The Rangers have decided to bump lefty Drew Smyly to the bullpen, the club informed reporters including Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). A replacement starter has yet to be named.
It’s not surprising to hear this news, as the club strongly hinted a change would be made after another exceedingly rough outing from Smyly, who turns 30 tomorrow. There had been some suggestion that an ankle injury might lead to an injured-list placement, but the Rangers decided instead to slide him into a relief role for the time being.
Smyly has simply been tagged this year. Through 45 innings, he has coughed up 15 home runs and carries a 44:31 K/BB ratio. Opposing hitters are spitting on pitches out of the zone (22.4% chase rate) and destroying those in it (43.1% hard-hit rate). Though Statcast indicates he has been a bit unfortunate (.419 wOBA-against versus .385 xwOBA-against), it’s scant consolation.
This decision hints at the tough questions facing the Rangers, who’ve run out to a 36-30 record that seems tough to sustain. The rotation has received a bit of a boost from Adrian Sampson and Ariel Jurado, but it’s hard to count on either to provide even solid results the rest of the way. Even assuming those two can keep up reasonably useful production, and there aren’t any injuries, there’s a need for at least one additional rotation piece behind Mike Minor and Lance Lynn.
It’s also rough news for Smyly, who had hoped to be in the midst of a return to his prior form at this stage of the season. He missed all of 2017 and 2018 owing to serious elbow problems that resulted in Tommy John surgery. He’ll be a free agent again at season’s end.
Why the endless negativity towards Sampson and Jurado instead of actually hoping they stay good? Why doubt them?
That’s a good question. Jurado is a strong pitchability guy who was effective at virtually every level of the minor leagues despite consistently being very young for his league, and Sampson was basically a poor man’s Jurado in the minors. Just because these guys aren’t big strikeout guys doesn’t mean they can’t get guys out.
This guy writes nothing but pessimistic comments about the Rangers. It would be nice if somebody who was actually an objective writer would take over the Rangers articles.
Do you need ointment? Salve? A thunder blanket?
Wow.
WW ‘Thunder Blanket’.
First year guys usually hit the wall in august.
They were first-year guys last year. Between the majors and minors, Jurado threw 156.1 innings in 2018 and Sampson threw 149.2. These guys are used to a starter’s workload and shouldn’t break down physically.
Wow…..Sampson is 5-0 with a 1.99 era in his last 5 starts and he gets bashing from the article writer, Ariel Jurado held the World Series Champs to three runs and beat them last night and can’t get no joy.
Why all the negative articles surrounding Texas, cause we’re here and not in the cellar ?
Maybe you and Madman should get on Change.Org and make a difference in this world. Get a petition going! Maybe you can put an end to all this openly disgusting Ranger hate. Such bashing!
Or maybe you two can create a safe zone where no Ranger bashing is permitted and its all sunshinw and butterflies.
Ok
I mean the 2 of them have pitched to a 3.45 ERA over 109 1/3 innings this season. Its good for 3.3WAR. That isnt exactly something id say would be described as “hard to count on either to provide even solid results the rest of the way”
I mean Chris Sale and David Price have put up 3.6WAR together this season for comparison.
I could go for sunshine and butterflies…..
I am down!
Expecting them to regress isn’t bashing, it’s realistic. There’s no need to take it personally. Whenever you have to move goalposts like that and use small sample sizes you must know that.
Expecting regression is one thing. I think even most Rangers fans would agree that Jurado and Sampson aren’t likely to pitch all season the way they have lately.
But saying “it’s hard to count on either to provide even solid results the rest of the way” is another matter entirely and a conclusion that has no empirical evidence to back it. You can predict regression without trashing guys who have been successful starting pitchers at just about every step on their way to the major leagues.
I really hope Jurado and/or Sampson stick. The article does blow them up a little bit even though both have looked good but I suppose i can understand some skepticism. But i mean these guys arent duds who are massively over performing. They both have good track records of success in the upper minors. For those who want the stats for them its really not that bad.
Jurado:: 4.59ERA in AA during 2017 as a 21yr old, but a 5.93ERA in 55innings for TEX last year. Now the positives are he had a 3.28ERA in AA in 2018 over 100innings. In 2019 he’s showed up like he did in the minors. Now his 3.02 ERA might be unsustainable while his FIP is at 4.01, but most would think thats more than acceptable for a 23YR old SP in the MLB.
Sampson: in 2014 he had a 2.96ERA across AA/AAA over 167innings. ended up hurt in early 2016. When he came to the rangers in 2017 once healthy had a 3.45ERA over 8 starts. In 2018 had a 3.77ERA over 127 innings. Now he has a 3.72ERA over 68 innings with a respectable 4.11FIP. Not an allstar but definitely solid for a SP 4/5
Neither of them are gonna light up the world, but it looks more like they need an SP3 to slide in front of them more than they need 3 starters to fill in the rotation. Its one of the primary reasons the rangers are in a wild card spot right now.
Dont get me wrong though, im still all for shopping vets at the deadline. I dont think Minor/Lynn/Jurado/Sampson lead us to a big playoff run and we have some sell high opportunities with Minor and Pence. And to a lesser extent with Lynn, Foresythe, Cabrera, Santana, and Kelley.
TaylorLH…….good valid points and great work on looking up all the stats, I too hope to see our Rangers pitching excel this year and next and believe Sampson and Jurado will contribute greatly. Mine and madman’s point was for the writers to quit being so xhdhcjffjv towards the team, That’s when Cleo popped in with the sexual innuendos of salve and stuff.
cheese with your whine?
Hint: dont like the writing? Dont read it. better yet, dont comment. Maybe you should get your site subscription fee refunded??
I think it’s perfectly fair to point out when you disagree with something written on this site, particularly conclusions based on specious reasoning or presumptions.
Suggesting that Jurado and Sampson can’t be counted on “to provide even solid results the rest of the way” is an intellectually lazy claim. Neither pitcher has a long enough major league track record to draw such a conclusion, and both have performed well enough in the minors to give the Rangers and fans hope that what they’re seeing is real and sustainable.
Are Jurado and Sampson No. 1 starters? Obviously not. Are they even mid-rotation starters at the major league level? Probably not. But there’s little in their pasts to suggest they can’t be effective back-of-the-rotation pitchers, and to paint them as scrubs does both a disservice.
Point out? Absolutely agree.
Whine/complain/play victim? Can pound sand and go elsewhere. And to have inabilty to type anything coherent, like Ranger Fan?
And for the record, I am a fan of Sampson.
Samson and Delilah?
Now if they would just move Odor to AAA…..
This article was interesting because it offered more criticism of the team than usual for a post about a player.
I am fine with analysis. I like it, but I don’t really agree in this place. I’m happy that Texas’ number 2 team is in position to make the playoffs.
I think we all agree that the astros suck and had to actually tank to be worth anything
How about a new way to handle TJ pitchers. Always start them out in the bullpen for at least half a season before expecting them to do well as a starter. Bet Lance Lynn might agree.
Agreed. Tired of being vertical be through TJ pitchers right out there. Their stuff and stamina just aren’t there yet.
Little heavy on the opinions within this article don’t ya think Jeff?
I remember when the Rays traded David Price to the Tigers, and some Rays fans made the pathetic argument that Smyly was actually better than DP. Good times.
I would still take Smyly in the playoffs over Price.
I remember when Price couldn’t make it through the 2nd inning vs the Rangers.