Baseball Prospectus 1996
The 1995 season was devoted to a complete changing of the guard, as GM Bob Melvin and Manager Johnny Oates were brought aboard to make a clean sweep of the setbacks and disappointments of the Tom Grieve regime. Sadly, the new management team showed commitment to really shaking things up, which in their minds meant getting rid of Jose Canseco. Jose will always be a permanent lightning rod for any team's discontent because of the heightened expectations he brings with him, both for teams and fans. Otis Nixon and Luis Ortiz may have some virtues, but if the difference between a year of Nixon and a year of Canseco is Luis Ortiz in Bob Melvin's mind, other teams would do well to start cloning mediocre thirdbase prospects before calling the Rangers. Other decisive transactions to impress the media included drowning the consistently average Kevin Gross in cash, and signing waiver-wire fodder Mark McLemore to more money than he'd made in his entire well-travelled career.
But these moves, for whatever headline value they may have had, were less than auspicious. After riding out the strike, the Melvin-Oates combo really swung into gear with the return of the players. They landed one of the biggest fish in the buyers' market that created the Homestead Homies by signing slugger Mickey Tettleton. And they began to import just about anyone who had an affiliation with the Orioles in the last ten years who wasn't already under contract: Tim Hulett, Mike Pagliarulo, Jack Voigt, Craig Worthington, Sam Horn, Rick Schu, even Marty Brown, long gone to the Japanese Leagues. Ken Gerhart, Floyd Rayford, and Jim Traber probably couldn't be coaxed out of retirement. On the one hand, this was obvious favoritism. On the other, it revealed an organization with serious talent problems, because it wasn't very hard to use all of these Baltimore retreads. Oklahoma City was stocked with players who haven't been called prospects since the Reagan administration, and the pitchers were even worse. Tulsa, although gladly short of Orioles, still had the occasional Mexican League veteran to make up for the absence of any talent on its way up from A-ball. Even with all of these veterans, no Rangers minor leaguer hit more than 16 homeruns or drew 70 walks, and only two players hit over .300 on any of the full-season teams. The farm system is a disaster, easily the worst, since not even the veterans are any good.
So behind the major league team, there's almost nothing. The Rangers have to hope Juan Gonzalez or Dean Palmer are healthy, because if they aren't, the team will turn to Jack Voigt or Craig Worthington. Why did the team get Luis Ortiz if they didn't think he could play if Palmer went down? The answer is that Oates has always been reluctant to play rookies, because he always thinks he's just one cagey veteran from getting back in the race. Without a farm system worth anything, the Rangers are in the particularly unfortunate situation where they keep trading down, lowering their talent level: Canseco to Nixon to... Darryl Hamilton? Pagliarulo instead of Ortiz? Jeff Frye to Mark McLemore? Kenny Rogers to Kenny Hill? None of this is improvement. With no margin for error, the Rangers have taken some expensive risks on a collection of players on the downslope of their careers. So if Gonzalez and Palmer aren't back, or if something happens to Ivan Rodriguez, things look extremely bad for the future.
THE FRONT OFFICE: Bob Melvin likes to spend money, but he's got a bad habit of throwing good money after bad. Kevin Gross, then Ken Hill, for scads of cash? Those pickups might have been good news a few years ago. Anyone who really thinks Otis Nixon's speed adds up to enough to replace the best DH in the league has to be wondered about.
THE MANAGER: Johnny Oates has a well-earned reputation for screwing up his lineup cards. He doesn't seem to understand how much his teams lose on offense to their opponents when someone like Mark McLemore is playing the outfield. Although he has a reputation for being a canny handler of pitchers, he's screwed several guys up, like Arthur Rhodes and now Darren Oliver. He was convinced he could correct Roger Pavlik's delivery, and took two months to learn he was wrong.
ESTEBAN BELTRE IF 1968 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 DEN 78 12 1 2 0 7 3 1 .154 .224 .218 .143 11 3 1991 VAN 343 81 7 2 1 16 7 5 .236 .270 .277 .191 66 21 1992 VAN 160 39 3 1 1 5 3 3 .244 .267 .294 .194 31 10 1992 CWS 111 23 3 0 1 3 1 0 .207 .228 .261 .162 18 5 1993 NAS 485 135 16 2 6 30 21 6 .278 .320 .357 .247 120 54 1994 TEX 130 38 2 0 0 14 3 6 .292 .361 .308 .234 30 13 1995 TEX 92 21 6 0 0 2 0 0 .228 .245 .293 .183 17 5Signed by Boston for '96, Esteban's only real strength is a great throwing arm.
DEAN BORRELLI C 1967 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 HUN 189 34 4 1 0 11 1 1 .180 .225 .212 .127 24 4 1992 HUN 243 46 3 0 1 23 3 2 .189 .259 .214 .154 37 9 1993 TAC 206 42 4 1 1 14 1 0 .204 .255 .248 .168 35 9 1994 TAC 359 87 6 1 3 26 0 1 .242 .294 .290 .204 73 26 1995 OKL 185 35 7 1 1 16 0 1 .189 .254 .254 .166 31 9Enjoyed his career year in Tacoma in '94, and "cashed in" as a minor league free agent. Hey, not everyone can grow up to be Ned Yost.
MARTY BROWN 3B 1963 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CSP 381 94 12 1 11 37 3 5 .247 .313 .370 .238 91 40 1995 OKL 101 17 4 0 2 7 0 0 .168 .222 .267 .156 16 4After three years in Japan, unsuccessfully tried to come back to the states.
JOHN BYINGTON 3B-1B-2B 1968 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 ELP 492 110 14 1 7 12 2 2 .224 .242 .299 .184 91 28 1992 ELP 467 125 27 2 4 29 5 5 .268 .310 .360 .236 110 47 1993 NWO 436 121 21 2 9 33 4 2 .278 .328 .397 .256 112 53 1994 NWO 505 155 22 2 8 32 8 2 .307 .348 .406 .270 136 66 1995 NWO 47 11 0 0 1 2 1 0 .234 .265 .298 .201 9 3 1995 OKL 388 93 9 1 2 19 6 2 .240 .275 .284 .197 77 26Mighty mite picked up from the Brewers, who already have thirdbasemen without power in spades.
TONY CHANCE OF 1965 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 ROC 354 83 9 2 12 30 4 2 .234 .294 .373 .234 83 36 1992 IOW 433 112 15 1 9 30 5 2 .259 .307 .360 .237 102 44 1993 IOW 292 79 15 1 12 35 7 5 .271 .349 .452 .276 81 44 1995 OKL 195 39 7 0 2 15 1 1 .200 .257 .267 .176 34 10
FRANK CHARLES 1B 1969 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 EVE 239 57 4 1 5 9 0 1 .238 .266 .326 .205 49 17 1992 SJO 285 69 8 1 1 1 2 2 .242 .245 .288 .182 52 15 1994 PCH 259 65 12 1 3 12 2 2 .251 .284 .340 .219 57 22 1995 TUL 477 110 16 1 10 16 1 0 .231 .256 .331 .204 97 34
WILL CLARK 1B 1964 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SFG 584 196 32 6 34 52 4 2 .336 .390 .586 .327 191 120 1992 SFG 527 175 33 2 23 78 13 7 .332 .418 .533 .325 171 108 1993 SFG 498 148 25 2 13 63 2 2 .297 .376 .434 .285 142 76 1994 TEX 384 130 19 2 10 65 6 1 .339 .434 .477 .323 124 75 1995 TEX 443 133 22 3 13 62 0 1 .300 .386 .451 .293 130 72 1996 PRJ 515 159 27 2 17 68 3 2 .309 .389 .468 .300 154 88Over ten years ago, Bill James wrote about a new generation of firstbasemen, and called the "new McCoveys." He mentioned Greg Walker, Kent Hrbek, and a few others. What would we call Wally Joyner or Will Clark or Mark Grace? The new Hernandezzes, or the new Hargroves?
MIKE COOLBAUGH 3B-1B-2B 1972 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 STC 260 44 5 1 2 7 2 2 .169 .191 .219 .105 27 4 1992 STC 50 10 0 1 0 2 0 1 .200 .231 .240 .142 7 2 1993 HAG 394 78 7 1 10 19 2 2 .198 .235 .297 .178 70 21 1994 DUN 455 107 18 1 15 22 3 2 .235 .270 .378 .225 103 42 1995 KNX 496 101 17 2 7 31 7 7 .204 .250 .288 .183 91 29Reasonably good defender, and given the lack of a better thirdbaseman in AA or above in the Rangers chain, Coolbaugh has a good chance of winning the Oklahoma City hot corner to himself. Snatched from Toronto in the AAA portion of the Rule V draft, so he doesn't have to be returned.
BRUCE DOSTAL OF 1965 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 REA 364 99 8 3 5 42 22 10 .272 .347 .352 .254 92 45 1992 REA 124 27 1 1 2 14 7 3 .218 .297 .290 .214 27 11 1992 SWB 169 33 4 0 1 40 9 3 .195 .349 .237 .221 37 16 1993 ROC 296 79 7 2 3 35 12 5 .267 .344 .334 .247 73 34 1994 ROC 230 60 5 1 1 40 7 2 .261 .370 .304 .250 58 27 1995 OKL 293 58 11 4 3 28 13 3 .198 .268 .294 .203 59 22
KEVIN ELSTER SS/Stiff 1965 1991 NYM 353 90 18 2 6 40 2 2 265 .247 40 .255 .331 .368 1993 SAN 40 11 0 1 0 3 0 0 29 .233 4 .275 .326 .325 1994 ABY 138 31 4 0 2 17 1 0 107 .216 12 .225 .310 .297 1995 OMA 42 9 3 0 0 4 0 0 33 .197 3 .214 .283 .286 1995 PHI 53 11 3 1 1 6 0 0 42 .224 5 .208 .288 .358Elster's still parlaying his cachet of having been a Mets "prospect" into the occassional major league appearance. He was an overrated defender, and he still can't hit much. The Phillies kept him on the roster after Fregosi saw that Stocker had to be pinch-hit for or erased in double-switches, and he needed a back up shortstop who could field better than Mariano Duncan. Elster will probably make the Texas team as the veteran caddy at short in case Gil doesn't snap out of his second-half slump.
OSMANI ESTRADA 3B-SS 1969 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 ERI 227 41 4 0 2 10 1 3 .181 .215 .225 .125 28 5 1994 PCH 514 125 22 2 6 47 7 6 .243 .307 .329 .224 115 47 1995 TUL 409 98 15 2 3 27 0 1 .240 .287 .308 .208 85 31
RIKKERT FANEYTE CF 1969 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CLN 398 86 6 3 6 40 10 6 .216 .288 .291 .204 81 30 1992 SJO 343 75 6 1 7 51 9 4 .219 .320 .303 .224 77 32 1993 PHX 409 105 10 1 8 31 11 6 .257 .309 .345 .233 95 41 1994 PHX 350 100 10 3 4 24 14 5 .286 .332 .366 .253 88 41 1995 PHX 131 30 5 1 1 13 3 4 .229 .299 .305 .209 27 11 1995 SFG 87 19 3 1 0 10 1 0 .218 .299 .276 .205 18 6Acquired for future considerations, his pickup is essentially the kiss of death for the Rangers' prospects of yesteryear, Terrell Lowery and Donald Harris, and any chance they may have had to get a spot on the Rangers' bench in '96.
ERIC FOX OF 1964 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 TAC 515 122 18 4 4 44 14 8 .237 .297 .311 .216 111 44 1992 HUN 246 65 12 2 4 23 13 3 .264 .327 .378 .256 63 31 1992 TAC 121 23 2 1 1 13 4 0 .190 .269 .248 .185 22 7 1992 OAK 144 36 4 2 4 13 4 4 .250 .312 .389 .243 35 16 1993 TAC 308 83 8 1 9 33 14 6 .269 .340 .390 .261 80 40 1993 OAK 56 9 0 0 1 2 0 2 .161 .190 .214 .078 4 0 1994 TAC 185 51 9 1 2 16 7 2 .276 .333 .368 .254 47 22 1994 OAK 44 9 2 0 1 3 2 0 .205 .255 .318 .210 9 4 1995 OKL 347 91 15 3 5 29 7 5 .262 .319 .366 .242 84 38That's right, Eric Fox was the top outfielder for Oklahoma City. Is it any surprise they finished last? Fox earned never-ending fame for his baserunning blunders in the '92 ALCS.
LOU FRAZIER LF 1965 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 LON 443 91 8 3 3 57 24 10 .205 .296 .257 .202 89 33 1992 LON 483 104 11 3 1 80 40 15 .215 .327 .257 .221 107 45 1993 MON 190 55 5 1 1 16 18 2 .289 .345 .342 .264 50 24 1994 MON 139 37 1 1 0 18 22 4 .266 .350 .288 .257 36 18 1995 OTT 111 23 2 0 1 12 8 1 .207 .285 .252 .204 23 8 1995 MON 63 12 2 0 0 8 4 0 .190 .282 .222 .191 12 4 1995 TEX 98 20 0 0 0 6 11 1 .204 .250 .204 .182 18 6Montreal suddenly got tired of him, and he wasn't expensive. I'd take that as a bad sign. Nevertheless, Frazier's a fine fifth outfielder and pinch-runner.
HANLEY FRIAS SS 1974 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 CSC 482 89 10 1 4 25 13 7 .185 .225 .234 .149 72 17 1994 HDS 446 88 9 3 2 28 21 7 .197 .245 .244 .172 77 22 1995 PCH 124 37 4 2 1 11 6 4 .298 .356 .387 .264 33 16 1995 TUL 359 88 11 2 1 37 14 7 .245 .316 .295 .222 80 32Although he hasn't gotten any mention as a prospect, Frias is one of the few young players the Ranger have above A-ball. He didn't seem to embarrass himself as a shortstop, and he's a switch-hitter with some patience and some speed.
JEFF FRYE 2B 1967 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 TUL 496 127 20 6 4 50 10 5 .256 .324 .345 .239 119 52 1992 OKL 334 93 19 2 1 46 11 7 .278 .366 .356 .260 87 43 1992 TEX 201 56 10 1 1 15 1 3 .279 .329 .353 .240 48 21 1994 OKL 68 19 1 0 1 6 2 0 .279 .338 .338 .249 17 8 1994 TEX 203 68 10 3 1 26 8 1 .335 .410 .429 .305 62 35 1995 TEX 309 87 10 2 3 19 4 4 .282 .323 .356 .241 74 32 1996 PRJ 308 85 11 1 4 38 5 4 .276 .355 .357 .255 79 37When Juan Gonzalez came back, the team had the choice of returning Mark McLemore to his utility role, or cutting into someone else's playing time. Since McLemore had accompanied Melvin and Oates from Baltimore, they had little loyalty to Jeff Frye. In all fairness, its unlikely that Frye could continue to hit as well as he did in '94, and he lacks great range. Secondbase is the easiest position to stock, and Frye simply lost out to his manager's preferences and/or his failure to impress Johnny O. Non-tendered in December, and still unsigned in late January.
BENJI GIL SS 1973 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 GAS 495 114 10 1 7 33 12 6 .230 .278 .297 .204 101 36 1993 TUL 342 81 6 1 10 30 15 6 .237 .298 .348 .232 79 35 1993 TEX 57 7 0 0 0 5 1 2 .123 .194 .123 **** -6 -1 1994 OKL 488 121 15 3 9 30 14 7 .248 .292 .346 .227 111 46 1995 TEX 412 91 18 3 7 21 3 5 .221 .259 .330 .202 83 30 1996 PRJ 533 126 19 5 15 33 18 11 .236 .281 .375 .231 123 53If I were the Rangers, I wouldn't give a hoot in hell if Benji straddled the Mendoza line. His glove is crucial, and here's hoping the team doesn't get frustrated if he starts '96 as cold as he was finishing '95. To put it politely, he probably needs to learn how to bunt.
RENE GONZALES IF 1962 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 TOR 118 24 2 0 1 11 0 0 .203 .271 .246 .174 21 6 1992 CAL 329 94 15 1 8 40 8 4 .286 .363 .410 .274 90 47 1993 CAL 331 84 11 1 2 47 7 5 .254 .347 .311 .237 79 35 1994 CHR 134 27 3 0 1 34 1 1 .201 .363 .246 .223 30 13 1995 VAN 167 46 6 0 5 22 0 0 .275 .360 .401 .269 45 23
JUAN GONZALEZ DH-LF 1970 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 TEX 549 155 29 2 29 40 6 4 .282 .331 .501 .283 156 85 1992 TEX 589 164 27 2 46 33 0 1 .278 .317 .565 .293 173 99 1993 TEX 536 174 31 2 46 34 5 1 .325 .365 .647 .332 178 115 1994 TEX 420 119 15 4 16 25 7 5 .283 .324 .452 .268 113 57 1995 TEX 347 102 20 2 23 13 0 0 .294 .319 .562 .295 103 58 1996 PRJ 598 202 37 5 58 22 4 2 .338 .361 .707 .344 205 138He got red-hot over the final two months of the season, hitting .339/.375/.637. Given his youth, don't be surprised if he snaps back to his '93 level. He's apparently abandoned the high-definition weight-training that constrained his swing a bit.
RUSTY GREER OF-1B 1969 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 PCH 411 119 16 1 8 53 7 4 .290 .371 .392 .272 112 57 1991 TUL 63 17 2 1 2 13 1 0 .270 .395 .429 .293 18 11 1992 TUL 368 92 16 2 5 53 2 1 .250 .344 .345 .246 91 42 1993 TUL 474 121 13 3 11 45 7 3 .255 .320 .365 .243 115 52 1993 OKL 27 6 0 0 1 5 0 0 .222 .344 .333 .241 7 3 1994 OKL 111 35 10 1 2 17 1 1 .315 .406 .477 .307 34 20 1994 TEX 274 89 13 1 8 42 0 0 .325 .415 .467 .310 85 50 1995 TEX 409 110 19 2 10 50 4 1 .269 .349 .399 .265 108 54 1996 PRJ 511 148 23 2 14 78 6 4 .290 .384 .425 .286 146 80He can't really lumber around centerfield too well, but the Bobby Valentine used to put Pete Incaviglia out there from time to time, so Rangers fans probably think he's just fine. An example of the kind of useful role player you can dig out of the minors if you have an organization willing to stop giving major league playing time to people like Willie McGee or Eric Fox, and instead take a chance on a good minor league veteran.
DARRYL HAMILTON CF 1965 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 MIL 404 130 12 6 1 32 20 6 .322 .372 .389 .278 112 57 1992 MIL 480 158 20 8 6 44 47 14 .329 .385 .442 .299 143 82 1993 MIL 518 166 18 1 8 41 26 12 .320 .370 .405 .278 144 74 1994 MIL 138 35 6 1 1 13 3 0 .254 .318 .333 .237 33 14 1995 MIL 389 102 14 5 4 42 14 1 .262 .334 .355 .252 98 46 1996 PRJ 463 132 18 4 9 38 20 3 .285 .339 .400 .268 124 62Was essentially run out of Milwaukee after complaining about playing time in September, as he neared a playing time incentive clause. His elbow will never be quite right, so he's going to continue being an extremely weak arm in center.
SHAWN HARE OF 1967 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 LON 125 31 5 0 4 8 1 1 .248 .293 .384 .236 29 13 1991 TOL 250 74 13 1 8 23 1 0 .296 .355 .452 .283 71 37 1992 TOL 206 66 8 1 5 27 6 1 .320 .399 .442 .301 62 35 1993 TOL 472 120 20 2 15 31 8 3 .254 .300 .400 .246 116 53 1994 NOR 214 59 10 1 5 29 4 3 .276 .362 .402 .269 58 30 1994 TOL 99 28 3 0 4 15 4 2 .283 .377 .434 .285 28 16 1994 NYM 40 9 0 1 0 4 0 0 .225 .295 .275 .200 8 3 1995 OKL 237 59 10 2 3 22 4 1 .249 .313 .346 .236 56 24
STEVE HECHT 2B-OF 1966 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 IND 212 50 6 1 4 8 8 2 .236 .264 .330 .214 45 17 1992 HAR 275 67 10 3 2 26 13 5 .244 .309 .324 .230 63 27 1993 SHV 170 47 5 3 3 9 4 2 .276 .313 .394 .250 43 20 1993 PHX 162 42 6 0 1 16 6 1 .259 .326 .315 .236 38 16 1994 SHV 32 7 0 1 0 5 2 0 .219 .324 .281 .232 7 3 1994 PHX 319 88 10 4 7 21 17 4 .276 .321 .398 .260 83 40 1995 TOL 73 17 4 1 0 6 4 0 .233 .291 .315 .227 17 7 1995 OKL 237 57 5 2 2 15 10 5 .241 .286 .304 .212 50 19Why does this happen? Was it the loss of Harris and Lowery that forced 89ers manager Greg Biagini to waste outfield playing time on a light-hitting secondbaseman? Or did he want a personal version of Mark McLemore on the roster?
TOMMY HINZO 2B 1964 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 ROC 557 137 15 2 5 33 26 9 .246 .288 .307 .217 121 47 1994 CLG 137 27 5 0 0 7 1 2 .197 .236 .234 .146 20 5 1995 OKL 252 58 6 1 0 13 9 3 .230 .268 .262 .189 48 15Yes, its the same Tommy Hinzo who came up with the Indians during the Reagan administration.
SAM HORN DH 1964 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 BAL 319 80 15 1 24 41 0 0 .251 .336 .530 .290 93 54 1992 BAL 163 41 11 1 5 21 0 0 .252 .337 .423 .265 43 22 1993 CHR 406 108 14 1 28 54 1 0 .266 .352 .512 .293 119 69 1993 CLE 33 16 1 0 4 1 0 0 .485 .500 .879 .439 14 11 1994 COH 198 46 5 1 6 18 1 0 .232 .296 .359 .230 46 19 1995 CLG 95 28 3 1 7 12 0 0 .295 .374 .568 .315 30 19 1995 OKL 156 47 5 0 10 23 0 2 .301 .391 .526 .308 48 29 1996 PRJ 350 89 9 0 21 55 0 0 .254 .356 .460 .282 99 55Is there some stigma to being a minor league DH? Horn can hit. He'll always hit, but teams would rather shell out major money to let Andre Dawson make his career numbers look good enough for his Hall of Fame candidacy than put a hitter in the lineup.
TIM HULETT IF 1960 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 BAL 207 46 7 0 8 13 0 0 .222 .268 .372 .222 46 19 1992 BAL 143 44 7 2 2 10 0 1 .308 .353 .427 .273 39 19 1993 BAL 257 78 7 1 3 21 2 2 .304 .356 .374 .261 67 31 1994 BAL 90 20 2 1 1 11 0 0 .222 .307 .300 .214 19 7 1995 OKL 140 28 5 1 0 7 0 0 .200 .238 .250 .158 22 6My fondest Tim Hulett memory is the day Phil Niekro struck him out with the eephus back in 1986 when Timmy was with the White Sox. I'm sure he wasn't amused in the least at the time. Anyways, another Baltimore refugee who cozied up with Oates and Melvin and got another year tacked onto his career for his troubles.
DARRYL KENNEDY C 1969 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 PCH 70 7 3 0 0 3 0 0 .100 .137 .143 **** -9 -2 1992 GAS 34 2 1 0 0 5 0 1 .059 .179 .088 **** -5 -1 1992 PCH 30 13 4 0 0 3 0 1 .433 .485 .567 .353 11 7 1992 TUL 99 20 2 0 0 7 0 0 .202 .255 .222 .153 15 4 1993 PCH 353 86 10 1 4 37 4 3 .244 .315 .312 .223 79 32 1994 PCH 182 46 3 1 2 21 1 1 .253 .330 .313 .230 42 17 1994 TUL 71 15 1 0 1 6 1 1 .211 .273 .268 .185 13 4 1995 TUL 195 45 6 1 2 13 0 0 .231 .279 .303 .203 40 14
JIM LINDEMAN 1B 1962 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SWB 40 11 2 1 1 3 0 0 .275 .326 .450 .269 11 5 1991 PHI 98 35 5 0 0 13 0 1 .357 .432 .408 .302 30 16 1992 SWB 53 14 0 1 0 6 0 0 .264 .339 .302 .231 12 5 1992 PHI 40 11 2 0 1 3 0 0 .275 .326 .400 .255 10 5 1993 TUC 370 113 14 2 10 32 4 0 .305 .361 .435 .282 104 54 1994 NOR 126 46 8 2 3 12 1 1 .365 .420 .532 .328 41 25 1994 NYM 136 37 8 1 6 6 0 0 .272 .303 .478 .268 36 18 1995 OKL 293 71 10 2 10 31 0 1 .242 .315 .392 .246 72 33Oklahoma City's leaders by games played, at each position: Catcher, John Marzano, the '84 Olympian. First, Jim Lindeman, Cardinals prospect as recently as '87. Second, Tommy Hinzo. Third, Baby Face Byington, the youngster at 27. Short, Rick Schu, the man who had to replace Mike Schmidt. Outfield, Eric Fox, Bruce Dostal, and Shawn Hare. If this was 1986, you'd think that was a hell of a bunch of prospects. Instead, its a slave franchise in the American Association stocked with spare parts for the major league bench.
BARRY LYONS C 1960 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 TUC 272 74 10 1 6 4 1 0 .272 .283 .382 .235 64 26 1993 LOU 399 106 11 1 14 14 0 1 .266 .291 .404 .242 96 42 1994 IND 428 129 14 1 12 25 0 2 .301 .340 .423 .267 114 56 1995 NAS 265 66 10 1 7 19 0 0 .249 .299 .374 .236 63 27 1995 CWS 64 18 1 0 5 3 0 0 .281 .313 .531 .285 18 10He probably wouldn't hurt a team if he had to play regularly, even with his shortcomings as a gamecaller. The Sox released him, and Lyons will replace John Marzano as Oklahoma City's old veteran catcher.
CANDY MALDONADO LF-DH 1961 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 MIL 111 24 6 0 5 13 1 0 .216 .298 .405 .245 27 13 1991 TOR 176 50 8 0 7 22 4 0 .284 .364 .449 .287 51 28 1992 TOR 492 142 25 5 21 58 2 2 .289 .364 .488 .292 144 81 1993 CHC 140 26 3 0 3 13 0 0 .186 .255 .271 .176 25 7 1993 CLE 81 21 2 0 5 11 0 1 .259 .348 .469 .277 22 12 1994 CLE 91 18 5 1 4 17 1 1 .198 .324 .407 .251 23 12 1995 TOR 158 43 11 1 6 23 1 1 .272 .365 .468 .287 45 26 1995 TEX 29 7 1 0 2 7 0 1 .241 .389 .483 .287 8 5
CARLOS MARTINEZ 3B-1B 1966 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CAN 297 91 14 1 10 13 7 3 .306 .335 .461 .278 83 43 1991 CLE 259 79 11 1 5 10 4 2 .305 .331 .413 .263 68 32 1992 CSP 31 8 1 0 0 1 0 0 .258 .281 .290 .201 6 2 1992 CLE 228 62 9 1 5 6 1 2 .272 .291 .386 .236 54 23 1993 CHR 79 28 4 1 2 4 2 0 .354 .386 .506 .314 25 14 1993 CLE 263 69 7 1 5 19 1 1 .262 .312 .354 .235 62 26 1995 VAN 98 24 3 0 1 6 1 2 .245 .288 .306 .205 20 7 1995 CAL 61 12 0 0 1 5 0 0 .197 .258 .246 .167 10 3He's having a fine winter season in Venezuela. Any team that wants Mike Pagliarulo probably thinks having Carlos Martinez or Rene Gonzales too is a good idea.
JASON McFARLIN OF 1970 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SJO 415 82 9 2 2 25 21 10 .198 .243 .243 .170 70 20 1992 SJO 275 70 6 2 1 14 15 5 .255 .291 .302 .218 60 23 1992 SHV 107 21 2 2 1 5 8 1 .196 .232 .280 .192 21 7 1993 SJO 393 106 12 2 5 12 26 6 .270 .291 .349 .237 93 40 1993 SHV 60 10 1 1 0 3 3 1 .167 .206 .217 .137 8 2 1994 SHV 308 81 8 2 4 13 16 5 .263 .293 .341 .231 71 30 1995 SHV 253 79 9 1 5 20 8 4 .312 .363 .415 .277 70 36Coming off of his career year after four shots in Shreveport, so of course Texas wanted him.
MARK McLEMORE 2B-LF 1965 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 ROC 226 57 9 3 1 21 11 4 .252 .316 .332 .236 53 23 1991 HOU 62 10 2 0 0 6 0 0 .161 .235 .194 .119 7 1 1992 BAL 230 60 5 2 1 20 12 5 .261 .320 .313 .232 53 23 1993 BAL 574 163 22 4 4 60 26 13 .284 .352 .357 .256 147 71 1994 BAL 336 83 7 1 1 46 23 5 .247 .338 .283 .236 79 35 1995 TEX 459 119 14 4 4 53 27 13 .259 .336 .333 .244 112 52 1996 PRJ 364 94 17 3 2 43 20 10 .258 .337 .338 .245 89 42From waiver wire bait to important player. The lesson should be "secondbasemen are a dime a dozen," but to hear the media these days Mark McLemore is supposed to be something more than that.
JOHNNY MONELL DH 1966 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1995 TUL 433 121 9 1 10 55 0 1 .279 .361 .374 .262 113 55A triumphant return from the Mexican Leagues for Monell, an ex-Met farmhand. Nevertheless, so what? What kind of organization needs to go to Mexico to get an old man to hit in the middle of their AA team's order? Monell led the Texas system in walks.
WARREN NEWSON OF 1965 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 VAN 108 36 7 1 2 24 4 2 .333 .455 .472 .327 35 23 1991 CWS 133 42 5 0 4 28 3 1 .316 .435 .444 .314 42 25 1992 VAN 58 13 0 0 0 14 2 1 .224 .375 .224 .226 13 6 1992 CWS 138 35 1 0 2 37 3 0 .254 .411 .304 .270 37 20 1993 NAS 175 57 6 1 3 34 6 2 .326 .435 .423 .310 54 32 1993 CWS 40 13 0 0 2 8 0 0 .325 .438 .475 .322 13 8 1994 CWS 101 26 3 0 2 13 1 0 .257 .342 .347 .248 25 12 1995 CWS 84 21 1 2 2 22 1 1 .250 .406 .381 .281 24 13 1995 SEA 70 21 3 0 1 15 1 0 .300 .424 .386 .296 21 12 1996 PRJ 239 65 5 2 5 38 1 0 .272 .372 .372 .268 64 32The guy can hit, and he'll never get a chance. He might have gotten a chance to unseat Danny Pasqua back in '93, but Warren had the right sense of priorities when his wife was seriously injured in a car crash that spring, when he left the team to be with her.
ROGELIO NUNEZ C 1970 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SBN 193 34 3 1 0 7 10 4 .176 .205 .202 .127 25 5 1991 SAR 37 7 1 0 0 2 0 0 .189 .231 .216 .133 5 1 1992 SAR 287 51 2 2 1 20 11 6 .178 .231 .209 .141 41 9 1993 BIR 259 52 5 2 1 3 2 3 .201 .210 .247 .140 36 8 1994 BIR 210 55 3 1 1 8 5 2 .262 .289 .300 .212 44 16 1995 TUL 262 50 2 0 2 7 2 4 .191 .212 .221 .122 32 6
LUIS ORTIZ 3B 1970 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 LYN 359 90 14 1 6 16 3 1 .251 .283 .345 .222 80 31 1993 PAW 396 107 16 1 13 12 1 1 .270 .292 .414 .246 98 44 1994 PAW 313 88 9 2 4 24 1 3 .281 .332 .361 .245 77 34 1995 OKL 169 49 8 3 2 8 1 1 .290 .322 .408 .257 43 20 1995 TEX 107 25 3 2 1 5 0 1 .234 .268 .327 .204 22 8 1996 PRJ 426 123 19 2 14 14 0 0 .289 .311 .441 .263 112 54Steve Buechele? Craig Worthington? And Mike Pagliarulo? All of them got to play ahead of Ortiz? That kind of distaste for a "prospect" you supposedly went out of your way to get borders on the pathological.
MIKE PAGLIARULO 3B-1B 1960 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 MIN 365 106 13 1 7 20 2 2 .290 .327 .389 .253 92 42 1992 MIN 106 23 4 0 0 0 1 0 .217 .217 .255 .154 16 4 1993 BAL 116 38 8 0 6 7 0 0 .328 .366 .552 .311 36 21 1993 MIN 251 74 16 4 2 16 8 5 .295 .337 .414 .265 66 33 1995 TEX 239 56 9 1 4 12 0 0 .234 .271 .331 .210 50 18Any team that wants Carlos Martinez or Tim Hulett will probably keep Mike Pagliarulo around too.
DEAN PALMER 3B 1969 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 OKL 235 70 9 1 18 15 5 4 .298 .340 .574 .302 71 42 1991 TEX 269 54 9 2 16 32 0 2 .201 .286 .428 .241 65 31 1992 TEX 546 135 24 2 28 60 11 4 .247 .322 .452 .268 146 77 1993 TEX 520 134 28 2 34 49 15 9 .258 .322 .515 .281 146 83 1994 TEX 341 87 14 2 16 22 4 5 .255 .300 .449 .256 87 43 1995 TEX 115 38 4 0 8 20 1 1 .330 .430 .574 .337 39 26 1996 PRJ 522 141 29 2 32 58 6 2 .270 .343 .517 .292 153 89The Rangers are apparently trying to peddle Palmer, which can be interpreted to mean that they're not too certain about his ability to heal up properly from his shredded bicep. I felt they were way out of line rushing him back in late September, when he got re-injured.
ERIK PAPPAS C 1966 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 IOW 287 76 12 1 7 37 5 2 .265 .349 .387 .262 75 37 1992 OMA 139 29 6 1 1 23 4 1 .209 .321 .288 .221 31 13 1992 VAN 97 25 1 0 4 11 3 0 .258 .333 .392 .262 25 13 1993 LOU 71 24 4 1 3 10 1 2 .338 .420 .549 .322 23 14 1993 STL 231 66 8 0 2 35 1 3 .286 .380 .346 .260 60 29 1994 LOU 204 37 4 1 6 27 2 2 .181 .277 .299 .198 40 15 1994 STL 44 4 1 0 0 10 0 0 .091 .259 .114 .058 3 0 1995 CHR 391 80 19 2 8 55 10 5 .205 .303 .325 .222 87 37He's a Chicagoan, and I would have thought the Cubs would keep him just for that, after the rigamarole of pretending that Joe Girardi was a major league baseball player.
FRANKLIN PARRA OF-3B 1972 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 GAS 160 29 5 1 0 5 6 3 .181 .206 .225 .136 22 5 1993 CSC 455 78 6 2 4 23 9 7 .171 .211 .220 .127 58 11 1994 PCH 437 112 14 5 7 12 8 5 .256 .276 .359 .224 98 39 1995 TUL 260 56 8 1 1 9 7 5 .215 .242 .265 .172 45 13
RUDY PEMBERTON OF 1970 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 LAK 385 82 10 1 5 17 14 8 .213 .246 .283 .185 71 23 1992 LAK 350 83 13 2 4 18 16 6 .237 .274 .320 .215 75 29 1993 LON 469 115 14 1 12 18 10 8 .245 .273 .356 .220 103 41 1994 TOL 358 100 10 2 8 14 25 7 .279 .306 .385 .253 90 43 1995 TOL 227 77 11 2 6 13 8 3 .339 .375 .485 .301 68 38 1995 DET 30 9 3 1 0 0 0 0 .300 .300 .467 .266 8 4He may deserve a major league shot right now, since he could wind up being as surprising as Geronimo Berroa was two years ago. At worst, he'll be the best hitting outfielder in Okie City.
IVAN RODRIGUEZ C 1972 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 TEX 282 80 10 1 4 4 0 1 .284 .294 .369 .233 66 27 1992 TEX 424 118 16 1 9 22 0 0 .278 .314 .384 .247 105 46 1993 TEX 474 136 26 4 10 26 11 7 .287 .324 .422 .261 124 60 1994 TEX 361 111 16 1 13 26 7 3 .307 .354 .465 .286 103 55 1995 TEX 486 148 25 2 10 9 0 2 .305 .317 .426 .260 126 59 1996 PRJ 523 169 24 2 15 29 2 2 .323 .359 .463 .288 150 79Another example of Gold Glove voters latching onto the wrong fact. Pudge isn't the best plateblocker in the world, and he isn't getting great marks for his gamecalling and receiving skills, but he is the best catcher in baseball when it comes to stopping the running game or intimidating it out of existence (a major league low of 99 steals were attempted against the Rangers last year), so he gets the reward over Ron Karkovice or Terry Steinbach.
MARC SAGMOEN OF 1971 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 CSC 238 59 5 1 5 15 9 3 .248 .292 .340 .228 54 23 1994 PCH 485 135 22 6 5 30 12 6 .278 .320 .379 .249 121 55 1995 TUL 242 51 4 2 6 18 5 3 .211 .265 .318 .203 49 18 1995 OKL 187 39 9 2 2 16 6 2 .209 .271 .310 .207 39 15He hit the AA wall that so many A-ball hitters can't scale, but because of the organization's lack of depth, he got jumped up to AAA as well.
RICK SCHU IF 1962 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SWB 350 106 20 2 13 38 6 1 .303 .371 .483 .297 104 59 1992 SWB 398 114 13 2 8 39 3 1 .286 .350 .389 .264 105 51 1995 OKL 397 102 14 2 9 37 6 3 .257 .320 .370 .245 97 44Rick Schu is still quite capable of helping a major league team as a utility infielder. Why he suddenly got to be a regular shortstop at 33 is something only the Rangers can answer.
MIKE SMITH 2B 1970 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 GAS 312 52 9 1 3 25 2 4 .167 .228 .231 .138 43 9 1993 PCH 332 69 11 2 4 29 3 3 .208 .271 .289 .193 64 22 1994 HDS 503 117 11 3 12 53 17 9 .233 .306 .338 .229 115 50 1995 TUL 499 117 13 1 13 49 10 4 .234 .303 .343 .229 114 49Smith led the Rangers' minors in homeruns with 16. He'll be 26, and he's not considered a bonus on defense.
KURT STILLWELL IF 1965 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 KCR 387 109 16 1 6 32 4 4 .282 .337 .375 .252 97 45 1992 SDP 381 92 15 3 3 28 4 1 .241 .293 .320 .218 83 32 1993 CAL 61 17 1 2 0 3 2 0 .279 .312 .361 .247 15 7 1993 SDP 121 26 3 0 1 11 4 3 .215 .280 .264 .191 23 8 1994 IND 335 88 16 3 7 28 1 1 .263 .320 .391 .250 84 39 1995 IND 340 84 11 2 5 43 5 3 .247 .332 .335 .238 81 36Probably added so that they don't have to have Rick Schu play short regularly for the 89ers, or another hedged bet in case Gil continues to battle the Mendoza line.
MICKEY TETTLETON OF-1B-DH-C 1961 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 DET 500 137 19 2 30 99 4 3 .274 .394 .500 .305 153 94 1992 DET 528 134 23 2 34 120 1 6 .254 .392 .498 .300 158 99 1993 DET 518 131 25 4 31 106 5 6 .253 .380 .496 .296 153 94 1994 DET 331 81 14 2 14 91 0 1 .245 .408 .426 .293 97 58 1995 TEX 418 98 18 1 28 100 0 0 .234 .382 .483 .296 124 76 1996 PRJ 488 118 16 0 27 119 0 0 .242 .390 .441 .290 142 84Since I'm someone who loved watching Gene Tenace, Gorman Thomas, and Rob Deer, it won't surprise anyone that I love watching Fruit Loops hit. Signing him for as little as the Rangers did (and have again) can be chalked up to geographic advantage. He's supposedly finished as a regular catcher, and I've always thought it was very interesting how, media perception-wise, Mickey went from being the young catcher that all of Oakland's pitchers asked for (over Mike Heath), to the waiver wire for not hitting, to earning an "all-hit, bad glove" reputation.
JOSE TEXIDOR OF 1972 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 PCH 40 10 1 1 0 2 1 1 .250 .286 .325 .216 9 3 1992 GAS 418 95 13 1 3 13 4 5 .227 .251 .285 .182 76 23 1993 PCH 72 20 5 0 0 4 1 0 .278 .316 .347 .240 17 7 1994 PCH 513 125 19 3 6 39 4 6 .244 .297 .327 .218 112 44 1995 TUL 492 120 20 1 5 23 1 1 .244 .278 .319 .209 103 37
BRIAN THOMAS OF 1971 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 PCH 137 36 3 1 2 14 2 1 .263 .331 .343 .241 33 15 1994 PCH 463 127 21 5 7 45 17 6 .274 .339 .387 .260 120 59 1995 TUL 457 111 18 5 4 40 7 3 .243 .304 .330 .226 103 42Racked up sixteen assists in the outfield, so he probably has a pretty strong throwing arm.
DAVE VALLE C 1961 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SEA 325 67 9 1 8 33 0 2 .206 .279 .314 .204 66 24 1992 SEA 368 93 15 1 10 26 0 0 .253 .302 .380 .239 88 39 1993 SEA 421 113 14 1 13 45 1 0 .268 .339 .399 .261 110 53 1994 BOS 76 12 1 1 1 8 0 1 .158 .238 .237 .144 11 3 1994 MIL 34 13 3 0 1 8 0 1 .382 .500 .559 .357 12 8 1995 TEX 74 18 1 0 0 5 1 0 .243 .291 .257 .196 14 5It seemed like a waste to have a backup catcher as good as Dave Valle, but he's reached that stage of his career where regular playing time isn't going to be handed to him wherever he goes. Seems set for another season on the Rangers' bench.
HECTOR VERGES OF-1B-2B 1966 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 ABY 351 91 13 2 2 32 14 4 .259 .321 .325 .236 83 36 1992 ABY 433 128 21 7 3 40 20 10 .296 .355 .397 .269 116 59 1993 CAN 91 18 1 0 1 10 2 0 .198 .277 .242 .183 17 5 1993 OTT 94 15 2 1 0 13 3 2 .160 .262 .202 .152 14 4 1994 BOW 431 119 21 1 6 54 5 4 .276 .357 .371 .259 112 54 1995 OKL 304 78 3 1 1 28 7 1 .257 .319 .283 .221 67 26Another utility man on a team of old, light-hitting utility men.
JACK VOIGT OF 1966 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 HAG 91 19 4 0 0 11 3 0 .209 .294 .253 .200 18 6 1991 ROC 265 66 7 2 6 32 8 1 .249 .330 .358 .249 66 31 1992 ROC 448 124 18 2 14 52 8 2 .277 .352 .420 .273 122 63 1993 ROC 61 21 4 1 2 8 0 1 .344 .420 .541 .324 20 12 1993 BAL 150 45 10 1 6 23 1 0 .300 .393 .500 .309 46 28 1994 BOW 155 43 4 1 4 21 4 3 .277 .364 .394 .267 41 21 1994 BAL 139 33 4 0 2 16 0 0 .237 .316 .309 .222 31 12 1995 TEX 61 10 1 0 2 10 0 0 .164 .282 .279 .192 12 4Another Baltimore refugee. Why do managers and general managers drag so many of their old scrubs off with them to their new teams? Do they need clubhouse snitches? Are they afraid to learn about the new players in their organization? Or did they join an organization so completely bereft of talent that it can't even cough up a few role players and benchies on demand?
CRAIG WORTHINGTON 3B 1965 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 ROC 56 15 2 0 2 5 0 0 .268 .328 .411 .259 14 7 1991 BAL 103 25 4 0 4 12 0 1 .243 .322 .398 .248 26 12 1992 CSP 311 82 11 1 7 24 0 1 .264 .316 .373 .242 75 33 1993 IOW 465 121 11 1 10 55 1 1 .260 .338 .353 .246 114 52 1994 IOW 363 101 9 1 14 50 4 3 .278 .366 .424 .277 101 53 1995 IND 276 84 11 1 7 29 1 1 .304 .370 .428 .281 78 41 1995 TEX 67 15 2 0 2 6 0 0 .224 .288 .343 .220 15 6You know you're getting long in the tooth when the guy who replaced you (in Craig's case, Leo Gomez) is run out of town and you haven't seen regular major league time in the intervening five years.
Organizational Pitching Report
OPR Points: 14 Rank in MLB: 27rd Rank in AL West: 4th
Name Lvl Age IP Work H/G K/BB K/G ERA Adj Ttl Grade Mimbs, Mark 8 -1 4 0 2 8 6 4 +3 34 B+ Silva, Ted 0 3 2 0 4 10 7 3 -1 28 C Knight, Brandon 0 5 1 0 8 5 6 3 -1 27 C- Perpetuo, Nelson 0 -2 5 0 6 5 10 2 -1 25 D Davis, Jeff 3 1 9 0 3 6 1 4 -2 25 D Santana, Julio 6 3 6 0 3 1 3 1 0 23 D- Best Prospect in 1994: Julio Santana (B+) Best Rookie Starter in 1995: Terry Burrows (NR) & Scott Taylor (NR)The Rangers farm system is nothing short of a disaster, and the state of their minor league pitching reflects that. Two of the best prospects they've got are this year's Rule V picks, Mark Mimbs (Dodgers) and Tim Rumer (Yankees). Both Oklahoma City (AAA) and Tulsa (AA) wound up last in their leagues, not even cracking a .400 winning percentage at either level.
Oklahoma City had the worst pitching staff in the American Association, as well as the worst team. The best the team had to offer was 26th round draft pick Mark Brandenburg, a soft-tossing sidearmer who might develop into a useful middle reliever. The rotation could boast a recovering Rick Helling, a clueless Domingo Jean, and veteran minor league starter Scott Taylor, who finished fifth in the league in ERA. The team led the league in walks, and it wasn't because of a surplus of wild power pitchers, since the team wasn't in the top half of the league in strikeouts.
The Tulsa Drillers might have been better off. They also finished last in their league, although the pitching staff finished sixth out of eight; since El Paso and Midland both play in extreme bandboxes, Tulsa had them at a disadvantage, and was arguably the worst staff in the Texas League. The Drillers had the organization's only genuine upper level prospect, Julio Santana, for the second consecutive year. Beyond Santana, the best the team had to offer was a rehabbing Steve Dreyer.
In A-ball, between Charlotte in the Florida State League and Charleston in the Sally League, the Rangers may have had two useful-looking prospects in Jeff Davis and Nelson Perpetuo. Davis was pretty effective, just missing finishing among the league's ERA leaders at Charlotte in his first season as a starter. He had previously been a closer prospect. Perpetuo was a small lefthanded swingman who racked up a ton of strikeouts in Charleston. He was also one of the oldest players in the league, and I'd bet he's a curveballer taking advantage of weak competition. OPR took a shine to Ted Silva and Brandon Knight from Charleston, but they combined to pitch all of 122 innings in 20 starts, so predictions of greatness in Charlotte would be premature.
JOSE ALBERRO RBP 1969 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 GAS 18.7 25 12 5 4 17 5.79 1 1 12.05 1.93 8.20 1992 PCH 40.3 51 17 1 12 23 3.79 2 2 11.38 2.68 5.13 1993 TUL 17.7 13 6 3 10 19 3.06 1 1 6.62 5.09 9.68 1993 OKL 16.0 22 11 2 11 13 6.19 1 1 12.38 6.19 7.31 1994 OKL 66.0 77 32 6 36 48 4.36 3 4 10.50 4.91 6.55 1995 OKL 73.7 72 30 5 30 52 3.67 4 4 8.80 3.67 6.35 1995 TEX 20.0 25 13 2 10 11 5.85 1 1 11.25 4.50 4.95Since being a swingman in '95, Alberro is being used as a closer in winter ball, and he's doing well.
MIKE ANDERSON RSP 1967 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CHT 143.3 176 120 19 104 94 7.53 4 12 11.05 6.53 5.90 1992 CHT 158.3 188 73 7 73 125 4.15 9 9 10.69 4.15 7.11 1993 CHT 14.3 13 5 0 0 11 3.14 1 1 8.16 .00 6.91 1993 IND 144.0 158 67 10 60 112 4.19 8 8 9.88 3.75 7.00 1994 IOW 104.7 139 82 9 59 77 7.05 3 9 11.95 5.07 6.62 1995 IOW 163.7 177 77 20 79 121 4.23 8 10 9.73 4.34 6.65The anchor of an Iowa pitching staff that was made up mostly of veterans, Anderson has returned to his native Texas. There are worse alternatives as a fifth starter at the major league level, but Anderson will most likely be asked to shore up Okie City's miserable pitching staff.
MARK BRANDENBURG RRP 1971 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 CSC 72.0 82 34 6 24 43 4.25 4 4 10.25 3.00 5.38 1994 PCH 38.3 31 9 2 17 38 2.11 3 1 7.28 3.99 8.92 1994 TUL 57.7 64 23 3 13 51 3.59 3 3 9.99 2.03 7.96 1995 OKL 55.7 52 15 2 18 48 2.43 4 2 8.41 2.91 7.76 1995 TEX 27.0 35 13 3 5 23 4.33 1 2 11.67 1.67 7.67A sidearmer with little velocity, Brandenburg will be given every chance to make the team. Like most sidearmers, he's got real problems against lefties, so he'll have to come up with something against them to be more than a situational righthander. He had a solid Arizona Fall League, which can't hurt. He's a man from Humble, Texas, which must be the smallest town in the great state.
TERRY BURROWS LBP 1969 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 GAS 133.0 138 115 36 92 94 7.78 3 12 9.34 6.23 6.36 1992 PCH 71.0 96 39 6 34 52 4.94 3 5 12.17 4.31 6.59 1992 TUL 69.3 87 37 4 43 48 4.80 3 5 11.29 5.58 6.23 1993 OKL 130.7 153 76 18 77 71 5.23 6 9 10.54 5.30 4.89 1994 OKL 79.0 73 35 10 37 55 3.99 5 4 8.32 4.22 6.27 1995 TEX 43.7 58 27 8 16 24 5.56 2 3 11.95 3.30 4.95
DENNIS COOK LRP 1963 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SAN 48.3 48 21 4 7 38 3.91 3 2 8.94 1.30 7.08 1991 ABQ 87.7 75 46 15 32 82 4.72 4 6 7.70 3.29 8.42 1991 LAD 17.7 13 3 0 8 9 1.53 2 0 6.62 4.08 4.58 1992 CLE 155.0 161 69 26 48 114 4.01 8 9 9.35 2.79 6.62 1993 CHR 40.7 53 29 8 7 36 6.42 1 4 11.73 1.55 7.97 1993 CLE 53.3 59 27 9 14 38 4.56 3 3 9.96 2.36 6.41 1994 CWS 32.7 32 15 4 12 29 4.13 2 2 8.82 3.31 7.99 1995 CLE 12.0 17 9 2 9 14 6.75 0 1 12.75 6.75 10.50 1995 TEX 44.3 46 17 5 14 44 3.45 3 2 9.34 2.84 8.93He works high in the strikezone, and gets pounded badly from time to time. I think he could still help as a starter, but he's being relegated deeper and deeper to the pen as he gets older.
CHRIS CURTIS RRP 1971 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 GAS 132.3 154 90 11 64 71 6.12 4 11 10.47 4.35 4.83 1993 PCH 135.0 200 105 17 60 49 7.00 4 11 13.33 4.00 3.27 1994 TUL 129.7 210 121 29 65 51 8.40 3 11 14.58 4.51 3.54 1995 OKL 74.0 78 44 8 42 38 5.35 3 5 9.49 5.11 4.62
DANNY DARWIN RBP 1956 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 BOS 66.7 75 35 14 14 48 4.73 3 4 10.12 1.89 6.48 1992 BOS 158.0 164 66 12 51 147 3.76 10 8 9.34 2.91 8.37 1993 BOS 226.0 211 85 31 43 149 3.38 15 10 8.40 1.71 5.93 1994 BOS 74.0 97 39 9 20 57 4.74 3 5 11.80 2.43 6.93 1995 TOR 64.0 91 46 11 20 39 6.47 2 5 12.80 2.81 5.48 1995 TEX 33.7 39 20 10 5 24 5.35 1 3 10.43 1.34 6.42Winner of the '95 Jim Acker Pitch Alike Contest (JAckPAC) as the being the year's best major leaguer at surrendering homeruns.
STEVE DREYER RRP 1970 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 GAS 140.0 196 82 13 68 76 5.27 6 10 12.60 4.37 4.89 1992 PCH 150.3 218 92 20 53 88 5.51 6 11 13.05 3.17 5.27 1993 TUL 29.0 30 16 6 10 21 4.97 1 2 9.31 3.10 6.52 1993 OKL 102.3 100 30 4 33 58 2.64 8 3 8.79 2.90 5.10 1993 TEX 40.3 48 21 5 18 26 4.69 2 2 10.71 4.02 5.80 1994 OKL 22.0 25 11 3 9 15 4.50 1 1 10.23 3.68 6.14 1994 TEX 17.0 17 10 2 7 12 5.29 1 1 9.00 3.71 6.35 1995 TUL 57.7 60 24 8 20 45 3.75 3 3 9.36 3.12 7.02He's been hurt each of the last two years, so I don't really know what plans the organization has for him.
DAVE GEEVE RBP 1970 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 GAS 71.7 99 57 20 18 43 7.16 2 6 12.43 2.26 5.40 1992 PCH 126.3 178 91 24 33 77 6.48 4 10 12.68 2.35 5.49 1993 PCH 119.3 181 75 18 20 71 5.66 4 9 13.65 1.51 5.35 1994 TUL 49.7 54 22 9 11 43 3.99 3 3 9.79 1.99 7.79 1995 OKL 53.3 71 30 8 14 28 5.06 2 4 11.98 2.36 4.72 1995 TUL 87.3 113 60 23 20 36 6.18 3 7 11.65 2.06 3.71He didn't pitch well at Oklahoma City, so he got demoted to Tulsa to take further pounding.
BARRY GOETZ RBP 1969 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 PCH 49.7 69 30 5 27 32 5.44 2 4 12.50 4.89 5.80 1992 PCH 30.0 29 16 4 24 30 4.80 1 2 8.70 7.20 9.00 1992 TUL 13.0 14 5 0 7 6 3.46 1 0 9.69 4.85 4.15 1993 TUL 50.7 77 54 17 52 45 9.59 1 5 13.68 9.24 7.99 1994 OKL 93.7 99 41 5 46 60 3.94 5 5 9.51 4.42 5.77 1995 OKL 85.3 94 50 9 52 43 5.27 3 6 9.91 5.48 4.54
KEVIN GROSS RSP 1961 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 LAD 115.0 134 54 11 52 103 4.23 6 7 10.49 4.07 8.06 1992 LAD 204.3 174 69 16 81 173 3.04 15 8 7.66 3.57 7.62 1993 LAD 199.0 230 101 18 80 159 4.57 10 12 10.40 3.62 7.19 1994 LAD 156.3 155 51 11 44 126 2.94 11 6 8.92 2.53 7.25 1995 TEX 181.3 194 91 22 78 115 4.52 9 11 9.63 3.87 5.71Probably the worst free agent signing of '95, but Oates has a sweet-tooth for Dodgers as well as Orioles, so it wasn't a surprising match. He was only remotely effective in August, and went back into the tank in September, when the Rangers were still grasping at fading hopes of the wildcard berth. He used to have a well-deserved reputation as one of the game's top headhunters, but that seems to have died down in the last few years.
RICK HELLING RSP 1971 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 PCH 18.3 17 8 3 5 16 3.93 1 1 8.35 2.45 7.85 1993 TUL 165.3 171 91 23 59 149 4.95 7 11 9.31 3.21 8.11 1993 OKL 10.7 5 1 1 3 17 .84 1 0 4.22 2.53 14.34 1994 OKL 126.7 148 73 19 43 81 5.19 5 9 10.52 3.06 5.76 1994 TEX 51.3 57 25 10 15 26 4.38 3 3 9.99 2.63 4.56 1995 OKL 104.3 129 61 14 45 75 5.26 4 8 11.13 3.88 6.47 1995 TEX 12.3 16 8 2 7 5 5.84 0 1 11.68 5.11 3.65After the disaster of '94, this season was definitely a time to regroup for Helling. He hasn't made a good impression on Oates and Melvin so far, but he put together a fine season in the AFL, and he seems to have fully recovered from Kevin Kennedy's abuse of his arm. Hopefully, he'll get a fair shot.
MIKE HENNEMAN RRP 1962 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 DET 83.0 84 25 2 33 69 2.71 6 3 9.11 3.58 7.48 1992 DET 76.0 79 33 7 19 69 3.91 4 4 9.36 2.25 8.17 1993 DET 70.3 71 24 3 30 66 3.07 5 3 9.09 3.84 8.45 1994 DET 34.0 44 22 4 15 29 5.82 1 3 11.65 3.97 7.68 1995 DET 29.0 22 4 0 8 26 1.24 3 0 6.83 2.48 8.07 1995 HOU 21.0 20 5 1 4 18 2.14 2 0 8.57 1.71 7.71He's been used very carefully the last two seasons, so he might wind up being as frustratingly delicate as Jeff Russell was this past year.
GIL HEREDIA RBP 1966 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 PHX 131.7 155 54 6 24 71 3.69 8 7 10.59 1.64 4.85 1991 SFG 33.0 29 14 5 7 14 3.82 2 2 7.91 1.91 3.82 1992 IND 16.7 20 6 1 3 10 3.24 1 1 10.80 1.62 5.40 1992 PHX 76.0 87 29 5 10 37 3.43 5 3 10.30 1.18 4.38 1992 MON 14.7 13 4 1 5 8 2.45 1 1 7.98 3.07 4.91 1992 SFG 30.0 35 21 4 17 17 6.30 1 2 10.50 5.10 5.10 1993 OTT 97.7 110 49 9 30 59 4.52 5 6 10.14 2.76 5.44 1993 MON 56.3 71 28 6 16 43 4.47 3 3 11.34 2.56 6.87 1994 MON 74.7 89 32 7 14 64 3.86 4 4 10.73 1.69 7.71 1995 MON 118.3 138 51 7 22 73 3.88 7 6 10.50 1.67 5.55GM Bob Melvin called him "a Roger McDowell who can start." Is that how improvement is measured these days? Like many pitchers who toss the split-fingered fastball, Heredia has had problems with getting righties out in the past, but last season, he wasn't getting lefties out either.
KEN HILL RBP 1966 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 STL 180.3 164 79 20 70 132 3.94 10 10 8.18 3.49 6.59 1992 MON 217.3 210 83 19 82 171 3.44 14 10 8.70 3.40 7.08 1993 MON 181.3 175 84 9 81 97 4.17 10 10 8.69 4.02 4.81 1994 MON 153.7 152 57 12 46 88 3.34 10 7 8.90 2.69 5.15 1995 STL 109.7 127 62 16 46 49 5.09 5 7 10.42 3.78 4.02 1995 CLE 73.0 82 31 4 28 53 3.82 4 4 10.11 3.45 6.53Montreal's timing for letting Hill go was impeccable, and he obviously suffered a poor season for both the Cardinals and the Tribe. The Expos fretted that he wasn't doing well against left-handed batters, and they were right: despite using a forkball alot, Hill didn't do very well against them. But for reasons beyond explanation, the free agent market for pitchers this winter was a sellers' market, so Hill got a lucrative contract with the Rangers.
CHRIS HOWARD LRP 1966 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 BIR 48.7 59 21 4 16 42 3.88 3 2 10.91 2.96 7.77 1992 VAN 23.0 21 12 4 23 24 4.70 1 2 8.22 9.00 9.39 1993 NAS 64.3 60 32 11 17 54 4.48 3 4 8.39 2.38 7.55 1994 PAW 23.3 17 7 3 11 20 2.70 2 1 6.56 4.24 7.71 1994 BOS 39.3 34 12 4 10 23 2.75 3 1 7.78 2.29 5.26 1995 SAR 9.3 11 6 2 5 5 5.79 0 1 10.61 4.82 4.82 1995 PAW 19.7 26 14 6 4 17 6.41 1 1 11.90 1.83 7.78In the hyperactive world of Dan Duquette's roster moves, it seemed that Chris Howard didn't get a fair chance. If he's healthy, he'll be a very useful addition to the Rangers' pen.
KERRY LACY RBP 1973 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 GAS 47.3 71 47 6 52 38 8.94 1 4 13.50 9.89 7.23 1993 CSC 52.7 62 33 3 38 35 5.64 2 4 10.59 6.49 5.98 1994 TUL 58.7 61 38 8 42 38 5.83 2 5 9.36 6.44 5.83 1995 TUL 74.3 98 46 7 42 46 5.57 3 5 11.87 5.09 5.57
JERRY MARTIN RBP 1972 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 PCH 15.7 15 9 6 5 9 5.17 1 1 8.62 2.87 5.17 1993 CSC 143.0 197 105 36 69 70 6.61 4 12 12.40 4.34 4.41 1994 PCH 150.7 169 70 14 78 69 4.18 8 9 10.10 4.66 4.12 1995 TUL 80.3 104 53 13 54 43 5.94 3 6 11.65 6.05 4.82
MARK MIMBS LBP 1969 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 BAK 154.3 169 64 5 49 116 3.73 9 8 9.86 2.86 6.76 1992 SAN 77.0 90 52 7 28 44 6.08 3 6 10.52 3.27 5.14 1992 ABQ 45.3 57 29 7 17 32 5.76 2 3 11.32 3.38 6.35 1993 SAN 63.3 55 26 2 23 61 3.69 4 3 7.82 3.27 8.67 1993 ABQ 17.0 18 14 1 17 10 7.41 0 2 9.53 9.00 5.29 1995 ABQ 101.0 104 35 9 23 97 3.12 7 4 9.27 2.05 8.64The twin brother of the Phillies' Mike Mimbs, and just like his brother, he's got a history of injury problems and was snatched via the Rule V draft. Texas will have to keep him on the major league roster for the season if the want to retain him.
CHRIS NICHTING RBP 1966 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 SAN 73.3 69 32 6 45 64 3.93 4 4 8.47 5.52 7.85 1992 ABQ 38.7 61 35 5 21 24 8.15 1 3 14.20 4.89 5.59 1993 VRO 16.0 20 10 4 6 15 5.62 1 1 11.25 3.38 8.44 1994 SAN 61.0 54 24 2 37 59 3.54 4 3 7.97 5.46 8.70 1994 ABQ 37.7 54 28 4 28 23 6.69 1 3 12.90 6.69 5.50 1995 OKL 65.0 57 18 4 22 68 2.49 5 2 7.89 3.05 9.42 1995 TEX 23.7 35 14 1 11 6 5.32 1 2 13.31 4.18 2.28
DARREN OLIVER LBP 1971 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 PCH 23.3 15 5 0 13 26 1.93 2 1 5.79 5.01 10.03 1992 TUL 13.3 18 12 4 5 11 8.10 0 1 12.15 3.38 7.43 1993 TUL 66.3 62 24 2 49 61 3.26 4 3 8.41 6.65 8.28 1994 TEX 49.3 36 16 3 32 53 2.92 3 2 6.57 5.84 9.67 1995 TEX 48.3 45 18 3 29 42 3.35 3 2 8.38 5.40 7.82Its always a bad sign when an organization talks makes its talent assessments on the basis of speculative personality sketches. Oates and Melvin think Oliver's too laid back to be an effective relief pitcher, yet he was perfectly fine in '94. But rather than pay attention to that, or Oliver's repeated injuries, Oliver got put into the rotation to satisfy some half-baked psychologizing, and of course he got injured. It will be interesting to see if Oates has learned his mistake, or if they keep trying to make Oliver something he isn't.
DANNY PATTERSON RRP 1971 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 GAS 92.0 144 69 18 37 56 6.75 3 7 14.09 3.62 5.48 1993 PCH 61.3 71 33 7 33 36 4.84 3 4 10.42 4.84 5.28 1994 PCH 12.3 16 9 3 6 8 6.57 0 1 11.68 4.38 5.84 1994 TUL 40.3 45 17 3 19 27 3.79 2 2 10.04 4.24 6.02 1995 TUL 33.3 46 26 3 14 22 7.02 1 3 12.42 3.78 5.94 1995 OKL 26.3 23 7 0 10 9 2.39 2 1 7.86 3.42 3.08
ROGER PAVLIK RSP 1968 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 OKL 24.3 17 14 3 26 39 5.18 1 2 6.29 9.62 14.42 1992 OKL 112.7 98 45 9 54 107 3.59 7 6 7.83 4.31 8.55 1992 TEX 61.0 63 25 4 32 52 3.69 4 3 9.30 4.72 7.67 1993 OKL 35.7 24 9 1 14 31 2.27 3 1 6.06 3.53 7.82 1993 TEX 163.7 151 55 13 75 148 3.02 11 7 8.30 4.12 8.14 1994 PCH 15.7 17 5 1 2 13 2.87 1 1 9.77 1.15 7.47 1994 OKL 28.0 26 9 3 7 37 2.89 2 1 8.36 2.25 11.89 1994 TEX 49.7 55 30 6 27 32 5.44 2 4 9.97 4.89 5.80 1995 TEX 189.3 170 71 15 79 162 3.38 12 9 8.08 3.76 7.70He's painful to watch, because he can't help but throw across his body as he fires in another split-fingered fastball. The Rangers have tried desperately to teach him better mechanics, and it hasn't worked. Pavlik can't pitch effectively unless he pitches his way, and his way has everyone thinking he's going to blow out his rotator cuff some dark day in the near future. It will be up to the Rangers to just close their eyes and hope he lasts the season. Down the stretch, Oates worked him hard, like a jockey goes to the whip, but Pavlik survived.
DAVID PEREZ RBP 1968 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 TUL 136.0 149 84 20 69 82 5.56 5 10 9.86 4.57 5.43 1992 PCH 53.7 59 24 7 21 24 4.02 3 3 9.89 3.52 4.02 1992 TUL 55.0 76 48 10 33 24 7.85 1 5 12.44 5.40 3.93 1993 TUL 116.0 135 75 18 44 88 5.82 4 9 10.47 3.41 6.83 1994 OKL 169.0 187 69 15 56 89 3.67 10 9 9.96 2.98 4.74 1995 TUL 43.0 51 30 8 19 23 6.28 1 4 10.67 3.98 4.81 1995 OKL 98.7 117 59 17 38 70 5.38 4 7 10.67 3.47 6.39
TIM RUMER LBP 1970 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 FTL 136.7 169 90 23 54 89 5.93 5 10 11.13 3.56 5.86 1992 PRW 116.3 155 78 15 40 77 6.03 4 9 11.99 3.09 5.96 1994 ABY 138.7 143 66 15 84 104 4.28 7 8 9.28 5.45 6.75 1995 COH 132.3 168 96 17 85 102 6.53 4 11 11.43 5.78 6.94The Rangers selected two lefties in the Rule V draft, Mimbs and Rumer. Both are good enough to stick, but I doubt the Rangers will keep both of them, so they're going to be in direct competition in camp.
JEFF RUSSELL RRP 1962 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 TEX 78.0 73 31 11 25 59 3.58 5 4 8.42 2.88 6.81 1992 TEX 55.7 49 15 2 21 50 2.43 4 2 7.92 3.40 8.08 1993 BOS 46.0 42 15 1 13 52 2.93 3 2 8.22 2.54 10.17 1994 BOS 27.7 28 12 3 12 19 3.90 2 1 9.11 3.90 6.18 1994 CLE 12.7 12 6 2 2 11 4.26 0 1 8.53 1.42 7.82 1995 TEX 32.0 35 11 1 7 23 3.09 3 1 9.84 1.97 6.47He needs extensive rest between outings, so wherever he winds up (he's unsigned as of late January), he'll be a problem if your manager is counting on him to carry the workload of a full-time closer.
MO SANFORD RBP 1967 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CHT 88.3 89 50 15 61 101 5.09 4 6 9.07 6.22 10.29 1991 NAS 32.0 24 9 0 23 37 2.53 3 1 6.75 6.47 10.41 1991 CIN 28.0 20 13 5 15 33 4.18 1 2 6.43 4.82 10.61 1992 CHT 25.7 15 7 5 7 23 2.45 2 1 5.26 2.45 8.06 1992 NAS 115.7 127 70 25 67 129 5.45 5 8 9.88 5.21 10.04 1993 CSP 98.0 89 48 11 59 89 4.41 5 6 8.17 5.42 8.17 1993 COL 35.0 32 18 4 27 36 4.63 2 2 8.23 6.94 9.26 1994 SLC 119.3 113 61 23 55 133 4.60 6 7 8.52 4.15 10.03 1995 MIN 18.0 15 11 6 15 18 5.50 1 1 7.50 7.50 9.00Signed as a minor league free agent, he's got a curve that snaps wonderfully. Sadly, its his only pitch, so he never lived up to the high hopes the Reds had for him years ago. He's pitching well in winter ball, but he's unlikely to ever be effective in the majors for an extended period of time.
JULIO SANTANA RSP 1973 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1994 CSC 84.0 75 47 6 54 67 5.04 3 6 8.04 5.79 7.18 1994 TUL 65.7 63 34 3 47 37 4.66 3 4 8.63 6.44 5.07 1995 TUL 94.3 97 42 10 56 66 4.01 5 5 9.25 5.34 6.30The pitching prospect. With the possible exception of Rick Helling, this one pitcher is basically the only reason Texas fields AAA or AA teams. He got pasted at Oklahoma City, earning a demotion to Tulsa. He's still heavily reliant on his fastball; as a converted shortstop, he's probably still learning the nuances of pitching.
LANCE SCHUERMANN LBP 1970 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 MIA 76.0 100 61 5 70 52 7.22 2 6 11.84 8.29 6.16 1993 PCH 60.3 50 31 5 33 52 4.62 3 4 7.46 4.92 7.76 1994 TUL 161.3 225 108 33 55 101 6.02 6 12 12.55 3.07 5.63 1995 OKL 84.3 98 43 10 44 41 4.59 4 5 10.46 4.70 4.38
SCOTTY SMITH RBP 1971 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1994 PCH 129.3 163 80 20 38 75 5.57 5 9 11.34 2.64 5.22 1995 TUL 92.7 149 79 22 32 35 7.67 2 8 14.47 3.11 3.40
SCOTT TAYLOR RBP 1967 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 DUR 100.3 126 46 7 32 56 4.13 5 6 11.30 2.87 5.02 1991 GRN 39.3 57 27 8 16 21 6.18 1 3 13.04 3.66 4.81 1992 ELP 50.7 48 23 8 23 29 4.09 3 3 8.53 4.09 5.15 1992 GRN 36.3 57 45 12 23 18 11.15 0 4 14.12 5.70 4.46 1993 ELP 95.7 116 58 7 39 59 5.46 4 7 10.91 3.67 5.55 1993 NWO 59.7 55 18 3 23 48 2.72 5 2 8.30 3.47 7.24 1994 NWO 157.7 191 83 13 62 105 4.74 7 11 10.90 3.54 5.99 1995 NWO 10.7 11 3 0 4 9 2.53 1 0 9.28 3.38 7.59 1995 OKL 112.7 121 51 13 42 61 4.07 6 7 9.67 3.36 4.87 1995 TEX 15.0 24 12 4 4 11 7.20 0 2 14.40 2.40 6.60
JOEY VIERRA LRP 1966 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 NAS 92.0 95 67 17 42 81 6.55 3 7 9.29 4.11 7.92 1992 NAS 78.3 66 27 7 29 63 3.10 6 3 7.58 3.33 7.24 1993 SAN 10.3 16 8 2 5 5 6.97 0 1 13.94 4.35 4.35 1993 ABQ 30.7 35 18 5 19 21 5.28 1 2 10.27 5.58 6.16 1994 BIR 62.0 68 26 2 23 54 3.77 4 3 9.87 3.34 7.84 1994 NAS 20.3 26 11 1 11 17 4.87 1 1 11.51 4.87 7.52 1995 NAS 56.3 48 26 8 21 54 4.15 3 3 7.67 3.36 8.63
ED VOSBERG LRP 1962 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 IOW 60.0 69 29 7 24 64 4.35 3 4 10.35 3.60 9.60 1994 TAC 51.3 41 22 5 20 52 3.86 3 3 7.19 3.51 9.12 1994 OAK 13.3 17 6 1 5 13 4.05 0 1 11.48 3.38 8.78 1995 TEX 35.3 32 11 2 14 39 2.80 3 1 8.15 3.57 9.93The guy who got caught scalping his All-Star game tickets. And baseball wonders why it has an image problem? One of a hundred lefties who throws a nice curve, but unlike the rest, he found a manager who took a shine to him in Johnny Oates.
MATT WHITESIDE RRP 1968 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 GAS 57.0 59 30 5 23 44 4.74 2 4 9.32 3.63 6.95 1992 TUL 31.3 40 14 2 4 24 4.02 1 2 11.49 1.15 6.89 1992 OKL 11.0 8 2 1 3 13 1.64 1 0 6.55 2.45 10.64 1992 TEX 27.3 25 7 1 11 15 2.30 2 1 8.23 3.62 4.94 1993 OKL 10.7 15 7 1 8 9 5.91 0 1 12.66 6.75 7.59 1993 TEX 72.0 78 30 6 21 44 3.75 4 4 9.75 2.62 5.50 1994 TEX 60.0 62 27 4 25 39 4.05 3 4 9.30 3.75 5.85 1995 TEX 52.7 47 18 4 16 50 3.08 4 2 8.03 2.73 8.54At this point, Whiteside is a piece of circumstantial evidence for the existence of the Rangers' minor leagues.
CHAD WILEY RSP 1972 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 CSC 70.7 71 53 12 66 46 6.75 2 6 9.04 8.41 5.86 1994 PCH 64.7 90 40 5 42 54 5.57 2 5 12.53 5.85 7.52 1995 TUL 147.0 175 79 24 55 65 4.84 6 10 10.71 3.37 3.98Tulsa's ace, he led the Texas League in homeruns allowed.
ROB WISHNEVSKI RBP 1967 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 ELP 14.7 17 6 1 5 7 3.68 1 1 10.43 3.07 4.30 1991 KNX 94.0 97 59 7 58 47 5.65 3 7 9.29 5.55 4.50 1992 ELP 16.7 7 2 1 5 12 1.08 2 0 3.78 2.70 6.48 1992 DEN 72.3 89 44 5 40 64 5.47 3 5 11.07 4.98 7.96 1993 NWO 67.0 77 35 10 18 74 4.70 3 4 10.34 2.42 9.94 1994 LOU 140.3 136 62 14 61 103 3.98 8 8 8.72 3.91 6.61 1995 OKL 104.0 99 44 12 57 74 3.81 6 6 8.57 4.93 6.40
BOBBY WITT RSP 1965 YEAR TEAM IP H ER R BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 TEX 87.3 85 55 5 73 93 5.67 3 7 8.76 7.52 9.58 1992 TEX 158.0 146 68 15 91 116 3.87 9 9 8.32 5.18 6.61 1992 OAK 31.0 34 14 1 19 30 4.06 1 2 9.87 5.52 8.71 1993 OAK 216.0 228 91 15 84 148 3.79 13 11 9.50 3.50 6.17 1994 OAK 132.7 161 75 18 65 121 5.09 6 9 10.92 4.41 8.21 1995 FLA 109.7 102 43 8 47 93 3.53 7 5 8.37 3.86 7.63 1995 TEX 60.3 79 26 2 17 50 3.88 4 3 11.78 2.54 7.46He really should have had that perfect game in '94 against Kansas City. Greg Gagne did not beat the throw. These things happen. Since blossoming in 1990, his career has wound up being a very bitter fruit indeed for those who believed in his talent.