JD and Grossman were old regime mostly, right? I'd argue that Villar is mostly the player he was when he was here. He's experienced some growth which I would have expected for a 25 year old in his 1st full season as a ML starter. But not ridiculous. Grossman, I need more than 375 ABs with an inflated BABIP to say he's actually gotten better
Rangers take the Astros for a joke. Dominate us on the field on a routine basis, steal our worst players and then turn him into a good one in the middle of the season. If I were a Rangers fan, I would dismiss everything that the Astros did, I wouldn't even consider them a rival team. The Astros are so far beneath the Rangers it's hilarious.
I think that's very possible. I also think he's finally healthy; hard-pressed to believe he ever was while an Astro.
You do realize Daniels went to Cornell, has a background in economics and came to baseball from the business sector, right? That the Rangers are every bit as sabremetric-focused as the Astros? It's what eventually ran Nolan Ryan out of Arlington. But Astros are NERDS!!
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It's curious how long you guys will continue to give Luhnow, Hinch, and company a pass. This organization reeks of the smartest guys in the room attitude. With all the preening about the new age of analytical baseball, it really just comes down to good coaching and players play. The Rangers seem to have that figured out.
In that case, you might as well credit the Astros coaching staff for every single player who has had success with this current regime. Altuve's career years are totally due to the coaching Bregman turning it around after struggling initially? Coaching! Kuechel's Cy Young level years were simply due to the coaching Correa being one of the most productive 21 year olds ever, and adapting to the MLB level fast, is all due to the coaching. LMJ being a dynamo on the mound wouldn't have happened without this coaching staff. Evan Gattis having a huge second half... all because of coaching. Gurriel succeeding more at the MLB level than the minors? Coaching! (obviously i'm being sarcastic... because the vast majority of times, the players are largely responsible for everything at this level. Gomez isn't some obscure prospect that had to be re-taught the game... and if you honestly believe that, this conversation won't go far).
Who wrote that article? LOL at the "they gave up on Carlos gomez" part. What the heck we were supposed to do? He was not playing like a major league player from the start (save the playoff HR).
I think you've missed the direct correlation put forth between Carlos Gomez sucking as an Astro and Rangers coaches changing his mechanics to turn him back into something like the All-Star that the Astros traded some of their best prospects for last year. Players play and sometimes coaches turn pumpkins back into All-Stars. None of that applies to anyone you listed.
And most of the time, the onus/responsibility for the improvement (or previous suckage) is directly on the player (especially in baseball, a sport these guys have been playing their whole lives)... a facet that you are refusing to acknowledge. The rock bottom effect is certainly real. It cannot be simulated until a player literally reaches that point... where they know they not only have to accept change/coaching, but actually make a real effort to perform or risk losing millions. I suppose you also forgot Gomez' mental mistakes in the field, on the basepaths, and with his arm... something the Rangers' coaches have not worked their mysterious magic to correct... and yet none of that is currently a problem. Also, if those were truly some of their best prospects... this farm system is far away from where they think they are.
Again, the Rangers embrace sabermetrics. Their GM is an economics grad from Cornell; their manager was steeped in sabermetrics as a scout with the Pirates, and their front office is littered with nerds.
Fans should focus less on Gomez and more about HOU's future. Move on from GoGo for your own mental health, if anything. No one on this board knows anything about what happened behind closed doors during Gogo's tenure in HOU. Even with our HR or K attitude, I highly doubt our hitting coach, GM, and manager did nothing to adjust Gogo's swing. I doubt anyone in our organization turned a blind eye and said, "welp, keep on hacking". They tried to make GoGo fit, and it just didn't work. Like another poster mentioned, GoGo hitting rock bottom seems crucial to his turn-around. I also think it's clear that the pressure got to GoGo. He's a player who inherently plays better when he's looser. When he thinks, he stinks, and the pressure of being the vet in the lineup crushed him. It isn't his fault, and there's not much HOU's front office can do to forecast such an issue. Fact is, TEX provided a better environment in which GoGo could thrive. He needs vets around him to carry the load. I did not like the GoGo trade when we made it, but I hope this does not thwart Crane and co. from going after big fish in the future. This team needs it direly.
