pitched just like one. No I will not forget the ERA because it accurately reflects his season, which just wasn’t that good. You should try to cite wins and losses to argue your point on a thread that more than two people are commenting on. I promise you it won’t go well for you.
but it’s not just ONE down year for Yu. He hasn’t pitched like an ace for a long time. Injuries knocked him down for three years. He’s not David Price.. You DO trade him if he’s not helping you and someone is willing to give you a good price for a 30 year old pitcher who becomes a FA and is someone YOU don’t think can help you. The Rangers made this judgement. I agree with that judgement. You don’t. That’s fine…that’s what makes baseball a great talking sport!
Do I want a #5 starter who can win 17 games and pitch well 2 out of 3 times, give me 200 innings? YES! EVERY YEAR! And YOU brought up Colby, not me. But I would be glad to debate my point about ERA being misleading all the time. Bob Gibson was a great pitcher but he had one fluke season when he had the 1.12 ERA and I saw him pitch most of those games….remarkable Of course, that was 68, the year of the pitcher when the ERA in both leagues was under 3. Gibby was never under 2 in any other season and finished with a 2.91.
Prime examples are relief pitchers. Suppose they pitch in 9 games. in 8 of those games, they get saves and don’t give up a run. But in that 9th game, they give up 4 runs. Their ERA is 4. Are you willing to accept a relief pitcher that is good 8 out of 9 times? I can give you 120 relief pitchers in MLB history that had at least 20 saves and an ERA of 4.00+. Joe Borowski in 2007 had a 5+ERA and 45 saves for a Cleveland team that won their division. He pitched in 69 games and 47 times he threw scoreless ball. I’m not trying to make Joe out to be Mariano Riviera but he was effective for the Tribe MOST of the time and that’s why Eric Wedge kept handing Joe the ball in the 9th inning for a team that won 96 games. I’m sure he and every other manager in baseball would have liked to hand the ball to Riviera but only Joe Torre could.
Dude, this is the first season that Darvish’s ERA has been north of 3.5. So maybe the only season he put up “ace” numbers was 2013. But easily a #2 starter in most seasons and certainly not a guy you trade if you are trying to contend. By your logic, the Cubs should have traded Jake Arrieta, who is also in the middle of a down year and eligible for free agency after the season. But they didn’t trade him because contenders don’t trade Major League contributors.
Lewis won 17 games in 2015 cuz of run support. Same with RIck Porcello winning 22 last year. Of course you will win more games if you play for a team with a better offense. Wins and losses are clearly the misleading stat, not ERA. And almost any other commenter on this site (and the writers) will say the exact same thing. No pitcher who pitches well over the course of a full season will end up with a bad ERA. I dare you to cite wins and losses on a thread where more than two people are still commenting and see how people react.
You bringing up Bob GIbson proves my point. He was a great pitcher and a first ballot Hall of Famer whose stats indicate he deserves it.
A closer who gets the job done 8 of 9 times probably won’t have an ERA in the 4’s. Bad games tend to inflate a reliever’s ERA over short stretches but over the course of a full season, it all averages out.