Well, you better be real sure that Davis is horrible before you give the 1B job to Salty, because Salty hasn't hit a damn thing in 240 major league games himself, and he can't even claim to have hit in the minors lately either. Heck, are you sure Salty is a better hitter than MaxRam?

Not familiar with Mitch Moreland, so I can't offer an opinion there.

It seems like Davis' recent improvement in BB/K ratio and contact rates has come at the expense of his power. Both last season and this season his GB rates went up and his ISOP went down after being recalled.

Salty is NOT an option. He's hit like an organizational soldier in AAA the last few months. Moreland, maybe. He has good plate discipline. He's not really starting 1B material. He might be better than Davis has been, but I don't think you count on it during a pennant race and going into the playoffs. I expect the Rangers to make a deal for a 1B veteran, probably a righty.

Why worry? According to the media pundits, adding Cliff Lee makes the Rangers legit World Series contenders.

Why worry? According to the media pundits, adding Cliff Lee makes the Rangers legit World Series contenders.

Hell, damn that media, making outlandish claims that the Lee trade "puts the Rangers in a position where they are on par with the Big 3 from the AL East."

They have to give Davis a shot for now, unless they bring in a veteran (Adam LaRoche comes to mind). I fear the evaluation of Davis is spot-on, though. He looks like Russ Branyan without the walks - i.e., Dallas McPherson.

Guys like Davis are why I'm skeptical of the folks who claim that MLEs are truly meaningful and that a guy who tears up the minors will someday hit in MLB. Who knows, maybe Davis will figure something out someday and have a Carlos Pena-esque renaissance where he's a valuable hitter for a few years, but he sure looks terrible every single time the Rangers give him a shot. The Rangers would probably be better off with the corpse of Mike Lowell at this point.

I still find it ridiculous that Chris Davis basically a .330 hitter with a 1000 OPS in AAA for his career - but that fully describes what he is.  Even with a .354/.403/.555 slash line in AAA.  He’s a mistake hitter, and there are a lot more mistakes at that AAA.

, but he sure looks terrible every single time the Rangers give him a shot. The Rangers would probably be better off with the corpse of Mike Lowell at this point.

He looks like Russ Branyan without the walks - i.e., Dallas McPherson.

He was a MLB caliber hitter in 317 PAs in 2008
He's also 24
McPherson's injury history is scary, does Davis have that?

Ok his plate discipline is abysmal, Frenchiesque so to speak, and it's quite likely that will eat him alive, but he seems to be starting from a higher level (AAA performance anyway) maybe he needs a change in scenery? How about to KV for Alex Gordon?

edit? I meant KC not KV

When it comes to the Rangers, I feel like Joe E Brown at the end of Some Like It Hot: Nobody's perfect. Go with a guy who gives you something. If you have to play the glove man at first, make a virtue of that; encourage him to concentrate on his defense. You have good hitters at SS and 2B, and even your CF is looking up; live with the non-hitter at 1B.

live with the non-hitter at 1B.

define non hitter

2007-2009, 91 players have had 300+ PAs seasons primarily as 1Bs (1 starting 1B per team IOW)

the MEDIAN OPS+ for a "starting" 1B was 122, 2007-09 is pretty typical, the median starting 1B has been around 120 for decades.

A 1B who hits 90 in a bad year and 110 in a good year (let's call him a mancaveitch) is like a SS (median 92) who hits 68 in a bad year and 83 in a good one (let's call him a post-30 Juliolugo)...

You really don't want that guy on your team as anything other than a short term stopgap.
Your 1B can't just be a "league average" hitter- he HAS to be better

You really don't want that guy on your team as anything other than a short term stopgap

Just till late October will be fine :)


À propos of nothing, I just got an e-mail from the Rangers with this subject line:

Relive your trip to Rangers Ballpark in Arlington!

My last trip involved a three-hour rain delay, soggy seats, a $5 watery Sprite, and a blown save by the Ranger bullpen well after midnight. No thanks.

Guys like Davis are why I'm skeptical of the folks who claim that MLEs are truly meaningful and that a guy who tears up the minors will someday hit in MLB. Who knows, maybe Davis will figure something out someday and have a Carlos Pena-esque renaissance where he's a valuable hitter for a few years, but he sure looks terrible every single time the Rangers give him a shot.

The problem with this is that people were saying the exact (I mean, the exact) same thing about Nelson Cruz a couple years ago and now he has a .916 OPS over the past 3 years. I'm sure the Rangers are hoping for a Cruz-like breakout from Davis. Obviously that kind of thing doesn't happen often but they do have a prominent example of a guy who many people thought was a AAAA player on their team.

The problem with this is that people were saying the exact (I mean, the exact) same thing about Nelson Cruz a couple years ago and now he has a .916 OPS over the past 3 years. I'm sure the Rangers are hoping for a Cruz-like breakout from Davis. Obviously that kind of thing doesn't happen often but they do have a prominent example of a guy who many people thought was a AAAA player on their team.

Some truth to this, but part of Cruz's problem was that Texas kept jerking him around and never just gave him a job and the chance to hit. Davis was given every chance in 2009, and while Texas pulled the plug on him earlier this year, he was beyond hopeless while he was up. Sending him to the minors was an act of mercy at that point. Davis might figure it out someday, but how long should a team in contention stick with a 1B who hits like he has the past two seasons?

Salty is NOT an option. He's hit like an organizational soldier in AAA the last few months. Moreland, maybe. He has good plate discipline. He's not really starting 1B material. He might be better than Davis has been, but I don't think you count on it during a pennant race and going into the playoffs. I expect the Rangers to make a deal for a 1B veteran, probably a righty.

Yeah, I hadn't realized Salty was slumping so badly in AAA after his good start. He's not an option. But Davis isn't either.


The problem with this is that people were saying the exact (I mean, the exact) same thing about Nelson Cruz a couple years ago and now he has a .916 OPS over the past 3 years. I'm sure the Rangers are hoping for a Cruz-like breakout from Davis. Obviously that kind of thing doesn't happen often but they do have a prominent example of a guy who many people thought was a AAAA player on their team.


That's true. But Davis was going to absolutely shatter the strikeout rate last year if he wasn't sent down. He isn't striking out as much now (though he's still above 25% of PAs, which is too high) but it's still higher than Cruz's was and his ISO hasn't stayed nearly as high. His swing is just too long - I don't think it's unreasonable that he just can't beat advanced scouting - pitchers know his weaknesses and MLB pitchers are generally capable of taking advantage of it. This may explain why he was good to start with.

He seems a lot like Carlos Peña to me. Peña really struggled to post an OPS+ over 110 or so until he started controlling the strike zone better. You can succeed without the contact ability to hit more than fat pitches, but you need to learn to lay off the pitches that you can't hit.

To add to 15, obviously his current struggles in the majors are worse than what Peña went through, but it was the same basic issue and he was the same type of hitter.

Joe:

At minimum Nelson was going to be a good platoon player. Toss in the defense and he was a solid 4th outfielder. And then he held his own against righties.