The Great Game
I am not sure if many have even noticed, but I have been on a baseball writing hiatus for a few months now. Due to my recent inactivity, I was quite surprised when I was asked to author material on...
View ArticleAre The A’s More Clutch Than The Rangers?
The Texas Rangers have begun the month of September by losing nine of their first eleven games and have fallen 4.5 games behind the division leading Oakland A’s as the two AL West bunk mates prepare to...
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What’s Wrong With Derek Holland
The Texas Rangers have, to put it mildly, struggled in the month of September. The team just ended a seven game losing streak with a victory tonight in Tampa, their third in the first 15 games of the...
View ArticlePredicting Possible Playoff Success
If one is similar to the writer, one was probably quite exasperated by the Justin Maxwell walk off grand slam this past Sunday in the 10th inning of a scoreless game at Kaufmann Stadium. The loss...
View ArticleWas The Rangers 2013 Season A Successful One?
The Texas Rangers season concluded Monday night with a 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League second wild card tiebreaker. The club fought valiantly in the final week of the season,...
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What Brian McCann Can Do For You
The 2013 Texas Rangers offense would not be described as an indomitable force similar to the potent Rangers lineups of the mid to late 90’s. While the Rangers 730 runs scored were eighth most in the...
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Tanner RegresScheppers
After producing very ordinary numbers in 2012 in limited duty, Rangers relief pitcher Tanner Scheppers yielded some outstanding results in 2013 as the right hander posted a 1.88 ERA and was 20th in...
View ArticleFinding Value In xFIP
Before Tuesday, I had planned on authoring a piece about the potential value of impending free agent pitchers with high ERAs and low xFIPs centered primarily around Tim Lincecum. However, Lincecum...
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Baseball Fashion and Player Men Actions
My baseball cognizance began around the time I was seven years old. While I was recording World Series Theater with the SDI gang this past Monday evening, I reminisced about watching the 1990 Fall...
View ArticleRangers Claim Roe
The Rangers claimed 27 year-old right handed pitcher Chaz Roe off of waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, and proceeded to add him to the 40 man roster. Roe was the 32nd overall selection...
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Is Craig Gentry A Starting Outfielder?
I have mentioned in past articles for SDI that I often read the work authored by Dave Cameron over at Fangraphs. If one is seeking baseball wisdom from a source not perceived to be so condescending and...
View ArticleTrade Partners
As the GM meetings continue in Orlando, the groundwork for future trades is surely being laid between many teams looking to improve their present or future rosters. With the trade winds blowing in...
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Investigating Giancarlo Stanton, Is He Worth Acquiring?
The perception among fans and media in regards to Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton seems to be of a franchise savior. An athletic monster with prodigious power, who has yet to even arrive at...
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Final Thoughts On Fielder/Kinsler
Shortly after the release of my compelling and enlightening piece in regards to Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton was released last week here at SDI, the seemingly incredulous trade between...
View ArticleWhat I am Thankful For
Today is Thanksgiving, and while the majority of Americans are preparing their feasts to serve disgruntled and annoying members of their families, I thought I would reveal to you the SDI reader what I...
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Rangers Shopping On Cyber Monday
Cyber Monday began earlier today as internet shoppers are already navigating through websites in search of deals which rival the prices seen on Black Friday. In case one is not cognizant of what Cyber...
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What To Do With Choo
Cincinnati Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo is the marquee free agent left on the open market. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers are believed to be the two clubs most actively pursuing the 31...
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Ace Stuff
Do aces ever experience a 3-22 stretch? For the last two and a half seasons, some local DFW media and fans have argued whether Rangers starting pitcher Yu Darvish is an “ace”. Darvish is a pitcher who...
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What Has Happened To Nick Tepesch
The Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox are both performing below expectations and having disappointing seasons in 2014, but they still fancy themselves contenders in 2015, similar to what is believed to...
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What To Do With Alex Rios
There have been an innumerable amount of variables which have not exactly gone according to plan during the Texas Rangers 2014 season. Among the myriad of disappointments, injuries, and perpetual fan...
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Are Swing Heights and Magadan to Blame For Offensive Woes?
The Texas Rangers offense has been horrendous in 2014. The author is not exactly breaking news or providing the reader with a jaw dropping revelation, but due primarily to being decimated by a myriad...
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Troubles In The Two Hole
For each of the past four seasons, Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus has primarily hit in the second spot of the batting order. For much of the past two seasons, Andrus hitting second in the lineup has...
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Nick Martinez’s Accelerated Big League Course
Nick Martinez should have spent the majority of the 2014 season in the Frisco rotation with a late season promotion to Round Rock as a possibility. Due to a myriad of injuries sustained by many members...
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How The Rangers Can Use This Offseason To Be Competitive in 2015 and Beyond
The Texas Rangers enter the 2014-15 offseason coming off of a last place finish due to a myriad of reasons which have been covered at length by many columnists, bloggers, and hot takers. The author...
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Should The Rangers Be Interested In Matt Kemp or Justin Upton?
Right-handed power has been the overused cliche heard many times by everyone who has been paying heed to the happenings of the baseball offseason. What we have seen so far are teams willing to pay a...
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Is Jon Daniels Really Overvaluing His Prospects?
I know, the title gave me tired head too. Just bear with me. Up to this point, the Texas Rangers offseason has been what one might define as both underwhelming and uneventful. The club has not yet made...
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Carlos Corporans Valuable Skill Set and How He Can Make Gallardo Better
After weeks of inactivity, general manager Jon Daniels and the Texas Rangers satisfied the agitated fan base by completing two trades which figure to improve the club’s chances of competing in the AL...
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Was Colby Lewis Really That Much Better In The Second Half of 2014?
After missing the majority of the second half of 2012, and all of 2013, due to elbow surgery and hip resurfacing surgery, Colby Lewis returned to the mound in mid-April of last season and due to a...
View ArticleThe Rangers and Gap
Part of the reason I do not author much material here at Shutdown Inning is I am terrible at coming up with ideas. Apathy is also part of the equation, but I guess if one wants to be critical of me,...
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Keone Kela, Probable Future Closer, But Does Not Have To Be
Despite never having thrown an inning above AA, Keone Kela appears to have made the Rangers opening day roster. Injuries have contributed to Kela’s likelihood in making the 25 man roster, but Kela did...
View ArticleLike the offense, defense also struggling.
Writing about a bad baseball team is not fun. Writing about a bad baseball team is also hard. The Texas Rangers are currently a bad baseball team, and are also not very fun to watch play baseball. At...
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Prince Fielder’s encouraging beginning to 2015
Readers of this website, and people who for some unexplainable reason follow me on Twitter, are cognizant of the fact I was very critical of the acquisition of Prince Fielder in November of 2013. The...
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Shawn Tolleson, Effective Reliever
A few weeks ago, I had the idea to author a piece about Rangers reliever Shawn Tolleson, and not because Tolleson had unofficially usurped the ineffective Neftali Feliz for the ninth inning role....
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