1973 Recap: The Rangers - look, this is an evil team in an evil city, there's just no two ways about it - was in the catbird seat as of the end of July with a 63-40 record and a 3 game lead on the Chicago White Sox in the AL West. Everything was coming up Milhouse, as in Richard Milhouse Nixon, for the former Washington Senators who were also celebrating their first season in their new division. Sadly for their fans but happily for everyone else, the Rangers went 13-17(! 30 games!) in August and 15-14 in September to lose a total of 5 games to the Chisox, who weren't exactly amazing (16-13 and 16-12) but did keep their heads above water at least.
You'd expect a park located in the mdidle of Texas - at least one where they play their games outside - to favor hitters but nope, that's not the case for Texas. Arlington Stadium's HRs allowed rate was a stingy 0.88, with base hits being about average in the (fairly) roomy (I guess) park (alleys to 380 ft, 330 down the lines). Point being, the NARRATIVE is that this was the best defense in the AL (3.05 ERA) but the league worst offense (630 runs scored). That's already pretty crazy for a contending team but... at least it can be said that maybe the pitching wasn't *quite* as good and the offense ways maaaaybe not the worst.
1974 Outlook: The rotation is young, with Chad Daugharty the "old man" of the staff at 28, and the hitting... can't be as bad two years in a row, right? You've got to think these Rangers will be right there again in '74.
John Bonham
C No. 1
SR, 6'2" 202 lbs.
Born 1948-05-18
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 PFD AA | .256 | 49 | 164 | 10 | 42 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 0 |
| 1971 DEN AAA | .206 | 43 | 141 | 18 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 0 |
| 1972 DEN AAA | .258 | 92 | 302 | 37 | 78 | 16 | 1 | 9 | 45 | 28 | 62 | 0 |
| 1972 TEX MLB | .267 | 5 | 15 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | .224 | 85 | 210 | 15 | 47 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 14 | 36 | 1 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Bonham is pretty much your prototypical good-field, no-hit catcher. He debuted a bit late to be considered anything like a top prospect but guys like this can stick in the league for a long time. Well, if they do anything close to being able to hit. The jury is still out on that. Bonham hit double digit homers between AAA Denver and the majors last year, and look, I haven't messed with Denver's stadium to make it the massive hitter's park it is in real life. So his complete lack of any power whatsoever came as a real surprise to everyone. The .224 average looked fine but that came with a sub-.300 OBP and SLG and an OPS+ of 56. Pretty bad!
The best thing about Bonham is athleticism behind the plate. He doesn't have the kind of arm that would win you Gold Gloves - kind of a big "but" for a catcher - but otherwise he's as good as anyone in the league at framing pitches, handling bunts, preventing wild pitchees, and so on. The vagaries of the game are such that he caught 30% of all stealers, 2% more than batterymate Andres Gamez, but that's just because guys ran on him a lot more. He does a good job as a field general as well, perhaps informed by his "day job" drumming for some English blues band named Led Zeppelin or something or other.
Bonham could easily play in the league for the next decade and if that doesn't sound ominous I don't know what to tell you.
Robbie Coltrane
SP No. 20
RR, 6'5" 201 lbs.
Born 1950-05-30
Code:
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| yrtmlvl | w | l | sv | era | g | gs | cg | ip | h | r | er | bb | k |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| 1971 JAX AA | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1.28 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 28.0 | 27 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 18 |
| 1971 WIC AAA | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2.24 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 192.1 | 145 | 63 | 48 | 57 | 101 |
| 1971 CLE MLB | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3.33 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 56.2 | 60 | 29 | 21 | 14 | 34 |
| 1972 CLE MLB | 10 | 10 | 0 | 3.71 | 28 | 28 | 9 | 208.1 | 208 | 92 | 86 | 39 | 140 |
| 1973 CLE MLB | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5.20 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 36.1 | 40 | 21 | 21 | 7 | 11 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | 21 | 8 | 0 | 2.51 | 34 | 34 | 16 | 275.2 | 213 | 84 | 77 | 68 | 170 |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
The Rangers have a real problem in their rotation: who's #1? It's a nice problem to have, and they've only brought it on themselves. Texas acquired Coltrane from the Cleveland baseball club, sending over beleaguered starter Kevin Freeman (14-14, 4.48) and 1B prospect / possible future Rangers owner George W. Bush (.174, 5, 18). To say the big, burly Coltrane won that trade outright is the understatement of the year: while Bush looks like a failed prospect and Freeman was one of the worst starters in the league, Coltrane won 23 games and is in the conversation for the 1973 Cy Young Award.
Coltrane throws a mid-90s fastball and likes to mix in a forkball that comes in looking just enough like the heater that pitchers swing over it a lot. Last year, in spite of spending a month with another team, Robbie finished just 6 Ks behind Chad Daugharty for the team lead (and finished 5th overall with 181). Unlike most power pitchers, "Hagrid" gets those whiffs without wildness, having finished 2nd and 4th in the league in fewest walks per 9 innings in his 2 full years as a starter.
Coltrane prides himself on being a "doer" more than a "thinker", although reporters don't ask him a lot of questions because that Scottish brogue of his can be impenetrable. I kind of wrote up Crystal and Daugharty before getting to this guy and I have to say, he might just be their top pitcher right now. 1974 will tell us for sure.
Billy Crystal
SP No. 23
LR, 5'11" 187 lbs.
Born 1948-07-01
Code:
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| yrtmlvl | w | l | sv | era | g | gs | cg | ip | h | r | er | bb | k |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| 1971 IOW AAA | 9 | 17 | 0 | 3.35 | 27 | 27 | 15 | 217.0 | 193 | 97 | 81 | 102 | 106 |
| 1971 OAK MLB | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6.89 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 15.2 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 12 |
| 1972 TEX MLB | 13 | 15 | 0 | 2.85 | 34 | 34 | 10 | 255.0 | 197 | 85 | 81 | 94 | 164 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | 18 | 18 | 0 | 2.85 | 37 | 37 | 18 | 286.2 | 261 | 106 | 91 | 122 | 156 |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
In his second full season in the league, Billy Crystal proved that he was a nice return for the 3-time All-Star Vince Akright, whom the team traded to the A's in the offseason of 71-2 for Crystal and reliever Doug Ellis (who I'll talk about in a second). Akright, as noted in the A's writeup, was typically great, but Crystal was no slouch himself. For better or for worse, the young comedian stayed in the game long enough to get the decision all but once on the season, leading the AL in complete games in the process. He's not the strikeout artist that "Dog" Daugharty is but he's reportedly spent some time in the clubhouse with the team ace learning his change-up. He'll want to work on controlling that and two other solid breaking pitches, a forkball and a curve, for strikes if he wants to become a star in this league.
Crystal did wear down from all the use, admittedly, finishing the season 1-5, 3.55 and 3-4, 3.78 as the team fell apart around him. At one point he was 14-7, 2.48, and that All-Star choice he got was much deserved. Crystal hypes himself up before entering games by telling himself that "you look mahvelous", which might be a bit but even if so it's endearing to fans. Still just 25 years of age, one more little move forward in his development makes him the top pitcher on this loaded staff.
Josh Damon
LF/RF No. 15
RR, 5'11" 195 lbs.
Born 1940-10-29
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 ATL MLB | .259 | 122 | 459 | 61 | 119 | 18 | 1 | 18 | 61 | 44 | 67 | 3 |
| 1972 ATL MLB | .261 | 115 | 387 | 48 | 101 | 12 | 3 | 13 | 47 | 37 | 42 | 2 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | .264 | 118 | 435 | 53 | 115 | 22 | 5 | 8 | 43 | 30 | 40 | 11 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Damon, acquired from the Braves in exchange for left-handed closer Ron Shepherd (3-8, 3.86, 8 Sv), is currently Texas' oldest position player and, at 32, the 2nd oldest man on the roster to Tanzan Kihara. He's also one of the most consistent players in the league, hitting between .259 and .264 in each of the last 4 years. Texas, of course, would prefer he hit the way he did when he was a pinch-hitter and 5th outfielder in Atlanta (he hit .295 in 1970 in that role) but at this point I think it's fair to say that Damon is who he is.
Somehow Damon once upon a time earned the nickname "Dynamo" but there's really nothing hugely dynamic about his game. He's a good enough fielder to play some center if needs arose but with Norm Hodge as one of the best men in the game at the position, the needs didn't arise for that. Instead, he played some really, really nice left field, nice enough that he might have won the Gold Glove if I awarded it on a per-position basis instead of just handing it to the top 3 defensive outfielders in each league. Damon was one of three Rangers to top double figures in steals, albeit barely, and was... fine, I guess.
I wouldn't exactly call Josh Damon a leader per se but he's a good enough player that even with the diminishing power he should be able to do this for Texas for a few more years.
Chad Daugharty
SP No. 35, RR
6'4" 201 lbs.
Born 1945-03-01
Code:
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| yrtmlvl | w | l | sv | era | g | gs | cg | ip | h | r | er | bb | k |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| 1971 TEX MLB | 16 | 14 | 0 | 3.46 | 36 | 36 | 8 | 273.0 | 245 | 112 | 105 | 88 | 164 |
| 1972 TEX MLB | 18 | 10 | 0 | 2.36 | 34 | 34 | 15 | 266.0 | 223 | 74 | 70 | 77 | 144 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | 18 | 15 | 0 | 3.03 | 39 | 39 | 9 | 290.2 | 275 | 114 | 98 | 110 | 176 |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
Daugharty, as they like to say, has a bit of that "dog" in him. The right-hander was just a shade off of an amazing 1973 season but those 15 losses - the 2nd highest total of his career (Daugharty was 12-16, 3.62) was mostly due to his teammates not scoring enough runs for him. He continued to fool pitchers with one of the best change of pace balls in the league and he managed to buck a leaguewide trend and actually improve his K rate from 4.9 to 5.4. Those increased whiffs did come along with a career-worst 110 walks allowed that was partially due to his having thrown more innings than he ever had in the past but also the 3.4/9 rate was the worst of his career. That's still pretty good, though.
Daugharty does a good job of holding runners and had 10 men caught stealing under his watch in 25 attempts. He's not the best guy in the world at defending the bunt but then I guess he's not the worst either. He's not really the leader-y type, exactly, but when you're considered the first man up all year, you kind of are whether you like it or not. Look for another good, solid year for Daugharty in 1974 although he miiiight just lose his #1 starter mantle.
Donald Fagen
IF No. 14
RR, 5'12" 194 lbs.
Born 1948-01-10
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 BIR AA | .270 | 59 | 233 | 28 | 63 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 22 | 32 | 1 |
| 1971 IOW AAA | .226 | 86 | 261 | 32 | 59 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 41 | 31 | 0 |
| 1972 BIR AA | .296 | 24 | 81 | 13 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 20 | 9 | 1 |
| 1972 IOW AAA | .294 | 32 | 109 | 16 | 32 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 9 | 18 | 0 |
| 1972 OAK MLB | .237 | 30 | 93 | 7 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 0 |
| 1972 TEX MLB | .217 | 42 | 143 | 17 | 31 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 18 | 18 | 0 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | .179 | 73 | 173 | 13 | 31 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 12 | 24 | 0 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Just to show the great creator of this universe is not biased, Donald Fagen is the lead singer of the creator's favorite band ever (at least from this era) (until Queen shows up) but in-game he's a good-field no-hit utility infielder. Fagen hit nothing but singles last year and didn't hit very many singles. Scouts insist he could be a "fringe everyday player" but I just don't see how. Fagen does field well... enough to be a defensive replacement across the right side of the infield as well as left and center should the need allow (which it has not in Fagen's young major league career).
Hey, there's a use for a guy like this. If he comes back next year with 40 HR power or something, you'll know that the creator got tired.
William Faure
LF/RF No. 27
RL, 5'10" 176 lbs.
Born 1949-07-18
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 ORL AA | .297 | 56 | 175 | 23 | 52 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 22 | 22 | 2 |
| 1972 REN A | .333 | 131 | 465 | 104 | 155 | 24 | 1 | 25 | 108 | 106 | 64 | 2 |
| 1972 SPO AAA | .095 | 5 | 21 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1973 SPO AAA | .328 | 70 | 122 | 20 | 40 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 25 | 20 | 13 | 0 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | .227 | 21 | 66 | 8 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 0 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Every time I see this name I think of the guy who composed the Faure Requiem. But no, that's Gabriel Faure, who did his thing in the 19th century. This is William Faure, a (white) South African director most famous for doing the TV series "Shaka Zulu". There's not a massive amount of information out there not hidden behind paywalls so I can't really speak too much about him as a person, except that he did do work as an activist after "Shaka Zulu" before dying of kidney failure at only 45 years of age.
Here Faure is a corner outfielder with nice pop who, like Tom Petty, got rushed a bit and maybe didn't show all that he's capable of in the major leagues last year. He's a bit older than Petty and he's got those old man skills so he'd probably better show things quickly if he's going to stick around.
Andres Gamez
C No. 33
RR, 6'3" 203 lbs.
Born 1948-07-16
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 ATL MLB | .318 | 81 | 173 | 22 | 55 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 32 | 15 | 30 | 1 |
| 1972 TEX MLB | .278 | 121 | 449 | 41 | 125 | 16 | 1 | 5 | 44 | 20 | 73 | 0 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | .197 | 105 | 314 | 22 | 62 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 19 | 37 | 0 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Andres "Goofy" Gamez had a singularly awful season and should consider himself lucky - "lucky" - that his heir apparent John Bonham didn't hit either. The intent was definitely to use him and the switch-hitting Bonham in a semi-platoon situation where Gamez was supposed to still get most of the plate appearances. Problem was, Gamez hit just .172 last year against left-handed pitching. His average dipped all the way down to .163 as of June 6 and sent a message that hey, maybe it was time to use Bonham a bit more. Gamez hit .224 in June and .231 in July, still well below his production the previous two years but better. Then, given the chance to play more often again, he finished the year hitting .163.
In the past, Gamez has been adept at going with the pitch and concentrating more on getting the ball into gaps than ever hitting for power. What little power he had in the past just plain disappeared in Arlington Stadium last year and what used to be line drives or hard ground balls off his bat turned into a lot of pop-outs. Gamez still did a decent job of avoiding strikeouts but, like, is that really so great when the end result is a quiet out anyway? Defensively he's in the upper tier of catchers. He only threw out 28% of base-stealers last season but that was arguably due to his staff. He's not a guy to hype pitchers up but his calmness even when fans are screaming can be contagious.
Gamez has to be considered a backup going into this year. With John Bonham not exactly burning down the house last year, that's still an open question.
Dennis Green
3B/SS/OF No. 22
LR, 6'1" 209 lbs.
Born 1949-02-06
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 AND A | .312 | 77 | 292 | 42 | 91 | 13 | 0 | 9 | 45 | 28 | 73 | 2 |
| 1971 PFD AA | .375 | 5 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| 1972 PFD AA | .328 | 35 | 119 | 16 | 39 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 18 | 10 | 19 | 0 |
| 1972 DEN AAA | .323 | 45 | 167 | 27 | 54 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 23 | 23 | 36 | 1 |
| 1972 TEX MLB | .248 | 65 | 210 | 27 | 52 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 35 | 37 | 44 | 0 |
| 1973 SPO AAA | .297 | 71 | 212 | 26 | 63 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 29 | 17 | 23 | 0 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | .200 | 33 | 70 | 8 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 18 | 0 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
The big, burly Green was called up midseason to work a utility role for this team and promptly hit like a 140 pound weakling. Don't tell that to his face! A mid to late round pick in the 1971 draft (8th round, 180th overall), Green nevertheless pushed through the minors quickly and forced Texas to make a decision on him. Perhaps he even forced it too soon. He did look solid in 65 games last year so the Rangers were expecting more than this. He should bounce back. If he does, he should be able to man the infield and outfield corners and wield a good enough bat.
Roberto Hernandez
1B/3B No. 13
RR, 5'11" 201 lbs.
Born 1942-04-19
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 CLE MLB | .252 | 63 | 127 | 13 | 32 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 25 | 7 | 17 | 0 |
| 1972 CLE MLB | .319 | 82 | 207 | 21 | 66 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 28 | 6 | 17 | 0 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | .269 | 150 | 579 | 64 | 156 | 22 | 4 | 14 | 81 | 13 | 66 | 0 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Roberto Hernandez was simply getting paid too much money to be a backup corner infielder and pinch-hitter and so Cleveland shipped him out as part of their big fire sale. Although Hernandez wasn't the biggest "get" for Texas this offseason, he was... fine. Batting 3rd or 5th most of the year, Hernandez finished 2nd on the team in homeruns and led the Rangers in RBIs in 1973. If the production was a little light for a first baseman, that's really more on the Rangers than on Hernandez, who's shown himself to be about capable of this level for a while now.
Hernandez swings at most anything that looks like it could one day be a strike. He's an especially big fan of pitches above the waist and on the inside half of the zone but he's not patient enough to wait for that particular pitch. He'll still get those just often enough to remind pitchers of his power. He's got a gun and really the only reason he's not the starting 3rd baseman is that the front office preferred to keep Bobby Ramirez in a regular, every day role. He's got good hands, which does well for him at either spot, and it's a lack of range that keeps him from playing the middle infield. For a guy who doesn't walk, he's awfully smart out there. I'm not saying he'll pull the hidden ball trick on someone, but he could.
Hernandez fills a role for this team. First base / DH is a prime spot for an upgrade, at least on paper, but Hernandez is clutch and gets the job done.
Norm Hodge
CF No. 4
LL, 6'0" 202 lbs.
Born 1941-10-18
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 CAL MLB | .232 | 138 | 488 | 52 | 113 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 48 | 36 | 75 | 21 |
| 1972 TEX MLB | .206 | 116 | 437 | 38 | 90 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 20 | 26 | 71 | 15 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | .247 | 120 | 470 | 62 | 116 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 43 | 39 | 100 | 17 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Hodge had a nice bounce-back season off of a year that really made it look like his days in the major leagues are numbered. I mean, everybody's days are numbered but at least for Hodge it goes back to how long he'll continue to be an elite defensive centerfielder because he did just enough with the stick to justify everything. Hodge in fact had his best season since 1970, when he hit a perfectly adequate .260. Hodge is a slap hitter who sometimes forgets how he got into the major leagues, falls in love with the concept of the long ball, and swings through a lot of pitches. He doesn't really get on base enough to justify the Rangers sticking him in the leadoff spot - he did clear a .300 OBP at least (.305) and as a result also scored the most runs he's scored since that 1970 season.
Hodge isn't, like, "Death to Flying Things" levels of centerfield play but the 8 time Gold Glove Award winner is still very good, probably good enough to get number 9 in a couple weeks. He's still got excellent range - outstanding range, really, for a 31 year old - good hands and a great arm that led to 12 baserunner kills in center. Speed-wise he's not the demon on the paths that he used to be but 17/21 is pretty, pretty good for steals. About the only thing he can't do that you'd expect a guy with his skills to do is bunt: Hodge is just not good at it either to move runners along or to get on base himself.
Any year now you could see Hodge take that final step where he turns into a merely above average CF or a downright bad instead of just kind of below average hitter. Some thought it would be 1973 already.
Curtis Hope
OF No. 30
LR, 6'0" 195 lbs.
Born 1945-10-16
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 NYM MLB | .287 | 152 | 565 | 80 | 162 | 33 | 8 | 22 | 85 | 67 | 109 | 11 |
| 1972 NYM MLB | .211 | 145 | 508 | 55 | 107 | 21 | 4 | 7 | 46 | 56 | 130 | 22 |
| 1973 NYM MLB | .190 | 31 | 79 | 7 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 15 | 11 | 0 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | .224 | 21 | 58 | 5 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 12 | 3 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
As recently as 1971 Curtis Hope was an All-Star with the Mets. Following a really horrible 1972 and a poor start to 73 that saw him lose his job to a young prospect, the Mets solid him off to the Rangers who might have secretly hoped that Hope was just in a long slump. It seems like no, that's not the case. Even if he did hit like hie did in 1970 and 1971, Hope isn't the defender that Norm Hodge is. What am I saying? If he hit like that, Texas would surely figure something out. He's only 27 so it can't be over yet.
Bill Iverson
CF No. 28
RR, 5'11" 188 lbs.
Born 1945-01-10
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 DEN AAA | .269 | 124 | 443 | 50 | 119 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 38 | 49 | 60 | 12 |
| 1971 TEX MLB | .167 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1972 DEN AAA | .289 | 52 | 197 | 31 | 57 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 17 | 17 | 24 | 9 |
| 1972 TEX MLB | .240 | 52 | 171 | 18 | 41 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 18 | 28 | 5 |
| 1973 SPO AAA | .300 | 56 | 140 | 10 | 42 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 11 | 22 | 1 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | .213 | 26 | 80 | 6 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 1 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Every year Norm Hodge has a guy who comes in whose job it is to try and take Hodge's place, and every year, it seems, that guys falls off. In 1973 it was Bill Iverson, who followed up a "hey this looks good if you compare it to Hodge's 1972" type year with a season at the plate so bad that when the Rangers DFA'd him in July nobody snatched him up off the waiver wire. Iverson did hit .300 after being sent down, which is mostly a testament to small sample sizes.
Nate Kemp
MR No. 12
LL, 6'3" 201 lbs.
Born 1948-10-26
Code:
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| yrtmlvl | w | l | sv | era | g | gs | cg | ip | h | r | er | bb | k |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| 1971 PFD AA | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2.76 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 81.1 | 81 | 28 | 25 | 17 | 41 |
| 1971 DEN AAA | 10 | 9 | 0 | 3.60 | 22 | 22 | 13 | 179.2 | 179 | 77 | 72 | 44 | 90 |
| 1971 TEX MLB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.92 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 14.0 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 1972 DEN AAA | 6 | 10 | 0 | 3.94 | 17 | 17 | 12 | 139.0 | 149 | 63 | 61 | 27 | 70 |
| 1972 TEX MLB | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3.93 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 50.1 | 52 | 22 | 22 | 15 | 19 |
| 1973 SPO AAA | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2.12 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 67.2 | 63 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 25 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2.34 | 31 | 4 | 2 | 61.1 | 47 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 34 |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
Kemp made the 1973 All-Star Game, which is more of an indictment of what OOTP thinks of relief pitchers than a real endorsement of what he added to the Rangers. I mean, Kemp was great when he did pitch last year, don't get me wrong. He also got sent down to AAA Spokane shortly after his All-Star appearance and didn't pitch in the major leagues again after that point until rosters expanded in September, when he appeared as a lefty specialist 3 times and allowed more runs (2) than innings pitched (1.2).
Kemp's still just 24 and the fact that he pitched so much in relief was due less to any lack of stamina or pitches that can carry him through games and more of a straight-up numbers game. When he did get the chance to start in the majors, he was excellent: 3-1, 1.67 with 2 complete games and a shutout in 4 starts in June and July. Really, you've got to look at this guy as a starter next year, either with these Texas Rangers or with a new team after Texas send him out to shore up something on their offense. Pr they'll keep him. Yeah, look at me, Mister Commitment. It's just, he's the only lefty in the bullpen and this team needs a lefty reliever something awful.
Tanzan Kihara
CL No. 17
SR, 6'2" 200 lbs.
Born 1940-09-20
Code:
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| yrtmlvl | w | l | sv | era | g | gs | cg | ip | h | r | er | bb | k |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| 1971 CAL MLB | 2 | 7 | 10 | 3.49 | 54 | 0 | 0 | 77.1 | 78 | 33 | 30 | 18 | 71 |
| 1972 CAL MLB | 8 | 8 | 18 | 3.69 | 54 | 0 | 0 | 70.2 | 62 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 57 |
| 1973 CAL MLB | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1.19 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | 1 | 3 | 18 | 3.40 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 42.1 | 40 | 19 | 16 | 7 | 35 |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
Kihara seemed like the last piece to lock up this pitching staff when the Rangers acquired him from California along with Bobby Ramirez for 1B Chris Seek (.333. 15. 91), SP Bernd Eichinger (4-2, 2.15) and OF prospect Douglas Adams (.242, 5, 18 in AA El Paso). That trade cost them a pretty penny - Seek led the AL in batting - but with Ramirez we'd say the return was worth it. Kihara converted 18 out of 20 saves, struck out 7.4 batters per 9 innings, and "the Berserker" ("Beruserkeru" in Japanese) mostly looked the part as the high-octane late-inning stopper.
Kihara throws gas which he mixes with a 12-to-6 curve that keeps hitters from sending everything they can make contact with out of the park. Arlington probably helps out a bit too. He still allowed 6 HRs in 42.1 IP during his time in Texas - 5 of those dingers were on the road! - so this was and is an issue for the 33 year old. His 25 saves combined were far and away a career high; Kihara, who came up with the Angels all the way back in 1963, wasn't even really considered for the closer role until midway through 71. At this point, the Rangers will probably ride him for as long as that fastball holds up.
Michael Luna
SS No. 25
RR, 6'3" 200 lbs.
Born 1947-11-05
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 PFD AA | .241 | 68 | 228 | 34 | 55 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 21 | 34 | 45 | 1 |
| 1971 DEN AAA | .255 | 63 | 216 | 28 | 55 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 33 | 37 | 1 |
| 1971 TEX MLB | .203 | 25 | 74 | 6 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 0 |
| 1972 TEX MLB | .230 | 136 | 440 | 43 | 101 | 14 | 4 | 7 | 38 | 47 | 86 | 2 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | .224 | 139 | 402 | 42 | 90 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 42 | 41 | 79 | 6 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
In 1972 Luna played the part of a back of the lineup hitter with a solid glove at short well enough to win a trip to the All-Star Game... somehow. I'm still having a hard time seeing it. Last year, when the rest of the league rebounded from a big off year offensively, Luna was maybe a touch worse than he'd been, dropping from "I guess that's good enough" to "oh wow no". Right when the team needed him the most, too, Luna hit just .182 in that terrible Texas August.
If he gets right - or maybe he just has to get good, period - Luna was kind of sort of close to a league average hitter in '72, which is good for a shortstop. He also had a bit of an off season in the field, speaking of which, with under 100 DPs turned (95) in 132 starts and a negative ZR (which hey let's pretend that's a thing people know about in the 70s) along with 18 errors. He's a guy you ideally want to kind of set and forget in his role, which isn't so great if he's not good enough to start. For now though, it's either him or Donald Fagen and somehow even Luna's a better hiter than that. He's currently one of the few Rangers who played in Washington, which is saying something about the roster turnover.
Robert Mchugh
MR/CL No. 19
RR, 6'0" 174 lbs.
Born 1946-12-22
Code:
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| yrtmlvl | w | l | sv | era | g | gs | cg | ip | h | r | er | bb | k |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| 1971 TUL AAA | 6 | 13 | 0 | 2.73 | 22 | 22 | 10 | 171.0 | 132 | 74 | 52 | 91 | 119 |
| 1971 STL MLB | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4.60 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 27.1 | 24 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 25 |
| 1972 DEN AAA | 15 | 9 | 0 | 3.45 | 26 | 26 | 9 | 200.2 | 169 | 79 | 77 | 62 | 214 |
| 1972 TEX MLB | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2.21 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 44.2 | 28 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 44 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | 15 | 15 | 0 | 3.44 | 34 | 34 | 12 | 251.0 | 225 | 112 | 96 | 95 | 170 |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
Someone's got to be the #4 starter on this team. Truth be told, Robert "The Rat" McHugh would be the #1 starter for a lot of clubs. Like Billy Crystal, he got used pretty heavily in the first half and like Crystal he kind of fell apart in the 2nd. Following a 4-1 win at the Brewers on July 8, the Rat was 11-6, 3.18. He finished that month 2-2 with 2 no-decisions and then went 2-5, 3.40 and 1-5, 3.43 over the final 2 months, turning what was looking like a good first full year into just another .500 season.
McHugh posted a nearly 2-1 K/W ratio on the basis of a splitter that hitters tend to miss instead of top out - he had a GB rate of just 44% last year - and a fastball that moves a lot and is trickier than the high-80s velo might suggest. The K rate was actually 4th in the league. He's got the reputation for holding runners well but man oh man the stats do not back that up: he allowed 18 out of 23 would-be base thieves to get their new sack.
McHugh is another Senators/Rangers acquisition, being part of the trade that sent Raul Mendoza (17-12, 3.14) to St. Louis. Mendoza has turned into the staff ace in the Gateway City but as a salary dump for an owner looking to sell his team, this move still worked out pretty, pretty well.
Billy Munoz
MR No. 3
RR, 6'1" 200 lbs.
Born 1941-06-11
Code:
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| yrtmlvl | w | l | sv | era | g | gs | cg | ip | h | r | er | bb | k |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| 1971 STL MLB | 10 | 6 | 24 | 2.69 | 67 | 0 | 0 | 100.1 | 86 | 30 | 30 | 35 | 80 |
| 1972 STL MLB | 6 | 6 | 17 | 3.29 | 57 | 0 | 0 | 87.1 | 76 | 39 | 32 | 39 | 50 |
| 1973 STL MLB | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3.17 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 22.2 | 25 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 14 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2.76 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 39.0 | 41 | 13 | 12 | 18 | 15 |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
My memory of this guy was as a journeyman and I guess in retrospect that's true: in 9 years in the league, Munoz has played for 5 different teams. On the other hand, he is a middle reliever / sometimes closer, which is a job prone to lots of travel, and he did manage to settle down for the previous 2 1/2 seasons before the Rangers snatched him away from the Cards for "The Nuge" Ted Nugent (1-2, 5.73) and a middle infield prospect. I also remember this guy being kind of hot and cold but truth be told he's been kind of consistent. In Texas, freed from worries of the longball, he posted a sub-2.00 ERA in spite of looking kind bad (0-1, 4.72) in his 2 starts.
The Rangers, presumably, have learned the lesson to not use this guy, who I guess technically can throw three pitches (a 2-seam fastball, a change, and a slider, although the change only comes out when he has to pitch more than an inning), in the starter role. If anything, his success in the middle relief role might entice them to use their pen more in general.
Kojiro Nakazawa
POS No. 18
RR, 6'1" 193 lbs.
Born 1946-06-12
Code:
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| yrtmlvl | w | l | sv | era | g | gs | cg | ip | h | r | er | bb | k |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| 1971 BOS MLB | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3.21 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 75.2 | 65 | 30 | 27 | 14 | 54 |
| 1972 NYY MLB | 3 | 8 | 11 | 4.47 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 50.1 | 55 | 26 | 25 | 13 | 35 |
| 1972 TEX MLB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.25 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | 6 | 3 | 8 | 4.22 | 41 | 1 | 0 | 55.1 | 45 | 26 | 26 | 17 | 37 |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
Nakazawa started the year as the team's closer and if you wanted a reason as to why the starters pitched so much... well, here's your answer. The 27 yaer old Japanese national wasn't so much wall-to-wall terrible as he was just terribly inconsistent. A 1-0, 4 save, 0.82 April gave way to a 0-2, 3 save, 9.00 May (6 ER in 6 IP over 7 appearances). after which he gave the job up to Tanzan Kihara. 3 solid months followed but then Nakazawa ended the year with an 0-1, 15.88 (12 runs, 10 earned, in 5.2 IP) September.
As a reliever, Nakazawa mixes low to mid 90s heat with a solid enough slider. He hasn't started in a couple years now but he's got a couple of change of pace pitches he mixes in when that happens. Last year that slider sometimes didn't slide and the fastball, while good, just isn't the kind of pitch he can rely on all by itself. He also throws from a steep angle and might be more suited as a guy who faces righty hitters only. That's, um, not a role in the 1970s so instead Nakazawa might find himself out of a job if he can't figure things out.
Tom Petty
OF No. 56
LL, 5'10" 172 lbs.
Born 1950-10-25
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1972 PAR R | .354 | 74 | 268 | 59 | 95 | 16 | 3 | 13 | 55 | 64 | 50 | 17 |
| 1973 SPO AAA | .298 | 107 | 383 | 57 | 114 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 33 | 55 | 74 | 3 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | .252 | 41 | 119 | 10 | 30 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 24 | 20 | 2 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Man, you want to talk about a young man fast-tracked to the major leagues, look no further than the 4th overall pick in the 1972 draft, Tom "The Heartbreaker" Petty. He went into rookie ball right out of college (look, in this universe Tom Petty went to college COOL IT), went all the way up into AAA to open the season, and after a monster half season the Rangers called him up at the end of July... where, okay, he stopped looking quite so amazing. Come on now. The kid doesn't even turn 23 until the 25th of this month. Be a bit patient.
Petty played a bunch of centerfield in the minors, enough to convince the organization that Norm Hodge's job is safe for now (at least from a Petty-sized challenge). He's got decent range for a corner guy although his arm probably slots him into left field if not DH. He's also flashed good speed, albeit with less than great judgment - in 1972 he stole 17 bases in 36 attempts down in the rookie leagues. He works as hard as he sings and Tom Petty sings hard. Pretty soon you can expect to see baseballs free falling off his bat and he won't back down. Okay, I'll stop now.
Bobby Ramirez
3B No. 29
LR, 5'12" 189 lbs.
Born 1947-11-27
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 CLE MLB | .344 | 142 | 515 | 84 | 177 | 20 | 10 | 15 | 67 | 66 | 54 | 32 |
| 1972 CLE MLB | .241 | 132 | 435 | 62 | 105 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 56 | 52 | 47 | 27 |
| 1973 CAL MLB | .368 | 33 | 114 | 20 | 42 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 23 | 11 | 8 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | .312 | 119 | 445 | 68 | 139 | 26 | 7 | 8 | 49 | 67 | 40 | 28 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Bobby Ramirezx and Roberto Hernandez are... just linked somehow. Ramirez won the third base job in Cleveland over Hernandez in 1971, pushing the vet to backup corner infield duties, until he was moved along to Texas at the beginning of the year. Well... Ramirez was also moved off in the big fire sale, only to California in exchange for 2B Mauricio Mendez (.247, 10, 43). Really, this was a cost-cutting move more than anything else; nobody is ever going to mistake Mendez for the Ghost Runner. Hernandez' time alone in Texas lasted just a month and a half as the Rangers pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Angels in which they received both Ramirez and Tanzan Kihara for Chris Seek and prospects.
I'd say the trade worked out really, really well for the Rangers. Although Ramirez, the 1971 AL batting champ, lost out this year to Seek, he still finished 2nd in the league with a .327 average and - especially notable on a team with so many agressive hitters - led the AL in on-base percentage with a .415 mark. He also finished in the top 10 in hits (181, 9th), total bases (264, 10th), walks (90, 7th), and OPS (.888, 3rd). His numbers aren't necessarily MVP-like but he could legitimately make a case for best player in baseball. The one real downside of Ramirez, I guess, is that he's only kind of an average fielder; if the Rangers keep Roberto Hernandez on, they'll probably flip-flop their positions (in Cleveland, of course, first was occupied by one Ernesto Garcia).
Ramirez, true to his nickname, loves to run, and has a pretty extensive program he follows in the offseason. It must be nice! Somehow he never went to the All-Star Game before this season. Surely this won't be the last time.
Geoffrey Rush
2B No. 16
RR, 5'11" 176 lbs.
Born 1950-06-08
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 WIL A | .333 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971 AND A | .315 | 62 | 248 | 40 | 78 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 24 | 20 | 44 | 14 |
| 1972 PFD AA | .303 | 80 | 310 | 34 | 94 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 29 | 34 | 28 | 11 |
| 1972 DEN AAA | .333 | 48 | 192 | 30 | 64 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 29 | 11 | 27 | 4 |
| 1972 TEX MLB | .303 | 18 | 66 | 12 | 20 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 3 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | .317 | 137 | 536 | 73 | 170 | 30 | 12 | 10 | 54 | 28 | 69 | 8 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Geoffrey Rush was lowkey not just a good, promising rookie, he was arguably the second best player on the team in 1973. No, it's not an argument, it's just a fact. Your classic 2 hole hitting second baseman, Rush finished 5th in the league in average and triples and led the team in hits, runs, and, somehow, slugging percentage. Rush even finished the year hitting .362 in August and .337 in September - no fatigue from this guy!
I don't *think* Rush's 1972 counts as his rookie season so he's a great choice for ROY of 1973. Everything that comes off his bat is a line drive and his swing seems especially well made for Arlington Stadium with all the long hits into both the right-center and left-center gaps. He's decently fast but was just 8/16 last year in steals. That might be a bit lower than it ought to be thanks to the Rangers trying to generate offense with the hit and run but still, that's not the greatest percentage. He's a very good fielder, maybe a touch worse than teammate Donald Fagen but pretty solid in his own right with plus range and a good knack for the pivot.
People often tell Rush he looks familiar, which I guess is a good quality to have for an actor. As a second baseman, he finds baseballs familiar I got nothin'. He went to the All-Star Game this year and could punch his ticket to 10 more if things play out right.
Amir Sudler
MR No. 6
RR, 5'12" 181 lbs.
Born 1945-06-15
Code:
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| yrtmlvl | w | l | sv | era | g | gs | cg | ip | h | r | er | bb | k |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| 1971 SLC AAA | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1.66 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 43.1 | 25 | 10 | 8 | 33 | 30 |
| 1971 CAL MLB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.40 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1972 SLC AAA | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2.84 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 19.0 | 19 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 7 |
| 1972 CAL MLB | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2.99 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 21.0 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 16 |
| 1973 STL MLB | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.22 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 27.2 | 29 | 15 | 13 | 25 | 18 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6.55 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 23.1 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 11 |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
Following a pretty decent 1972, Sudler found himself on 3 teams in 1973 and he really had a rough time of it. The Cards purchased him from the Angels at the end of spring training, intending to use him as swing-man but he didn't exactly excel in the role, so come July they shipped him off to the Rangers in exchange for AAAA journeyman Garrett Elser (0-2, 4.20 combined). Elser wasn't a success in St. Louis but Sudler was a disaster in Texas. He's gone through stretches in the past where he can't get hitters to swing at his forkball. When this happens and they start keying in on his sinker, the result is a lot of walks and, since they're undercutting more than you'd expect, a lot of HRs too. Sudler allowed 5 in just 23.1 Rangers innings last year.
1974 will be a real make-it-or-break-it year for the 28 year old. His splits are kind of crazy - even though lefties hit only .237 against him (.234 vs righties), he allowed all 6 of his HRs against that side and a .500 SLG (all six of those HRs were on the road as well). Conclusion? This team needs a lefty specialist. Or at least Nate Kemp needs to get used a lot more...
Philippe Toussaint
RF/LF No. 11
LL, 6'2" 203 lbs.
Born 1949-06-25
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 WH A | .243 | 50 | 185 | 19 | 45 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 21 | 25 | 36 | 5 |
| 1971 GAS A | .223 | 28 | 103 | 10 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 18 | 0 |
| 1972 DEN AAA | .360 | 24 | 86 | 11 | 31 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 11 | 15 | 2 |
| 1972 TEX MLB | .268 | 103 | 332 | 43 | 89 | 13 | 7 | 8 | 38 | 41 | 56 | 4 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | .284 | 146 | 514 | 69 | 146 | 26 | 13 | 14 | 72 | 60 | 80 | 1 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Philippe Toussaint, a young Belgian who plays golf in his spare time, followed up a solid rookie season with a sophomore year that wasn't a slump at all. In fact it was good enough to earn Toussaint his first trip to the All-Star Game. It doesn't look like much but he was pretty clearly the team's #3 player on a very stars-and-scrubs lineup. It'd almost be easier to list the team stats Toussaint didn't finish 3rd in. If he didn't hit .222 in August... well, then he wouldn't be a Texas Ranger, now would he?
Toussaint swings hard like a slugger but hasn't developed the power yet. It's hard to say whether he'll find that or not. As it stands, though, he'll gladly take a base and seems destined for a lineup slot near the top of the order, or at least higher up than 7th, where he spent most of last year. Toussaint's solid, if not necessarily special, as a right fielder. A first step is apparently not something you learn from golf. He's got decent speed though to make up for that. A potentially bigger issue is some stony hands last year: he had 9 errors in 149 games in right for a .967 fielding average. He also didn't learn to bunt in Belgium... but why would you ask this man to bunt?
Toussaint seems pretty content finding his fame as a golfer and not a baseballist. If he doesn't watch out he might find fame in both.
Jimmy Washington
DH/RF No. 34
LL, 5'11" 202 lbs.
Born 1943-04-25
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 NYM MLB | .254 | 119 | 456 | 62 | 116 | 22 | 1 | 17 | 66 | 29 | 69 | 0 |
| 1972 NYM MLB | .100 | 17 | 50 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | .271 | 135 | 498 | 60 | 135 | 24 | 2 | 19 | 75 | 50 | 60 | 1 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Hey, it wasn't thaaat long ago that Jimmy "Olsen" Washington was the big second banana on the Miracle Mets of 1969 team. Hitting behind Joshua "Superman" Waltenbery that year, Washington hit .290, slugged 29 homers, and drove in 113 batters, all of which were career highs. At the time there was hope this was a new normal. Since then, Washington has pretty well slid into a high teens HRs guy with a decent amount of clutch hitting. Following an injury-interrupted 1972 the Mets bid adieu to Washington and he kept doing the same thing he's been doing in Texas, save the last three weeks of the year that he missed with a back injury.
Washington tantalizes you by showing an ability to hit the ball in any part of the zone and striking out less than you'd expect a middle of the lineup slugger to strike out. Sadly, he just hits the ball really hard to second base insteead - he grounded into 22 double plays last year. After years of the Mets just kind of living with his fielding, Washington made the transition to the new DH position and not only didn't look mediocre in the field anymore, he also for the most part avoided injury.
Washington turned 30 this year, which sounds about right. It seems... unlikely that he'll make it to another All-Star Game unless things turn back around in a big hurry, but hey, maybe playing at the new "designated hitter" position will do that. In the meantime, he'll need to deal with a sudden glut of good young Texas players at the corner outfield spots.