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Texas Rangers State Of The Union For 2017: Jon Daniels Must Counter To Houston/Seattle’s Early Moves

The Texas Rangers won an American League best 95 games last season – to win their 2nd AL west Division. and to make the playoffs for the 5th time since 2010. The winter has not gotten off to a good start, as they have watched the Astros and Mariners all add depth to their teams – while Texas has lost players from their own year end roster. The team has to get involved right now to change the course of this offseason. The time to win is now with Yu Darvish and Jonathon Lucroy in walk contract years – while their ALL – Star Veterans like Cole Hamels and Adrian Beltre become another year older.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner)
Follow @stokes_Hunter21 @mlbreports
The Rangers have been one of the better teams in the MLB since the 2010 season. Back to Back AL Pennants, and now back to back AL West Division wins have seen them reach the playoff 5 times out of the last 7 campaigns.
For those who like pitching – the franchise has 2 number one aces for at least one more year in Yu Darvish and Cole Hamels.
Simply put, the development of all of their Draft Picks, domestically or international, coupled with the management’s keen eye for talent, have the club still in the conversation for another few years.
Here is the thing though….The Astros and Mariners have been the two busiest clubs in acquiring talent thus far in the winter. Both of these teams have closed or narrowed the gap on Texas already,
Houston has signed Free Agents Josh Reddick and Carlos Beltran – with also dealing for Brian McCann. This will not affect their 2017 squad as both didn’t require anybody from the Major League Roster to get it done.
Seattle has not made as big of a splash like Houston, but has shored up some depth, and have nicely added Jean Segura (who was an ALL – Star and top 15 NL MVP in 2016 – without losing anything of note.)
Texas has signed Andrew Cashner and lost Beltran for sure…yikes.. Read the rest of this entry
Philadelphia Phillies State Of The Union For 2016

The Phillies have not had a winning season since 2011 after putting forth a decade straight of them. A promising second half to the year – coupled with full seasons by Aaron Nola and Maikel Franco could have them inch closer back to achieving that mark in the next few years. The management finally started the rebuild halfway through the year, have continued it so far this winter – and the financial flexibility in going forward should really be shaped up in a few more seasons. It may be a tough campaign in 2016 for the win loss column, however the team has a lot of young players to watch and be excited about.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
I was lucky enough to watch a record 224 MLB Games live last year – spread across all 30 MLB parks in every day of the campaign last season.
Unfortunately I saw the most home games (33 Games) in Philadelphia with my brother living close by. There is nothing wrong with Citizens Ball Park, it was the team that was tough to watch.
When you have Jeff Francouer as your #4 hitter for half of the year, there is something wrong with that. I love the guy, and Frenchy had a decent year, it just said a lot about the depth of the Roster in 2015.
At the end of the year Philadelphia’s management started to trade away Veterans from the glory days of the World Series, and you can start to see the healing begin.
The dealing continued with Ken Giles sent to Texas for a bunch of stud arms coming back. Now the Phillies are looking forward to a bunch of young talent coming to the big leagues in the next few seasons.
The old guard is still there with Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz holding down the Starting First Base and Catcher respectively. Howard is an average offensive threat only now that makes $25 MIL. Read the rest of this entry
Texas Rangers State Of The Union For 2016

The Rangers rose from the AL West ashes in 2015 and won their first Division Title in 4 years. It came off the heels of 2 injury riddled seasons that plagued any chance to make the playoffs. The club has about $140 MIL worth of salaries to pay in 2016 but should consider spending out another $10 – $15 MIL. They recently filled their need for Starting Pitching and could use a breakout campaign from either Joey Gallo or Jurickson Profar to help the cause. The club will also hope Yu Darvish can come back at full strength.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Rangers have done a decent job in adding depth in the last few days to the Starting Rotation. The club has brought back fan favorite and 17 game winner for them in 2015 – Colby Lewis on a 1 Year deal worth $6 MIL.
Then John Daniels agreed to sign A.J. Griffin to the Pitching Staff even though he hasn’t pitched in the Majors of the last 2 years in recovering from Tommy John Surgery.
These are small moves in the grand scheme of things, but should help make sure that Yu Darvish can come back from his own Tommy John Surgery in his own good time.
You also have to factor that Derek Holland has faced a multitude of health issues over the last 2 years, most notably his spinal injury in 2015. It is a good thing the club traded for Cole Hamels last year. Read the rest of this entry
Texas Rangers Payroll In 2016 + Contracts Going Forward

The Rangers rose from the AL West ashes in 2015 and won their first Division Title in 4 years. It came off the heels of 2 injury riddled seasons that plagued any chance to make the playoffs. The club has about $140 MIL worth of salaries to pay in 2016 but should consider spending out another $10 – $15 MIL. They have a need for a Starting Pitcher and could use a breakout campaign from either Joey Gallo or Jurickson Profar to add depth for mid year trade to acquire a proven playoff Starter. The club will also hope Yu Darvish can come back at full strength. While they have 5 of the top 46 contracts of ALL – Time on their salary, 3 of them came via trade where the former team is picking up some of the dough.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Texas Rangers have 5 of the top 50 MLB Contracts of ALL – Time on their roster with Prince Fielder (10th), Cole Hamels (32nd), Shin-Soo Choo (37th), Josh Hamilton (42nd) and Elvis Andrus (tied for 46th).
Yes 3 of them came over via trade after chunks were already off, and their former team is still subsidizing some of the money going forward as well, but the Rangers are still already at over $120 MIL already committed in total team salary for 2016.
We have also heard grumblings that the team will look to extend Adrian Beltre this week in order to have him finish out his potential Hall Of Fame Career in Texas. This won’t hurt the bottom line in 2016 – but will also put some dough on the future of the teams finances should it occur. Read the rest of this entry
Who Owns October In MLB Playoffs 2015? (#WOO) Tallies Updated For October 12, 2015
Time to figure out who owns October!
Each winning team for every post season game gets a pitcher and a hitter who earn a full WOO (Who Owns October.)
And at my discretion, I award a 1/2 WOO’S to a worthy player on the losing team.
At the end of the post season, we will see who had the highest WOO total as a pitcher and a hitter.
A complete description of the rules can be found HERE.
From October 12th. AL & NL Division Series:
Receiving 1 WOO’s
Jake Arrieta did not have his best stuff. But his 9 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings was enough to earn the 8-6 Cubs victory over St. Louis.
Travis d’Arnaud broke open a close game with a 2 run homer, finishing the game with three hits, three runs scored and three RBI as the Mets demolished the Dodgers 13-7.
Wade Davis threw a 6 out save, squelching any hope for a Houston comeback and sealing the 9-6 victory for the Royals.
R. A. Dickey allowed 5 hits, 1 run and no walks over 4 2/3 innings. He was taken out before he was eligible for the win, but was pitching just fine in Toronto’s 8-4 win against the Rangers.
Matt Harvey may not have looked like an ace, but he pitched well enough to win. He struck out 7 in 5 innings, allowing 3 runs, 2 earned and got the 13-7 decision for the Mets over the Dodgers.
Eric Hosmer went 2 for 5 with a homer and 3 RBI and helped the Royals dizzying comeback against Houston, 9-6.
Kevin Pillar collected 3 hits including a homer, driving in 3 to help the Blue Jays stay alive in the series, 8-4 against Texas.
Jorge Soler reached base 4 times, including a homer, driving in 2 and leading the Cubs in an unexpected slug fest win, 8-6 over St. Louis.
Receiving 1/2 WOO’s
Current ‘WOO’ Totals MLB 2015:
Hitters ‘WOO’ MLB 2015,
Delino DeShields – Rangers 2, Jorge Soler – Cubs 2, Colby Rasmus – Astros 1 1/2, Jose Altuve – Astros 1, Chris Carter – Astros 1, Travis d’Arnaud – Mets 1, Dexter Fowler – Cubs 1, Eric Hosmer – Royals 1, Salvador Perez – Royals 1, Kevin Pillar – Blue Jays 1, Stephen Piscotty – Cardinals 1, Troy Tulowitzki – Blue Jays 1, Justin Turner – Dodgers 1, David Wright – Mets 1, Lorenzo Cain – Royals 1/2, Francisco Cervelli – Pirates 1/2, Yoenis Cespedes – Mets 1/2, Carlos Correa – Astros 1/2, Edwin Encarnacion – Blue Jays 1/2, Adrian Gonzalez – Dodgers 1/2, Didi Gregorius – Yankees 1/2, Jason Heyward – Cardinals 1/2, Howie Kendrick – Dodgers 1/2, Kendrys Morales – Royals 1/2, Rougned Odor – Rangers 1/2, Ben Revere – Blue Jays 1/2, Kyle Schwarber – Cubs 1/2, Kolten Wong – Cardinals 1/2,
Pitchers ‘WOO’ MLB 2015,
Jake Arrieta – Cubs 2, Wade Davis – Royals 2, Dallas Keuchel – Astros 2, Jake Arrieta – Cubs 1, Jacob deGrom – Mets 1, R. A. Dickey – Blue Jays 1, Jake Diekman – Rangers 1, Marco Estrada – Blue Jays 1, Zack Greinke – Dodgers 1, Cole Hamels – Rangers 1, Matt Harvey – Mets 1, John Lackey – Cardinals 1, Collin McHugh – Astros 1, Travis Wood – Cubs 1, Clayton Kershaw – Dodgers 1/2, Jon Lester – Cubs 1/2, Lance McCullers – Astros 1/2, Marcus Stroman – Blue Jays 1/2, Noah Syndergaard – Mets 1/2, Chris Young – Royals 1/2,
Who Owns October In MLB Playoffs 2015? (#WOO) Tallies Updated For October 11, 2015
The Blue Jays win will ensure one more day where 4 games are played. Meanwhile I don’t think Houston has loved Dallas this much EVER!
Time to figure out who owns October!
Each winning team for every post season game gets a pitcher and a hitter who earn a full WOO (Who Owns October.)
And at my discretion, I award a 1/2 WOO’S to a worthy player on the losing team.
At the end of the post season, we will see who had the highest WOO total as a pitcher and a hitter.
A complete description of the rules can be found HERE.
From October 10th. NL Division Series Game 2:
Receiving 1 WOO’s
Chris Carter collected 3 hits including a double and a homer to lead Houston’s attack as they beat the Royals 4-2.
Marco Estrada went into the 7th and finished with 6 1/3 innings, allowing 5 hits 1 runs and no walks and earned a season saving victory for the Blue Jays over Texas, 5-1.
Dallas Keuchel pitched 7 strong innings, striking out 7 and allowing 5 hits, including a solo homer for his only earned run, and was credit with the Astros 4-2 win over the Royals.
Troy Tulowitzki reached base 3 times, broke open the game with a 3 run homer and drove in 4 of the Blue Jays 5 runs as they won in Texas 5-1.
Receiving 1/2 WOO’s
Lorenzo Cain homered and walked but his Royals fell to the Astros, 4-2.
Rougned Odor drove in the Rangers only run and helped turn 3 double plays in the field in the Blue Jays 5-1 victory.
Current ‘WOO’ Totals MLB 2015:
Hitters ‘WOO’ MLB 2015,
Delino DeShields – Rangers 2, Colby Rasmus – Astros 1 1/2, Jose Altuve – Astros 1, Chris Carter – Astros 1, Marco Estrada – Blue Jays 1, Dexter Fowler – Cubs 1, Salvador Perez – Royals 1, Stephen Piscotty – Cardinals 1, Jorge Soler – Cubs 1, Troy Tulowitzki – Blue Jays 1, Justin Turner – Dodgers 1, David Wright – Mets 1, Lorenzo Cain – Royals 1/2, Francisco Cervelli – Pirates 1/2, Yoenis Cespedes – Mets 1, Edwin Encarnacion – Blue Jays 1/2, Didi Gregorius – Yankees 1/2, Howie Kendrick – Dodgers 1/2, Kendrys Morales – Royals 1/2, Rougned Odor – Rangers 1/2, Ben Revere – Blue Jays 1/2, Kyle Schwarber – Cubs 1/2, Kolten Wong – Cardinals 1/2,
Pitchers ‘WOO’ MLB 2015,
Dallas Keuchel – Astros 2, Jake Arrieta – Cubs 1, Wade Davis – Royals 1, Jacob deGrom – Mets 1, Jake Diekman – Rangers 1, Zack Greinke – Dodgers 1, Cole Hamels – Rangers 1, John Lackey – Cardinals 1, Collin McHugh – Astros 1, Travis Wood – Cubs 1, Clayton Kershaw – Dodgers 1/2, Jon Lester – Cubs 1/2, Marcus Stroman – Blue Jays 1/2, Noah Syndergaard – Mets 1/2, Chris Young – Royals 1/2,
Who Owns October In MLB Playoffs 2015? (#WOO) Tallies Updated For October 10, 2015
I could poke the flames and rattle some cages and say Chase Utley owned October, but even I won’t do THAT!
Time to figure out who owns October!
Each winning team for every post season game gets a pitcher and a hitter who earn a full WOO (Who Owns October.)
And at my discretion, I award a 1/2 WOO’S to a worthy player on the losing team.
At the end of the post season, we will see who had the highest WOO total as a pitcher and a hitter.
A complete description of the rules can be found HERE.
From October 10th. NL Division Series Game 2:
Receiving 1 WOO’s
Zack Greinke pitched 7 strong innings, allowing 5 hits, 2 runs on a pair of solo homers, striking out 8 and walking no Mets batters. He was the beneficiary of some strange calls that helped him earn the 5-2 victory for the Dodgers.
Jorge Soler reached base 4 times with a double, a homer and a pair of RBI to lead the Cubs past the Cardinals, 6-3.
Justin Turner doubled twice, driving in one and scoring another in the bizarre 5-2 come from behind Dodger win over the Mets.
Travis Wood threw 2 1/3 shutout innings, allowing 1 hit and no walks while striking out 2 and earning the decision in relief as the Cubs topped St. Louis, 6-3.
Receiving 1/2 WOO’s
Current ‘WOO’ Totals MLB 2015:
Hitters ‘WOO’ MLB 2015,
Delino DeShields – Rangers 2, Colby Rasmus – Astros 1 1/2, Jose Altuve – Astros 1, Dexter Fowler – Cubs 1, Salvador Perez – Royals 1, Stephen Piscotty – Cardinals 1, Jorge Soler – Cubs 1, Justin Turner – Dodgers 1, David Wright – Mets 1, Francisco Cervelli – Pirates 1/2, Yoenis Cespedes – Mets 1, Edwin Encarnacion – Blue Jays 1/2, Didi Gregorius – Yankees 1/2, Howie Kendrick – Dodgers 1/2, Kendrys Morales – Royals 1/2, Ben Revere – Blue Jays 1/2, Kyle Schwarber – Cubs 1/2, Kolten Wong – Cardinals 1/2,
Pitchers ‘WOO’ MLB 2014,
Jake Arrieta – Cubs 1, Wade Davis – Royals 1, Jacob deGrom – Mets 1, Jake Diekman – Rangers 1, Zack Greinke – Dodgers 1, Cole Hamels – Rangers 1, Dallas Keuchel – Astros 1, John Lackey – Cardinals 1, Collin McHugh – Astros 1, Travis Wood – Cubs 1, Clayton Kershaw – Dodgers 1/2, Jon Lester – Cubs 1/2, Marcus Stroman – Blue Jays 1/2, Noah Syndergaard – Mets 1/2, Chris Young – Royals 1/2,
Who Owns October In MLB Playoffs 2015? (#WOO) Tallies Updated For October 9, 2015
THIS is more like it! 4 games. All were hotly contested. Some controversy was had in one game. A bone headed managerial decision was in another.
Time to figure out who owns October!
Each winning team for every post season game gets a pitcher and a hitter who earn a full WOO (Who Owns October.)
And at my discretion, I award a 1/2 WOO’S to a worthy player on the losing team.
At the end of the post season, we will see who had the highest WOO total as a pitcher and a hitter.
A complete description of the rules can be found HERE.
From October 8th. AL and NL Division Series:
Receiving 1 WOO’s
Wade Davis slammed the door in the 9th with a key pick off thrown in for good measure as he earned the 5-4 save for Kansas City over Houston.
Jacob deGrom simply dominated the Dodgers with 7 shutout innings, allowing 5 hits and 1 walk while striking out an eye popping 13 batters and pitching the Mets to a dramatic 3-1 Game 1 victory.
Delino DeShields went 3 for 7, doubled, scored in the first and drove in a run in the 14th to help the Rangers win a wild and controversial 14 inning 6-4 game in Toronto.
Cole Hamels pitched a solid game, allowing 2 earned runs and 2 unearned runs over 7 innings, walking none. He got a no decision but the Rangers went on to beat the Blue Jays, 6-4 to 14 innings.
John Lackey dominated the Cubs by pitching into the 8th, finishing with 7 1/3 shutout innings, 2 hits, 1 walk and 5 strikeouts, earning the 4-0 decision for St. Louis.
Salvador Perez homered, singled and walked, driving in 2 runs and helping the Royals come from behind to beat the Astros, 5-4.
Stephen Piscotty doubled and homered, driving in 2 and helped turn a one run game into a 4-0 Cardinals shutout of the Cubs.
Receiving 1/2 WOO’s
Howie Kendrick doubled, singled and scored the Dodgers only run in their 3-1 loss to the Mets.
Clayton Kershaw struck out 11 and gave up just a solo homer going into the 7th. He walked the bases full in the 7th and was pulled after only 6 2/3 innings. The bullpen allowed a pair of his runners to score and got the decision in the Dodgers 3-1 loss to the Mets.
Jon Lester allowed just 1 run to the Cardinals over the first 7 innings. But he gave up a pair of insurance runs in the 8th, finishing with a solid 7 1/3 innings, 9 strikeouts, 1 walk and 3 run performance but took the 4-0 Cubs loss.
Colby Rasmus reached base 3 times, including a homer and a double, driving in a pair. But the Astros would blow their lead and fall to KC, 5-4.
Current ‘WOO’ Totals MLB 2015:
Hitters ‘WOO’ MLB 2015,
Delino DeShields – Rangers 2, Colby Rasmus – Astros 1 1/2, Jose Altuve – Astros 1, Dexter Fowler – Cubs 1, Salvador Perez – Royals 1, Stephen Piscotty – Cardinals 1, David Wright – Mets 1, Francisco Cervelli – Pirates 1/2, Edwin Encarnacion – Blue Jays 1/2, Didi Gregorius – Yankees 1/2, Howie Kendrick – Dodgers 1/2, Kendrys Morales – Royals 1/2, Ben Revere – Blue Jays 1/2, Kyle Schwarber – Cubs 1/2.
Pitchers ‘WOO’ MLB 2014,
Jake Arrieta – Cubs 1, Wade Davis – Royals 1, Jacob deGrom – Mets 1, Jake Diekman – Rangers 1, Cole Hamels – Rangers 1, Dallas Keuchel – Astros 1, John Lackey – Cardinals 1, Collin McHugh – Astros 1, Clayton Kershaw – Dodgers 1/2, Jon Lester – Cubs 1/2, Marcus Stroman – Blue Jays 1/2, Chris Young – Royals 1/2,
Who Owns October In MLB Playoffs 2015? (#WOO) Tallies Updated For October 8, 2015
4 games in. So far none of them have been exactly classics. The road team has won each game by taking early leads and not looking back. At least today had scoring on both sides!
Time to figure out who owns October!
Each winning team for every post season game gets a pitcher and a hitter who earn a full WOO (Who Owns October.)
And at my discretion, I award a 1/2 WOO’S to a worthy player on the losing team.
At the end of the post season, we will see who had the highest WOO total as a pitcher and a hitter.
A complete description of the rules can be found HERE.
From October 8th. AL Division Series Game 1:
Receiving 1 WOO’s
Jose Altuve went 3 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI to spark the Astros offense past the defending AL Champion Royals, 5-2.
Delino DeShields drove in the first run of the game and came around to score another, collecting a single and a double and leading the Rangers to a stunning 5-3 series opening win in Toronto.
Jake Diekman pitched a perfect 7th and 8th innings, keeping the strong Blue Jays attack from mounting a rally and set up the Rangers taking the series opener, 5-3.
Collin McHugh pitched 6 strong innings, including sitting through an extended rain delay, allowing 2 runs, 4 hits and 1 walk to earn a victory in Game 1 of the Division Series for the Astros, 5-2 in Kansas City.
Receiving 1/2 WOO’s
Edwin Encarnacion went 2 for 4 with an RBI but the mighty Blue Jays came up short against Texas, 5-3.
Kendrys Morales provided all of the Royals offense with a pair of solo homers in the 5-2 loss to the Astros.
Chris Young came out of the pen after the rain delay to throw 4 innings, striking out 7 and allowing just 1 run on a solo homer. The damage had been done, however, and Houston beat the Royals, 5-2
Current ‘WOO’ Totals MLB 2015:
Hitters ‘WOO’ MLB 2015,
Jose Altuve – Astros 1, Delino DeShields – Rangers 1, Dexter Fowler – Cubs 1, Colby Rasmus – Astros 1, Francisco Cervelli – Pirates 1/2, Edwin Encarnacion – Blue Jays 1/2, Didi Gregorius – Yankees 1/2, Kendrys Morales – Royals 1/2,
Pitchers ‘WOO’ MLB 2014,
Jake Arrieta – Cubs 1, Jake Diekman – Rangers 1, Dallas Keuchel – Astros 1, Collin McHugh – Astros 1, Chris Young – Royals 1/2,
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