Texas Rangers Archives

Shuhei Ohtani for the Dodgers? Juan Soto extended? 23 Bowden Predictions for the 2023 MLB Season

March 27, 2023 mohmad free

With the opening date only a few days away, it’s time to score again with predictions for the 2023 season and beyond in the off-season. While we wait for the season to kick off, here are 23 bold (and not so bold) predictions for the year. Like all preseason predictions, some will come out and others will flop. Let me know what you think, and share your predictions, in the comments section. 1. Juan Soto, who turned down a 15-year, $440 million offer from the Nationals before he was traded…

Minors Madness: Round 1, Hoo-Hoos and Gasbags regions

March 20, 2023 mohmad free

The bracket of 64 teams is set. Let’s admire it: As you can see, Friday’s vote in the Gasbags didn’t result in a single surprise. It was the least dramatic round of voting yet. Good fare for the Senators, Fightin Phils, Braves, Aviators, Cubs, Missions, Threshers, Redbirds, Clippers, Braves (again), Bandits, Dodgers and Baysox. The closest match was between Emeralds No. 16 and Blue Rocks No. 17, which was determined by a margin of 53.8-46.2 percent. But, before we looked forward, a quick shout out to the defeated Blue Rocks.…

Notes on each player at Rangers Camp, Part 3: Players and Outfielders

February 26, 2023 mohmad free

Surprise, Ariz. We’re officially in the middle of spring training. The workout days are just over, menu cuts are ahead of us, and in the next week or two, we’ll be seeing games with box points that will look, well, probably like this one. We’ve already finished with the first two parts – the right-handed pitchers in the first part and the left-handed pitcher/catcher in the second. Now let’s look at the rest of the guys. As with the last two, an asterisk is an unlisted veteran invitee, and a…

Baseball Hall of Fame ballots 2023: The Athletic’s voters reveal their selections

January 9, 2023 mohmad free

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling no longer dominate the annual conversation around Hall of Fame voting, having collectively fallen off the ballot in their final years of eligibility. But that doesn’t mean everything is suddenly straightforward, especially with this year’s addition of Carlos Beltrán, so inexorably tied to the 2017 Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal. Meanwhile, with those big names gone, candidates like Scott Rolen, Andruw Jones, and Billy Wagner could see the gains made in recent years accelerate. We asked some of The Athletic’s writers who vote for…

Rangers on the road: How the Texas prospects fare in the winter leagues

January 6, 2023 mohmad free

Greetings, everyone, and welcome to the annual meeting of the “I know it’s January, but I could really use some baseball” club. No, shooters and catchers don’t automatically jump a month, but that doesn’t mean the sport exists full Hibernation. While the game in the United States uses the hot stove to stave off the winter weather, a large number of players have made their annual migration to catch up on the summer game wherever it may be. The Rangers have 10 International Men of Mystery (plus nine players who…

Chris Young, Bruce Bochy and a momentous mound visit: ‘You’re the reason we’re here’

December 30, 2022 mohmad free

The third-year pitcher stood atop the hill at Busch Stadium on a crisp October afternoon, and he felt the credits about to roll. He’d done his job in the most significant assignment of his professional life, and he’d done it well. Off to one side, just outside the home dugout, stirred a man in an opposing uniform he should have feared but didn’t. Off to the other, just outside the visitors’ dugout, stepped a man he didn’t want to see. What happened next would impact more than just a playoff game…

Not only did the Rangers finish off starting pitching, but they added Nathan Ivaldi to the rotation

December 28, 2022 mohmad free

The Texas Rangers made an early starting start, bringing in Andrew Heene, Jax O’Dorizi, and DeGrom. With that need met, it’s time to bring it to their attention outdoor bat More sparkle. Reports began Tuesday night that the Rangers would sign Nathan Ivaldi. Later reports put the value of the contract at two years and $34 million, with a third-year vesting option and performance incentives. Ivaldi, a native Texan, has pitched for the Red Sox for the past five years after stints with the Dodgers, Marlins, Yankees and Rays. He’s…

Rangers, Nathan Ivaldi agree to two-year, $34 million contract: reports

December 28, 2022 mohmad free

The Texas Rangers and free agent Nathan Ivaldi have agreed to a two-year, $34 million contract, according to multiple reports. Here’s what you need to know: The 32-year-old right-hander carried a 3.16 ERA through mid-June for the Red Sox, but the rest of his 2022 games were ruined by shoulder and back injuries. Eovaldi has started just eight of Boston’s last 105 games, allowing 27 runs in 41 innings as his average fastball speed dropped from 96.8 mph in April and May to 94.1 mph in August and September. Eovaldi,…

The Year in Strange But True: Judge! Ohtani! And MLB’s 20 most mind-blowing hitting, pitching feats

December 27, 2022 mohmad free

Hey! I know you’re about to join your friends and loved ones to sing a Champagne-drenched chorus of “Auld Lang Syne.” But first, did you know that the definition of Auld Lang Syne has something to do with “fondly remembering old times”? No kidding. So here’s an idea. Let’s all fondly remember the Strange But True baseball season of 2022. In which … A guy taking his first swing in the big leagues hit a foul ball to his mother. … And another guy got called up and then debuted before he…

Top 25 remaining MLB free agents: Which teams will land Correa, Rodón, Swanson?

December 13, 2022 mohmad free

MLB teams have already spent more than $2.5 billion on free agents, but some clubs are just getting started. Nineteen of the top 25 free agents from my original ranking in early November have signed, but the new top 25 of remaining free agents will likely receive another billion dollars in this hot market. Two of the elite free-agent shortstops have signed, but Carlos Correa and Dansby Swanson are still on the board. Two of the top-tier starting pitchers have inked new deals, but Carlos Rodón is still available. Where will…