The Skinny: Hurley was a first-round pick in 2004 coming out of high school. In the three years since the Rangers expended such a high pick on him, he hasn't disappointed. He is 20-16 with a 3.74 ERA in 66 games (60 starts) over his career. Last season was a breakout season for him, as he went 5-6 with a 4.11 ERA at Bakersfield, an impressive feat when you consider how hitter friendly the California League is, and he was 3-1 with a 1.95 ERA in six Texas League starts for Frisco. Hurley has since emerged as the Rangers’ top pitching prospect, especially after John Danks was traded. Expect the Rangers to develop him with care, however, as they don’t want to risk damaging him like they did with Volquez.
Positives: Hurley’s got a true power arm and has yet to stumble at any level at which he's pitched. He has a fastball that sits in the 92 to 95 mph range that touches 97 later in the innings. He compliments this with a filthy slider that just moves through the strike zone. His command and control are excellent and his mechanics are clean and his maturity level is excellent.
Negatives: Hurley relies too much on his fastball and slider and doesn’t use his changeup enough, even though it is a really nice one. Hurley also tends to elevate his fastball at times, leading to him getting hammered.
Projection: Medium. Hurley was pretty much ignored thanks to the DVD trio, but with that trio now broken up by trade and injury; Hurley is now in the spotlight to shine. He’s still got the capacity to gain some weight on his frame and possibly a bit more velocity on his fastball.
In A Perfect World, He Is: A number one starter, with stuff just falling below ace potential.
2007 Course Of Action: Hurley began the season back with Frisco and has been quietly dominating the Texas League, forcing the Rangers to promote him to Oklahoma. There's an outside chance he can see Arlington, but I wouldn’t count on it.
2 – Edinson Volquez (RHP)
DOB: 7/3/83
Signed: 2001, Dominican Republic
2007 Club: Frisco (Double A)
Height/Weight: 6-0/200
Bats/Throws: R/R
The Skinny: The former Julio Reyes, which Volquez was known as until he was caught in the 2003 Age-Gate that cracked down on so many players, Volquez has tantalized the Rangers for a couple of years now with outstanding minor league performances. He’s been compared a lot to former Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez because of his height and his stuff.
Positives: Volquez is believed to have the best pure stuff in the organization, starting with a 92-95 mph fastball has touched 98 in the past, and he compliments this with a filthy changeup that features excellent action and fade. His curve isn’t as good, but it’s far enough where he can mix it in from time to time. He was also tinkering with a slider last season, to help give him a fourth pitch. He’s also very aggressive on the mound as well.
Negatives: The problem is that Volquez works high in the zone and his control comes and goes at times. As a result, he gets pounded badly, as see by his last two call ups (though in 2005, the Rangers had no business calling up Volquez from Double A, as he wasn’t even dominating that league.) It’s not apparent yet as to whether or not Volquez is still scarred from his 2005 call up, but it’s apparent that he’s become at least somewhat damage.
Projection: Low. Aside from improving his control, there’s really nothing left for him to prove.
In A Perfect World, He Is: A power pitcher, either in the rotation or in the bullpen
2007 Course Of Action: This year will be a telling year, as the Rangers need for Volquez to succeed in the worst way. I would almost be tempted to carry him in the bullpen for the moment, in order to allow pitching coach Mark Connor time to work with him. However, the Rangers instead did the highly unusual move of sending Volquez all the way down to High A, much as the Toronto Blue Jays did to Roy Halladay early in his career, in hopes of him being able to get his control together without having the pressure of a possible big league call up resting on his shoulders. We’ll see if Volquez sinks or swims with this course of action.
The Skinny: There was talk that the Rangers were actually hoping for Tim Lincecum to fall to them in the draft, but the Giants #### that up. Still, they didn’t do bad with ####r, who was regarded as one of the nation's most electric lefthanders and he’s got a excellent track record for a high school pitcher. At 15, he was the winning pitcher for Team USA when it won a gold medal in the World Youth Championship in Taiwan. He was the ace of national champion Russell County High's staff in 2005 as a junior, going 12-1, 0.52 with 173 strikeouts and 24 walks in 94 innings. He also appeared in the Aflac All-American Classic in August and numerous other high profile showcases and tournaments, showing guile and aggressiveness each time out. The Rangers had worked ####r out twice at Rangers Ballpark in the weeks before the draft and the Rangers were impressed enough that he rose on their draft boards. ####r was also high on Milwaukee’s and Atlanta’s draft boards as well and would have been snapped up had he fallen. There were some makeup questions, as with Kyle Drabek, but after interviewing the both, the Rangers felt that ####r’s questions were more or less unfounded.
Positives: ####r’s similar to Lincecum in that he’s a big arm in a small package and has drawn a lot of similarities for Billy Wagner. ####r has a polished delivery and he throws in the mid 90’s, hitting 97-98 at times. He’s got a hammer curve and a changeup that’s showing the potential to be a plus pitch. His control over his pitches is excellent.
Negatives: ####r is far too dependant on his fastball and doesn’t mix his pitches well. He also needs to improve his command.
Projection: High. ####r was challenged by the Rangers, who though that he was far enough along to skip a level after all of the high school competition he went through and they were right. ####r also has another motivation for himself to succeed. He’s promised that he would arrive in Arlington no latter than 2009.
In A Perfect World, He Is: A middle of the rotation starter or a power closer.
2007 Course Of Action:####r s currently being retained in Extended Spring Training, where the Rangers are planning on limiting his workload, but he will likely be assigned to Low A Clinton at some point this season.
4 – John Mayberry Jr. (RF)
DOB: 12/21/83
Drafted: 1st round, 2005, Stanford University
2007 Club: Bakersfield (High A)/Frisco (Double A)
Height/Weight: 6-6/230
Bats/Throws: R/R
The Skinny: R/R
The Skinny: Mayberry spent the season down in Clifton, where he started slowly, but caught fire at the end of the season, before tearing up the Hawaiian Winter League this season.
Positives: Mayberry is a HUGE outfield that is also one of the best athletes in the system. He’s got immense power potential and some decent speed on the bases. He’s got a true right fielder’s arm and has a solid approach at the plate.
Negatives: Mayberry’s swing can get long at times, resulting in some strikeouts. However, this has been getting better, as the Rangers have worked on Mayberry’, who tinkered too much with his swing in college and have worked on a new swing that results in a shorter, quicker swing as well as to have him stand closer to the plate. He also needs to continue to adjust to the outfield, as he does make some mistakes, mostly due to his adjustment of the position.
Projection: Medium. Mayberry just needs to continue to do what he’s doing and adjust to the higher levels of competition, where the Rangers hope he’ll make an appearance sometime next year.
In A Perfect World, He Is: A corner outfielder that can hit for average and for power, similar to Jermaine Dye.
2007 Course Of Action: After spending all of 2006 in Low A, Mayberry was promoted to Bakersfield, where the power was there but so were the strikeouts. Mayberry filled in at Frisco when Ben Harrison was hurt, but he’s still not progressing as fast as the Rangers would like.
5 – Marcus Lemon (SS)
DOB: 6/3/88
Drafted: 4th round, 2006, Florida HS
2007 Club: Clinton (Low A)
Height/Weight: 5-11/175
Bats/Throws: L/R
The Skinny: With the Rangers lacking a second round pick, the Rangers aimed high and took Lemon, who was thought to be a hard sign. It took a signing bonus around $1 million to convince Marcus Lemon to skip playing baseball for the Longhorns and sign with the Rangers, but so far it looks like money well spent. As a senior at Eustis High, where his father, former big leaguer Chet Lemon is the baseball coach, Lemon the younger hit .451 with six home runs and 24 RBI in 31 games, drawing 33 walks while striking out just five times, and stealing 23 bases in 24 tries. One interesting thing to note about Lemon is his toughness. Two years ago, during an East Coast showcase, Lemon played with 17 stitches and 11 staples in his right leg after getting spiked in a previous tournament. In the opening game of the showcase, the wound was reopened. He went to the ER, had his leg sewn up again and was back on the field the next day.
Positives: Obviously, Lemon has a great bat with a good approach to hitting and he’s a excellent defender with soft hands. He’s not fast, but he is an extremely good baserunner. His skills make him a solid fit as a potential leadoff man, which he has been doing in Clinton.
Negatives: The problem with Lemon is that he’s got limited power potential and is a bit short, making some wonder about durability in the future.
Projection: High. Scouts love Lemon a lot and while he may lack the high ceiling that many high school prospects do, Lemon is a gamer and plays with a lot of heart. It may be that Lemon could force himself to the majors by sheer will alone.
In A Perfect World, He Is: A solid shortstop with leadoff capability.
2007 Course Of Action: Lemon did everything right in his Arizona League debut, thanks to his hitting .310 in 24 games with nine RBIs and 11 stolen bases, while drawing 16 walks and striking out only 10 times in 84 at-bats. As a result, he’s was tested by skipping Spokane to move directly to Clinton, where he’s expected to stay for the season. So far, he’s making the Rangers look smart for their investment.
Price Tag Rising On Rangers’ Supplemental Picks
Well, this draft is going to be a bit more expensive.
Aside from Beaven’s bonus demands, the Rangers now have to worry about the bonus demands of all three of their supplemental picks.
Julio Borbon, the Rangers’ first supplemental first rounder, is represented by Scott Boras, who wants a high bonus for Borbon and may want to ask for a major league contract as well, which means an immediate placement on the 40 man roster. Boras will argue that Borbon deserves mid round money, but he fell due to injury and it shouldn’t be held against him. Boras will likely have Borbon hold out as long as possible, but in the end, I think a deal will be made because of the reasoning that while Borbon could return to Tennessee for his senior year, next year’s class is going to be increasingly big on college position players. And while Borbon would immediately jump to 15 on the top 20 college players, that’s without factoring in players that suddenly have their stock rise, as well as any prep or JUCO players that are coming in. He’s going to be a Ranger, no doubt about it.
Neil Ramirez is also another one that’s going to be difficult to sign. According to Baseball Prospectus prospect guru Kevin Goldstein, Ramirez is seeking above slot money and will honor his commitment to Georgia Tech if he doesn’t receive it. Last year’s 44th Overall Pick, Caleb Clay, signed for $775,000 from the Boston Red Sox. With draft demands trending down, Ramirez’s slot would likely be $697,500. Ramirez would want significantly more than that. Considering Ramirez was projected to be a late round pick going into the draft, I would roughly offer him about $900,000 to sign, maybe more. I would pay it, however. I like Ramirez’s potential and view him as I do Lemon, as a investment worth taking.
The big question is whether or not the Rangers will go all out to sign Alabama right hander Tommy Hunter, drafted 54th overall, and who entered the draft as a sophomore eligible. Hunter has enormous leverage against the Rangers, as he can return and try for a higher bonus next year and could demand a lot to buy out his last two years at Alabama. Hunter’s slot calls for a bonus of around $540,000 and he’s going to want to make sure that the Rangers make it worth his while to buy out the last two years of his college eligibility. As a result, Hunter’s potential for joining the organization is going to depend on how ready Hunter is willing to begin his career and how willing the Rangers are going to want to go above slot.
And as far as the Commissioners Office frowning on Texas paying above slot, I only have to say the following: what the hell has the commissioners office done for Texas? As far as the All-Star Game way back when, not a whole lot.
Rangers Notes (Majors)
Here’s something that you may notice is a bit odd. With Ian Kinsler out thanks to a foot injury, Michael Young is the only remaining player from the Opening Day infield.
Eric Gagne has long been linked to trade talks. However, Gagne has stated that he wants to remain a Ranger for the long haul and doesn't want to be traded. This is a new development and I don't know if it's posturing or not, but personally, I would hate to see Gagne go, but I understand that nature of the business.
Former Ranger prospect Mike Nickeas, who was traded last season for Victor Diaz, currently on the Rangers, has been demoted from Double A to High A after only hitting .213 for the Barons. To say that the Rangers sold high is an understatement.
Former Ranger pitcher, Juan Dominguez, has a job again, playing in the Mexican League, pitching for Saraperos de Saltillo.
To make room for Desi Relaford, the Rangers designated LHP John Koronka for assignment. Koronka was a big reason why the Rangers got off to a hot start and a big reason why the Rangers collapsed in August.
Rangers Notes (Minors)
In yet another prospect setback, Bakersfield pitcher Glenn Swanson, one of the only pitchers in that squad to actually play well this year, has undergone Tommy John surgery and miss the rest of the season and possibly most of next season as well. Swanson, despite a 4.87 ERA, actually was doing well, striking out a man per inning and allowing only one homer per 13 innings. I was really expecting him to breakout. Now, we’ll have to wait another year for that.
Frisco second baseman German Duran won the Home Run Derby at the Texas League All-Star Game last Tuesday, defeating A's catching prospect Landon Powell.
Joaquin Arias, one of the Rangers' top prospects, has undergone shoulder surgery and will likely miss the rest of the year. While this means that Arias will accrue a year of service time and will be heading to free agency sooner, it does mean he can be optioned next year to the minors.
Okie Dokie. Happy Fourth Everyone and check out Thursday's post, where I rebuild the White Sox. Whoot!
I'm a long time Texas Rangers fan who has come to love baseball as a whole. I recently began this blog as a way for me to showcase my opinions, provide some analysis, and hopefully entertain those who happen to stumble upon my little soapbox online. I'll toss in an NFL, College, or NBA nugget every now and then. Enjoy the posts everyone, and yes, getting a little love in a Deadspin post was probably the highlight of the year, blogwise.
Do You Have Comment You Don't Want All To See? Just Want To Talk Baseball? Email Me at morisatos_blo g AT yahoo.com. Email's edited to keep away the Spam.
DOB: 9/17/85 
DOB: 11/19/87 
DOB: 6/3/88 
