August 2, 2000
Rangers Swap Segui For Ledee, Keep Wetteland
QUOTE OF THE YEAR ... Rangers GM Doug Melvin, who in previous
seasons has not hesitated to pull the mid-season trade trigger,
proved gun-shy in 2000. He excused his inaction by saying, "For
right now, we'll let this group get a chance to play together and
see what we've got." OK, Doug, here’s what you’ve got: a Pudge-less
team that’s 50-53, 10 games out of first place, and behind an
additional five teams for wild card contention; a team that plays
all 30 of its games in August against teams with better records, and
19 of its final 28 games in September on the road, where it is 18-29
this year.
Tearing it Up
YOUR DREAMS WERE YOUR TICKET OUT ... Thank God for Gabe "Kotter"
Kapler, who has been a bright spot during recent Ranger struggles.
Kapler was named A.L. Player of the Week for the final week of July
as he hit .375 with four homers and nine RBI while leading the
league in slugging percentage (.938). This should tell you
something; even with the MVP-level season turned in by the
now-injured Pudge Rodriguez, Kapler is the first and only Ranger to
win AL POTW during the 2000 season. Kapler has exploded into the Top
10 of the ESPN "Most Added" list, while Pudge leads the "Most
Dropped" column.
Slumping
WHAT THE MEL IS GOING ON? ... The Texas front office simply dropped
the ball on deadline day. The team had chances to move SS Royce
Clayton to the Mets (before the Mike Bordick deal), closer John
Wetteland to St. Louis, and either Chad Curtis or Dave Martinez to
the Yankees. If the Rangers finally admit they have fallen out of
the wild card race, it is possible Curtis, Martinez, or Luis Alicea
might still be traded, but is unlikely that Wetteland or Clayton
could clear waivers. Granted, you don't want to trade those guys for
warm bodies a la Baltimore, but surely something was available?
At the Plate
OH RICKY, YOU'RE SO FINE ... The trade of 1B David Segui to
Cleveland for OF Ricky Ledee was a curious one. If the team is
trying to compete, why trade Segui (who hit .336/11/57 for Texas)
for Ledee, who is hitting .236? The Rangers believe Ledee will
thrive under the tutelage of hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo and in a
situation outside the pennant pressure of New York and Cleveland.
But if he’s going to play "outside the pennant pressure," then why
keep the other veterans around to try to compete? The Rangers likely
see Ledee, Kapler, and Ruben Mateo as their outfield of the next
decade.
Probable Starters
August 2, R. Helling vs. CHI
August 3, K. Rogers @ TOR
August 4, M. Perisho @ TOR
August 5, D. Davis @ TOR
August 6, R. Glynn @ TOR
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From the Rubber
AT LAST, AN ANSWER ... The fantasy question of the year surrounding
the Rangers has been "who will close for them after the trading
deadline?" The answer, of course, is "John Wetteland." Perhaps the
fact that Texas leads the American League with 21 blown saves led
the Rangers to hang on to Wetteland, but the veteran reliever’s
fastball has lost its zip, and he has been inconsistent all year; he
is heading into a career collapse of Jeff Reardon-esque proportions.
Though Melvin didn't deal him, Wetteland owners should consider
moving him while they still can.
On the Mend
RELEASE THE GUY, ALREADY! ... Darren Oliver is back on the 15-day
DL, once again with "fatigue and weakness in his left shoulder."
This is code for "he sucks." The move is retroactive to Monday, the
day after Oliver got shelled by the Tigers. With Oliver on the DL,
young lefty Doug Davis gets the rotation slot, and former
first-round pick Jonathan Johnson gets the call from Oklahoma to
fill the bullpen vacancy. The only real drama Sunday was whether or
not the Cowboys could score more points against the Steelers than
Oliver gave up runs to the Tigers; they tied at seven.
Recent Call-ups
THE YOUNG AND THE REST ... Tulsa (AA) SS Mike Young, acquired from
Toronto in the Esteban Loiaza deal, got off to a quick start after
joining the Ranger organization with six multi-hit games in his
first eight starts. Young has been slotted into the leadoff position
while top 2B prospect Jason Romano now hits second. They are
scheduled to be the Rangers starting DP combo by 2002 ... Oklahoma
(AAA) RHP Brian Sikorski leads the PCL with five complete games,
though he is only 8-9/4.10 in 19 starts. Sikorksi is now 20-27 in
two and a half AAA seasons in the Texas and Houston organizations.
