Today we have updates on Mike Napoli, Anthony Gose, Shohei Ohtani, and Alex Claudio, plus some information from the Rangers on how to attend this year’s awards ceremony. For the last two years, this column was called the “Baseball Texas Daily”. But with the move to the new site, I no longer had the rights […]
What the heck to do with Jurickson Profar?
There was a time, in the early twenty-teens, that to envision a Texas Rangers team of the future without starting shortstop (or second baseman) Jurickson Profar was madness. He was one of the guaranteed stars of the years to come, a can’t-miss prospect who headlined the hopes and dreams of Rangers fans, and surely, between […]
(Why) Does Baseball Matter?
It is Sunday morning and it is happening again: that tightness in my chest that I cannot unclench, the weight on my head that I cannot tip to one side and let fall to the floor. I am thinking about dying again. Today’s trigger? My wife’s left hand. We are sitting in church, and she […]
Rangers Sign Outfield/Pitcher Hybrid. No, No, Not That One.
It’s not Shohei Ohtani—Stand down, everyone—but Texas has reportedly signed Anthony Gose to a minor league deal. Gose has played at the big league level as an outfielder with the Blue Jays and Tigers with middling results, but that’s not where the intrigue lies in this signing. No, this bit of news on an otherwise […]
Daniels on Ohtani: Years, not Days
If Shohei Ohtani doesn’t end up a Texas Ranger, it won’t be because Jon Daniels and his team were caught off-guard by a Pop Quiz. On Sunday, news emerged that the two-way superstar from Japan had sent a questionnaire to all 30 MLB teams asking them to provide answers to—according to the AP—these six prompts: […]
Rangers Claim Catcher Juan Centeno from Astros
The 40-man Roster was at 30 just a few days ago. It’s at 38 now, after the Rangers claimed Juan Centeno off waivers from the Houston Astros. Centeno isn’t likely to challenge Robinson Chirinos for the starting catcher job, but it’s important to remember that Chirinos has been injured a significant amount in his big-league […]